Friday, September 12, 2014
The town of Saluda will miss seeing Skip around he had many friends (and admirers). I had the honor of knowing him for just a few years but saw him almost every day for most of that time. What I miss most about Skip is his gentle smile, his quick wit and his kindness and his presence. We shared some quiet days on his front porch listening to his goats. I enjoyed working with him in his garden. Over many cups of coffee we shared stories about our lives. I learned about each one of his children, which he spoke of with a sense of pride. I heard stories about his mother. He even showed us the museum where she had some of her paintings in St. Pete. He spoke of his nephew, his brother and his friend Mary. One of my favorite stories was about his Indian Motorcycle that he had when he was a young man. He apparently got it against his father’s wishes and wrecked it. He was very skinned up and in a lot of pain which he had to hide from his dad. He laughed as he said he had learned his lesson. My eleven-year old son will also miss Skip. They had many entertaining conversations about New York over open faced peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Skip was always as kind to him as he was adults, which my son really appreciated. I met Skip at my wine bar, ironic since he never had a glass of wine. We had live music every weekend and he was a regular. He enjoyed the coffee, company and the music. Many nights as you can imagine a wine bar in a town of 500 in the South, Skip and I spent by ourselves. He didn’t talk much so I would ask him questions which he answered and rooted our conversations. We both loved to cook and so we could spend an evening talking about food. Many times he would bring a taste of what he had prepared. He was a good cook. Skip and my husband worked together on a wood project for me. He had a great wood shop and I think he may have made some of his own furniture. They worked for several days to get the project done. He was very patient and meticulous and the project of course turned out better than perfect. I will always value the time that we shared with him. I am glad to have had such a good friend.
