These are my dearest old friends from as far back as 5th grade.
We get together in Wheatland, where I grew up, every few months. The guys on the far right and far left I hadn't seen in 29 years, since high school. The guy kneeling was my best friend in elementary school, and is an organic farmer now, as well as teaching food literacy for UC Davis, is a master brewer, and all around cool dude. Bill, with his hand on my shoulder, had been a friend since junior high, and is now a CFO for Acorn MFG. somewhere in L.A. We talk maybe every other day. The guy in the hat sailed from San Francisco to New Zealand, through many South Pacific Islands, with his wife and 2 daughters 3 years ago.
Great guys, and with all of us being in varied paths of life, the yelling and arguments are sometimes epic. With me being athiest, conservative, a gun nut, a nail banger and just a little cray cray, it can butt hard against the ordained minister, the academics, the liberal newspaper reporter (sadly not on the photo due to a report on a fire) and the economist. But I wouldn't hesitate to bury a small town in burning debris for these guys.
Brent.