One year Ray took me down to Taos for some skiing and partying at a cabin.  I don't remember the specifics but Melissa was also there with her friends.  One night Ray and I decide to go snowmobiling.  It was late and freezing outside.  We both hopped on with Ray at the wheel (this is key).  After we were quite a ways from the cabin we start to make a turn and instead of turning the snowmobile continues straight for a tree.  At the last minute we both jumped off and the snowmobile hit the tree and flipped over on its side.  Of course since Ray was driving I blamed him and he blamed me for not leaning the right way.  I still say it was his fault.  Anyway, we were scared stiff because we were so far away and didn't have a fast way to get back.  Did I mention it was freezing out!  We finally got the snowmobile up and running and limped back to the cabin.  The whole way we were trying to make up a story because we thought we probably damaged the snowmobile when it flipped.  Of course when we got there, Ray explained how it was my fault and I explained how he didn't know how to drive... both of us looking for a little bit of sympathy.  Must of been quite a sight!  Everybody started laughing and we looked at each other wondering what the joke was.  Apparently flipping the snowmobile happens all the time so we were wasting all of our energy worrying about nothing.  Couple of beers later he admited that maybe I leaned the right way and I conceded his driving was not that bad.  Typical Ray, always thinking about other people before himself.  Really missing him around this time of year!

We were playing a hole on the backside of City Park,(next to the Zoo). After my drive found the rough, Ray crushed his drive down in the middle of the fairway. As we were walking off the tee box, we could see a kid walking across the fairway. He picked up Ray's ball and headed towards the street. Ray started yelling, which only made this kid pick-up his pace to a full run. Ray was "pissed", especially when I told him it would cost him a stroke for a lost ball. I loved golfing with Ray.

Waiting in line to eat.  Ray was always so well put together and always smiling.  He loved us just the way we were and we loved him back.

Ray, his younger brother Mike and my brother Michael Wise in Las Vegas.  My sister and I would meet up with the boys in March but hardly saw them as they were golfing and watching the NCAA final four basketball teams.  We would meet up in the evening for hugs and dinner.

The Good and Wise families.  Ray was always a good sport with the picture taking.

I will always fondly remember the “baseball” trip that Ray, Joe and I took to Kansas City and Dallas, with an excursion to Austin to stay with Mike.  We saw Bo Jackson hit a monster home run in KC and Nolan Ryan pitching in Dallas.  It seems like Ray played nothing but Bob Marley the entire time, and to this day when I hear Bob Marley I think of that trip!

I remember going to Telluride in a snowstorm with Ray driving (I am still not sure how we ended up with the Texan driving in a snowstorm!), I was in the back seat and Joe was in the front.  One second I was looking straight ahead, and the next I was looking backwards, and then forwards again – we did a complete 360!  Fortunately, the snow bank we landed in was soft, and we managed to get out with few problems.  After a quick stop at a small town auto repair to be sure all was okay, we managed to get to Telluride late that evening, where there was about 4’ of fresh powder waiting for us.  One of the best ski trips we ever had!

I met Ray in 1967 in Sagamihara, Japan. I think his family moved back to the States in1970. The first week of January 1973, I remember the first day iof school in El Paso, just getting out of Middle School and my mom picking me up with my brother Michael in the front seat. When the car pulled up to pick me up, I opened the back door and I will never forget that moment, Ray was sitting in the back seat and I asked my mom, "where did he come from". That image has been in my mind since then and will never go away!

During a visit to Denver, Ray (always the encouraging one) takes me to the top of Copper Mountain and assures me that the Expert/Black Diamond trail, "Murphy's Law" will be no trouble for me, average skier that I was. So, of course, after we pass the point of no return and I get a look at the moguls and the drop, I pretty much start cursing him out.  "Just follow me!", he says and off he goes.  After a few wipe-outs, I remember screaming down the mountain to him, "Ray Good! (throwing a ski at him) I am NEVER (throwing the 2nd ski) going to speak to you again" and go down the mountain on my butt.  That was 22 years ago.

I remember  the time Ray and I  played golf at H and H golf ( aka Hackers Haven ) with Tom Flynn.  On one of the holes I am just about to hit my shot to the green and Ray taps me on the shoulder and points over to Tom Flynn who is 3 fairways over and aiming his shot in a direction opposite of where he needs to go.  Ray chuckles and asks me " What hole is Tom Playing" ?