farewell bob...

Bob Barker taped his final episode of "The Price is Right" (airing 6/15). Like many others over the past 35 years, I grew up with Bob. Watched him go from black hair to white. Held my breath whenever an over zealous fan tried to jump on him.

More importantly, "The Price is Right" reminded me of my Lola. For years, 11am in the summertime meant sitting on the floor with her in front of the TV watching Bob hold court. Often, Lola was sewing or mending our clothes and she would often repeat the announced prices or products with pins in her mouth. We would both shake our heads and gently scold a contestant who lost foolishly. And we laughed heartily when somebody wildly celebrated winning a car or hitting 100 on the big wheel. This was one of our big bonding moments along with the soaps and the tabloids. Something about bright lights, zany colors, breathlessly happy people and the announcer bellowing "Come on down!!" made everything all right.

Even to this day, years after Lola's passing...the show still brings back these memories. Its odd how a tv show can have such an effect. If I'm sick from work, I make it a point to watch it. And when I watch the show, I'm only partly paying attention to the action. A big part of me is remembering how me and Lola would react to these moments. So thanks for the memories Bob. Well, I can always catch you on youtube.