My Love

Here is a poem I wrote for my wife
a few years  ago

"Where"
Where Roses grow free
Where the grass is the softest
Where the wind blows gently over your skin
Where the sun carresses you in a loving way
Where the birds sing what's in your heart
Where the meandering brook softly babbles
to you a love yet to be
That's where we will go my love.......

Al  1999

This photo was taken on a beautiful section of coast which is called THE LOST COAST in upstate CA.  It is closest to the town of Ferndale.  It is the most beautiful strip of coast I have seen in CA and I've seen a LOT!  This photo is taken from a hilltop looking down on the coast.  As we came up over the hill we did not realize we were so close to the coast and it actually took our breath away as it popped into view.  This sized down photo can not begin to do justice to the scene.
Written by Moon and Back Graphics....

I retired September 1st, 2002
it's now November and we are just waiting
for all our monies, i.e. retirement and SS to start rolling in so we'll know when we can start traveling and meeting all of our internet and other friends and family.

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We took that trip 7 years ago, & went all the way to Kentucky.  I will have a page up with pictures of the trip....

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This  picture is here in
the Pacific Northwest where I live.. 
I am a Longshoreman...I load and
unload ships that come into our Harbor...this picture is of an Old Growth forest we have thousands of acres around us that are protected now because old growth have become "endangered" and thus you can't log in them anymore.  This used to be a very busy port but in the past few years they've quit exporting as many logs out of here as a result..we are now considered a "depressed port"...alot of the fellows in my union are traveling elsewhere to find work.....

This is what our log yards used to look like now they are nearly empty.

If you want to know more about what a Longshoreman is and does click the double stars below...

In 1973 my wife and I were married

and put two families of kids together
5 boys & 3 girls..we were the
Partridge Family...with no maid!!

Then we had the little one making our brood 8 kids.

Now those 8 kids have given us  17 Grandkids......and one great grandson..

Those years til now makes for a long story of lots of work and struggles...we camped and fished I went through the Scuba Diving course and enjoyed a few years of diving. When we weren't working we did alot of camping with the kids..we watched them all grow up and go their own ways..we are blessed that a few have stayed in this area and a few moved away from here so we miss seeing them. 

Spent alot of Fall's and Winter's hunting in the beautiful Pacific Northwest woods where the Deer and the Elk run free. I no longer hunt but still love to fish and love to camp.  We go camping alot with our second son and we enjoy our summers with them and their family. Now we camp in our Motor Home and enjoy the luxury.....Actually I'm a professional Grasshopper hunter....since I gave up on the Deer and Elk..this is a big one I finally tracked down and Killed last summer.

This is where we go every fourth of July...Neah Bay, Washington ...at a campground called Snow Creek, lots of fishing here and now our son Richard and Grandson Ricky and two granddaughters go scuba diving so we enjoy a week of seafood delicacies.....and lots of fresh fried fish.

Looking at Canada across the water
We enjoy watching the whales & Eagles

In the early morning fog cleaning fish

just a "pose" with the catch all cleaned and
ready to cook & eat. !!!

One of our other favorite places to go is to the beach, we live a half hour from the Pacific Ocean..I grew up in this area and have lived here since the 1950's...my Mom and Stepdad lived in Westport and kept us supplied with fresh crab every crab season and lots of home canned tuna.. We used to can tuna too when the kids were little..there is nothing compared to fresh canned tuna..it really is "chicken of the sea" not strong or smelly at all, just a really nice flavor.

Feeding the Seagulls at the beach....they love
frenchfries & popcorn!!!

A couple of years after we married we moved out in the country which we felt was the best place to be with so many kids..it was great..we raised our own beef....we tried most every animal and foul there was..we got ducks and chickens and geese and  between the weasels and the coyotes we couldn't keep any of them so we figured we might as well quit trying.. we were just feeding the wild life..We even had a goat once that thought it was a dog.. it followed me down the road when I used to take my gun and go target practicing..and I would look back and there were the cats and the goat..the dog stayed I always thought it was the dog that went hunting with you.  oh well...we had the goat til one Thanksgiving and the kids were playing Monopoly after dinner on the table..someone left the door open and the goat ran in and jumped up on the table, all four legs spread out and the monopoly game went everywhere. So the goat went.....

In 1987 I decided I wanted a Greyhound Bus..not just any bus but a Scenic Cruiser..so I found a 1956 Scenic Cruiser in Colorado....we drove our 5th wheel and truck to Colorado made a deal with this guy that had the bus...    We got in the bus  after a drive around the block and headed for Washington....what a trip...we had battery trouble..twice....but finally made it...we had the roof raised a foot so we could walk around in there, then the next year we insulated it and we had a great time camping in it for about 5 years..then we moved and suddenly the bus was put on the back burner and we had to build on our new house...we really enjoyed traveling in it however even tho it never got really fancy inside, it was a pleasure to drive and we had our fun.

This is it one winter during a snow storm

Two summers ago, my life long dream of having a huge shop in the yard came true.  I had a 40 X 60 foot shop built, got the cement poured, did the electrical with the help of a friend and it is out there with all my tools and saws and a couple of shop things my son brought me to store..(that Ican use)...now I can do some "honey do" list things that have been waiting til I could get a shop.  Now that I have the tools and the shop I have no wood..is that a good excuse?  No it's something I've really needed so I can work on things and we can store our Motor Home in there over the winter and summer to keep it out of the weather.

This is me on the left and the Sheriff of our County on the right...an awards ceremony in which I was given a silver pin for 2500 hours of volunteering ...My wife and I have been volunteering for the Sheriff's Office for over 7 years....

Ok, I will be retiring here in year or so ...just down the road they are growing giant Marshmallows..it's so interesting to watch them harvest these massive mallows....here is a picture I took Last summer while we were driving by. It's just a dream now, but you never know, dreams do come true. ;)

If you would like to visit my wife's website click on the twin stars  below and it will take you there. ;)