Another Friendly Silvery Salute

Today I'm giving a big-shout out to my dear friend Richard Pinkepank, who marks a quarter of a century on this his birthday.

I had the privilege of meeting Richard at the very start of our time together at Valparaiso University.  I can't recall exactly how we meet, but after we attended an orientation meeting together the day before our classes officially started, we just found ourselves talking to each other.

We would see each often quite often, always being in the same residence hall and having many classes together in our shared major of meteorology.  He's been super-interested in meteorology ever since he was a young child.  And to this day, he's always on the look-out for a big weather event, dropping everything when it finally shows up, whether a raging snowstorm or a powerful thunderstorm.

There are two things that stand out to me about Richard:  The first is that he's incredibly hard-working.  He knows what he needs to get done, and keeps himself focused on the tasks at hand.  The second is that he really enjoys being with his friends.  One of his favorite things to do is hanging out with people he knows.

Indeed, we shared many meals together, and many conversations, all over the ValpU campus, and beyond.  I still recall fondly the first time I went to visit his neck of the woods in LaPorte County, Indiana, whose county seat, LaPorte, is his hometown--and that's the third thing I have to note about Indiana during its Bicentennial Year.  LaPorte, which is French for "the door", is a decently-sized city in the central part of LaPorte County, surrounded by farm fields.  Richard's side of town is a lovely wooded area.  It all seems like a dandy little place out in the Indiana countryside.

During that visit, we also spent some time in Michigan City--the fourth thing I'll note about Indiana--which was my gateway into LaPorte County, as it is where I disembarked the South Shore Line, at the Carroll Avenue Station.  I was very astounded when the train entered Michigan City, and I realized the track runs right down the middle of 11th Street, lined with homes, and cars passing by on either side of the train, rendering the 11th Street Station a kind of glorified bus stop.  It's another decently-sized city, sitting right on the shore of Lake Michigan, with beaches.  I had a nice visit there, and a nice Mediterranean/Middle Eastern lunch.

The two locales are in a big rivalry in high school sports, which I saw on full display during my visit.  It's the Wolves of "The City", as it's colloquially named, versus the Slicers of LaPorte.

Visiting these places helped me gain a greater sense of who my friend Richard is.  He is a friend I am blessed to have, who would always gladly call out my name whenever we'd see each other, and with whom I delight to continue in friendship that transcends time and space.