A friend of mine died this past weekend. He was only 48 years old. Eleazar (Al) was a member of my flotilla. He was from Venezuela and served in the Venezuelan Army, moved to the USA and became a citizen, and was incredibly proud of being an American citizen and a member of the Coast Guard Auxiliary. Al was someone whom I admired a great deal. Good Bye, Al, may you have fair winds and following seas on your final journey.



This is Al with his daughters Sonia and Isabel, and his mother. I feel so badly for his girls. Their mother took off with another man several years ago and did not take the girls with her. It was months before they heard from her. Al brought them through those years and they adored him. For their sakes, I hope their mother is there for them in this time of loss.

I read about Hobbie's diagnosis. How sad. Hobbie is so much more than a cat. He is Jon's "child" and friend.