Fun Stuff — Randy · Ropes Rigging & Trees

Randy · Ropes Rigging & Trees

FunStuff.

A life lived at the edge — from treetops to mountain peaks, from skates to the sky.

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"Living on the edge can be stressful — but much less so when you believe the afterlife is glorious."

— Randy, age 69

01

Faith · Philosophy · Childhood

The Dream

At 5 or 6 years old, Randy had a near-debilitating fear of death — until one dream changed everything. The dream revealed that death was nothing to fear. On the contrary, it will be a fun time, and all his loved ones will be there. Now at 69, he still remembers it like it was yesterday. That dream gave him the ability to approach life with a high tolerance for risk.

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02

Music · Memory · Soul

Save the Last Dance

Randy recorded Save the Last Dance For Me with his best bud Mark Sganga — an International Fingerstyle Guitar Champion. A song about friendship, memory, and the people who shape a life. Filmed and edited by Alexandria of kreativejuicehouse.com.

His harmonica work with internationally acclaimed Rob Paparozzi produced Shanty by Jonathan Edwards — a lifelong love of music, live and unfiltered.

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Music · Friendship · Memory

Crazy Man

This song is about Randy's friend Anthony, who died recently. Anthony always called him crazy man. Randy tried to explain he wasn't crazy — that he was methodical and well thought out.

Anthony insisted there was definitely an element of crazy in there, and that Randy should own it. Now that he's gone, Randy realizes the wisdom of his words.

RIP Anthony.

03

Balance · Streets · Skill

Freeline Wing Skating

To stay sharp as a professional tree surgeon, Randy is always chasing new challenges. Flying a wing while riding Freeline Skates is exactly that. No bindings. No bar. Just balance. Brookdale Park, Montclair NJ — where advanced control and deceleration meet open pavement. Freeline takes the ripstick to the next level — more difficult, more rewarding, more real.

Randy on the Freeline skates
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04

Air · Altitude · Freedom

Flying Supine

Mt. Equinox, Vermont, 1986. Elevation 3,800 ft. 600 ft altitude gain over the top. 45 minutes of flight. Randy flew a supine harness — reclined, radical, and by most hang-glider pilots' standards, dangerously unconventional.

He took his lumps for it. He wouldn't change a thing.

And when his wife told him she'd always dreamed of flying like a bird — he made it happen. Three years of arranging a tandem flight with a certified pilot. Dream delivered.

Randy hang gliding at Mt Equinox Randy soaring 600ft over the top
05

Balance · Patience · Persistence

The Unicycle

The internet said 40 hours to learn. Randy figured he'd do it in 20. It took 60. He forgot to calculate the senior citizen factor. No worries — he loved every hour of it.

"Sometimes the journey is more valuable than achieving the goal." His new goal: start riding without holding onto anything. That might take another 60 hours.

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06

Wind · Water · Aruba 2001

Windsurfing

Aruba, 2001. Hours on the water, powered by nothing but wind. Crystal clear water. A beautiful tropical environment. The adrenaline rush as good as anything he'd experienced. Combine that with sunshine and salt air — it doesn't get any better.

07

Speed · Power · 1985

Yamaha V-Max

The most powerful factory motorcycle ever sold to the public when introduced in 1985. It changed everything he thought he knew about riding.

His friend Johnnie put it best: the caption should read — "From V-Max to Flowmax in 10 years."

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08

Snow · Speed · Hunter Mountain

Big Slush Bumps

Moguls are formed by skiers turning around them. Spring warms them up, makes them grow. Larger moguls. Slushier snow. Warm sun on your face.

At Mountain Creek, 2011 and 2017, Randy carved his way through pond skims, bumps, and a 93-foot run dressed as an old man with a blow-up monkey strapped to his back. Because why not.

09

Trees · Gravity · The Office

Hanging Upside-Down

Randy loves hanging upside down. Great way to decompress the spine, get the blood flowing. On crane days he gets to do it at work.

Being a professional tree surgeon is one of the most dangerous jobs you can do. Freelancing makes it more dangerous still. Every day is a calculated risk — executed with methodical precision and what his late friend Anthony would call "a definite element of crazy."

RIP Anthony. You were right.

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10

Wind · Outer Banks · NC

Kiteboarding

RV trip to the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Randy and his brother-in-law Marcus took kiteboarding lessons. He finally got up and rode on the third day.

The ride took him a few miles into the bay. The instructor and Marcus gave chase on a wave runner. That's the kind of problem worth having.

"I wasn't crazy. I was methodical and well thought out.
Anthony insisted there was definitely an element of crazy in there — and that I should own it."

— Randy, on his late friend Anthony