I’m so sorry to learn of the passing of Uncle Blake. I remember him as a force of nature, bursting with energy, terrific stories, and a ready laugh. Every summer, he and Aunt Gayle would bring Kit, Steve, and Marijane to Grandpa’s cottage in Muskoka, Ontario. Those were always fantastic times. Grandpa had his prize boat (“the launch”) and under no circumstances could we waterski behind it. Well, Grandpa was out one afternoon and Uncle Blake thought he’d treat all us kids to a forbidden ski. I loved him for that. (It seems to me he hit a rock with the propeller, but perhaps I’m mixing up my stories. I can imagine him trying to explain that to Grandpa!) Blake and Gayle were fantastic hosts when Deb and I visited Alberta twice. We took a drive through the Rockies on what turned out to be a very foggy day, and Blake kept wanting us to know that the Rockies really did exist! And I kept pretending I was skeptical. Uncle Blake was one of a kind.
