My cousin and the movies

When I was about seven years old my cousin Allen was 10.Being much older than myself he of course was allowed to do a lot more than me; and one of the things he got to do, was go to the movies with his friends. This worked out pretty well, as the next week at some point ,I would get a complete rundown and vivid description of what went on in which ever movie he happened to go to that week. Well actually I guess he kind of acted out certain scenes for realism sake Not saying he got to go to a movie every week;, no we were just farm kids ,maybe once a month if he was lucky. I think the first movie I remember hearing about was Robin Hood .Allen was really impressed by the scene where Robin Hood fought Friar Tuck on the log with poles Kind of like pugal sticks. Well Allen had to show me so we found a couple of good sized pugal sticks in the woods and started battling. It didn’t take long for me to be losing big time and when I went home with mashed fingers and a knot on the back of my head ;My mom wouldn’t let me play with him for a week.
The next movie as I recall was Ben Hur ;Of course everyone knows about the chariot race well seems we had a John Deere grain drill with a wood platform on the back intended for use to stand on while filling the drill from sacks of grain. But also it was a cool place to ride for a couple of farm kids. Well Allen has a great idea ;lets get some gypsum weeds, and we can have the battle of the grain drill while my Uncle is pulling it across the field. Gypsum weeds are these weeds that grow in the Mississippi river bottom with big ole thorny balls on them the size of golf balls. Needless to say it didn’t take one trip across the field to produce a bloody mess in the loser of the battle, and when I went home my mom was ticked I wasn’t allowed to play with my cousin for two weeks.
Then Allen and his friends went to see Tarzan I should have stayed away. Over at Allen’s house he had a barn with two hay mows; one on each side ,with an area in the middle large enough to park tractors and equipment .There were two ropes hanging from the center beam So Allen has this great Idea , we could each grab a rope, One get in one hay mow the other in the other hay mow swing over to the other side with one little addition. We would try to knock the other one off on our way across. As my older cousin out weighed me by probably 80 lbs You can only guess the outcome .But I survived that and High School football, College football, and Viet Nam I guess all the preparation for life’s hard knocks paid off. Today my cousin Allen is the pastor of a church in Missoula Montana Still helping people make preparations for life however I don’t thing he goes to many movies anymore Thank God.
David Shriver

Route 66 and how I got into real estate

Back in the late 50,s early 60,s two young good looking guys made a lasting impression an a young farm boy from Illinois as they gypsy across America in a brand new Corvette. The television show of course was entitled Route 66 ;every week these two guys would drive into a different town, find work, couple of good looking girls(always) and stumble in and out of one adventure after another. As well as probably selling more Corvettes for Chevrolet than all the add campaigns combined ;That hour long TV show every week captured the imagination of countless boys and girls across America, I know that I had A dream of My cousin Allen and I Following exactly in their footsteps. By the way I was going to be Buzz. Of course Viet nam came along ,Then Allen met a girl from San Diego and got married then I met a Midwestern girl; who’s dad worked at Ford Motor Co. I went to welding school, got married ,and got on at Ford then made it into skilled trades as a welder. It seemed my life was pretty much laid out for me .Of course you never know
My young bride Karen and I started out buying a nice older house in town, I used the gi bill and things were going along pretty smoothly farm came up for sale that my dad said would be a good investment so--We sold our home and bought 100 acres, we were off to the races The farm had a real nice ranch style home with full finished basement .I bought some farm equipment at farm auctions and worked at ford night shift we were really doing great our first daughter was born then a second ,I made a camp ground atmosphere around the pond and our in-laws and friends would all camp and cookout down by the pond life was pretty good .I was getting a little restless and a little disenchanted with the factory life, and started looking for some more land The reasoning was to eventually have enough land that I could farm fulltime and leave the factory. I found 80 acres for one thousand dollars an acre and bought it .I moved to third shift midnight to 8 in the morning this allowed me to get more farm work done.
All this time I had been racing a stock car on the local dirt tracks ,I had an ingrained need for speed, And this satisfied it .I had raced my Mustang stock car at Findley on Sunday night and got into an altercation resulting in my rear differential being torn loose and my rear axle being askew a wrecker lifted the car on the trailer and I brought it home. Bright and early Monday morning I went out got the tractor and was standing beside the race car trying to figure out how I was going to get it off the trailer when a car drove in Did I say a car? --well it wasn’t just a car it was yes a brand new corvette.
A guy got out of the vette not much older than me and said If you were a little more careful loading that car and weren’t so rough with it pulling it on there It would be a lot easier to unload What a smart ass I thought. Well he introduced himself seems his name was Ron Spencer and he sold Real Estate.

