Bob and Henry

 

When we moved to our Pine Street house, I started exploring the hills behind the house and found some amazing mtb trails. We started riding the trails and discovered a playground open to us. At the top of the hill, there was a Ponderosa pine with a cross nailed to it. On the cross were the words "Bob Henry on the cross piece" and "Pals Forever" on the vertical piece. I always looked for this cross when I reached the top of the climb. I always wondered who Bob and Henry were. I liked to think that Bob and Henry were a man named Bob and his dog Henry. 

This was before we had Mali, and I knew that I wanted a dog in my life—so I imagined this guy named Bob who had roamed these hills with his pal Henry. The thought that someone had taken the time to carve this cross and climb the hill and attach it to the highest tree on the hill made me hopeful that there are good people out there. 

In the early 2000's, when the mountain pine beetle ravaged these hills, the tree with the cross succumbed to the beetle and fell in the wind. I saw this and knew I needed to move the cross. I pried the cross from the tree and moved it to the nearest large tree. I hammered the nail into the trunk with a large rock. I placed it so it can still be seen from the trail, and it faces where the original tree stood. 

The words are barely legible now. The elements have worn them away over the years. I guess that's what is supposed to happen. The words will fade like the memory of Bob and Henry. Whoever Bob and Henry were, I hope they are together again, roaming the hills and having the best times!