[lighthead2toe]

Thanks so much Char.

So many wonderful memories here.

I'm gonna' make it a point to go to the Horseshoe Tavern when we move to Toronto next month and have a "Moosehead" (if they have it there) in Tom's memory. It will be a very special event for me.

Let me know if anyone can connect and we'll share some stories.

But like many of Tom's friends have shared stories along the way, I want to share the best one I had with Tom and it was the very first time I got an invite to his place, although I had known him for a while at this point.

He was there with his family to greet my family and I when we arrived and I was quite excited.

The Connor's home is located in a beautiful setting and I asked Tom to show me around which he gladly and proudly obliged.

I could see there was a treehouse which he had built for Tom Jr. and friends, and of course my kids just loved that. Lots of open space to run and play.

There was also a pond on the property where a paddle boat was available for the kids to ride in and in the winter they played hockey there.

My big highlight that day was meeting the family dog named "King" which was a pure bred Newfoundlander and it was the biggest Newfoundland dog I'd ever seen. I just loved that dog and I think the dog sensed it!
It probably weighed as much as I did.

King was kept in a huge area which had to be fenced in because Tom didn't want him getting out and crossing the busy road. I think King had a girl friend across the way he was anxious to visit.

As we walked on and away from the area where King was I could hear him making short "yelping" sounds which made me look back and seeing that sad face I just had to go back and give him another big hug!

So on we go and back down to connect with the other friends arriving for a fun day.

I recall it being a beautiful Ontario summer's day and my kids were anxious to go out in the paddle boat with Tom Jr. so I was on the dock getting the life jackets secured on the kids before putting them in the boat; when bang!

Out of the blue I didn't know what hit me but around my waist were these two web footed paws and I very quickly was being thrust toward to the end of the dock looking into about eight feet of water with that dog wrapped onto me.

King had broken out of his area and obviously had taken a liking to me and wasn't about to let go. I had visions of being down there in eight feet of water with that web footed Newfoundlander wrapped around me and not about to let go any time soon!

To the rescue comes Tom just a' stompin'.

He unraveled that dog post haste and I recall he seemed a tad embarrassed and I was too of course being at his place for the first time.

He scolded King and took him back to the "doghouse."

Off to the sideline was "Big Joe Mufferlaw" laughing so hysterically that he nearly collapsed and fell into the pond himself.

Big Joe never let me forget that one I'll tell ya!

Apart from being the most unsatisfying act of eroticism I would ever encounter, that would have to be at the top of my Stompin' Tom stories.