Also known as the ‘double eagle’, this is the green’s golden grail.  The ‘eagle’ is equal to two swings below par, otherwise known as the ‘double birdie’, which is, in turn, named after the ‘birdie’, which is one under par!  You get all this???

I have made it known in many of my circles of friends that certain persons, in different industries, are very much a part of my life.  One of those persons was George Carlin.  Another was James Stewart.  Right now the good lord is enjoying a hearty laugh or some well acted drama.  They will be missed and remembered by this writer.

But the world has lost another hero.  A person who I had a lot of respect for.  He was a founding member of a rock band that takes it’s place along the others that will live on in history.  He was responsible in a large part for a rock album that has sold over 15 million copies in the U. S. alone.

Richard William Wright was born July 28, 1943, in Hatch End, in northwest London.  His love of jazz, the piano and organ drove him create a “hall of fame” relationship with a band known as Pink Floyd; at one time one of the top grossing and sought after entertainment acts throughout the world.

Richard wrote or co-wrote many of the band’s songs, and frequently provided a crucial component of the Pink Floyd sound. On the group’s landmark “Dark Side of the Moon” album, Wright was responsible for the thick electric piano chording on the 1973 hit “Money” as well as the swirling organ lines and classically inspired grand piano on “Us and Them,” a song he wrote with fellow Floyd band mate Roger Waters.

Pink Floyd’s guitarist David Gilmour has paid tribute to his friend, who died of cancer aged 65, praising his “quiet touch” that brought their classic albums to life.

He died on Monday after a short struggle with cancer, his family announced.

Gilmour praised his band mate’s “vitality, spark and humor”.

“No-one can replace Richard Wright — he was my musical partner and my friend,” he said. “In the welter of arguments about who or what was Pink Floyd, Rick’s enormous input was frequently forgotten.

“He was gentle, unassuming and private but his soulful voice and playing were vital, magical components of our most recognized Pink Floyd sound.”

And he added: “Like Rick, I don’t find it easy to express my feelings in words, but I loved him and will miss him enormously. I have never played with anyone quite like him.”

Richard at his keyboards – David Gilmour LIVE at Royal Albert Hall

Out of all of this, the one thing I find the most amazing is that people are still buying Pink Floyd’s early albums.  For me, what is particularly rewarding is to watch DVD of live performances of “The Floyd” and of David Gilmour.  In the background, Richard goes about the business of creating an atmosphere that has to be experienced.  It was something he never got to do.

“One of the things I always regret about being in Pink Floyd is that you can never go to see the show. I have no idea what it looks like. We know it’s pretty powerful, but when you’re on stage you have no clear idea of it.”

I know that at the golf club now frequented by Carlin, Stewart and Wright, many stories will be told.  But Richard will be missed by the world of music.  He will also be missed by those who know the sound of Pink Floyd and who know it will not be the same without him.

Until next week…

The American Eskimo has also been cross-bred with Pomeranian’s (‘Pomimo’), the Poodle (‘Pookimio’), and the Shih Tzu (‘Shih-Mo’).

Short post today…

We are in the throws of elections here in the United States.  Every legal insider is doing the “He-said, She-said” shuffle.  Name calling, verbal tongue lashings and brutal in-fighting are the norm for the next couple of weeks.  Everywhere you turn, someone is in someones face about who did this or who said that. And night time T.V. is shot.  I can’t watch my Gilligan’s Island reruns during prime-time on the Nick channel.

The one thing I do find fascinating is the mannerisms of the people.  I found out (by accident) that if you turn off the sound you get a real penetrating study in the behavior, the physical behavior if you will, of the people directly (or in-directly) involved in the campaigns.  This is a chance to view the politico’s in their natural environment.

Crap…    now I sound like a nature show announcer…

“Now the prime candidate takes his stance upon the podium.  He puffs out his chest in a demonstration of his prowess.  All eyes surrounding the opulent male are upon him.  They eagerly await any announcement which will indicate which way the herd will move.  The alpha female is only a few steps away, casting a disapproving eye on those within the conclave that could be the downfall of her mates temporary tenure.

“Notice the one in the corner with the black suit and sun glasses on.  He passes along a look of complete boredom, even making a yawning motion and the typical look down at his shoes as if he were tired of the whole thing.  But make no mistake; should someone or something upset the delicate balance of the conclave, he would leap into action slaying all who would endanger the species…”

I’m serious…   it’s getting to a laughable stage.  I think that in four years, I will go on a month long vacation to somewhere remote.  I won’t be able to get away from the U. S. political machine completely, but I won’t be in the same hemisphere, that’s for sure.

Who knows; I might sign on a crab boat out of Dutch Harbor.  At least out there I won’t be hounded to death by rhetoric and innuendo till the cows come home.

Politics.  Who ever coined the phrase “necessary evil” had to be talking about politics.

Right now I’m going to find a breed of dog that comes from the mix of a Beagle and a Boxer…   it’s called a Bogle.  Because that’s what politics is doing to my mind.

Until next week…