33 years ago today, J.R.R. Tolkien set sail for the gray havens…

It’s strange that I was only a few months from being born in September of 1973.  Our paths on this planet barely crossed and yet I feel like he was my third grandfather.  I’ve spent a lot of time inside Tolkien’s head over the years and I must say it’s provided me with a lot of joy and entertainment.

I hope he is able to look back from Valinor’s shores and see the legacy that he left behind.  And as he is doing this, I also hope he is happily smoking his pipe…