Category Archives: Uncategorized

First Marathon – Seattle

I can’t believe how little I knew before I ran my first marathon. I had been training all alone and somehow thought that if I ran some long runs on the weekends, I would be able to make the 26.2 miles on race day. I ran a fair amount in training, but didn’t really haveContinue reading “First Marathon – Seattle”

My Daughter Saved My Life

I have been through a few dark periods in my life. I literally did not think I would make it through them. There have been at least three that I can count off the top of my head in which I felt suffering outweighed living and I didn’t know how long I could continue. TheContinue reading “My Daughter Saved My Life”

Managing a 35 Acre Private Island in the State of Washington

I remember the day they asked me if I wanted the job as the caretaker of this island. As I walked back across the island so that I could phone my wife and tell her, I looked up in one of the beautiful fir trees and there sat a huge bald eagle. They are big,Continue reading “Managing a 35 Acre Private Island in the State of Washington”

Working at Squaw Valley Ski Resort, California

I was quickly offered a position selling tickets for ski school lessons at Squaw Valley and my wife got a job at a ski and clothing shop near Alpine Meadows. I also started working at a 7-11 convenience store near Squaw Valley. We both got Season tickets for skiing at Squaw Valley so we wereContinue reading “Working at Squaw Valley Ski Resort, California”

Quitting Teaching and Building Trails in the Mountains

It was the summer of 1990 and I had just finished my third year of teaching at White River High School in Buckley, Washington in the foothills of Mount Rainier. A picturesque setting with a community based primarily on logging and agricultural work at the time. That has changed as it has become much moreContinue reading “Quitting Teaching and Building Trails in the Mountains”

Working on the Dairy Farm in Flums

At the dairy farm we woke up in the dark and immediately went to the barn to milk the cows and clean their living areas. The Swiss are “work animals” as they said and we worked from darkness to darkness. The barn was kept immacculately clean with even the tiles on the wall scrubbed daily.Continue reading “Working on the Dairy Farm in Flums”

Harvesting Olives on Crete, Greece

It was just after Christmas. I had heard about travelers doing agricultural work on the Island of Crete in Greece. I had heard about orange picking, Olive harvesting, tomatoes and more. I decided to check it out. I took a boat from a port in Athens and went to the Island of Crete. I thenContinue reading “Harvesting Olives on Crete, Greece”

Some characters from Norway

I have about 8 book-sized journals in a box at my parents house in Shoreline, Washington with detailed descriptions of each day I was traveling. Unfortunately all I am writing from now is my memory from 37 years ago. I was very disciplined about writing there and did it daily. My day was not completeContinue reading “Some characters from Norway”

More about Pig Farming in Norway

I dedicate this entry to Per-Otto Haaje, who taught me about pig farming and his family that treated me like one of their own. Years later, my parents met up with them in Oslo, Norway. Their daughter, Siri-Anne came to my state to attend Washington State University for a while. She was about 10 whenContinue reading “More about Pig Farming in Norway”

Letter writing back in the day

When I left home for more than a year in the early 1980s, nobody had cell phones, the internet was not here and few people ever made international calls. They were extremely expensive. So when traveling, I would buy postcards and write family and friends. After writing, I would get stamps and then find aContinue reading “Letter writing back in the day”