Farwell to a friend

This last week was vacation for my family and me. Though we've taken short jaunts to the Bay Area where I'm from, we've never really had a "vacation" to visit friends. This was it. We (my wife and I) were able to sit and visit with folks we haven't seen since relocating to Southern California for hours, not really caring about time or money. Eating was the central theme, from the Cheese Steak Shop in Walnut Creek, to the Hot Dog Palace in Concord with cardiac cheese fries. Los Ponchos in Pacheco, to Giant Chef is Pleasant Hill. It was as good as it gets. Just catching up with the latest events with friends, and playing tourist in our hometown. It was all very refreshing...

However, this post isn't about my vacation, but about saying goodbye to a friend who was an Icon to me.
Jon Davies was a man who stood above just about everyone around him. Not because he was tall, but because he was a man of integrity. He lived his life with brutal honesty, but you always knew where he stood, and he earned the respect of his peers and subordinates alike. Jon was involved with Special Ops in Viet Nam before there were Special Ops, and was the sole survivor of a downed Huey, but would rarely discuss that time in his life.
Jon was a great leader and mentor to many men in our trade, and touched the lives of anyone who knew him. He influenced the direction of my career as I would often seek his advice on decisions I faced.
Jon was killed a couple of weeks ago doing what he liked to do... ridinng his Screaming Eagle Road King harder and faster than anyone else in Arizona. I don't know all the details, but I knew Jon and his passion for life.
I was fortunate enough to be in the Bay Area at the time of his "memorial", but would have gladly made the 500 mile drive to honor my friend.
I'll miss him… a lot.