For Our Buddy, Nick Ward - A True Inspiration

He's one of the #GoodPeople

I'm writing this not in remembrance of Nick, BECAUSE THE GUY IS STILL FIGHTING FOR HIS LIFE IN SAVANNAH.  I started this to share laughter, joy, tears, good times we had and all the other emotions surrounding Nick's life.  He shared these emotions with each and every one of us in his own way.  Nick is a beacon of hope and good faith in a world where many have forgotten the way of the Lord.

Nick is a family guy.  He loves his family, and they love him back.  Family doesn't just mean kin or blood.  Family means those you associate with, your crew.  Everywhere Nick and I have crossed paths, he's always had a crew with him.  Good guys and girls coming together probably because they share the same passion for life that Nick does.  Nick is an all around good  guy.  He'd jump at the chance help out, give a hand and wasn't afraid to be a great friend. He touched my life as I'm sure he's touched all of ya'lls.  Let's keep praying and stay strong for our buddy.  LET'S HELP PULL HIM THROUGH THIS.  Please remember to pray for Jimmy, Cynthia, Drew and the rest of the family while they pass these difficult times. Keep Fighting Buddy.

"And it's real

Believe what I say

Just one thing that I gotta say

I need a miracle very day"     ~ The Grateful Dead

Nick loves music.  He loves playing it, head-banging to it, traveling mind blowing distances to see it played live.  Music has been one thing Nick and I connected on, became friends around and still share a passion for.  That being said, I collected some song lyrics.  They remind me of Nick and his current battle for life. For me, these lyrics are a way to remember great times we shared, and to look forward to the future with hope and faith.  It's a collection of lyrics from Nick's favorite band; Widespread Panic.  Also the Grateful Dead, Bob Dylan and others.  Please enjoy them as much as we do.  Feel free to comment, add more lyrics or share a story about Nick of your own.

Widespread Panic:
"Old days come and go too soon

Old friends, heroes, lifetimes

Don't let a single memory ever fade away"  ::: Heroes

"May your family share laughter

Your songs always play

May your wishes come true

Even those left unprayed

Hand on my shoulder

Gentle cloud on the hill

May your heart's doors be open

Forever and ever, may your glass be filled"  :::May Your Glass Be Filled

"Cheers, to your friends so near

High, your dreams so clear

Raise another glass to the dreams so near"  ::: Space Wrangler

"The sun came out the other day

Through those dusty clouds

And in my mind I was a child

And it felt good!"                                      ::: Ain't Life Grand

"Travelin' Light, and you can catch the wind

Travelin' Light, better let your mind pretend

Get on down to paradise

Maybe once, now maybe twice

Travelin' Light, is the only way to fly"      ::: Travelin' Light

Grateful Dead

"Wake now discover that you are the song that the morning brings"

:::The Eyes of the World

"One way or another

This darkness has got to give"

:::New Speedway Boogie

"Keep on dancing through to daylight"

:::The Music Never Stopped

Goin' Out West ::::: the drive to Jackson Hole, WY :: January 15, 2012

Wow. Where to start?  When the decision came to move to Jackson, Wyoming for some party-work-ski-live time, it was unanimous.  I already had some buddies living out in the high country, and they were part of a lease already, so I said why not, see you guys in a couple weeks.  I decided to stay with family through the Christmas and New Year holiday which could have been a good decision or not depending on how you look at it.  From what I'd heard it had been a relatively mild winter in a place that is famous for record snowfalls.  I began my journey in the middle of January to what I would find not to be a lack of snow.  Leaving from Birmingham, I would venture on to pass through Tupelo, Memphis, Little Rock, Fort Smith, Muskogee, Tulsa all the way to Wichita, KS.  I stayed for the night with a family friend.  Her boyfriend Dave had a man cave in the basement.  We shared a few laughs and he came to tell me how he had done exactly what I was doing, a good old ski bum.  "I lived and worked the slopes in Telluride, Colorado for 26 years man," he said. After a few glasses of red I was out like a light, but just giddy about the trip to come.
5:00 a.m. came and I joined the hordes of truckers and commercial vehicles beating down the interstate and pointed my nose towards Colorado.  If you've ever driven through Kansas, I'm sorry.  For those that haven't stay away at all costs.  Sure I was all excited about getting to  see countryside yet unseen by my own two eyes, but wow, Kansas ain't much to look at.  Your drivin', drivin'... WINDMILL!  The simplest roadside shape will grab your attention in place of the miles and miles of farmland your immersed in.  It's 430+ miles just from Wichita to Denver.  Yea.  Finally you get to Colorado and you feel like your making some progress, sort of.  In Denver you can see the majestic rockies off in the distance.  Beautiful and breathtaking but it was a different mountain pass I was seeking, and to get there I had to get through 'Hoback Junction.'  Kind of like the native american backdrop of cities, towns and street names in Mississippi, the names get weirder and more outrageous the further west you go.  Pueblo, Cheyenne, Blackfoot, Muskogee to name a few.  I got to Denver around noon and had lunch with a good friend of mine, Ms. Chelsea Buell, a fellow Rebel and show-goer herself she was glad to see me come through and she got a free lunch out of it.  I rather enjoyed it.  A person across the country and doing her own thing, "Hey I know you lets have lunch."  Another turn to the North and off towards Jackson.  Crossing the state line in Wyoming was another point where it feels like you've made progress.  Nope, 8 hours til Jackson still. The roaming pastures and distant windmills gave way to rolling hills and yellow sandy looking sediment that rose toward the heavens with the tops just frosted with a light snow.  Mild winter rings in my head again as the temperature starts to drop.  It was probably  50-55 degrees in Denver, comfortable in a tee shirt in the sun.  It had dropped 15 degrees by the time I got to Laramie.  5 hours left.  Afternoon turned to dusk, and before dark I stopped to clean my windshield with hot water and put some more clothes on.  The intensity of the last 5 hours began to sink in.  Changed out of my Chacos(painstakingly), figured it was time.  Laramie actually had a higher elevation than the town of Jackson.  7100 feet vs. 6400 feet.  Anyway, it's the capitol and the University of Wyoming is there.  Maybe I'll check it out next time.  I put it to the floor and ascended into the mountains in the dark.  Hairpin turns and switchbacks kept me on my toes, but thanks be to God the roads were in pretty good shape.  A little sketchy outside Laramie in Hoback Junction but I managed.  I sure came at the right time of year considering we got dumped on the next 3 months.  Finally made it to Jackson, hit state road 22 towards Grand Teton National Park and turned into my destination at The Aspens.  What a long strange trip it had been.  WAY worth it.  The group met me with many beers in hand.  They had prematurely celebrated my arrival and had a few before I got there. Not to worry, there's always another Pabst in the fridge.

td