In the Beginning
Our family started
RVing in a customized 1958 Flxible coach in the 1960s. While in
government service, we traveled extensively throughout the 48
states. At the beginning I would log our travels, both for the
required trip reports and to record the interesting attractions,
campgrounds, highway routes and other things that I thought should
be remembered. This evolved into writing 'travel logs' describing
many of our journeys.
We traveled extensively with children, first our own and, later,
our grandchildren. We have become very familiar with the best places
to stop and enjoy what a local community has to offer.
Writing for WMI Websites
After I retired, the Flexible coach was replaced with a much larger
MCI coach purchased from a wannabe Country singing duo who no longer
wished to be a duo. About that time the World Wide Web achieved
prominence on the Internet and I started writing descriptive travel pieces for
several websites. This evolved into travel pieces for many of
the other Wheatley Memorial Institute sponsored websites,
— especially
most of the www.HiwayGuide.com
websites.
The RV-Guide.org
Project
Several years ago, I helped start the RV Guide project at Wheatley Memorial
Institute to make available to RVers a graphic directory of the
locations of RV parks and campgrounds near the Interstate highways including locations of
RV sales and service centers. (Because of the near demise of the RV
industry. the RV series of web sites has been discontinued.)
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The Collection
Effort
Having been
constantly bombarded with 'suggestions' to collect these writing so
they would be available from one place, I started to create an
inventory of what I had written for whom and where published. One
problem I encountered is that I do not own the copyrights for many
of these writings. The folks who paid me also got the copyrights.
Okay, that's only fair. My work for Wheatley Memorial Institute,
however, was pro bono and I do own the copyrights for those pieces.
The problem with most of these pieces is that they do not stand
alone which means they have to be rewritten. This takes a lot of
time and, quite frankly, it is much more fun to write new pieces
than to rewrite old stuff.
Current Travels
We travel now with great
grand-children but not as frequently due the significantly increased
expenses (and that includes many things besides diesel fuel). We
sold the MCI coach and now have a 'fifth wheel' trailer with two
slide-outs which is much more economical. So I will continue to
write pieces about our travels including information others can use
to enjoy what we have enjoyed.
And my
favorite pasttime...
I have written fifteen novels (as of this date) plus two
collections of short stories. My doctor told me that writing
challenges my mind and, especially, my memory and, thus, is likely
to delay (if not prevent) the onset of Alzheimer's. So far it is
working.
I welcome comments, suggestions, even criticisms. Type the
following address into your e-mail program:
author (at) RWMasters.com |