I've spent most of my life in the Palo Verde Valley. That was not my intention when I arrived here 24 May, 1960. Believe it or not, Blythe and this valley grew on, and became a vital part of me. Now, I have no wish to leave. During that span of more than forty years I've made many friends, certainly too many to name all of them here. Most of them have lived for many years in the Palo Verde Valley. A few have not lived here at all. At the risk of offending the many by naming a few, I'm going to specify a few close friends. If I don't name you it doesn't mean I value your friendship less than those I identified. It simply means the list is a long one, and I'm limited to ten megabytes on this website.

There's Ray Fedorchak and his wife Charlene. Ray and I went to Redlands High School and San Bernardino Valley College together. He, Charlene, his brother Frank, and his spouse Penny, own El Jardin, an award winning Mexican restaurant in Fallbrook, California. Their food really is great. Ray is also a very fine artist, and his work has been shown in galleries and published in art magazines. My oldest son was named after him. He's by far my oldest friend.

Dr. George and his wife Marcella Thomas are very close friends of mine. Both are long time educators in Blythe. Marci was born here. George is active in our small community. He was a Distinguished President of the local Kiwanis Club, a member of the Masonic Lodge, and an officer of his church. Oh yes, he also served on the city council and was vice-mayor. George is completely honest, cares deeply about the valley's people, and is a pretty good traveling companion. I like them a lot, and am delighted to be their friend.

DR. GEORGE THOMAS

Floyd Marlowe is a retired Riverside County deputy sheriff, and is now, with his sister and brother in law, owner of the Sizzler Steak House here in Blythe. The Marlowes have been in the valley since pioneers opened this area to settlement in the first years of the twentieth century. Floyd has a great sense of humor, and is a born extravert. The Sizzler is sort of a second home. I eat there several times or more each week. Some days I'm there for two meals. Floyd has a great deal of information about the early history of the Palo Verde Valley, and we frequently sit in the restaurant for well over two hours. He talks, and talks, and talks, and I eat, and eat, and eat (occasionally I might even say something myself.) I've come to the conclusion that Floyd is not good for whatever diet I happen to be on at any given time. Floyd and his wife Ginny are just plain fun to be around. I greatly enjoy both their company and food.

FLOYD MARLOWE

Marjean Tucker walked into my office in 1972 and asked for a job. I had a tax practice, at the time, and it was growing very quickly. Marjean got the job, and we worked together for about six years. Since then we've remained friends. Sometimes months or even years go by with no communication, but we always renew our friendship. She's a librarian in Asotin, Washington now. She's one of the most intelligent people I know. I have the honor of being godfather to Alisha, her only child. That child is an adult now, and mother of her own children. Marjean will always be my special friend.

MARJEAN TUCKER

SIMULATING A SEAMAN

FLOIE BARROWS

CLICK HERE TO VISIT MY PHOTO ANNEX

Well, here I am sailing off into the distance on what was a very cold day. Actually it was just above freezing when this picture was taken. I was fortunate to be at the helm instead of in the rigging where most of my shipmates were. We were headed north to warmer climes, and we had about 1,800 miles to go. I'd been awake over thirtysix hours, when one of my sadistic friends told me to smile and snapped this pix.

There are three more links below. They are simply web sites I found interesting and would like to share with you. Thanks for visiting me, and I hope you enjoyed our brief encounter. I appreciate the time you've spent here.

Please have a safe trip to wherever on the web you're going next, and come back soon. Vaya con dios.

	LINKS TO:
Reference Desk	Airplane Pix	Space Travel

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