Skip to main content

Fuckin' Ray Stone: He's awesome

Ray Stone called me from California.
"This place is great," he said. "You should come down. I can see the fireworks from Disneyland."
Fuckin' guy.
If you don't know Ray Stone, well you are a nobody. Cause Ray Stone knows everybody. He was having dinner with Rich Little and Dick Van Dyke the other night, he said.
"What the..." was all I could say. Who has dinner with Dick Van Dyke?
Dick was regaling him with the story about the time, a few months back, when he was driving along and smelled smoke. He pulled over to text his wife for help and a swarm of do-gooders, thinking he was asleep -- or dead -- dragged him out of the car. Good thing they did, he said. A few minutes later, the car caught on fire.
Ray liked it so much, he drew a cartoon.


That was a good one, Ray said.
You might wonder if Ray is making up these stories, but he always has photographic proof.




Here he is with Dick and Rich mugging for the camera. He went on Pierre and Margaret's honeymoon cruise. Yep, I said it. Here's proof.


Ray reminds me of Danny Kaye and Bing Crosby. He started in the military, then segued into government, and in the meantime he has had side careers as an actor, a photographer, cartoonist and Ottawa radio personality.
Is there anything he can't do? Is there anybody he doesn't know?
A few years back, Ray lost his lovely wife Terry. He was sad, of course, but he didn't miss a beat. Just kept working and travelling. I believe -- and Ray you will correct me if I'm wrong -- Ray met his second wife while visiting Paul Anka in Las Vegas. He got married and moved to a nice warm spot near Anaheim, which was where he was calling me from.
"Love your blog, kid," said, Ray. Kid was always what he called me.
I have to say that at 57, it made me feel good to be called "kid" again.
Yesterday, he sent me a boatload of old snaps. Here's one with Pierre with Allan J. in a kilt!




Think I'll send them to Justin.
But wait, I'm sure Ray has already had Justin and Sophie over for dinner.
He's that kind of guy.
Fuckin' Ray Stone.
He's awesome.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Ashley Simpson: Don't Let Her Die in Vain

  Six years ago, I was combing through my Facebook and I saw post from my cousin Julie Major. Her brother and his wife were frantically looking for their daughter Ashley who just days before had Facetimed her mom saying she was planning to return to her home in Niagara. Ashley never made it home. She was murdered in cold blood in her home in Salmon Arm then buried in a nearby field. It would be five and a half years before her body was located, and her boyfriend was charged with second degree murder.  Today, Ashley's urn has a sacred spot in her parents' home, and Derek Favell is in jail awaiting trial by judge and jury. The trial is expected to go into next year sometime. This has been an agonizing journey for Ashley's friends and family. The pain has never stopped, and the wounds are broken open every time the family has to sit through a series of pre-trial proceedings. Fortunately, this ordeal will end but the pain will never wane for the people, including me, who have b...

Ashley Simpson: A Father Remembers

I have asked Ashley Simpson's family and friends to give us a glimpse into the life she lived before going missing nearly a month ago. Here is how her father John remembers his sweet girl. Ashley was a treat when she came into this world, a smashing 9lbs 8 ounces with a  head full of hair and nails that needed to be clipped. She has made many friends in her journey of life and continues to make them as we speak. She has made this world a better place by her love of mankind and this place we call Earth; unfortunately this life she has lived hasn't been the best for her. She has suffered through unbearable pain and suffering through her menstrual cycles. She has cysts on her ovaries that make those 10 days a living hell. She had one of her ovaries removed when she was just 14; the other they won't take out till she is 40 or older. Years of hell for my Ashley. I so feel her pain every month but she doesn't quit, doesn't give in.   That'...

What Bell isn't telling you about Fibe TV

Update: This week, we switched back to Rogers after spending far too long using Bell's crappy television service. For those with Bell, read and weep. For those considering Bell, think twice even if you hate Rogers. RS I've always been an early technology adapter. I had a Betamax. That tells you everything (if you're over 50 at least). My first computer was a "Portable". It weighed 40 pounds and I had to lug it around town on a gurney. I've been through probably 15 computers in my lifetime. Apple is the best. It's also too expensive so I have a piece of shit HP, the one I'm writing this blog on. I've had cable, internet and now Netflix. American Netflix . That's how far ahead of the curve I am. I get all the newspapers for free. How? I disabled my cookies so they can't track me when I'm on the newspaper sites. Even the New York Times hasn't cottoned on to that trick. Hahaha. That will be a fifty buck consulting fee. Bein...