"Ma'am, if Aunt Tilly was laying in her casket, do you think sprinkling a little water on her would make any difference?"

That was Craig Paddock's response to a lady who was asking if watering her crispy brown pine tree would help. He and Susan were having a conversation about people in denial about their dead trees really being dead. I loved it.

Craig worked as a Wildfire Mitigation Specialist for Douglas County. Our company does a lot of wildfire mitigation work, and that is how we got to know him.

Last year we did some work for the County at the Open Space on Spruce Mountain, which gave us the opportunity to work closely with Craig and his partner, Jill Alexander.

"Susan, it's like you're trying to teach a pig to dance. All it does is p_ss off the pig and waste your time."

This was Craig's response to a blog I wrote about doing mitigation work in Roxborough Park and being confronted by a hysterical woman. Susan had tried to explain to this woman what we were doing. The woman was not interested in logic.

Craig Paddock passed away May 2, 2008, after a long battle with cancer.

My world is a little emptier now. I'm going to miss his salty humor and our good-natured debates about horses and trail use. He thought it was pretty funny when I suggested horses should wear diapers. I wish I could pull up a few more quotes of Craig's because he always cracked me up.

The urban forest we work in will also seem a little emptier now. Craig, thanks for the conversations and the laughs and the memories. You were one of a kind. We're gonna miss ya.

There will be a service for Craig at 11 a.m. on May 24 at the Douglas County Events Center. See you there.