Uncle Danny

O Uncle! My Uncle!Uncle Danny. Those 2 words conjure up so many images in my mind…my memories. There he is, returning from some adventure, dressed in khaki shorts, safari shirt, topsider shoes, some sort of satchel slung over his shoulder, aviator sunglasses and of course, most importantly, his University of Michigan baseball cap. (In tribute I just ordered one to wear in his memory, maybe we should all)How he loved his Wolverines.I could sit for hours just watching him sip a bloody Mary while he worked on the Times crossword. He had that kind of charisma. His mastery of the English language was second to none. He loved to talk, and we all loved to listen.The stories he could tell, the tales he could weave, we loved it when he would expound on different topics: politics, life, Alexa and Didi, Michigan football, and of course his favorite topic…women. He really should have had his own radio talk show, we can only imagine… A personal favorite memory is from 1980 when my mother, brothers and I visited he and the girls in Paris. What a cool flat; the pinball machine, the tiny guestroom at the top of the staircase, the eclectic décor, the view onto the street, baguettes and Nutella, etc. One afternoon he said “Come on John, let’s see Paris.” And with him there was only one real way to do that…motorcycle. WOW!!! Every young male’s fantasy, the freedom of a motorcycle. I put on the helmet and off we went. I felt like Nicholson to his Fonda. Snaking through back alley ways, flying down the Champs Elysees to the Arc de Triomphe, over to the Eiffel Tower, through the countryside out to Versailles, and of course he had to show his 16 year old nephew which park the hookers hung out in. What a ride!!!What a life!!!I could go on but perhaps another time, for now let’s all put on smile and join Dan on his grandest adventure yet. I’m sure he’s already giving the Big Guy and earful.Have fun Uncle Danny.