Birthdays & Death...

The birthday get together Friday night went well. 13 people showed up - the irony was not lost on me and the people that I have spoken to since then have all raved about what a good time they had and how they enjoyed meeting other people.

I am toying with the idea of having a biker networking / get together every Friday the 13th -- there's only 2 a year I think.

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Tonite I attended the viewing for Brice. His dad was just heartbroken. Upon walking into the room, everyone was face to face with this poster of Brice - massive head of hair, ripped jeans, ripped physique -- during his days when he danced at La Bare. I would have bought the poster back in the day - he looked gorgeous.

As everyone worked their way around the room, there were various photoboards of Brice throughout his life. On the board next to the coffin had a copy of the March edition of Thunder Roads Texas magazine that Brice's bike was on the cover with his shops name, Outlaw Custom Cycles, in the background.

I forgot to breathe - I was totally unprepared for the emotions that hit me. My eyes filled with tears (but there were tons of biker boys in the room equally choked up) and I had to focus instead on Brice in his coffin.

He is dressed in a white t-shirt with a black leather jacket on. People had left various trinkets in his pockets. He had that 2 day stubble going on and a VIP pass around his neck.

Some people that had walked by before me asked if I was ok. I said I was. They said the people in the room that knew who I was were watching to see my reaction to the magazine. I said then, and now almost 4 hours later I say the same thing, I don't know how to verbalize how that made me feel.

One person said, "Raine, it just goes to show how much he valued what you did by putting him on the cover."

How do you put into words the emotions of knowing that something you did that was just part of one of your days in February 2005, became a lasting part of someone's legacy?