Saturday, July 19, 2014

New Manuscript in progress.

I am now working on a new and exciting biography.   It is untitled as yet but promises to be an exciting and enriching project.

My dad and I recently reconnected after being apart for 30 years. We are rediscovering each other and sharing the stories of our lives.

My dad, Joe Hart, is retired now and living in Waco Texas. But he has  lived a rich life filled with travel and the contract engineering work that he loved.  He often says that he " saw the USA at 70 miles an hour", he traversed the country, often  pulling  a travel camper which would become his home while he was working the next job.  Dad was part of a community of " job shoppers" who built friendships and lives and they moved from one job to another.   Dad wrote a book about his job shopping days, travels , and friends and this book has given me both history and insight about his life and beliefs.  But Dad's book about job shopping is only part of his story. ,  I can truly say that he lived life to the fullest.

Dad was never still.  Always learning and reaching for the next opportunity or adventure.  Dad was a licensed pilot, licensed realtor, ham radio operator, and entrepreneur.  He owned several businesses including 2 mobile home parks, a mini donut franchise, a logging operation, and  job shopping agency.  Dad also designed and built 4 homes, his first when he was in his twenties. Never one to be still, Dad also pursued the hobbies he loves.

Dad is an avid outdoorsman and yearns to be walking in the woods. His annual elk hunting trips are some of his best memories.  He found the hunting to be even more challenging and enjoyable when he began using a bow and arrow rather than a gun.  This led him to a new hobby- making hunting bows by hand. He continues to do this still, even though the use of his hands are limited and the manual manipulations of creating a bow are difficult.

Today, Dad spends much of his time caring for his wife of 30 years, Laura, who has Alzheimer's.  Each day, Dad struggles daily with physical pain from a fall in 2005 that almost ended his life and left him partially disabled.  Somehow, amidst the physical pain of his injury and the emotional pain of losing a spouse to a cruel illness that destroys her memories, Dad continues to be the strong and innovative person he has always been. When the injury to his hand left him unable to hold a guitar pick, he designed and built an enclosure for the injured hand that held an imbedded guitar pick and once more allowed him to continue another if his lifelong hobbies. Playing the guitar.

Through the "magic " of Google search, we found each other again and I look forward to our daily phone calls , many emails, and soon- an in person visit.   Dad's grandfather lived to the age of 100. Hopefully Dad will also.

I look forward to capturing the excitement and expanse of his life in his biography. There is still so much to learn and share about this talented man that I call Dad