As a longtime member of the couchfreaks, I got to know Waldo slowly over the years at Dollar Daze. Probably to Waldo I was just an acquintance, but he knew everyone's name and made you feel like you were a best friend. I saw Waldo last at bridge a few weeks ago. About five of us rode a shuttle up from the landing area together, along with my wife and my two year old son, Sam. Waldo and Sam really took to each other. When Waldo heard Sam do a relatively good rendition (for a 2 year old) of "You are my sunshine", Waldo declared Sam a Babe Magnet. We got off the bus and before I knew it, Waldo was off pushing Sam in his stroller into the crowd to test out his "Babe Magnet" theory. That night at the party, we had Sam on one of those kid leashes. Waldo took the leash (Sam didn't mind a bit) and the two of them went to work the crowd. Waldo taught Sam to substitute "Hot Chick" for "Sunshine" in "You are my sunshine." For two weeks after we got back, thanks to Waldo, Sam was singing "You are my hot chick, my only hot chick. You may me happy when skies are gray. You'll never know dear, how much I love you. Please don't take my hot chick away." Needless to say, there was some explaining to do to grandma, grandpa, etc. We thought we finally had Sam trained back to "Sunshine" when, just a day or two before I heard the news about Waldo, Sam spontaneously sung Waldo's "hot chick" version. It brought a big smile to my face and made me laugh almost as hard as when I first heard it at the bridge party. Perhaps it is those in whom the fire of life will be the shortest that, necessarily, it must burn the brightest. Waldo, you were a bright light beside which many of us pale. We are humbled by the thought of what you accomplished in so short of a life. If the measure of wealth is not in gold or land or power, but in love and friendship and respect, you left this world a wealthy man. Steven Lawyer Couchfreak
