I am married to Jane, an accomplished artist and designer, for 22 years. We have two great kids, a 14 year-old daughter and a 16 year-old son. We live with two horses, two dogs, a cat, and various wild predators on a coastal ranch in Los Padres National Forest, in Santa Barbara. I always loved the country and it was my dream to live beyond city limits.

  I worked in the trade show business in Las Vegas, Atlantic City, Reno, Dallas and Miami for over 20 years. Working with my father, we built it up from a tiny wholesale merchandise show into one of the top twenty in size and attendance in the U.S. It was initially a small business, and I was involved in designing and creating advertising and marketing campaigns, as well as personally contacting thousands of customers, and going on the road to sell our concept to merchandise dealers. I became experienced enough to be the "go-to" guy in an exhibition hall, handling face-to-face the problems of 50,000 business people, Teamsters, and various lunatics. There was great satisfaction in being a trade facilitator and learning how commerce works on both a small scale and in the international arena.

  My wife and I have traveled extensively. Highlights have been visiting South Africa and Zaire in 1969, being on the front lines in Israel in 1969, China in 1983 when tourists were an oddity there, the Islamic Republic of the Comores, boating off the coast of Turkey, swimming off Pantelleria, crewing on a boat from Vancouver to Santa Barbara, etc. The last ten years or so we have spent time in Italy, Sicily, France and Spain. We like the Mediterranean way of life - warm people and good food!

  About a year and a half ago, I fell off a ladder and bruised my spinal cord in my neck. I was hospitalized for two months and have made almost a complete recovery. It has been the biggest physical challenge of my life. I am very thankful for the good fortune I have in life, even more so since my accident. I just came back from a ski trip which was a major goal in my recovery.

  I'm getting ready for new adventures.