When the band dissolved, I went on to Miami, Florida,
 seeking my fame and fortune.Instead, while working,
 I fell backwards and down, 6 feet or so, and cracked
 my skull on a concrete floor. 
 
 
Then, while recovering, my custom modified Duster 340 
street legal hot rod, got rammed and totaled.
 Fool me had no insurance.
 So of course my solution was to begin drinking too much,
 go home at weird hours and chase inanimate objects.
 Oh yeah, I rode a bus a lot.


One brain damaged year later, I came back to North Carolina, 
giving up on the rock and roll dream.
 I became assistant manager of a tiny department store
 in a tiny town in South Carolina.
 It was there that I saw Kay shopping, 
having recognized her from college years before.
 2 months and 6 days after our first date,
 we were married.



We shared an apartment in Laurinburg, North Carolina, 
Kay's hometown, and I became sales manager for a radio station
both there and in Southern Pines.


Somehow I just couldn't find my fit in there either. 
Something always stirred in me and I would lose interest 
 in most things that I did.
 I suppose I had to feel useful and,
 after a couple of years at each position, it seemed I wasn't.


In fairness, it was probably because I wasn't
 that good at what I was doing
 but was raised to believe you had to get a job,
 so I took what I could get.



God is merciful and my wife understanding, so 
when opportunity knocked at a radio station in Asheville, N.C.,
 we moved to Black Mountain.


It's a naturally beautiful and peaceful place 
surrounded by blue-green mountains.
 I love to ride around and see the sights, but I didn't like
 stopping to sell something a dozen times a day.
I was coming to the end of my unhappy rope 
and I went back into retail management. 
It was 6 days a week, 8-5, 
but at least work was close to home and I actually 
didn't mind my job so much and it made me
 an active part of our community.



Life is always a series of ups and downs and as we get older
 we learn about ourselves and what really matters.
 At various times in our marriage we wanted children. 
We had, however, four miscarriages despite all suggested
 efforts to prevent them.
 We decided not to try again and focused our affection
 on each other and our dogs.
 From them I learned about unconditional love and healing.



I had evolved into a sales career by chance and,
 my work no longer seemed that important 
and certainly was not satisfying.
 But then, that's a familiar tune to you by now.
 A change without additional education was just not possible.
 My wife and I decided I needed to go back to college
 to have the freedom to choose a career besides sales.


In 1995, I got my BA in Spanish Literature and Language, 
Cum Laude with Honors and Distinction, at UNCA
 and certified to teach grades k-12.



I went on to teach High School (loved it),
 and Elementary (never worked so hard in my life).

 
I rarely recall a student who let me down.
 They were good to me and have always been
 a good reason to come to work and I love them for it.
 well 99.75 percent of them.



Now I have spent 12 years teaching and am under
the supportive umbrella of Buncombe County Schools.

 
I have been treated wonderfully and helped whenever I needed it. 
I have found usefulness and a home in teaching, to be sure.


I also started teaching a night class in Spanish 8 years ago,
 for the Community Services division of 
Asheville Buncombe Technical Community College.
 This too is a wonderful time to spend with eager people
 of various ages as they work on their language skills
 for a multitude of personal and professional reasons. 

 God bless'em!