I don't see Ben very often, but my wife and I try to look in on him every year at the Vintagers. I don't think Ben has shot at our pigeon club, but he is welcome as my guest any time he would like. By the way, I also have a Greener. Graham Greener, in discussing my Greener with me a few years back, told me that he knew of another one like mine, an unengraved Royal and it belonged to another Yank named Ben Wise. He was surprised when I told him that I knew Ben, was familiar with his gun, and live right down the road from him. Small world.

Mark, As you must have learned at prep school, we are judged by our clothes. They are a costume and intended to say something. Snob is for the birds, but clothes can't be ignored. David

Most people can tell the social culture of an organization as soon as they enter a room. It's welcoming or it's not.

David, I don't think costume has anything to do with it. We are not what we own. It's not hard to spot character. It has little to do with clothes.

Bill and Mark, you both knew Bill Wise, I talked to him on the phone but never met him, but I have one question, did Bill ever complain about what life dealt him? Cause whenever I called him he was the most upbeat guy that I knew. Just wondering. Eric

He never complained in his correspondence with me.

The first time I ever met Bill I didn't know who he was, pre internet forum. It was out in PA and Ben brought him out to a pigeon shoot. I guess I was about 27 at the time, I believe he was shooting some practice birds with some type of bi pod on his wheel chair. Now here is a little turn in my life, I can remember this to the T, there was a guy who had a Scott Hammer gun shooting a few practice birds. Bill was behind him along with Ben. After 2 birds the right hammer broke, Bill knew right where the hammer fell, pointed to it and I picked it up. I had a Billibong shirt on, he asked if I surfed.... from there we spent the better part of 4 hours talking about boards, surfing, duck billing the big waves.

We became friends over the years, at that time the surfer boy didn't have cheese to toss around on guns, but I always listened to Bill about the Linder's. When he got internet I set him up with a PC and cable modem. He could type faster then I could with his mouth then I could with my hands. As time went on Bill and I would BS on the phone weekly more often about surfing, riding the big waves, long boards, carving the gas chambers. When my business turned around he loved chasing guns for people and I think he had got allot of pleasure finding them for people.

Bill never complained about his surfing accident, he once said to me "a little bit of something is better then nothing" I don't think many people realized he was a surfer at heart from the ankle snapping Eastern shore. Rosalie was his rock and big kudo's go out to her.

As I made mention in another post, I should be more like Bill when I complain about stupid things in life. We all should for that matter.

As I made mention in another post, I should be more like Bill when I complain about stupid things in life. We all should for that matter.[/QUOTE]

I'll second that.... !