My old buddy Bob Bauer -by Ron Pihl, Livingston Montana

August 21, 2010

Bob Bauer was a self described ‘Poetry Man’ and stonemason. Bob had a spirit that can only be described as contagious. Bob’s continued awe for the world around him gave us all a desire to see the world through his eyes – his curious, non – judgmental acceptance of “what it is” will always remain an inspiration for his friends.

Bob’s resume reads like the dust jacket of a Jack Kerouac novel. Bob was a construction laborer, gandy dancer, roughneck, herbalist and restaurateur ‘nobody canna like the Tropicana’. Bob planted trees for the Forest Service, sold vacuum cleaners door to door and taught himself how to play the banjo.

Bob became a fine stonemason who loved the geometry of stonework. Bob’s work can be found in Maryland, the Japanese Embassy in Washington, DC and throughout Montana. 

Work is not what defined Bob however; he was so much more than what he did to earn a living. Bob was a vagabond and charmer. He loved all kinds of music. He was passionately consumed with bluegrass music made by his friends and heroes.  He appreciated off-beat literature, music, styles, and philosophies taking on each as his own. 

Bob could break down barriers between people without consciously trying. He could disarm the most wary of strangers with his booming voice and friendly tone. Bob would mix with any social or ethnic group and win them over with humor and humility.

Bob loved women and they loved to care for Bob – you know who you are…

Bob had many nicknames given to him by friends with affection and humor, a few were Bauser, Cattail Bob, Bobwan, Boomin Bob and my personal favorite – ‘Scenic Bob Bauer’ which somehow seemed to fit although it makes no sense at all. There were many more I cannot think of right now – Marco would remember more. Not important, but fun to remember the times in which they were created.

Bob tried nearly every type of food regimen to come down the pike in the 30+ years I knew him. From the ‘beer and bacon diet’ that led him to wearing elastic pants to accommodate his expanding waistline to the raw food diet that saw Bob packing a large cooler full of raw vegetables and fruit to the jobsite instead of the usual workingman’s lunch box.

Bob seemed to wear a force shield that repelled money and material possessions. In his wake he left behind collections of cars, records, and various offbeat Americana collectibles that only he could see value in. He gave away money to strangers, made bad loans and just plain lost money. It never bothered Bob; I know he found joy in giving it away to less fortunate and even to those more fortunate than he.

Bob had more friends and admirers than anyone I know. Over the years more conversations have started with “what’s that Bob Bauer up to” than anything else I can think of including talk about the weather. From local old time ranchers to Bob’s most recent friends the question was always the same.  I guess this is because many of us wished to live vicariously through Bob.  Bob’s appearances brought many friends together to dance, sing, play music, tell stories, and laugh.

Most of all I will always remember what a spiritual person Bob always was. He had respect for things living, dead and inanimate – Bob would stop and remove dead animals from the highway out of respect for their spirit and dignity. Nearly every conversation with Bob involved laughter – he always brought out the best in people. From Vision Quest with authentic Medicine Men to Christianity – Bob always was conscious of the spirit world and passed on his beliefs in eternity for all of us to believe in.