R.I.P. Klaus Keppler...too much water passed below th bridg

Steinberg Lounge
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Nearly everyone will wonder who klaus was but ill try to get to the point quickly. I met Klaus by his brother who was told to have home show up in a snowstorm to enjoy a bit of skiing with persons he’d never met. It was 1972 he was an x- German downhill skier who had some training mishaps but he had loved recreational skiing. I skied, my friend skied so this very brief acquaintance results into…" Hey, I tell your brother to stop by, ok?" “You said its about 9 hours away? Ok”

99% of the strangers you set this up with will never follow through. A 2am in a blizzard, he knocks on the doors and arrived. Whoa,that alone was a surprise. The next 10 years found all of us very close and rarely strayed far from each others company in all walks of life. Marriage and kids separated us significantly and all seemed lost. My wife and I found them in Palos Verdes, CA and flew out to surprise them. Kids getting bigger and individual lives changing. We had a great visit picking up as if no time passed at all. Another 12 years passes but I often think of calling him, but never had.

About 2 months ago it was getting too long to not have been in touch so its time to try a reconnection. My wife and I found them again north of the Bay Area in California and were going to fly out and surprise them again. Some Internet data flies across the web and other information seems to Just creep along. It was very sad for us to discover that Klaus had passed away 2 years ago, likely from lung cancer . Our trip has changed. It becomes more of an obligation now to not so much time go by for people that have those values that we need in our lives and should refresh once and a while. I know it’s a old story and likely biblical in proportion. Reading the notes in his obituary by his kids, now half my age was still upsetting.

Just keep it in the back of your mind,you never know. I know there’s a song here

Mr. M. Sorry about the beer…next time?

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Life!

Ya gotta luv it.
{‘-’}

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Knuckle ,sorry to hear the bad news . Yes as well get older ,keeping in contact with those who have been important in our lives should be a focus. I was back home in Philly last Xmas and really planned to visit friends that I hadn’t seen for ten years in Boston. It had to be a 24 hr trip but I was able to go up Sat before Xmas and return the next day. It was truly the worst drive I ever did: 8 hours of bumper to bumper traffic from the NJT to Conn. Glad I got it done tho.

I should be in Philly again this year, maybe a beer then.

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Geez thanks gentlemen, . NJTPK. Take that to work A real waste of precious time. Hey Mr. M, Philly is not even a hour away.

Well said guys…life throws a real wrench in sometimes. Some one said, life is like a roll of toilet paper, it goes much faster towards the bottom of the roll.

Steve, how far is yountville from Lodi ? Are you near that area?

Al

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Ok Steve, I thought I had seen Lodi on the map near his area. Maps can be deceiving. They are near napa off of route 29. Which is where we were heading as a few other area also. I guess he moved to Florida but that part did not catch up. My wife and I rarely travel big distances but did this 20 plus years ago. We are still anxious to something. Having very few relocated friends that were close years back and not connected with is hard since I had moved a lot. Having Beene here so long, well, I know who I know and that is that

Maybe we would go to California anyway and just tour the area for e heck of it. Tickets good for a year

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Interesting ideas and I will happily go to wherever it is to meet and say hello. My wife and I rarely go anywhere. We have become the proverbial “houseplants”. We had two golden retrievers one for 17 and the other for 15 years. The kids are both married and we are on our own. Nothing holding us back in terms of obligations …just money :slight_smile: . We traveled in segments. Some years actively, then a null. Certainly the west coast is not the easiest place to get to, that 6 hour plane ride in coach really sucks, I’d rather sit in my shower for 6 hours starring at the wall than with my arms folded in a row of three people squeezed into a closet. Those first class seats are 5 times the cost each

Steve, he lived apparently not far from Calistoga and Napa?

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I’m heading to the Bay Area either at Xmas time or possibly sooner. A few years ago I drove it (5,000 mile roundtrip) and vowed I’d never do it again, but I’m getting the urge to do so. Kock, I want to buy you a beer when I come through there :sunglasses: