Nice to have one last adventure together, Roberto. \r\nI had the chance to visit Tennessee a few times. It was a blast meeting Robert’s friends and family. One thing I learned was that Roberto’s family called him “Bobby.” If you call Robert’s family home, you can hear someone put the phone down and yell, “BOBBY! PHONE!” I had no idea people called him “Bobby” back in Tennessee. \r\nI spent two nights and three days on the Appalachian trail with Bobby. I now know what a “thru-hiker” is. I also now know what a “trail angel” is. We found a cache of beer along the trail one afternoon. When we got to camp that night, Robert recommended putting it in a cold spring for a half-hour to get it nice and chilly. We shared the beers with the other hikers at the camp site. Robert being Robert, he was able to entertain everyone all evening.\r\nRobert and I decided to do a Hash House Harriers run down in Asheville while I was in Tennessee. The Hash was a big part of Robert’s life, and I am sure there are many members all over the world that will miss “Forget-Me-Not”, a name which is now all too ironic. We won’t forget you, Forget-Me-Not. I’m bummed we won’t get a chance to run and drink together again in this life. \r\nRobert convinced me to go to Sri Lanka for his 70th birthday last year. It is zero wonder why Robert loved it there. The place is amazing. Robert took Dilip, Ishankha, and their family under his wing, and he used his experience and money to help them get their restaurant “up to code”. If you search now, you will find the Reggae Shark in Tangalle still has a 4.9-star rating on Google Maps, and a 5.0-star rating on TripAdvisor. Robert was a huge part of that. \r\nIf you ever found yourself getting into an argument with Robert, you knew you better bring your A-game. The guy was extremely well-read, and he was beyond passionate in his beliefs. He was also very articulate and pointed when expressing his opinions. That is probably what I will miss the most about Robert, our intellectually stimulating conversations that still remained civil. It is getting harder and harder to find people like Robert in this world. He was peaceful, caring, smart, and fearless in sharing his thoughts. He has been a big part of carving out my particular world view, and I am sure he was a part of many others. The guy positively influenced so many people all over the world. \r\nI am content knowing that Robert was home when he passed away. He loved his family, and he loved Tennessee. Thanks to all of you that were so kind when I visited. I’m sorry I won’t be able to attend his celebration of life. I’ll be thinking about all of you. \r\nI’ll go have a vegetarian meal, a beer, and think about my buddy now.
