[geodeticman.5]

Oh Linda - So well expressed- your 'letting us in on your totally human and *nervous* thoughts of meeting the Man, the Legend, its all so much... I know that feeling.... sometime, instead of telling my "Canoe Paddle I asked him to sign, and Beverly intervened on an overly enthusiastic security man who had his thumb stuck in my chest as a can't fail pressure point, as I brandished an obvious weapon (the oar) she removed his thumb and told him she was sure I only wanted it signed....as his presure point failed and I stood there glowering DOwn at him...lol... and the Man... came out and signed it. 40th birthday in 1998 at E-town Radio Live in Boulder Co show he did, Paddle one of my great prizes on the wall" - story now, I'll tell it sometime else may be off-line - the gangs heard it 3 -4 times..oops I sorta told it again....lol.... the abridged version lol....

I am very happy for you, and I know those feelings.. maybe a little different for a man.... while waiting I ws thinking of his larger-than -life Northern Territory sub-arctic waters 500-mile canoe and sea-kayak trips he took on occassion, until maybe around '84 or so I think.....and knowing personally the amount of stamina and personal inner strength it takes to get from pt a to pt b in that scenario, and all that happens in between - incuding his truly heroic method of stopiing drinking with such a trip, medic along with them for DT's or seizures, etc., but seeing a family member thru that myself, I am INCREDULOUS the Man was strong enough in heart, wind, limb, and hardest of all I'd assume for that scenario -gumption - eg "I don't feel up to paddling 10 miles today near the arctic circle.....I'M ..SICK....."

- NO, He pulled himself up by the bootstraps, and did something healthy robust men with no chemical habits would have a HELL of a time pulling off and came out of the trip a dry man. Absolutely incredible. All that ran through my head when I handed over my Canoe Paddle....he commented I'd do better with a bent Beaver-tail paddle - I laughed; agreed, and said I bought this for the autograph, and it as flat so i COULD HANG IT ON THE WALL....lol... 'Your wife'll let U do that ?" lol.... yes.. (thats when I knew he was human, too) my knees were a bit wobbly too. Meeting your heros is often best avoided is conventional wisdow, not so with Gord it seems, story after story...

i think because he does not purvey intentionally a larger-than-life demeanour, allthough his exploits are... so meeting him is not the let down you hear of when ppl meet their heros and they don't measure up to their imagination.... Gord does...as so...human....and therein I think is his strength, and his connection with us; he's just another guy..... 'The everyman's voice" (hardly - but I know what he meant) one DJ said once, flatteringly, out of context, but, his hardly everyman's voice seems moreso as an everyman's regular Joe friend...(allthough not Joe the Plummer, or Tito the ?Carpenter? - was that it, Ron ?" - the latest sound bite in campaigning rubrics...lol....no matter.... he is something again, as Dad would have said...

Thank you for sharing your innermost thoughts with us, its like being there with you to risk a cliche...but very apt...... I loved it Linda, thanks