Quick History

Self Portrait

Growing up as a military brat in the 60’s and early 70’s I had the luck(?) to travel often slipping from school to school and friends here to there. And enemies, who there is always an abundance of when your the new kid in class or on the streets. Of course living in the south and having long hair was also not a plus at the time but as teens of the times we were mostly oblivious to the effect we had on folks. And yet somehow my brother and I made it through childhood and into some form of early adulthood without any major screw-ups, incarcerations or missing limbs.

After my short stint in the Army in the early 70’s I traveled around the country for a bit before winding up in Norfolk Va. where my brother and father lived.After all it’s much easier to be independent with good support near by.

At the time Norfolk was a dead city as far as people living there with most of the stores left over from the 50’s and early 60’s on life support making apartment buildings downtown a good deal for people not making much money.With several of us sharing a 3 bedroom apt. the cost was right up our ally at around 60 dollars a month each and another $12 for power and phone.

The apartment building was full of people our age and a few retirees. Most every one knew their neighbors and many meals were shared along with roof top gatherings.  All in all a very good experience and where I started working as a carpenter with one of my building mates.Financially a good break compared to washing dishes and playing lunch for tips and a meal at the local vegetarian eatery.A place called the Amrit .

The Amrit was a place like no other place I had been to as I was not big on vegetarian eating nor into Eastern culture (think India) but my brother Steven went there to play and make some tips and get a meal from the owner who was a classical guitar music fan and a player to some degree himself. In all fairness the business was owned by two couples who shared the work and responsibilities of the place at least in theory.

This was also the place I met my wife Nancy who I am still married to after all these years. Nancy worked as a waitress and was a part time student who just happened to live in the building that would end up being my home in downtown not much after I met her.

My brother Steven and life long friend Bud Deans and I shared an apartment untill the building was finally closed down. It was a grand time to live downtown and many people had art projects and happenings in the closed stores of (at that time) Granby Mall. The Virginian was our premiere blue plate lunch spot and Jimmy Barns our under a buck breakfast joint.

Having the river outside your window was one of the things that shaped my desire to keep an eye on the river and the many animals that count on it being alive and well.

From there Nancy and I moved to Bayville Farm and rented a small farm workers house at the back of 35 acres and right next to the Lynhaven river where we caught many a meal and were constantly reminded of it’s poluted status by the no shellfish harvesting signs placed at the promenent Oyster beds along the grasslands of the river. What a shame. With use of a l;arge garden area we started growing and canning food to help keep down the cost of being alive and with 3 small children to keep up with.