His Name Is Bob Blog

Saturday, Sept. 1

Alarm set for 6:30 a.m. and once again Bob is the first one up, showered and dressed. He donned his gray suit and straw cowboy hat today for our interview and meeting with the author. We still hadn’t secured a location for the interview and ended up just down the street at the Bell Rock Pathway. We had some issues with lighting and ended up doing the interview in a small, cavelike sitting area. Taylor had some great things to say about living life in the divine flow and applying his theories and beliefs to Bob’s way of life. It was perfect because he answered my question about Bob, which is: How does a man who was so abused and mistreated turn out to have such a great faith, love for life and love for others? Bob is such a good example of how to live life. For me, anyway. He has rolled with the punches and is truly guided by a higher power.
For me, this interview really gave us an explanation for how Bob manages to be like he is. In a nutshell, it’s his connection to God. But Taylor says it much more elegantly.
We attempted to shoot Bob on Bell Rock, one of the spiritual vortexes in Sedona. Didn’t work out like we had hoped and we were eventually driven to cover by an afternoon thunderstorm.
Lisa and I got to shop in downtown Sedona. Bob tagged along and talked to strangers, picking up treasures along the way. And Sebastian started his hunt for a special place he had visited years ago. He ended up finding it the next day. He wrote about Doe Mesa, which did turn out to be a beautiful spot.
We ended up at sunset on a high hill overlooking the red rocks, standing on a stage with a 20- or 30-foot wooden cross standing there. We shot Bob singing again and enjoyed the absolutely beautiful sky and surroundings.
After a stop at a raw food restaurant, some cacao and oxygen treatments for all, we had dinner at a pink diner with an alien theme. By the way, Bob says there is no such thing as aliens. They are not of God’s world, he says. Interesting….

Friday, Aug. 31

We awoke relatively early for having stayed up until the wee hours of the morning. Bob was up and showered and dressed before anyone else. He was ready to go, wearing his straw cowboy hat, shorts, T-shirt and sunglasses. We were loading up the car and Bob broke into a rap about having ENTHUSIASM, which led to an interesting ah-ha moment later on down the road. Stay tuned and I’ll tell that story in a second.
We shot Bob for a bit, asking him about what it’s like to be able to take a shower every day and how he feels to be clean. Then we headed over to K-Bob’s for a very good and very cheap breakfast. Bob had Rice Krispies, apple juice and toast. He wanted Corn Flakes, though. He charmed our server with a few jokes, including this one: “Do you like liver? I do! You can’t live without it.” I can’t think about this joke without hearing him say it and laugh, and seeing him rub his belly as he says, “You can’t live without it!”
Here’s amazing moment No. 1 for the day: Bob breaks into song at K-Bob’s. Absolutely beautiful. He sang church hymns. Some were along the lines of gospel music, and those were my favorites. Most likely from his days with the African Methodist Episcopal church. We had the camera with us (of course) and shot this. Rays of sunlight were reflecting off Bob’s hat, making him appear to glimmer. It was a moment to remember.
We hit the road after our $18 breakfast. Lisa and I took turns reading “Row, Row, Row Your Boat,” Steven Lane Taylor’s book about living life in the divine flow. And here is my story about ENTHUSIASM. We’re reading along and come to a section that talks about that very word, which means “God within.” That describes Bob and his ability to deal with life perfectly for me. Bob has ENTHUSIASM because he carries his God within himself at all times. Another little moment that will be with me always.
This was a long day. We stopped at the Petrified Forest somewhere in Arizona and drove through the state park. It was very pretty. The sky was beautiful as the sun was setting.
We made it to Sedona around 9 p.m. and stopped for a bite to eat. We ended up at a pretty fancy restaurant very tired and very hungry and a bit irritated. Bob got his plain burger and fries and we all got to taste cactus fries.
We stayed at the Desert Quail Inn that night and got a little rest before our 8 a.m. appointment with author Steven Lane Taylor.

