by Rich Easterly
Tom Creasman is giving up his "FLMSP Volunteer" safety vest, and I’m going to miss him.
Tom and Ray Jacobsen introduced me to their brand of fence repair along the trail over two years ago. To start the "work" day, we would meet at The Branch Hill Coffee Shop around 7:30 for a half hour of good coffee and danish and a lively debate between the Left and the Right. Ray would always bring tidbits of news from the Internet to support his Republican point of view and Tom would counter with his Democratic point of view. Regardless of the topic and how lively the debate, when it was time to work all differences were put aside to accomplish the task at hand: trail safety.
Throughout the "work" session the early morning conversation continued with both Ray and Tom trying to prove their point of view. From the first day on the fence repair team, I was a welcomed helping hand. Ray put to use his knowledge of wood working and carpenter skills and Tom, being a big guy, was always willing to use brute force to solve the problem. And me, I was the young kid on the block to support whether brain power or physical power was best to get the job done.
The fences are strong, the fences look beautiful; you cannot tell the difference between original fences and repaired fences. As Tom retires from the group, it’s now up to Ray and myself and the new recruits to continue making the trail safe and beautiful.
Photo, L to R: Rich Easterly, Ray Jacobsen, Tom Creasman
