Steamboat Springs, CO. Sweet Lew & the pooch pimpin' my TGYOML t-shirts. 2004
This photo makes me smile every time I see it. I'm not a big fan of dogs with smashed in snouts and breathing disorders. But this guy won me over. Maybe it's because he somehow channeled the charm of his master, Sweet Lew, my gooooood buddy from UCLA. He's the kind of guy who might not want his full name out there on such a website, so I'm gonna have to let him sign off on this first. Let's just assume he's good with it. How could he not want to share this shot with the world? Believe it or not, Sweet Lew was an all-state football player in high school who was a 4-year letterman on the legendary UCLA track team too. Yes, Lew was a fast white guy. By the time we caught up to him in this pose, he was a divorced father of 3 boys. Living in his dream house near the slopes of Steamboat. I spent a week with Lew and the boys during my wanderlusting days of '03/'04. Over the years I've had more laughs with this guy than just about anyone I know. For years I told him he could've been a comedian. Instead, he went into sales, kicked ass, built the house of his dreams and is living large in a beautiful ski town. I had one of my favorite weeks during my travels hanging out with this guy and his kids in '04. I hope life is still good for Sweet Lew.