I call her Reno but her name is really Samantha

I know it may surprise many of you but I do read quite a bit. One of my latter readings was a Jimmy Buffet masterpiece entitled a pirate looks at forty .well seeuns as I’m looking at 58 So maybe im a little slow ---anyway I of course found some profound truths and life directional beacons within those text one such profound idea is ----Jimmy said: when he dies his only wish is that people will be able to say that he lead an interesting life.---How profound; and as I look at my own life in retrospect ;always a dangerous thing I might add ,I see Things and events that would lead me to believe that some how I must have done something right Most never have the opportunity to see what I have seen. Although I have never ridden in a Jet fighter I have been in the skies of Viet Nam In a helicopter .I have been a Marine in combat. I have been shot at ,mortars and rockets I know what it is like to have someone try personally to kill you and I know what it feels like to win. I know what it’s like to fall in love the first time and I know what it’s like to lose her to cancer. I know what it’s like to love my three girls for two as a makeup for them losing their mom. I remarried and there were some good times ;not all ups and downs maybe more downs than anyone needed or deserved but If life was fair the fox would never catch the rabbit so it go’s on, one day at a time I played college football and have watched my grandsons play pop Warner football. Brady score a hockey goal my granddaughters swimming in the pool ,laughing and just having a good time isn’t that what it’s all about? I raced The Sprint car for five years and had an all girl pit crew Margie and the girls ,and I’ve watched Kyler race go cart. I know if I had stayed working in a factory I would have missed out on .a lot of life so I never regret going out on my own and taking a chance.
So my wife is leaving to cut down on the stress in her life, Don’t laugh, So anyway there is this girl I’ve never met but we talk on the phone every day and I feel myself becoming infatuated with her, so we are going to meet, next month---Interesting ---I call her Reno but her name is really Samantha.

A time to change course in my direction

When I see defeat upon the horizon showing its ugly head My response that I have made a part of my physic Is to not quit, not retreat but change course in my direction all ways gravitating toward my goal.I was listening to Bob Seger last night and caught the significance of his song "running against the wind"To apply toward what has been going on with my life .It seems as though I have been running against the wind all my life It is just as we get older,It is a lot tougher.Some real guidelines for focusing on the prise I have found.
1. Defeat your fears with actions toward doing more of what you love.
2. Seek out a support network of people who will honor your integrity and who will believe in you.
3. Take a stand about something you believe in.
4. Create your own work around your passions.
5. Don’t let external views get in the way.
6. Get creative about how to make a living doing what you love.
7. Downscale where possible to make the journey smoother.
8. Do something small in your passions each day.
9. Live with the intention that you will create work for yourself that is both fulfilling and meaningful.
10. Smile a lot, laugh a lot and be grateful for the life you have now.

Boating bliss

I know that people always say the two happiest days of A boaters life are the first day he owns a boat and the day he sells it.Well I must take exception to that nasty bit of sour grapes undoubtedly made by a land lubber extraordinaire for an example of my strong belief of boating pleasure:let me just recap my 4th of july 2007.
Plans had been made to meet some friends on buckshot Island (about 5 miles east of the old 41 bridge on the caloosahatchee river Ftmyers Fl.)Even though we are on the water ---I don't have a boat lift ,so our 18 ft seaswirl spends most of her time on a trailer under an oak tree in our side yard.
The night before I had charged the batteries, poured in some octane booster as I knew the gas was kinda old,cleaned all the leaves out and pretty much got her ready for a cruise up the river Oh yes I did put the drain plugs in--.Fourth morning ---we loaded up coolers,dry clothes food,and off to the boat ramp;and to our surprise it wasn't crowded maybe because the fourth fell on A wed this year.We backed the boat in she fired right up and we cast off;heading up river. Now because of the Manatees you have a no wake zone that seems like it go's on forever so we idled along,the motor surging a little prob that old gas .When we arrived at the buoys that allowed us full speed,We could only go a little faster than the snails pace we had been on.Bad gas --I thought to bring another fuel filter so no problem I'll just put it on .As I was diligently undertaking my rendition of a NASCAR pit stop It was brought to my attention that some ominous black clouds were approaching from the North.I succeeded in getting the fuel filter on and as I attempted to restart the boat it started to rain. We had just gone under a bridge about a quarter of a mile back so I headed back for the bridge .Just about the time the boat started to plane It sputtered and quit dead in the water .We could see the bridge but shelter was not to be ours this day.A real squall blew up (later we heard that several water spouts were sighted,Not that we could see We couldn't even see the condos on the rivers edge it was raining so hard.About that time my wife began explaining to me Something about my intelligence level and some thing about my heritage and the fact that she was never going to go out in that boat again, I didn't catch hardly any of it -------------------because--------------As I sat there with the rain just drenching me the lightning flashing,the wind howling I thought how lucky,fortunate and blessed I was to be right there right then.How many people on the forth of july sit in Appts in citys with no air conditioning,sweltering,the smell of the city,the noise.
I had my cell phone and contacted the Ft myers police Seems like they have a brand new Donzi A really nice officer brought it out and towed us back to the boat ramp no charge I do love Florida.I do have a happy ending'Took the boat home changed into some dry clothes and our friend Charley met us at the boat ramp and brought us out to the island where we had a great time.So where some people might have mistaken the storm,the bad gas, the challenges of the morning as bad I found so much good and attracted more .Laws of attraction

