Born in Houston, Texas, not far from the banks of the Buffalo Bayou, and at a time before air conditioning or television or any other modern invention that might’ve made childhood more comfortable.  Attending public school until the 3rd grade, when poor grades earned me a sentence to parochial schools for most of my undergraduate schooling.  The nuns tried to save my soul and my arithmetic, with mixed success. The grades didn’t improve much, at least not until flunking out after the freshman year at a prestigious Catholic university in San Antonio.  

From there, I managed to get accepted by another prestigious Texas institution in Huntsville. No, not the one with the bars—the other one.  Education finally took root, and in 1970, after earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Sam Houston State University, I was released to make my own way in the free world.

After graduation, working a handful of jobs: scenic design and construction for local Houston theatrical productions, and display artist for a downtown department store. Drawing on experience gained from working my way to Europe one summer in the merchant marine, and time as a deckhand and cook on Intercostal towboats.  I realized better money could be made back on the water. So, taking a job as a boat carpenter at a Clear Lake marina back when high-end sport and luxury watercraft were still mostly made of wood, and therefore frequently in need of repairs.

Eventually, coming ashore and taking a real position, starting at the bottom in capital procurement, but real nonetheless, with what was then and remains one of the world’s largest engineering and construction companies. That job led to other companies, projects, and experiences around the globe, living and working in 10 different cities, 6 of them overseas.  It was in Beijing that I met my dear wife, the mother of my two children. Staying in the industry, and forty years later, retired “purdy much” at the top of the profession, managing procurement and subcontracting for billion-dollar capital projects around the globe.

Now, with far too much time on my hands, I tried my luck at real-estate photography and woodworking—both enjoyable, both extremely efficient at draining dollars and energy.  Recently, the discovery of tapping with one finger of the right hand and holding an iPad with the left, words would appear on the screen that some have found amusing and thought-provoking.  While others have just felt provoking and I just thought the whole thing amazing.   Writing now takes up all the spare time once feared to be too much of.  

I hope you enjoy my stories. Please leave a comment —more on the way.