Yes, my friend of 62 years has passed on.

I'm not going to bore anyone with remeberances ... I pretty well covered those in the article that I wrote this spring and that Stewart thoughtfully linked in his announcement of Don's death (thank you Stewart).

How do you say goodbye to a close friend of so many years? You don't!

I just had a call from Rapaire, back in Idaho. Some years ago I brought Mike to visit Don at his Capital Hill home in Seattle. They had connected by e-mails before meeting in person enough to know each other a little. On our way back to my house after that visit, I could tell that Mike had deeply moved by the experience of meeting Don in person.

I was thinking out loud this morning with "Bride Judy" ... when I think of the "old timers" (for lack of a better term) that were the powershouses of the Seattle folk scene starting in the nineteen fifties, you remember, Walt Robertson, Dick Landberg, Elmar Lanczos, Patti McLaughlin, Stan James, John Dwyer, and some other who have since hung up their guitars, I'm beginning to feel like the last one left.

It's a very lonely feeling.

In mike's phone call, he asked if there was anything he could do. I'll answer him now via this note: "OF COURSE THERE IS, MIKE! Bring him back to life ... DAMNIT!

But, truth be told, he'd worn his body out many so times over the limit and we all know that his physical suffering is now gone.

Don ... MINA RAAKASTAAN SINUA ... bob