Today I want to talk about things we make and what makes us. My brothers and I started young in our education of making things. We were just little numbskull kids when we built our first tree fort in a dead cherry tree on the edge of our property. It consisted of a couple of two-by-fours randomly nailed into the trunk at very awkward angles. Over the years, numerous platforms were attached. None of them really lasted or were very…
I was standing in the doorway of my kitchen and water started to drip from the doorframe above my head. I bolted up to the second floor and found a water fall in the second-floor doorway. It was raining inside my house! Water was pouring down the doorways, first and second floor. I bounded into the attic, looked up and stood there wondering, “Why can I see speckles of grey sky from inside my attic?” My slate roof was at…
Some of the best stories grow out of road trips. I remember driving from Indiana back to PA with my parents. Mom and Dad were arguing about directions. My dad decided to take a shortcut. Mom was certain we took a wrong turn. You know where that shortcut took us? To a big old billboard announcing, “Welcome to the state of Michigan!” It was a quiet ride back to PA from that point on. I remember my first trip to…
Most embarrassing moments. Is it possible to have ten most embarrassing moments? Because I have a lot. Like the time in high school when I managed to escape the face-painting hazing of the senior players on my football team. They grabbed the underclassmen on their way in to school and painted their faces in preparation for the game that night. I slipped their grasp when I got off the bus only to be cornered in the main lobby which was…