[meteorite-list] To My Dear Friend Richard

From: Kevin Kichinka <marsrox_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Sat, 30 May 2009 19:58:58 +0200
Message-ID: <5bb98d570905301058h4aabb962yf828bc874aa36805_at_mail.gmail.com>

List Members:

I just returned from a week camped in the rain forest here in Costa
Rica with nine other people and a pack of soggy matches. This outing
was in support of the preparation of a TV show to begin airing Monday
on NBC in the USA called "I?m a Celebrity - Get Me Out of Here". Great
adventure for me, I helicoptered around CR and dodged lethal Eyelash
Vipers while sleeping in the rain and observing how three-hundred
people can build sound studios and create a reality program like the
"Survivor" series in the deepest of remote jungles.

Just this moment, I was able for the first time in a week-and-a-half
to get an Internet connection (and more than river water to drink and
4 ounces of rice and beans per day to eat). I wanted to catch up on my
email, stock market accounts, the Cleveland Cavaliers NBA playoff news
and of course, the meteorite buzz.

I?m a lucky man. I live in two places at once, one is a dream world, a
parallel universe of adventure colored by intense, arbitrary
circumstance, the other, a grounded place that passes for what most
would call "normal". There?s electricity and cars and convenience
there. And while this is not an existance everyone would want, this
type of life suits me well. And life is good.

Then I saw the notice of Richard?s passing.

I was aware of his illness. I know a few days have gone by, but I must
take a second to share my thoughts in respect to this monument of a
man.

There?s a little book floating around called "The Art of Collecting
Meteorites" that begins with comments of a deep personal nature from
Richard. I wrote that book and Richard was one of the editors along
with Joel Schiff.

Richard told me it was THE book he had really wanted to write, a more
contemporary look at the persons, influences and nuts-and-bolts of
collecting meteorites. He had tried to move in that direction with
"Rocks from Space 1" but Mountain Press didn?t like those types of
chapters and they were eliminated. Publishers can do that. I was
self-published and wrote want I wanted. Over the last couple of years
in our phone calls and correspondence, Richard never failed to tell me
how proud he was that I had fulfilled a wish he had always had.

I won?t review the interesting life he led, the achievements, the deep
love he gave Dorothy who I hope can find a way to bear the loss of his
companionship. I will only add a personal note.

For a few years, I have had an open invitation from Richard and
Dorothy that should I ever leave this place, I should move into the
guest house on their property. They like me, I guess they feel we are
kindred spirits. I?ve won awards playing classical piano, and Richard
looked forward to he and I playing four-handed Chopin together, to
giving concerts to their friends at their equinox celebrations.

God, this moment I am so very sad this will not come to pass and
little tears are in my eyes as I write this.

My heart feels your loss Dorothy. Some day I will come and play sweet
music for you and we will drink wine and remember Richard together.

>From Nine Degrees North.

Kevin
Marsrox at gmail.com
Received on Sat 30 May 2009 01:58:58 PM PDT