Brought to you by the letter..."P"

After reading Warren's blog about this game, I decided to join in the fun. He was right....it was harder than it looked. If you want to play along...be my guest!

Here are 10 things I love that start with the letter "P" ( well okay, I cheated a little).


Phition: (for those phonetically challenged, that's fishin') for Perch
& Pike. Two of my favorite catching and eating types of fish.





And speaking of eating I might as well add Prawns, Portabellas ( love that fungus), Pears (very firm ones), Peas and Potatoes (fresh from the garden and in cream sauce), Pickles and Peppers (I love canning these two together for hot pickles), Pork-chops, ribs, steaks, ham, sausage & roast, Porcupines (only from hardwoods), Pickled Beets, Pizza, Pumpernickle Rye Bread, Poached eggs and Pancakes.




Planes: horizontal & vertical (I love architectural drafting) and air (I am an aviation nut), I like to build model airplanes and I would love to learn how to fly a real airplane, and of course own one.



Poultry: like raising and eating all types. I would like to try raising some Pheasants.

After my first year of hunting them, I quit because they were too few and looked better than they tasted. Also they were too easy to hunt, I preferred Partridge or Ruffed Grouse.



Pine Trees & Scouting: I grew up playing in the woods, and evergreen trees became my favorite. The big old white pines were landmarks and shelter from the elements, but the smell was the greatest. I spent many hours in the woods practicing to become a Boy Scout. I had found a Boy Scout Handbook and not only memorized it but tried to do everything in it on my own. I finally joined the Explorer Scouts on my birthday at age 13. I was a finally a Boy Scout ( in the old White Pine District and our local Scout camp was named "Camp Pine Acres". It was in Scouts that I received the name "Lone Wolf" from our District Supervisor Ken Meyers. When my Scout Leader, Chuck Reed, heard that Ken desperately wanted an Explorer Scout in the Eagle Program he took me to see him. Ken was amazed by my knowledge of Scouting and tested me on many subjects. Ken did his best to get me into the Eagles and went all the way to the District Committee to get me through as a "Lone Scout", all was going well and I attended the next Eagle Ceremony. But they never called my name, at the last minute they had turned him down as I hadn't been in Scouts the required amount of time (Which kind of went against the whole concept of the Lone Scout). Ken was so mad he could barely contain himself, he took off his own Eagle Medal and presented it to me. Of course I wouldn't accept it, as it was not earned through proper channels, but I sure appreciated the gesture. After that Ken always went out of his way to show me off as his "Lone Wolf" (Wolf as in smart and cunning) and throw it back in the committees face when I would refuse to try to get the Eagle Badge after that. And when I was turned down for the "Order of the Arrow", Ken threw in the towel and quit Scouting. I was very saddened by his decision, but understood his frustration.




When I joined the Explorer Scouts, we were a "Service Post" that supervised the local Boy Scout activities and were in demand at the District Camp, "Camp Rotory" to run the activities there. I taught Gun Safety and Marksmanship from Cub Scouts on up to visiting parents. I also taught Archery, Knife Care and Sharpening and Traps and Deadfalls as part of the Survival Course. I was an Explorer Scout for 5 years until forced out at age 18.




When my son was in Cub Scouts and they needed a new Den Leader, I volunteered for 3 years and then was the driving force to start a new Boy Scout Troop when it was time for him to join them. As a Scout Leader I took the name of "Grey Wolf", for the obvious reason, and it sounded better than "Bald Wolf" or "Mangy Wolf". Due to my job I could only become the Assistant Scout Leader and served that post for another 3 years before my health deteriorated. During those 6 years I pushed for the rebuilding of the lake at Camp Pine Acres that had been destroyed during a flood in 1986 and a few years after I resigned, my dream was finally fulfilled. Camp Pine Acres was restored to the condition it was in when I was a Scout.



Pine is also my favorite choice for woodworking projects. I just love it's smell and softness.

I even planted many pine trees on our little 5 acre farm on the east and west ends.



Projectiles: bullets from guns, arrows from bows, stones and marbles from slingshots, pellets and BB's from air rifles, knife and tomahawk throwing. I love hunting, competion shooting and target practice.


Parks & Public Access: I love nature and getting to it.

Pointe aux Barques Lighthouse Park: We discovered this little known park and campground and immediately discovered a love for lighthouses. We camped there for many years in comfort unknown in any of the other lake shore campgrounds either public or private. The rustic or tent camping grounds were hardly used while just a few miles away they were packed like sardines. The lighthouse was turned into a maritime museum which we visited frequently. Since then we have visited all of the accessible lighthouses on Michigan's shores (Michigan has over 110 lighthouses many on Islands or built up on shoals). And I have climbed all of the ones open to the public.








Praise: Of course I love it, who doesn't?


People: I am a people person. Some of the best jobs I have had have been the ones where I had to deal with customers.


Plymouth's & Dodge's: My first vehicle was a 1963 Plymouth Valiant that I bought from a guy that was going to race it at the local Dirt Track. It had a 195c.i. slant 6 motor and 4 on the floor. He had put a racing cam in it and high performance pistons. He made a few other engine modifications, cut the wires to the running lights and installed a roll bar, jacked up the rear end by installing 6 inch shackles on the springs and put in a heavy duty suspension. I blew all of my available funds $100, on it. Before I could put it on the road I would have to splice all the wires back together and put in new floorboards as they had rusted out. About halfway through making it roadworthy my dad talked me into buying my grandmother's 1965 Dodge Dart. It had a 225 slant Super 6 engine with a Rochester single barrel carb and an automatic trany. I din't want to do it, but I had to. Grandma needed the money since Grandpa died and I needed a car to get me back and forth to my first job (making$1.65 an hour). I soon fell in LOVE with that car and treated like a rental. I had a racing engine that I could drop in it anytime. I raced my brother in his new 1972 Chevy Nova with a 350 c.i. engine 15 miles from Caro to Cass City. At work that night he got to talking big and since it was a Sunday morning at 7a.m. I agreed to race him ( I had beat a new Ford Mustang the week before in a 5 mile race and was feeling cocky myself). That Nova passed me like I was standing still, and disappeared fast. But it had a top end of only 104 mph. I kept my old Dart floored and got sight of him again about half way. One mile out of Cass City I finally passed him. Yes, that little 6 cylinder beat his BIG BAD 350. We repeated the event a couple of more times and the results were always the same.

I made that trip once without coolant when a radiator hose burst and another trip out of oil when I was at the drive-in movies and the seal on my brand "NEW" STP Dual Action oil filter failed and all of the fresh Quaker State 10W30 oil I had put into it a few hours before ran out on the ground. Back then nothing was open at night. Both times the high speed 15 mile trip had no ill effects on that motor. I just let her cool down overnight and made the repairs and filler her back up and off we went like nothing ever happened. I finally gave up on using the motor out of the Valiant and sold it for a $25 loss.

And that was the start of my love affair with the slant 6 engine and the Chrysler Corporation. Oh, I've owened Fords and Chevy's, but given the choice it's MOPAR baby.

Me and my '65 Dodge Dart Wifey and her '66 Ford Galaxy 500



my first new car '79 Chevy Monza Coupe - Last new car '82 Buick Skylark - first truck

My favorite mini-van -The CRIP-MOBILE -My Dodge Ram

These a just few of the vehicles I have owned.

I even owned one of them P.O.S. Nova's. Here's my 1973 hatchback.

I still have the canoe, but that Nova left me stranded and I was forced to scrap it!