I have either been plagued or blessed (I have yet to figure out which) with the fact that I am ADDICTED to learning. SANE people find interest in one or two subjects and make them their hobbies – not me! If I were asked to list all the things that I’d like to learn about, understand and partake in, it would be an easy task as it would be a very short list – in fact, I could do it with a single word – “EVERYTHING”!!

I am somewhat obsessed with learning about EVERYTHING that I can in whatever days that my Lord allows me on this earth. I am not just satisfied to read about a subject – I have to find out all I can about it and usually am not satisfied until I get to try my hand at whatever it is. Sometimes this drive overwhelms me; it drives me crazy and I am sure that it drives those around me crazy too. I am VERY fortunate that my God put me with the helpmate that he chose for me – she is the only woman in His creation that would put up with me and all that my quirky obsession with my MANY hobbies and interests entails.

This defect has however, brought me GREAT joy over my years, as I have had the abundant fortune and awesome blessing to have had some of the most unbelievable experiences in my life. Oft times when discussing my life’s experiences I can tell that people have disbelief that I have in fact done all that I have done (sometimes I lay awake at night in disbelief myself). But those closest to me, those who have played witness (and at times participant) to this adventure, know that it has indeed been an amazing ride [and I pray that I am not even at its halfway point].

I have had several careers – from auto mechanic, to residential maintenance, to industrial maintenance. From boiler operator in a co-generation steam/power plant to HVAC/Refrigeration technician. From sales to management. I have been a farmer and a CEO/entrepreneur. I have worked for a mom & pop exhaust shop and for the Missile Defense Agency of the Department of Defense. I’ve had low-level jobs and jobs that required high-level Secret Clearance. I’ve live in BIG cities and I’ve lived in small rural communities. I’ve worked on Main Street in Anytown, USA and I’ve worked at some of the remotest sites on earth.

My hobbies and interests have been JUST as diverse. Growing up I was active in scouting and music and sports (though no star at any of them). I have had the usual hobbies and the unusual. I have collected stamps and currency from all over the world. I have built models of all sorts (from kits and from scratch). I have done all types of crafts (from sewing, to sketching, from painting to photography, from ceramics to metalwork). I have done candle making, I have done basket weaving. I have enjoyed a lifelong passion for woodworking, and blacksmithing and home maintenance & remodeling. I have been a pig farmer, a goat farmer, a chicken farmer, a rabbit farmer and a beekeeper. I have always been an avid outdoorsman; enjoying fishing, hiking, camping, hunting, boating and MANY other outdoor activities. I have a very high appreciation for firearms of all types and am an avid participant in all types of shooting and firearm activities – from plinking to target shooting, from reloading to gunsmithing. I have worked my way through knife-making and leatherworking. I am an FCC Licensed Amateur Radio Operator and a homebrew electronics nut. I have built IBM clone Personal Computers as a hobby and in a small business venture. I’ve even had the opportunity to have a couple of automotive restoration projects in various stages – I’ve rebuilt engines, performed minor and major paint and body work, refurbished interiors and performed various performance modifications. I’ve dabbled in Drag Racing. And I’ve participated in off-road rock-crawling. I’ve even gone on foreign mission trips.

Here are just SOME of my MANY hobbies and interests.