Twelve years ago today, I lost a beloved airplane and gained a far more beloved Hal. Here’s the story as told on the Imogene and Willie blog, via the unsurpassed wordsmithery of Libby Callaway and the breathtaking photographic wizardry of Tony Baker.  Please bear with Hal and me as we get all gross about the whole thing. In honor of the day, I offer this guest post by Hal, introducing the I+W piece:

This is a small feature on the Imogene and Willie blog. It’s as close to the truth as anyone has ever heard, or will likely ever hear. Today is the actual day of 734PT’s demise, our unofficial anniversary, but what a great way to celebrate. Seriously, twelve years.

Libby Callaway, the overtly gorgeous and intensely stylish wunderkind who penned this story, works for I+W as, – well – I’m not sure what her title is, but maybe it should be “voice of brand.” She is a lovely and talented lady who has discovered how to be comfortable in her 6-foot-nothin’ frame (not a hard task when you think about it) and learned how to put words together in a beautiful way. Thank you, Libby Callaway (the other Libby in my life).

Tony Baker. What can one say about Tony Baker? He’s one of the most loyal and persevering friends I’ve known. Tony and I had a conversation the other night, one of those late night, really open and honest conversations, in which neither of us had a clue when and exactly how we met. We know the generalities, but the specifics fade into the scud of memory. We’ve known each other for ever and not nearly long enough. Tony is the guy who strolls across Central Park only to run into you and say, “Hey…where’ve you been?” As if he’d been looking for you there all afternoon. As if it’s completely normal to run into a friend from Nashville in Central Park. As if it’s completely normal to stay out ‘till last call and thoroughly impress the parents with an early morning SHUSHING return to the hotel room. As if it’s normal to take an afternoon off from making photos of Taylor Swift, only to drive 45 minutes south to a grass runway in Eagleville and craft images of friends. As if it’s normal to be that tiny and that all-encompassingly cool.  Thank you Tony (the only Tony in my life).

We sat at the kitchen counter and told this story to Libby Callaway about three weeks ago. It’s been a long time since we’ve actually thought about the beginning. It’s been fun to have a reason to reflect.

To my love, my friend, my partner:  Kim…

Cheers, HH