As a small child I spent a lot of my time exploring the 180 acre farm of my grandpa's in the Ozarks of south-central Missouri hunting squirrels and bullfrogs with my dad and uncle and swimming in one of the ponds. When we moved to a small town called Portage Des Sioux near St. Charles, Missouri I pretty much lived the life of Huck Finn roaming the river and woods with my rifle and boat or motorcycle. Life was good for a country boy in the fifties. I'm guessing this is why I have a strong love of the outdoors.

After serving 4 years in the Navy I went home and worked several factory jobs but couldn't handle the time clock and working indoors so I loaded all our stuff in a U-Haul and me and my wife & kids headed for the adventures of the great Northwest. I lived a free life of a lumberjack for 25 years. God and the woods have been very good to me. I've been able to live a life that most people can only dream of. Being able to support my home, raise 3 kids and still feel like a free man.

Twenty years ago when my wife needed some wooden cooking utensils the "Ozark Mountain" part of me must have kicked in 'cause I went to the shed with a piece of firewood and came out with a wooden spoon. She still uses the kitchen tools I made her way back then in her cooking to this day. I've been going into that shed with chunks of wood & coming out with wooden cooking utensils ever since. Got pretty good at it too. People liked what they saw and now I'm a " li'l ol' spoon maker".