Our Place in Life

How many years have you spent doing whatever needed to be done, to have a good job, to build a good life for your family, and all the time wishing you could be some place else? Maybe there is a great vacation spot, that you wish could be your permanent home. Maybe it’s a place you travel through occasionally, and wonder what it would be like to live there every day.
That was my situation ten years ago, and we bought a vacation home, and started planning for the day when we could retire, and make it our permanent home. Six years ago, everything fell into place, and it became a reality.  Now, as I look back, it seems that every thing that happened through out my life was just working to get to this place in life.  
I greatly appreciate this beautiful area of the world that we have come to live in.  I love the climate, and the landscape of this part of the country is something out of a travel magazine.  I’m very happy with our place in life. 

The kind of views we can enjoy in our place in life.

A Very Good Year

When I was 17, it was a very good year.  “Sounds like words from a very old song”  But, for me, these words are true for several reasons.
That’s the year my mom came home with a new Mustang. It was a white 66 coupe, with 289 V8 and automatic transmission. It was late enough into the year that the 67 models were already starting to hit the dealerships, so they probably got it for a good price. Though I had been driving on the highways for about three years, getting an occasional chance to drive the new Mustang was quite a treat.  A high school friend of mine already had a 65 convertible, so I was already a fan.
It was some time during that year that I saw the first 67 Shelby GT 500’s.  It was love at first sight. I must have spent over an hour walking around those cars, admiring them from every angle, and memorizing every beautiful detail.   The 67 Shelby GT 500 remains my favorite Mustangs to this day.

The 67 Shelby GT 500 has been my favorite Mustang for over 50 years.  (Twitter photo)

The Year of the Tiger

No, it’s not this year, but I was born in the “year of the tiger” 1950.  According to Chinese astrology, your year repeats every 12 years. The next tiger year is 2022.
I first became familiar with the Chinese zodiac signs about 20 years ago, and did a lot of reading on the subject at the time. Looking back across my life, I was amazed at the significance of the life events that have happened in the “tiger” years all through my life.
The first was 1962, I was 12 years old, and spent the summer with my grand parents in Pennsylvania.     All the young neighbor girls would spend the afternoons listening to music on their porches. It was a real awakening in my life.  I discovered the popular rock music of the era, which is some of my favorite to this day.  And, girls.  All of a sudden, I started noticing girls in a completely different way.  That “year of the tiger”  changed my life.
Looking back through the years, major life changing events have happened in every tiger year.  I had not thought of these things in years, until a interesting tiger photo caught my eye last week, and I started looking into it again.  What I discovered was amazing. The last tiger year, I hadn’t even realized, also held major life changing events.  Now, I’m looking forward to 2022 with much anticipation.

The tiger photo that caught my eye last week.  ( Twitter photo )

The Eyes of a Car Guy

We have all heard the term “car guy” used all our lives, many times referring to ourselves. I know I have used it many times to describe my own personality to people I meet.
Most people would assume that meant we are people who like cars, and that is true, but many people may not have any comprehension of what that really means, or just how far that goes.
When a real car guy looks at a car, it doesn’t just mean that a car was flashy enough to get noticed, though many times that may be part of it, but often it goes much deeper than that. Especially when it’s something truly unique, or we have a deeper understanding of the car’s mechanical attributes and performance capabilities.  It’s not just a visual image, but our mind is in hyper drive, reviewing all the things that make that car something special to us.
That’s why some images we have seen thousands of times never are enough. Our mind could find something more to love every time, through the eyes of a car guy.
For more of my "car guy" past, check out my book at: Grab Some Gears

Timeless excellence, in the eyes of a car guy.

US Air Force

Yesterday marked 50 years since I became a member of the United States military.  On January 26th. of the year 1970 , I joined the US Air Force , and flew off to start basic training in Texas.
I spent four years as an air traffic controller, at Luke Air Force Base west of Phoenix, Arizona. The Vietnam war was ragging at the time, but my number never came up, and I didn’t get sent to that country.  I am proud to be a Vietnam era Veteran.
After my four year enlistment was over, I ended up back in Northern Utah. The commander of the local Army National Guard unit offered me a promotion to put my military experience to work for them, so I spent three more years as a communication specialist in the Army.
My years in the military taught me many life lessons, that have served me well ever since.

Me, as a 19 year old US Air Force recruit. 

50 Years

Yesterday was our 50th. wedding anniversary.  Jackie and I were married 50 years ago in Phoenix, Arizona. Wow, where did all that time go?
Some things seem like they happened so long ago, and others seem like only yesterday. I guess that's the way with most things we are remembering after many years have past.
In this day and age, a couple still together after 50 years is kind of a rare thing. I'm very proud of what we have accomplished in this life. I love that lady so much, I can't imagine my life any other way.

Jackie , The love of my life,  in 1969 before see moved to Phoenix.

In the year 2020

“In the year 2020”  sounds like a line from some old time-travel movie we might have seen many years ago. Well, it finally happened, we now find ourselves living the year 2020. The future has arrived.
Now that we’re here, what great things can we accomplish in our lives this year?  We get a new start every new year, but somehow this year seems a little more special to me. Maybe because Jackie and I are celebrating our 50th. anniversary next week, or maybe because I have my 70th. birthday later this year, something is a little different about 2020.
With all these life milestones happening, I think I should be celebrating with a new Shelby GT 500. That sounds like a great way to keep me young.  Kind of a time machine.  Ok, maybe that would be a stretch, but could be a lot of fun.

Cruise into the future in a new 2020 Shelby GT 500. (Twitter photo)