Hiking
I began hiking with my dad at a young age. When I was in my 20’s I didn’t have a lot of money so I bought hiking gear. Back then you didn’t have to pay to park at the trailheads. Hiking was cheap entertainment. I hiked mostly off the Mountain Loop Highway that runs from Darrington to Granite Falls. I hiked with my family but I also hiked alone and with friends. My friends and I even hiked down to the bottom of the Grant Canyon from the south rim. I stopped hiking through my 40’s, 50’s, and 60’s. In my early 70’s I hiked 100 miles on the Pacific Crest Trail and the next year I did another 75 mile hike on the Pacific Crest Trail. At 80 I no longer sleep on the trail but I do still take day hikes. The picture on my right was taken in 1975 as I sat on top of Uncompahgre Peak at 14,348 feet. That was a dya hike
3D Modeling
While I was a senior software engineer I wanted to do 3D modeling. I played with Blender but I didn’t have the time to real get into what it took to 3D model. It wasn’t until I retired that I found the time to take up 3D modeling again. 3D modeling is more of a hobby than a vocation. My software engineering was also a hobby that I picked up while I was a fireman. When I got my Computer science degree I couldn’t believe they paid me to do my hobby. Writing software was a fun job for me. Doing 3D modeling is also a fun hobby for me. The picture on the left is a more recent model I made of a pool room.
Family
Family is very important to me. I got married to my first wife in 1966 a few months before I got drafted. We had one daughter but the marriage ended in 1973 and I got custody of my daughter. I was a single father raising my daughter when I got married a second time. This marriage brought my step-daughter into my life. That marriage ended after 18 years. I got married for the third and last time and we’ve been together since 1998. That marriage gave me five step-children, eleven grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren. The picture on the right is my great-granddaughter and me.
Mushrooms
Back in 2020 during the COVID pandemic where you had to stay home and stay safe I learned to grow mushrooms. At first I grew all kinds of mushrooms, both edible and medical. Over time I focused on only one type of edible mushroom, Chestnut. But I did continue to focus on medical mushrooms. I grow Reishi, Lion’s Mane, Agaikon, and Cordyceps. I joined the Snohomish County Society and held the position of trustee for many years. The picture on the left is Chestnut mushrooms. These mushrooms look cool and taste great.