My Portfolio

The 4th- The celebration of our Country's Independence from England.  Let's focus on the pieces of the whole for a moment and celebrate the common every-day citizens who, over the centuries, have voluntarily (and let's not forget not so voluntarily-drafted) stepped into harms way to protect the initial Declaration of Independence...

This is my cat Kia.  He had many names over the years so that may be why he never came to us when we called to him....or he could have just been acting like a typical cat and coming when they wanted to.  Either way, he's eating out of his food...

Memorial Day is a day off for most, a day of reflection for some and a day of honor for few in our society.  Let's take the time between meals at cookouts and BBQ's to reverse this list and concentrate on....The Few! They are the ones who voluntarily sacrificed for us...

Well, that would have to be my Dad.  He is constantly trying to make things better and once he gets a whiff of something working he doesn't let up no matter what.  It doesn't matter if it's a business opportunity, the way to cut the lawn faster or anything in between. ...

  Ok, so you may be thinking that I'm gonna say the typical story of going to Sunday Mass or eating the Ham dinner with the extended family.  That would be completely WRONG!  My younger Brother Tyler and I always got candy for Easter when we were young!!!  That's it, that's...

I predict that I will write 6 more predictions. I predict that the end of the world is not on my birthday this year December 21st, 2012. I predict that I will have to get the oil changed in my car every 3,000 mile or so. I predict that I will...

OUR INSPIRATION!!!  Mom, Ty and I at Cape Canaveral, FL.   Like a lot of young boys my Brother Tyler and I (Ages 15 and 12) were into rocketry.  We usually were left alone for days on end to construct the model rockets and then accompanied by an adult when we...

The one and only time I have intentionally killed anything more than a bug or mosquito...which they all need to perish if you ask me, was the time my best friend Donnie and I shot at a bird’s nest in the front yard of his house.  We were about 11 or...

Mine was "Forest..er" green! Ha   Here are a few of those lousy ramps!   Now, after you read a number of my stories you will begin to get the idea that I might be a complete idiot when it comes to automotive projects.  My Brother and Cousin Greg can almost...

An '88 Jetta.  Ours was dark navy blue!  Oh, and a cruched front grill, bumper and light   Back in ’88 My family lived in North Conway, N.H.  It was January or February on that Saturday.  My Dad had ordered a new car a few weeks before and today they called...

An example of an '88 VW Jetta.  Ours was dark navy blue.   Another close call... When I was 16 I got my driver’s license.  At sixteen and 2 two weeks I had my first ticket  for speeding!  I just couldn’t keep my foot out of the gas.  It was just...

This is an example of a jacknifed trailer. Yeah, well it seems like I have this...pun intended....fatal attraction with semi trucks.  See, back in 2004-5 my brother and I were on I-40 westbound headed toward Nashville, TN.  We were going to pick up some off-road tires for his Tacoma.  We were...

Generally, this is the car I was driving at the time...But Dark Navy Blue.  1998 or so Mazda Miata. Close calls eh?  I’ll give you a close call! Back in 2001 my cousin Heather came to visit me at my home in West Knoxville, TN.  She was staying about 20 miles...

You might be thinking, "What the heck is he talking about?" As I was growing up in North Conway, N.H., the most common type of home in the area was a Cape Cod style with a full basement.  Most people never finished off the basement so the steps downstairs were usually...

This is not the actual rubber bands we used....The ones we used were this big before you began pulling on them!  They were awesome!!!   Rubber band wars with Dad My younger brother Tyler and I used to love having rubber band wars with our Dad when we were growing up. ...

Howdy Doody was a great show that I remember.  They were re-runs at that time, but they were new to me!  Another show that started in black and white and then went to color was Captain Kangaroo.  I loved that show too....Mr. Green Jeans and the ping pong balls.

Hooper Bald 5,450' (One of the highest points in the Nantahala National Forest, N.C. 2008....Car camping at it's finest!   I tell ya, I truly enjoy camping.  Now, there are different types of camping so let's get that straight right off the bat.  There is rv camping where you've got a...

Windsock Estates -  Hang glider vista When I was between the ages of 2-4 years I lived in an apartment complex that was adjacent to the local community airport in North Conway, N.H.  The name of the apartment complex was Windsock Estates...What a great name.  The airport and surrounding town was...

Well, in a way, yes! In the story about my brother and I flipping a car, I think it's on his profile Tyler Cormier and he tells a great story about it, we ended our flipping trip by slamming up against a large pine tree on the driver's side door where...

My grandparents on my Father's side...George and Lillian Cormier.   My Grandparents on my Mother's side...Wallace (Wally) and Helen Brackin.  Oh, and that's my brother on the left and me on the right at our home in Conway N.H.  Harvey Blake Rental.   On my Mother's side of the family my...