My Portfolio

When I think back to those years during the 60's I had a very good life. Of course at the time I was probably self-centered and didn't realize how wonderful it was. Like most young people I was in a hurry to grow up. And I remember my father always telling...

I passed easily into second grade, but shortly after school began, we moved again.  This time onto a large tract of land about three miles east of Drumright that had oil wells scattered here and there on it. It was called the “Thomas Long Oil Lease.”    I don’t know why we...

We were now living in the fourth house we had occupied in the same number of years of my life.  This house sat on a dusty unpaved road on the eastern edge of Drumright, Oklahoma.  Calling it a “house” is a compliment. It was little more than a shack.  My Grandma...

I was a Tom Boy.  I liked to catch mice in the woodpile and show them to the neighbor, climb trees and fight with the boys in my neighborhood.

“A kid will run any errand for you if you ask it at bedtime.” Red Skelton, US comedian.

Trying to get 10 kids to do chores was like herding cats...

Traveling                   The nice pleasant days of Spring had come.  The weather was grand for play outside.  My sisters and I were taking advantage of our opportunities.  One day we were out with our umbrellas, very large “witchy” black umbrellas, playing rainy day.                 We had toured all the cities...

The Claws that I Shall Never Forget   Many years ago I lived in a little log cabin under a large maple tree.  It was on a little mountain road where all the travelers had to pass, and they would stop to rest under the maple tree.  I had a very...

My First Fish                   Spring was bursting out all over the place.  The Redbuds, dogwood and Apple trees bore witness to this fact.  I began to get in the swing of things, too.                 The urge to go fishing was uppermost in my mind.  I knew I would need fish...

Camping at Hickory Nut Gap Cabin   One day in early spring, I heard a conversation that was not for my ears.  It went something like this, “It’s time to plant the potatoes at Hickory Nut Gap Cabin.”  This cabin was located in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park, although this...

A pile of dirt! That's all my brothers and I needed to create weeks and months of amazing entertainment. Dad was one of the most creative fathers ever. He would dump a pick-up truck full of topsoil right in the middle of the back yard. With a 99 cent bag of...

My earliest memories of music are from church, as my dad was a Methodist minister.  I am told that at the age of two I begged to sit beside the church pianist as she played.  When we got home, I then pretended I was the pianist, playing on the window sill. I...

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My first ever purchase of a record was the 45 rpm of Ruby Tuesday by the Rolling Stones. I must have played it 100 times the first night and wrote down the lyrics. I even went so far as to compose my own lyrics of a song. At this time I...

Discounting the babysitting and house cleaning jobs I had as a teen, my first real job was at a restaurant a few miles away from my home.  I worked at "Gino's Italian Restaurant" after school and on the weekends my Sophmore and Junior years of high school.  It was located on the...

Just trying to add a little humor to the site.

The gondolas were running at Aspen and Snowmass... 

And we visited the Grand Canyon. Mikey said "it\'s boring, can we watch a movie?"! 

Mikey played Cal Ripken Spring 2010 and was totally addicted to baseball- playuing and watching the DBacks!

Ellie tried rock climbing.