I liked two things when I was young - riding my bicycle and building things. I combined the two one day when I took an old wooden box (we use to get them from the grocery stores - they contained fruit and stuff), added an axle, wheels, and a metal bar to the front; bolted a bent piece of metal to the fender of my bike and voila - a cargo trailer. I carried all kinds of things in the trailer, more than once breaking the front "hitch" off the box from all the weight. We had a wooded lot at the end of the block with paths between the trees that we walked and rode on. I would pretend there were camp sites along the main path and would back my trailer into the "site" to set it up for camping. (this probably explains owning travel trailers later on in my life).
Other experiences I had in the school of self-help is when I: helped re-roof the house when I was a teenager; helped with the basement excavation; rode on the back of the motorcycle with a big grin on my face; held the wrench so the nut wouldn't turn and held the flashlight to find the missing nut; shoveled the dirt, gravel, and Portland cement into the mixer to pour the patio. I guess you can see where this is headed.
Yes, this was a different era than today - before computers and crazy people roaming the streets (not certain about that last one though). And yes, I did walk a mile to school in the snow, uphill both ways. Blah, blah, blah... Hey, I'm blogging. I can't be that old or behind the times!
So growing up in a do-it-yourself environment gave me a great foundation. Another lesson was added to the curriculum when we (my dad and I) became involved in the local and national Corvair car club -
It wasn't long before a fellow from up the street stopped by the house when he spotted our Corvairs in the driveway. At this point we only had two. He let us know about the local Corvair club and invited us to attend a meeting. It was right before they were hosting a national convention at the Red Lion Inn near the Airport. So we went to the meeting and the convention and we were hooked. They had a car show around the fountain at the Seattle Center, and a rally around Mt. Rainier, and an autocross in Bellevue. Anyway, after the convention we attended meetings and became friends with club members. Dad ran for club Treasurer (was coaxed into running, I should say) and I helped him keep the books. Later I ran for and became treasurer, then board member, then club president, then newsletter editor..... all good learning experiences for a teenager. Running meetings; putting on events; handling bank accounts; etc. I stayed active in the club from 1975 until 2002 when we left the area. During that time I made many friends and acquaintances. I also learned many useful skills including how to organize weekend events that included hotel accommodations, banquets, raffles, car shows, economy runs, etc. I (we) put together day long rallies and tours, and coordinated with other clubs on camping trips, car shows, how-to clinics, and much, much more.
Along the way I met some very smart people. Oh, not necessarily well educated, but smart as in "I can do that". I've known engineers who didn't get an engineering degree in school, but worked their way into the profession by proving that they could get the job done. I've met people with lots of education who couldn't replace a light bulb if their life depended on it. But they might be great investors or leaders.
The ones I enjoyed being around the most were the ones who would share their knowledge and experience. Maybe they would include me on some of their projects. As a person who learns by listening, and by attending as many social events as possible, the club was an absolute gold mine of information to absorb. I learned to do things that many (most) people would think should be left only to "professionals". I'm sorry, and I mean no disrespect, but how much schooling does a person take to learn how to replace a toilet? It's two bolts, a hose, and a wax seal. Done.
I know, I know. Not everyone can replace a toilet. Not everyone should even TRY to replace a toilet. But think about it for a while before calling the "professional toilet replacer". Really - two bolts, a hose, and a wax seal. And new toilets usually come with instructions!
The car club was great (there will be more on this another day), and so was my involvement in music. Even before joining band in the fifth grade, my mother had purchased a Wurlitzer organ when I was in the third grade, and I HAD to take lessons. I didn't last too long at it (she kept hogging the organ), but it made joining the school band easier since I already knew how to read music to some degree. Clarinet was my instrument (my mother loved Pete Fountain).
As anyone who has been in a school band knows, you really lead a different life than your non-band schoolmates. Practice time (which I really never did much of, even though I was usually in the top half of my section), concerts, playing at football and basketball games. In high school it was marching at football games, participating in area parades, band trips to other cities - what an opportunity to learn. In community college I was in the first pep band they ever had for their basketball team, and once led the band during a game that was broadcast on radio! Then at the UofW as a member of the Husky Marching Band, performing in front of 40,000+ home field fans, but also going on trips to Spokane, Standford, Cal, Oregon, Oregon State, plus the bowl games the football team earned - 2 Rose Bowls in Pasadena CA and the Sun Bowl in El Paso TX, with all of the performances and tours that go along with those events.
Even with the car club, the marching band, and the occasional job (more on those another time), I somehow had time to join the local Community Band. We practiced on Monday nights at a local high school and performed at retirement homes and shopping malls during the holidays - or whenever someone would let us in their door! Significantly, I was elected president of the band committee the year the long-time director decided to retire (with no warning). The significant part will be apparent shortly. We found a new director from one of the members, who was also a high school music teacher, so the band played on without interruption. But with the new director I realized there was an opportunity for invigorating the members. The old director was considered harsh by some people, and many of the people who came to the band to give it a try were intimidated by him and never returned. Luckily, we kept a sign-in sheet of these "guests" So during our summer break, I composed a letter and mailed it to these former guests inviting them to give the band another try and see how they liked our new director. I don't remember specifics, but I do know that the band grew the next year and still flourishes to this day.
By this time I was playing alto sax, along with bass clarinet and whatever else they needed to fill a hole in the instrumentation. One of my fellow sax players invited me along to play in a dance band he was playing in, and I eventually joined their group as 2nd alto. They played big band music, which I have always loved, and played for the Elks, private parties, and similar events. And we got paid! Not enough to quit the day job, but enough to have fun.
OK, now the significant part.
One of the "guests" who decided to give the community band another try was a trumpet player from the area. We'll call her Tina. It took me a few months to notice, but one day during a Christmas concert we were giving at the community center, I looked down the hall and went WOW! Tina was wearing a red dress with black polka dots. I guess she noticed my reaction, and we started dating. To make a long story short, we were engaged in February and married in June. She also joined the dance band (they played at our wedding) and 22 years later we still have her trumpet and my alto sax, albeit in the closet gathering dust, but still ready to play a tune.
OK, I may have digressed a little from my original train of thought. But this has been the story of how I have laid a part of the foundation that has made me who I am. Next....
THE JOBS!
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