I was born in a small fishing and logging village on the Oregon coast. A wonderful state and a wonderful place to grow up, and I highly recommend playing tourist there as you get the opportunity.

I spent my childhood and high school years in and around the small town of North Bend.
I married a year after graduation from high school. After graduation, I spent four years working for the Oregon State Forestry Department. However, the area was economically depressed, and eventually it was time to move on if a prosperous future was to be found.

I attended college in Corvallis, Oregon, at Oregon State University. I majored in engineering, so I would have an easy time getting a job once I graduated, but still managed to graduate unemployed - a talent of mine. My elder daughter was one year old by that time, and, driven by the need to provide for my family, I chose to join the Air Force.

After officer training in San Antonio Texas, my first assignment was at Shaw Air Force Base in South Carolina. I confess, I didn't give the place much of a chance, and left as soon as I could. I found enough interesting things doing this research, though, that I'm motivated to return for a visit. Among the places I did visit were Myrtle Beach and Charleston , lovely places. My second daughter was born in South Carolina. Then, one day, I got this phone call...

... and it was off to Aviano, Italy. A wonderful place among wonderful people. Very idyllic - I spent three years just 50 minutes from Venice, and 30 minutes from Piancavallo, an international ski resort. I very strongly hope to return to this lovely place, probably upon my retirement, and spend probably several years exploring this area and probably the whole Mediterranean coast. It was also an excellent jumping off place to visit many beautiful places in Europe - among them, San Marino, Rome, Rimini, Cannes, Sardinia, and Vienna.

However, about the time I was due to leave Aviano, I was called to provide some support to my family. My brother, who had struggled with leukemia for many years, now required a bone marrow transplant, and I was to be his donor. So, I met him at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle Washington, and we fought together to save his life. The whole process was both a study in dealing with crises, and an honor to participate in, and I came away with a new appreciation for life. The procedure itself gave my brother an additional 18 months of life, but he did eventually pass on, part of me passed on with him, and I miss him dearly.

Bob, wherever you are, I still have that last bottle of your wine.

Due to the continuing need to support my brother, I arranged for my next assignment to be at McChord Air Force Base in Tacoma Washington. It was marvellous five years, complete with trips to the mountains, catching my largest salmon ever, 41 lbs, and just enjoying being relatively close to family again. I earned my Master's degree from the University of Denver while at McChord. But, as you have to expect when you're in a military profession, it became time to go to war.

I spent the gulf war on a small island called Masirah off the coast of Oman - check out these pages, they're great work. Another good Oman site is here. Masirah was unique in that we were able to fish while we were in the desert. Three weeks after the war, I travelled to Kuwait City and saw all the destruction, and later on I also travelled to Abu Dhabi and Riyadh.

I next moved on to Scott Air Force Base Illinois, near St Louis. The job was a pressure cooker - who needs it - and my marriage was ending, so after a couple of years there, I made a clean break of it all and found an assignment in Iceland.

Iceland - the land of Fire and Ice, as evidenced by their 100+ active volcanoes, numerous geysers and hot springs, and general breathtaking scenery. Take not my word for it, take a look at these breathtaking photos. There is also some awesome salmon fishing to be had here, as evidenced by the photo album of the Angling Club Lax A. Truly an awe inspiring and fascinating place.