My Grandfather and Great Grandmother, and my Dad.

My grandfather used to tell me stories about his hunting expeditions in the deep woods of South Dakota, stories that would keep me on the edge of my seat for an hour. Not once would I complain "Oh grandpa, you're taking too long." They were such a joy to hear.

My great grandmother was a published poet. I later found out, way after her death, that she wrote with the same Welsh style that I used in my poetry. I thought I was looking at one of my own poems when I found one of her poems in an old bible of my grandmother's.

My dad used to tell us kids stories of growing up on my great grandparents turkey farm in the dust bowl days on the plains of Colorado. His stories were so rich in detail. But he was my dad, and I was sometimes more eager to play with my friends than hear an interesting tale. Now I throughly enjoy his stories. These three people influenced me to become a writer, and I'm proud to follow in their footsteps, as storyteller, and as poet.