It's not where you start out, it's where you end up...so it has been said . I have arrived in so many important ways which is not to say that all is well. I must be ok in the face of loss for which I have no control over. But otherwise I have a reasonably happy life and wish that for my loved ones as well. I don't mean to be cryptic, but it's not something I want to write here. I will say that there is a sadness in this loss that is never far from the surface. My almost 72 years at this point guide me in many of my decisions on how to be ok since I can see my mortality. My bout with cancer got my attention.
So, I would like to tell you about my early years and where I started out. But first, I'd like you to look at the picture below. It holds so much meaning for me.
So, I would like to tell you about my early years and where I started out. But first, I'd like you to look at the picture below. It holds so much meaning for me.
When this picture was taken and some years after my grandmother passed and the house had been sold, it was under renovation . So the pic shows scaffolding but you can generally tell what it looks like and is much like it was when I was growing up in it. More to follow. My early years were spent growing up in this house at 28 Elm St. in Dover, New Hampshire with my grandpa, granny and mother.
I had a happy little life. I had my little hiding places in the house. The house looks very large in the picture but was actually a duplex. Our side is the more visible. A little stream ran through the back yard that came from a natural spring higher up the street and just perfect to play around. It pooled a few houses down and we skated on it during the winter right below and around the tree house. I played in the dirt under the garage which was on blocks. Not sure why it was built that way. I could go on describing the house but it's not necessary. Not long ago , I found out that it was built in 1875 before there was electricity. It still had gas fixtures on the walls when I was growing up.
So many great memories and some not so great when it came to the arguments my mother had with my grandmother. I never knew what they were about .
I was born on August 25, 1948 at the hospital in Dover. The original hospiral isn't there anymore. Dover at that time had a population of around 16,000 people which would have made it a medium size city as cities in N.H. go. I know now that for a yankee city, a lot of immigrants lived there also . There were Greeks, Italians, Syrians, Lebanese, European Jews etc. But the majority were English and French Canadian. So an interesting mix of kids in school.
My mother was from Dover and my father was born in Portsmouth, about 10 miles away.
I don't know how they met. They never wanted to talk about those days which were all about acrimony.
After I was born, we moved to Claremont , N.H. on the western side of the state. Not sure how long we lived there but by the time I was about 2, we lived in Manchester, N.H. and my parents marriage was ending. It was then that my mother moved us into my grandparents house. My father re-enlisted and I don't recall seeing him again until I was around 5 years old. He was a stranger to me.
I had a happy little life. I had my little hiding places in the house. The house looks very large in the picture but was actually a duplex. Our side is the more visible. A little stream ran through the back yard that came from a natural spring higher up the street and just perfect to play around. It pooled a few houses down and we skated on it during the winter right below and around the tree house. I played in the dirt under the garage which was on blocks. Not sure why it was built that way. I could go on describing the house but it's not necessary. Not long ago , I found out that it was built in 1875 before there was electricity. It still had gas fixtures on the walls when I was growing up.
So many great memories and some not so great when it came to the arguments my mother had with my grandmother. I never knew what they were about .
I was born on August 25, 1948 at the hospital in Dover. The original hospiral isn't there anymore. Dover at that time had a population of around 16,000 people which would have made it a medium size city as cities in N.H. go. I know now that for a yankee city, a lot of immigrants lived there also . There were Greeks, Italians, Syrians, Lebanese, European Jews etc. But the majority were English and French Canadian. So an interesting mix of kids in school.
My mother was from Dover and my father was born in Portsmouth, about 10 miles away.
I don't know how they met. They never wanted to talk about those days which were all about acrimony.
After I was born, we moved to Claremont , N.H. on the western side of the state. Not sure how long we lived there but by the time I was about 2, we lived in Manchester, N.H. and my parents marriage was ending. It was then that my mother moved us into my grandparents house. My father re-enlisted and I don't recall seeing him again until I was around 5 years old. He was a stranger to me.
A GALLERY OF CARS AND OTHER VEHICLES THAT I HAVE OWNED AND ENJOYED MINUS THE ONES I DO NOT HAVE PICS OF.
My 1967 Triumph 500 1971 Volvo S142 -My 1st new car 1977 Ford F26 w/big 300-6
1977 Overland MH over a Dodge 440 Michael and Jon 1979 F150 Ecoline Van 1981 Honda 750 Custom/Michael
My 1984 Ford Ranger 4x4 V-6 w/China 1993 Nissan SE-V6 4X4 3' lift kit 1965 Corvair Monza 110 4sp
   |
|
.
My first new truck in 23 years -1999 F250 5.4 Replacement for the disaster below 2002 F250 7.3 Diesel and with my Vanguard camper.
The latest: 2015 F350 6.7 for the new 2011 Lance 1181 . The Vanguard has been sold and time to move on. Lance is 1K heavier than the Vanguard was so that is the reason for the dually. Have to say...quite a truck.
My first new truck in 23 years -1999 F250 5.4 Replacement for the disaster below 2002 F250 7.3 Diesel and with my Vanguard camper.
The latest: 2015 F350 6.7 for the new 2011 Lance 1181 . The Vanguard has been sold and time to move on. Lance is 1K heavier than the Vanguard was so that is the reason for the dually. Have to say...quite a truck.
|
My latest purchase. 1995 Lexus sc400. These pictures were taken in front of what was used as the set for the hacienda of Don Eladio for Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul fans. BTW, you can see us briefly in the opening scenes of Breaking Bad, Season 1, episode 7 . We did background on that but just one time.
2000 F350 with the V-10
Saved the best for last. It's the best because we lived to tell about it. It was April 12, 2003 and we were on our way to pick up a new 2003 Saturn Ion which was to be used as a driver education vehicle for my business , Precision School of Driving". We had just left the car wash. Anyway, five minutes after entering I-25 south, we got caught up in a multi-vehicle collision initiated by two drunks swerving on the roadway on purpose. They spooked a guy and he over-reacted and we were then clipped in the right rear quarter panel. The rest is evident. After a 4 hour hospital visit , we returned home. The EMT's and doctors were great. The guys that started it all were arrested because the same cop that witnessed it all and told us that my truck rolled three times was able to apprehend them. Moral of the story: Drive the biggest truck you can find.
