Aka. The 72 Toyota Land Cruiser Shortly after WWII my father purchased a surplus Army Jeep. He then built a plywood box over the passenger and driver section and painted it green. After that, he put silver colored asphalt paint on the top that made it a great launching pad to jump to the ground. …
Read MoreMy grandfather was a carpenter/farmer. He had run his thumbs through the jointer so many times that his thumbnails were the shape of sharpened pencils. My love for woodworking began early in my life. Woodshop was a favorite class in junior high and high school, and throughout the years since then, I have made a…
Read MoreMy Grandfather Amasa Oliver Netzley was 68 years old when I was born; some would say this is retirement age. I was 22 years old when he sold his Almond orchard farm and moved into a house in the city. He, however, promptly planted a bunch of almond trees in the back yard. He did…
Read MoreAs I transitioned from childhood to adolescence, and throughout my teenage years, my family had very little in the way of extra money. Fortunately, I never went to bed hungry, but my clothing was well worn out before I received replacements. All the items of fun were handmade; including toys, go carts, swings, playhouse, tree…
Read MoreIn the mid 1950’s my maternal grandparents bought 22 acres in the Santa Cruz Mountains which included a portion of Soquel Creek. They built a split-level one bedroom, one bath home on the steep slope facing the Creek. I can’t even imagine what the property is worth today! Up the hill was a slightly more…
Read MoreMy parents were married in the downtown Methodist church and during my formative years we would attend this church with it’s magnificent stained-glass ceiling. Dr. Moon was a most memorable pastor there. Since I was hard of hearing, the family would sit in the pew that had hearing assisting devices. A large single headphone with…
Read MoreMy Mother always tried out new recipes to serve the family. Swedish pancakes, Ebelskiver, Springerle, Pilaf and countless breads to name just a few things she made. Why she even pasteurized milk and made butter. Because of the multicultural environment here in Fresno, Shish Kabob became a favorite family dinner. She would get the real…
Read MoreOver the years I’ve had a number of bicycles, my favorite being a Luison Bobett in a beautiful metallic green color. My father bought the ten speed bicycle for my birthday, but unfortunately, I did not have it for very long as someone removed it from my possession. Bicycle theft was and is an ongoing…
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At the age of 14, I started working for pay for the first time at the Boy Scout Camp as a kitchen helper, where we fed 300 people per meal. One of my main duties was washing the dishes, and sometimes the auto dishwasher worked and sometimes it didn’t. Dishwasher or potato peeler, I put…
Read MoreABSOLUTELY It Is! The world continues to change at a breathtaking speed with some fear and uncertainty. As it begins to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, one question that I am often asked is “Do you think it is safe to go to the dentist? “ My immediate response is an ABSOLUTELY, “YES!” You may…
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