Making the best of a bad situation

When you come home for the 4th of July weekend and your wife of 20 years has decided that her life and yours are going in different directions and feels we should sell the house so that she can get her half and go our separate ways : It almost could ruin your weekend until you think about it in a positive way.
Other than the huge hit you are going to experience on the house thing think about the opportunity's for free expression, the creativity you will be able to make a part of your life,once again.Purity of purpose wow what a concept.No one telling you your ideas are foolish ,no more ridicule over your positive attitude in all things.almost a new life awaiting.
I get excited about new ideas, new opportunities,and belief in a happy ending ,if your thoughts are such that attract those things
Some one told me years ago : the best thing that could happen to a person would be for them to lose everything before they reached thirty. That way they could go on with the rest of their life being fearless.I guess really a person doesn't have to lose everything ,It's all about not thinking about loss:but instead thinking about gain and being grateful for all good things in your life. Reality begins anew every day it is only what we think, only how we perceive things, every day that make it real.

High School Cross Country

Where Barbara Mandrel was country when country wasn't cool :I was a runner when running was yet to be cool.I played football my freshman year of high school but the summer between my freshman and sophomore years my family moved to a town that didn't have football.With the Idea of playing football in college I decided that bailing hay in the summers and track in the spring would be my training plan .I did ok at track,had the school record in the 440yd but my junior year they came out with cross country and compared to flat out for a quarter mile It seemed almost easy.
My junior year I ran pretty much 2nd or 3rd on our team although we didn't do to well as a team,first year and all. I had a close friend(Iwas dating his sister) Jim Preston--Built like a runner about 6ft 2inches and a long stride:We started training together---Every morning at six I,d get up put my weights on my ankles,Pair of cutoffs and run up to the school,where I would meet jim--And we would run two miles crawl in the school basement window take a shower,go home and get ready for school.Then after school back on with the weights and another two miles .The only time I ran without weights was at a meet.And I started getting better I was beating Jim and soon beating the Senior that had dominated up to that point.By my senior year I had my training down pat Jim had graduated but when cross country time came around said you ready Ill meet you in the morning. So we ran: me with my weights jim right along with me.I won the first meet of the year ,then the second third fourth,I developed a trade mark kick at the last 50yds that was pretty close to a 50 yd sprint It was very demoralizing to the guys I would blow by to go on for the win.I ended up undefeated for the entire year up until the last meet. It was with Coldwater and coach told me their best runner ran 2nd at state last year.When we walked up to the start he came over to wish me luck;I was totally unprepared as his n6ft 6 frame said good luck son to my 5ft 8inch halfback looking self.He totally physiqued me out.Would you believe I finished third---Because I fell into the trap of thinking I couldn't beat him.In reality If I had run my normal time I would have beaten him but I didn't.The only reason I excelled was the fact that
I had a goal--To play college football---
I trained 120%
I never quit
I didn't know a short guy couldn't excel at cross country.
The year was 1967 I went on to play football at Heidleburg college as a walk on and un like Rudy I played
My cross country school record time still stands today after 40 years