my autobiography
[06/21/2020 - 05/31/2021 Ken] For me, it was the best thing to come out of 'The Great Pandemic'. For Fathers Day (2020), Mallory gave me a project. She asked me to write about some of the events of my life. She was after a few stories that could be passed (in hardcopy) down to her children -- stories that would help her children remember their grandfather, "GrandBumps."
For the next year, while others were mesmerized by the blah-blah-blah daily statistics and reports about the blah-blah-blah Coronavirus Pandemic in Venezuela, South Africa, Italy, blah-blah-blah ... [Pick A Country], I wrote dozens and dozens of breathtaking stories. It turns out that I have a lot of memories! In the end, I picked fifty of the best ones to form what became my autobiography, Seasons, Stories, and SuperPowers.
At first, I thought the project was going to be an awful lot of work. Ugh! But once I started listing the events and topics that I could write about -- the enthralling stories of my life -- the book became a labor of love. For most of a year, I sat at my desk (in Faith) and wrote every Wednesday and Saturday ... all day. In fact, I have a list of subjects to include in my second book, should I decide to write one. It all depends on whether the first book becomes a Best Seller, or not.
At first, I thought the project was going to be an awful lot of work. Ugh! But once I started listing the events and topics that I could write about -- the enthralling stories of my life -- the book became a labor of love. For most of a year, I sat at my desk (in Faith) and wrote every Wednesday and Saturday ... all day. In fact, I have a list of subjects to include in my second book, should I decide to write one. It all depends on whether the first book becomes a Best Seller, or not.
The autobiography won't be published [officially] until October 2021. Essentially, each story is a chapter -- and a chapter of my life. In no particular order, I write about the anecdotes of my earliest Christmas, what I wanted to be when I grow up, driving my dad's new car when I was only six, why mom was always needing to protect me, how Deb and I met, how we named our kids, and why our family dressed in the same colored jackets while traveling. The limited "Best Seller" also includes stories about select childhood shenanigans, some cannon shots, lists of some of my favorite things to see/do/eat, as well as some of my all-time favorite jokes. Just shy of five-hundred captivating pages, you wont be able to put it down!!!
making an rv
[05/10/2021 Ken] Robby bought a small van. He had designs to convert it into a small RV. So we offered our workshop and garage in Livingston for the project (at the time, Deb and I were still in College Station). All of the tools he would need were there, and there was plenty of workspace -- it just made perfect sense!
Robby was living in Los Angeles at the time, but he had found/purchased the van in Grand Junction, CO. It was a lot of miles out of his way, but he drove from Colorado down to BaseCamp to do the conversion. He had preordered all of his materials, appliances, and parts-- they were delivered right to Livingston. All he needed to buy once he got to Livingston was the lumber.
Robby was living in Los Angeles at the time, but he had found/purchased the van in Grand Junction, CO. It was a lot of miles out of his way, but he drove from Colorado down to BaseCamp to do the conversion. He had preordered all of his materials, appliances, and parts-- they were delivered right to Livingston. All he needed to buy once he got to Livingston was the lumber.
Robby worked on his own, except for a little time I was able to give him on one of the weekends. In addition to all of the woodwork, Robby added three solar panels to the roof, freshwater tanks inside, a hot water heater, a sink, recessed lighting, refrigerator, a lithium power cell, lots of storage, and a small oven. The couch folded open to make a bed -- he had the cushions made when he got back to Los Angeles. He made a cutting board from the oval that he cut out of the countertop for the sink -- very ingenious.
He worked on it for about two weeks -- many times well into the nighttime hours, I understand. But he got it all done on by the time he needed to leave to head back to LA.
His final product was very impressive!
He worked on it for about two weeks -- many times well into the nighttime hours, I understand. But he got it all done on by the time he needed to leave to head back to LA.
His final product was very impressive!
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[05/21/2021 Ken] Deb and I wanted to make a quick trip to Littleton to see mom. She was going to have her 92nd birthday on the 25th. We took off from College Station late in the day on Thursday. We chose Interstate 35 to get a head start on the trip north.
Robby was just finishing up his RV conversion. He needed to get back to Los Angeles for work, but had to first stop in Grand Junction, CO, to pick up Clare. It was early in the day when he left BaseCamp in Livingston. Robby was on the road by breakfast; he was taking Interstate 45 northbound.
This had never before happened. Just on the north side of Fort Worth, a van conversion merged into traffic at Decatur, Texas ... onto the same road that we were driving towards Denver. It was Robby in the van that he had just been working on in our garage!
We met up, stopped and got gas, and coordinated a meal stop in Wichita Falls. We traveled together from there all of the way to Walsenburg, Colorado.
What a coincidence! We had not communicated -- in fact, there was no amount of coordination that could have brought us together better -- leaving from different cities, at different times, taking different routes through Fort Worth rush hour traffic, and enroute to different destinations.
But we caught up to each other. And then for 565.5 miles of lonely highway, we weren't so lonely. We were on the same route together. Literally.
Robby was just finishing up his RV conversion. He needed to get back to Los Angeles for work, but had to first stop in Grand Junction, CO, to pick up Clare. It was early in the day when he left BaseCamp in Livingston. Robby was on the road by breakfast; he was taking Interstate 45 northbound.
This had never before happened. Just on the north side of Fort Worth, a van conversion merged into traffic at Decatur, Texas ... onto the same road that we were driving towards Denver. It was Robby in the van that he had just been working on in our garage!
We met up, stopped and got gas, and coordinated a meal stop in Wichita Falls. We traveled together from there all of the way to Walsenburg, Colorado.
What a coincidence! We had not communicated -- in fact, there was no amount of coordination that could have brought us together better -- leaving from different cities, at different times, taking different routes through Fort Worth rush hour traffic, and enroute to different destinations.
But we caught up to each other. And then for 565.5 miles of lonely highway, we weren't so lonely. We were on the same route together. Literally.
happy birthday, mom!
[05/25/2021 Ken] It's not every day that you get to wish your mother a "Happy 92nd Birthday!" Doug and Debbie were there, as well as Pam, Chris and Nate! But the highlight of the day was seeing mom visit with her great grandchildren, Ellie and Addy.
fun TIMES in colorado
[05/26/2021 Ken & Deb] While in Colorado we visited with Ellie and Addy (of course), did some putt putt golf, and went to Ellie's Kindergarten graduation ceremony. We also went to see her perform in The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. Since we had our mountain bikes and hiking boots with us, we found some time to do a few out-of-town adventures, too. We were a bit winded, but felt pretty good on the old trails!
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