Ole Velcro Butt

A true test of friendship is being able to spend the entire summer with someone and not killing them. This is one of my good friends Blake and his horse Sonny. We spent many summers training our horses together at a barn nearby. Blake is one of those dependable guys that you have to watch out of the corner of your eye or you might get hit by a flying object. One of his favorite things was throwing unwanted Bojangles particles at unsuspecting victims riding at our barn. I found this photo way back in my computer files and just had to drag it up. Blake was commonly know as "Velcro Butt." There wasn't a horse he couldn't ride. I learned the hard way that when someone said, "Only Blake rides that horse," they weren't kidding.
Blake and I learned a lot from each other including how to speak without uttering a word. Facial expressions usually said it all. We were most famous for these three....

1) Oh my gosh. I can't believe they spent that much money for a horse that looks like that.
2) Run and hide before they make me ride this mule.
3) Your horse looks like crap but I'm going to smile and not tell you so you don't feel bad. (Which is my personal favorite...I got that look a lot)

We had many good times together. Blake is still a good friend even though we have both moved on and don't see each other as much. If we haven't spoken in awhile he always gives me a call just to check in. He also lets me drag him to horse shows to scream my number even when rule #3 applies...and I love him for it. I made him swear that one day we would get a barn and train together again. And you know what, I'm holding him to it.

"The most I can do for my friend is simply to be his friend. I have no wealth to bestow on him. If he knows that I am happy in loving him, he will want no other reward. Is not friendship divine in this?"
-Henry David Thoreau