During my late grade school years, I became fascinated with the hunting and adventure stories in magazines my father brought home. True and Argosy were my favorites, with their tales of big game pursuits and intriguing travels to exotic places worldwide. I heard the "call of the wild" in most of those manly stories. But real life in small towns in rural America seemed more like a meek whisper of the mild. I realized early on that I wanted to lead an interesting life full of grand deeds and challenges. If an opportunity for foreign adventure came my way, I was determined to grab it. So began my years of interesting travel about the globe.
