I was born in Tacoma, Washington, eleven months after the start of World War II. I have early memories of dark blankets on the windows at night and car lights were darkened with paint halfway down so they could no been seen by Japanese Planes at night. I remember my Dad in his Navy uniform and his training trips to Faragot, Idaho and the Hershey candybars he would bring us from the PX on visits home. He shipped out on a ship called the USS Spika. After the war my Dad got a good job and life resumed some normalcy after while.

My folks built a larger house on property next door to my grandparent's house and we could see Puget Sound from many windows. We lived in a small community seven miles outside of the city and we had an enchanting childhood. We grew up among friends that we went to church and school with all of our young lives. My sister and I spent a lot of time with my grandmother next door, after my grandfather passed away. She was always like a second mother to us; and many times filled in for our own mother, who worked from time to time. My grandmother taught us to cook and sew and how to act when confronted with loss, fear and pain. She had tremendous faith that we exercised with her every Sunday at church. She was my idol and my mentor and she taught me more about life and love than anyone else. I saw her pass from middle age (when we first met at my birth) into old age and she never lost her courage. I asked her what would I do with my love for her when she was not with me and she said, "Pass it on!"

Following this page I will feature my grandson's stories - there are three you might want to read....these boys don't have many years, but have lived too much of life thus far. We live the simple life now-with animals and fields all around us. The animals teach us about life; about birth, mothers and foals, stallions calling in the night when a horse is out of place; horses calling in the night to tell me the coyotes are wandering too close to their barns - the smell of fresh hay and the heat and sweat in the fields of the harvest days of hayfields....the boys are growing stronger in so many ways. I feel we are learning together to become family and that is what every growing boy needs. I hope you will E-Mail me and share your stories too - of your grandchildren and yourselves. We can share experiences, resources, information, ideas and problems and solutions common to us all.

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