Perhaps the best way for you to get to know me is to read my humorous personal memoirs in It Started with a Pickle Crock (yes, I know, a shameless personal plug). But let me give you a few tidbits about me here:
- I grew up in Arcata, California, home of Humboldt State University (now Cal Poly Humboldt), giant redwood trees, and many wonderful nearby beaches.
- I love all sports, except golf because I have no clue where the ball will go after I hit it.
- Back in high school I played football and tennis, and I still play tennis at age 64, albeit I don’t get around the court as fast as I used to. If that trend continues I see pickleball in my future.
- When not on the tennis court I’m out biking or walking our dog Mandu. Exercise is a priority for me each day.
- I hate dancing and get quite nervous about making a fool of myself, especially on the fast songs.
- I love to travel and have been to many countries, starting as a kid when my dad taught overseas in Thailand and Malaysia.
- My first job was as a dishwasher at Denny’s Restaurant in Eureka, California. After getting a civil engineering degree from the University of Idaho in 1983, I went on to work at the Corps of Engineers in Sacramento, California. Then I was a stay-at-home dad for five years before going back to work at the California Department of Water Resources.
- I’m retired now and have two awesome grown sons living not too far away, a wonderful wife of 35 years, and the aforementioned dog Mandu and a cat named Luna.
- I appreciate life more than ever after a health scare this year.