I guess I could blame it all on the American Legion. You see, they sponsored a state essay contest for eighth graders, and I won first place. That early victory was especially sweet because it was the first year our school was ever invited to participate.
At any rate, from the eighth grade on my sights were fixed squarely on two fairly hefty goals: teaching and writing. After earning two degrees at Western Michigan University, I accomplished the first.
I spent more than a decade teaching English and social studies in a mid-sized public school system. Along the way, I picked up an award from the local Jaycees as their Outstanding Young Educator.
Throughout my teaching years, I was also writing feature articles for a wide variety of magazines. I published a lot about teaching and education in general. But what I really relished were my travel articles.
Back then I had the first of the three RVs I’ve owned so far. And lots of what I wrote about was how to use and where to go in an RV. There were plenty of destination pieces.
Some of them were of the offbeat and unexpected variety. I learned early on that a lot of folks shared my enthusiasm for unusual and little-known travel opportunities.
That fixation on the out-of-the-ordinary led to Michigan First. It was a simple little pamphlet I wrote and my brother illustrated. It was a reaction to the mounting fuel costs of the 70s. (Little did we know what was in store decades later.)
The point was simple: Save on expensive gas by traveling closer to home. In other words, make Michigan first. As a simple mail order pub, it sold well.
Giddy with beginner’s luck, I tackled my most ambitious project ever – the Directory of Unique Museums, DUM as I shorthanded it. It was subtitled “A traveler’s guide to more than 200 specialized, offbeat or one-of-a-kind museums in the United States and Canada.”
My irreverent moniker aside, DUM proved to be pretty smart. At the time, it was the only collection of its kind. Initially self-published, the directory was later picked up by a major publisher, updated and republished. Steve Birnbaum, noted travel writer and commentator, gave it a positive review on the CBS Radio network.
By this time, I was firmly hooked. By-lines had sold me on a writing career. Finally, after 11 years in the classroom, the second of my two goals overpowered the first. I resigned to devote all of my time to writing.
During the next two years, I wrote a bewildering variety of freelance assignments, including some for an advertising agency in Kalamazoo, Michigan. I came in one day to get some freelance work. What I got instead was an offer to join the copy staff.
I came aboard as copywriter/proofreader. From there I moved to senior writer, then vice president/senior writer and then creative supervisor. Next came a stint as a senior vice president. When I took an early retirement after twenty-five years with the company, my title was executive vice president/operations.
Trips With A Twist is just the latest outcome of winning that essay contest when I was 14. If someone asked me what Trips is, I’d have to say it is about comfort and discovery, in that order.
It’s about plaid shirts, wicker chairs and always looking for something new to share with folks who have patience. And the willingness to define travel a little differently. It seems to be what comes naturally now, at least more naturally than ties and tight shoes.
Nowadays, I’m enjoying my lovingly restored 1884 home and my patient wife. One daughter is away at college, and the other is off to a husband and a writing job in Chicago. Watch for her work on this site as well. As you can see, I’m still writing. Thank you, American Legion.
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