That description sums up our experience, mostly hiking, biking, fishing, and skateboarding the world together. I have told stories before about various calamities ranging from spilling milk at the dinner table to losing glasses on more than one occasion.
For one thing, he was the best fisherman. Dad and Tim laughed about that, as I was always getting tangled up while they were catching fish.
As boys, our life was simple as it was free-range. Mom opened the back door with instructions to stay within earshot, then off we went.
"Look out for your brother. Stay away from the creek. Come back at lunchtime!"
There were trees to climb, barns to explore, horses to feed and pet, and chickens from which to collect eggs. We could hang around the water tower and wonder how high we could climb.
Eventually, we went our individual ways, but our common interests centered on hiking, nature photography, and art. While I took up watercolors, Tim took up the Etch-a-Sketch and became one of the world's best Etch-a-Sketch artists.
Now, Tim had a stroke that wiped out half of his physical ability and had constrained his mind. He may not say my name, but he gave me a hug, a smile, and a greeting that could only be brother-to-brother. He still had an Etch-a-Sketch in the room to make him comfortable, but the trouble is that it takes two hands to operate it. Now, he has just one.
My Brother
My Brother and Dad
Timothy A. George
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