Thursday, Aug. 30

We had plans to leave for Sedona at about 7 p.m. Bob was ready, and so was I. Work and waiting for DHL to deliver film we needed held up the rest of the team, though. So, we didn’t hit the road until 8:37 p.m. We drove and drove and drove. Didn’t stop until Tucumcari at 3:30 a.m. Road warrior Sebastian hit the caffeine and chocolate and was prepared to drive all night. We stayed in a smoky Days Inn across the street from a restaurant called K-Bob’s. Very apropos! And the next morning it was evident to us all why the universe had us stay in Tucumcari that first night.

Hi everyone, we had a great time in Sedona AZ! I think the funniest moments of the trip where Bob’s hourly announcement that “He just let one!” followed by an “Awe that feels better”.

On the last day Heather Lisa and I went on a hike to the top of Doe Mesa, the most beautiful place on earth according to me. Anyway, we where about two hours late picking up Bob at the town center. Bob can’t walk over rocks very well so he elected to stay and tell jokes to the tourist. When we found Bob, he saw us from across the street. I have never seen Bob run that fast, it was very endearing. You could tell how much he values our companionship and not being left in another strange city.

As of noon on Aug. 30, 46 comments have been posted on The Dallas Observer’s blog about Bob. It’s called “What About Bob?” and it was published on Aug. 28. Apparently, there are a lot of people who have something to say about the man. Here’s one of my favorites.

I am from Maine. When I first met Bob, he told me of his living in Maine for a while. My first reaction to Bob was that Bob was not all there. But after being around him for a while, I decided that maybe it was more like Bob was not where I was, which is where most of the world may be. Watching clips from the documentary gave me a peek into the very different world that Bob has lived in.
–Jack Scott

We leave tonight for a long-planned trip to Sedona, AZ, to do some more shooting. This is one of the last major things on our shot list to complete. We hope to capture more of Bob’s spiritual side in a beautiful setting. Bob called last night. “Just checking on the trip,” he said. He’s excited. I told him we’d be going in my car, and he said that sounds good. He told me, “You’re a good woman.” Made me smile. I told him that he is, too, which roused up a “Hey, stop that!” coupled with some chuckling on the other end of the phone. He asked me if Sebastian was there. I told him yes, and he said to say hi. Such a well-mannered man. “See you tomorrow, Bob,” I said. “Not if I see you first!” was his response. That simple conversation put a big smile on my face. Another example of the power of Bob. I’m very excited about this trip!

Hi Everyone. We have been posting on YouTube lately and gotten a lot of responses.  Thanks for all your views. 

As a result of this YouTube exposure, I got a call today from The Dallas Observer. Robert Wilonsky, the well-known film critic, wanted to know about the film.  We talked about the filmmakers — Lisa, Heather and myself — and then about the film.  We are leaving in a few days to take Bob to Sedona, Az., to finish the shooting of the film. 

Please take a look at Robert Wilonsky’s article:

http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/unfairpark/2007/08/what_about_bob.php

Hi everyone! Thanks for coming to the blog. It is hot in Dallas! Heather, Lisa and I are hard at work with the editing of the film. We hope to have five of the 10 chapters in rough cut form by the end of the week. The footage is coming together better than we had expected, so we are very happy about that. We have a road trip planned to Sedona, Az., sometime soon to wrap up the shooting for this project. Anyone know of some where to stay in Sedona? Bob will sleep on the floor! Just kidding. We are also looking for photographs of Bob as a child if anyone has any.

Hi, I just wanted to thank you for posting this story.

I worked for one of the organizations, the Area Agency in Region III, Lakes Region Community Services Council Laconia, NH, that was formed to support people after the State School was closed. I worked to provide support to many of the individuals who lived there; sadly, Bob’s story is very familiar to me. This is a story that can not be told enough.

Thank you and all the best,
Bob M.

I was just told by Bob the other day about this website. I love what you are doing. Bob has been my friend for the 2 years I have worked at Whole Earth. The pastel painting, at the top of your page, I wanted to add was done by me.

Josh Strey
strey_josh@yahoo.com