Kid Tampa, The Rabbit Remembers

“You don’t know, you don’t even know the half.” Often said of great people in ones life you couldn’t even begin to comprehend. It’s a brotherhood these selections in friends that you make in life that forge a bond greater than steel. This is beyond ones professional accomplishments in life for I didn’t know him in that capacity, “The how are you” drawn out in a question he would often ask while being right in you’re grill.

I can only speak to how we shared amazing times. Well this guy Rick most certainly made the most of it. Ricky ticky tampa’s shenanigans even caught me of all people off guard on many occasions. “Rick was just completely unpredictable in nature being that he was the path.”

To delve into all these stories one accumulates in life would be foolhardy at best. I couldn’t imagine growing up with him like Joey has. I had only met him through his brothers later in life in my 20’s. He most certainly had a great spark for interesting moments that only got bigger as I got to know him better. Last time I was staying down in Florida I pressed to see him. He was off the radar for a minute but meet us at a dinner down on the beach. He showed me this awesome place for cheeseburgers and we shared a great conversation. It seems trivial but I love food especially Cheese burgers and in life the small things you learn about people make all the difference.

You talk about fiesta his name comes up arriving on mysterious floats, you talk about Vegas the cigar smoke sneaks around the corner, you talk about Nantucket wearing reds, Boston nights at Daisy B’s, Florida trips filled with baseball, and I could spill on…We don’t but being in the circle of someone’s life that has touched many others is a gift. Friendship is steady work never waist or misplace a drop, it should be right behind family in slot two.

MVP Rick will be missed and the soil of my life will forever be enriched by knowing his. We as friends are left to keep his memories alive. We are spread far apart right now, a collection of people but look to the memories for comfort. I would love to launch into the story of him upstaging a high brow fashion show in Nantucket. The laughter of the crowd, the cheer of his friends, he just lit up the room that night like so many others. Codename Lion King the fuse burns wildly a final mission, get us a table a big one.

Joey, Joey, Joey I see a friggen Rainbow… I’m picking up what you are laying down….Be well in these difficult times abroad everyone and lets respect his wish to pay things forward…. “Outstanding” I’m thinking about all you guys right now stay blessed…I’m smiling wildly as always, life we got away with it living less ordinary.