These two fearsome-looking men are Albert (upper
left), and Tom (lower right), whom I first met in the fall of 1996 by virtue
of their being Andre's masters. At that time they
gained the distinction of being the first two leathermen from whom I did not
slowly and subtly edge away from until I was far enough removed to run like hell.
Over the months, I've come to appreciate them both as friends in their own right and not just "friends of a friend." Tom has a wonderfully twisted sense of humor and an infectiously gregarious personality, whereas Albert tends to be a bit more quiet. Personally, Albert worries me more; you can't help but suspect that under that reserved mien, he's calculating to the inch how much rope he'd need to tie you up.
In mid-June, 1997, they were kind enough to extend an
invitation to join them at the Hillside Campgrounds,
which proved to be my first introduction to that enclave of outdoor depravity ... and if I
live to be 100, I'll never be able to thank them enough! Since that first visit,
they were gracious enough to share their campsite on several weekends, and I've found that
going for the day without them to hang out with is much less fun than if they were there.
I'd like to say how genuinely nice Tom and Albert both are; talk about how well they cook and how much fun they are to be around -- but that might undermine the whole image, so I won't. I sure as hell don't want to get spanked! :)