Martina
McBride wasn't sure why her husband John needed to be in the
picture with us, since she did all the singing and I paid for the party
(back in my "corporate" days at HP when the budgets were bursting
at the seams). Maybe he didn't feel safe leaving her alone with a dork
from San Diego dressed up like a cowboy wannabe. But rest assured, that
is John's hand on her, not mine. It was such a great priviledge
to have her sing for such a small group during our sales meeting in
March 1997 at the Grand Ole Opry, even if my international guests didn't
quite appreciate how cool this was. See Martina's own site here. Some avid fans of Martina's have actually copied this photo (along with my short story behind it) to some Martina fan sites.
Thanks to my lil' sister Mimi,
we've met some more people (her friends) that we usually just admire
from afar...
- Steve
Buscemi
(at Mimi's wedding; and no, it's NOT pronounced Bu "SHemi). More about the wild character can be found here.
- David
Byrne of "Talking Heads" fame, after a great concert
at 4th&B in San Diego circa 2001; I just noticed as I put these
pictures in here that I was wearing the same shirt in both pictures.
Now if only I could find that shirt, maybe I'd meet some more cool
people. (Don't ask me how I ended up in the same shirt in both these
pictures...I really do change my clothes every day.) Earlier that
day we also met with David as he finished a bike ride around San Diego. Visit David's site here.
Robin
Williams is one of the great entertainers of our time. Robin
Williams is an especially cool guy because he's even more insane about
bicycling than I am. He reportedly has hundreds of bicycles.
Also, you've probably seen him on the Tour de France coverage. More
importantly, he's a big supporter of athletes who are living with challenges
the rest of us can barely appreciate. Every year he comes to La Jolla
for the Challenged
Athletes Foundation's (CAF) San Diego Triathlon. When I was riding
up to meet a friend riding in the 2005 triathlon, I saw Robin Williams
heading for Torrey Pines hill. This is one of my favorite local climbs.
(I rode up it 50 times on July 14th of 2005 just to see if I could.)
It was interesting to catch the celebrity riding by himself. He wasn't
terribly talkative (most people aren't when they're climbing a hill
near the end of a 50-mile ride), but still very gracious about letting
me ride alongside, welcoming me to do most of the talking for him. I
just wanted to let him know how fun it was to go for a short ride with
him and and also let him know how great it is that he keeps coming back
for the CAF triathlon every year. After seeing the coverage in the paper
for so many years, it was a kick to be riding with "the man"
up the hill. After missing my opportunity to ride with Lance Armstrong
in DC on October 8th, this was a great surprise. Robin and Lance are
my two favorite "famous" cyclists.
Speaking of famous people
in cycling, Bob
Roll, the professional cyclist, author and very entertaining
commentator for professional cycling events (e.g. The Tour de France
on OLN) was visiting a local bike shop in January of 2006. I wasn't
ready to let him have my Italian motorcyle jacket, but I did buy one
of his books. Unlike some celebrities, Bob is the same in person as
he is on TV...relaxed, funny and personable. He said the "Live
Wrong" campaign wasn't such a big success, and he didn't have any
Live Wrong bracelets with him. (He and Lance Armstrong are buddies,
so I imagine Lance handled the crazy idea pretty well, especially since
proceeds of the sale of the bands
support a cycling cause.) Here's
a picture from a ride we did in San Diego in 2007.
When my friend Lisa Thompson
and I met the 2006 National Champion and 11-time Tour de France
cyclist & superhero
George
Hincapie in December of 2006, he said that Bob Roll (see below)
is his favorite cycling commentator. "Georgie" lived up
to his reputation as a great yet humble gentleman. Among the stories
he told, he explained how Floyd Landis helped him meet the French
girl who ultimately became George's wife. In 2008 I spent 3 days
riding around South Carolina with George, his brother Rich, and his
dad Ricardo. With the autumn colors in full glory and perfect weather,
this was one of the nicest weekends of cycling I've every experienced.
I'm doing it again in 2009, and George is the national road racing
champion again this year. Georgie's family clothing business is
here.
Speaking of Floyd
Landis, the [original] 2006 Tour de France winner, my son Mickey and I met him at the San
Diego Velodrome in December of 2006, the year he won the tour. Other cycling stars there included
Dave Zabriskie, Sarah Hammer (world champion track cyclist), Bob Roll,
Robbie Ventura and many more. Here's
a picture from a ride we did in San Diego in 2007.
On another local ride–this one called the "Alpine Challenge"–the
only American to ever win the Giro d'Italia was joining in for the
second year (2009) in a row. Andy
Hampsten is a great, humble athlete. Someday, another
American will win the Giro d'Italia, but it's unlikely to be as amazing
as the win that Andy pulled off in an incredible snow storm in the
unpredictable, high passes of this Italian grand tour. Andy now runs
his own touring company and I asked if he raced anymore. Before effortlessly
floating up the next grueling climb, he said, "No...those guys are
way too fast..." This was clearly a humble and polite way of saying
he wasn't that interested in racing anymore, because he clearly has
the legs to win some masters races.
Memorials
My wife's sister Lauren
Gallagher was definitely a cool person. She died at a young
age from a very uncool monster called cancer, and her friends and family
(including her two beautiful, wonderful daughters) dearly miss her,
but also appreciate her newfound peace and happiness.
My old
friend Steven
Flack was one of the most adventurous people I've ever known.
This picture of him shows the two of us on the day [July 14th, 2005]
I climbed up the Torrey Pines hill fifty times. (That was 165 miles
total, and over 20,000 vertical feet of climbing. The sign in the background
says forty times, but I decided a few days before the ride that "50"
sounded better.) This ride took me from dawn past dusk. Steven stopped
by to ride a number of "laps" up and down the hill on his
bike with me. Then, well into the evening, as I was finishing the 50th
climb, Steven stopped by in his convertible and gave me a lit, "motor
escort" all the way up the hill...cheering me on the whole way
with motivational music blaring. This is just one example of how enthusiastic
and supportive my old friend, co-worker and riding buddy was. Steven
was stranded by a big storm and died while climbing Mt. Whitney in late
February, 2006. (Click here
for a story that highlights Steven's enthusiasm and valued friendship.)
My father-in-law, Robert
E. Gallagher (Bob Gallagher Sr.), was a great inspiration to
me for the 30 years that I knew him. He continues to be a great spirit
I converse with since he moved onward on August 30th, 2006. In this
1977 picture, he's shown with the whole Gallagher family on a trip to
Europe right around the time Katie and I started dating. (Left to right:
Bob Sr, Isabel, Katie my sweetheart, Cissy's husband Bill Glading, Cissy...pregnant
with first child Sarah, Anne, Lauren & Bob, Jr.) Dad Gallagher was
an incredible optimist, businessman, and family man. As a philanthropist,
his legacy will live on for many years, as he has put his hard-earned
fortune into a foundation that will continue to help poor, inner-city
kids get a good education and a chance to become great contributors
to society, just as he has been.
