Fifty-Four

My travels began at an early age. My father was a Navy man, which required the family to move quite a few times during my childhood. It also meant he was required to leave the family on months-long deployments to far-off places.

Not only did we get to see and explore strange new worlds, but Dad would send us notes and audio tapes from even further-flung and exotic destinations. Mom made sure my sisters and I understood the context and meaning behind his absence, as well as using maps and globes to let us follow his movements. 

As even a small boy I knew the world was far vaster and more interesting than what I could see from my bedroom window.

It fueled my wanderlust, which continues to this day.

Today I celebrate my 54th birthday, looking back to think "what a gift".

Thank you, Mom and Dad.



 (These two pictures are from a day trip we took while living in Japan.

(On the left, a rogue wave had just crested the seawall, and I was't going to let it intimidate me.

(On the right my older sister Judy and I pose in front of a lighthouse on Japan's eastern coast.)