Five Things - No One Is Safe!

Life In The Prarie Box got me. Yep, even the newbies here in house blogger land aren't immune to the five facts flue going around.... (those readers who don't know - it's a game of spill your guts or else be sentenced to 10 years of sanding drywall) Wait I'm doing that now... what I do wrong?? Since I'm doing the blogging here, I'll let Rach remain as the mysterious other half.

1. Count me as another traveller of the bunch. In high school I did a 6 week exchange program in Germany, lived with a family, went to the school, the whole bit. That started the travel bug. Then when I was 25 between school and a career I finally one day decided I was going to backpack Europe. Month and a half later I was on a plane to London, armed with a rail pass, a credit card, about 5 days of clothes, a return ticket for 7 weeks later, and about 5 days worth of travel plans - oh yea, and I was by myself! By far one of the best times of my life: Belgium, Amsterdam (Netherlands), Germany, Prague (Czech Republic), Austria, Italy, skydiving and hang gliding in the Alps of Switzerland, France including the D-day beaches, England, and Scotland. Where to next?
2. I am fascinated with the story of the Titanic... and no, it was long before the movie came out. It probably started when I was 7 or so, by age 10 I was a member of the Titanic Historical Society. At age 12 attended a convention in 1987 where I got to meet 9 survivors and Robert Ballard who discovered the wreck - what stories they had to tell! Over the years I have accumulated quite a collection including original newspapers from everyday for a week after the sinking (one claims still afloat and everybody safe - whoops!), original books, magazines, etc. from right after the sinking - and my most prized - 15 passenger signatures (6 obtained in person) and 3 who were victims. When the movie came out I was asked to do a talk and display for my old school - my old teacher remembered the "Titanic Kid". How ironic it was to be considered a geek by other kids for my interest, then 15 years later.....
3. Another passion is old cars. I had a 1963 Impala I bought with paper route money when I was 15. Later on had a 1963 Mercury Meteor - little old ladies car. My dad has about as much vision with cars as I do with houses. His latest project is a 1950 Chevy convertible that sat in a field for 20 years, bullet holes and all! When the house is finished (yea right!), I hope to find another cruiser to escape from the house in.
4. I have a really bad addiction with collecting old radios. It started out innocently, but now I probably have 60 or so in the basement. The table ones aren't so bad, but there are about 20 consoles. I have at least limited myself to pre-WWII Philco and RCA-Victor sets. It's also spawned a few other collections, 3 jukeboxes, candlestick phones, cameras, victrolas, just about any early technology - I'm game. This is why the basement is referred to as "the museum". And the state of my addiction - still no cure!

Oh well, thats only 4. Well, I'm supposed to spread the five facts flue to five more victims - but at this point it's an epidemic. If I can track down any who haven't been caught I'll pay it forward.