If you’d run into me back when I was a five-year-old knee-high to a grasshopper, living just a hop, skip, and a jump from the Mississippi Gulf, you’d have been wise to check my pockets. Safe bet I had a wriggling worm, a loud cricket, or a slick old bullfrog tucked away in there. They were my absolute treasures, though Mama sure didn’t appreciate them trying to share the supper table with us.

​

Even when I hit those angsty teenage years and thought I knew it all, it was the woods, the quiet swamps, and the deep bayous of South Mississippi that kept me grounded. I managed to squeak by and graduate, but college wasn't in the cards for a boy like me. So, I joined the Marines, serving 17 good years in roles from embassy guard to instructor. That last hitch led me to teaching, which ran smack-dab into the dawn of computers. And turns out, a boy from the swamp had a natural knack for those glowing boxes. That military spark led to a 30-year run in civilian IT, eventually becoming an executive.

​

Life’s a lot like the bayou, it bends, it floods, and it rarely runs in a straight line. Today, I’m blessed with a wonderful wife and 14 "real" grandkids who keep my spirit young. When I’m not working, you can usually find me tinkering with wood, 3D printing, playing chess, or poking around the yard looking at the tiny, hidden micro-habitats right under our noses.

​

In about three years, I’m hanging up my IT hat for good to step into my favorite chapter yet. I’m fixing to dedicate my time to the quiet joy of writing stories, sharing the big wonders of this world with the next generation of curious kids. Because if you ask me, you’re never too old to find a little magic hiding out in the tall grass.

​