Ice Hockey
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A Spectator of One

My two oldest sons got the Ice hockey bug when they were teenagers, after watching the movie “The Mighty Ducks”.  For over a quarter century they have played in numerous states throughout the US and have even traveled to Europe.  One son…
Extended Hand
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Our Mothers Were Our Best Friends

Brett was a member of my dad’s scout troop for several years.  He was born with his right arm shriveled with just a few fingers, and his right leg was shorter than his left.  He loved to run, but it was mostly a hop and a drag, and his mother…
Toyota Land Cruiser

The Other Woman

Aka. The 72 Toyota Land Cruiser Shortly after WWII my father purchased a surplus Army Jeep.  He then built a plywood box over the passenger and driver section and painted it green. After that, he put silver colored asphalt paint on the top…
Woodworking

Woodworking

My grandfather was a carpenter/farmer.  He had run his thumbs through the jointer so many times that his thumbnails were the shape of sharpened pencils. My love for woodworking began early in my life.  Woodshop was a favorite class…
Woodworking

To Split With Reckless Abandon

Sometime after my father returned from WWII with his two purple hearts, he was helping his father to split eucalyptus for firewood.  A couple of things to understand about eucalyptus wood: The hydraulic log splitter had yet to be…
Woodworking

Driving Grandmothers

My paternal grandmother became blind before I was born.  She had gone through all the emotional stages when one has a disability thrown at them.  So, my first childhood memories are filled with a productive, coping, loving blind grandmother. …