My buddy and I are at it again.

Charles and Eric on various excursions.

Charles, a long-time friend, and I have done a lot of travelling together.  Just some of the adventures include New Zealand, Arizona, Texas, Juan de Fuca and West Coast trails, Broken Islands, Ontario, the Maritimes, the Yukon, and vast trips throughout BC and Alberta.  The list is impressive.

We met at college in 1978 and have been hanging out together since then.  Our friendship has passed through all the milestones adults go through.  We were in each other's wedding parties, saw our children grow up and move out, retired, and through all of that we took the time to get together in spite of the fact that we live in different provinces.

As we get older our abilities have ebbed.  Health problems have been creeping up and our backpacking and kayak touring expeditions have turned into RVing with a big-screen TV.  Even here we rouse each other onto adventures, although now e-bikes are our mount of choice.  And, as always, cards fill the void between meals and play.

It is so very important to spend time with those you care for.  It keeps relationships fresh and the chance to assist others in achieving goals.  We have both been heavily involved in the construction and renovations of each other's homes.  We know each other's children and extended families.  Our lives are intertwined with love, kindness, and fun.  And we celebrate it all by spending more time together.

I expect that, as age continues to advance, our relationship will be as strong as ever but see new forms of interactions.  Wheelchair races will replace e-biking, which in turn has replaced hiking.  We will have a myriad of memories to recall and share, and even invent - not that we will be able to tell the difference by then.  And, as always, cards will fill the void between wheeling and story-telling.

Thanks for being my friend.

And thanks for reading.

Eric Svendsen     www.ericspix.com