Normally, I am very reticent about divulging personal information;
however circumstances, sometimes do, alter cases and this calls for a bare-bones background.

============================================================================================

I was born and raised in South Africa. Attended an all boys school from 1st through 12 grades.
Studied child psychology at Cape Town University and was rewarded with a masters degree,
for my efforts.
After submitting my thesis, I travelled to Europe for a six month working vacation.
I worked for both the RAF and USAF as a bartender, then a technical-order librarian for the
Mace Missile system and finally as the Commissary systems manager.
I was married to a Scottish girl on the USAF base in Germany and when the funding for the base
appeared in doubt, decided to move to the States.
That was in 1968, I arrived in New Orleans at 3:00am, the morning of Hurricane Camille.
My first experience at 'being ripped off' was that morning.
The Porsche, which I had brought with me was deposited on the dock, sans engine, wheels, leather
seats or steering wheel.
My first American home was in Tampa where I spent a year and a fortune on attorneys applying for
my 'Green card'.
The first position that I had was as Safety Engineer for Reliance Insurance Company out of
Philadelphia.
I had no idea what a Safety Engineer's job was but I took a battery of IQ tests with about 200
other applicants. I got the job, and they sent me to school.
They transferred me to Orlando, where I fell with my butt in the butter.
We'd been in Orlando, less than a month when 'all hell broke loose' with the space program.
Martin Marrietta, Orlando's largest employer, BD (before Disney) shut down and the engineers were
given a choice of moving to Akron, OH or lose their jobs. I met one of those engineers at a party.
His new home only lacked the carpet before being ready for occupancy. he had put a lot of money
into it and offered it to me for the mortgage balance. Here I was; Not 30 years old, a new home
with double car garage, pool in a great new neighbourhood.
Company car, wife with a new Saab; Yuppie deluxe!
To cap it all off we had twin sons.
Liberty Mutual, Out of Birmingham, 'stole' me from Reliance and made me head of Engineering and
audit.
The friends from that era are still my friends today.
I cancelled the insurance on a very large mechanical contractor in West Palm Beach, primarily
because of poor management.
A few weeks later the contractor called me, at home, and offered to double my salary, provide a
vehicle, pay my moving expenses and cover the cost of selling my home and buying a new one if I
would move to West Palm and manage his company.
Disney was open and Orlando was 'going to hell'.
We moved.
My new employer was a wild ride!
Trips in his 4-seater Cessna included the casinos in North End in the Bahamas, Toledo, Albany, NY.
and Montreal.
I was to learn, later, that he only had a student's license, to fly solo.
About a year into this 'ride', I was watching the news on a Sunday morning.
His, Mr Mechanical contractor, Face on TV. Charged with smuggling dope.
This rat, abandoned that ship, next day. (He got off by paying someone to say they saw someone
putting a package on his plane.)
Unemployed!
I don't do many parties, but they have been there for me when things didn't look bright.
At this party, a gal who worked with my wife told me about a friend of hers who ran his mother's
'window cleaning' business and wanted to 'expand'.
Yeah! Right!
33 years old, two kids, a big mortgage, credit cards by the yard and unemployed! Scary!
We had savings and investments but . . . scary!
What the heck! Give it a few months!
His idea of expanding and mine, clashed, almost immediately.
Six months later we parted; He kept the janitorial and I the 'rest'.
The rest meant painting and whatever!
CareTakers of the Palm Beaches was born!
By 1980, 14 trucks, 90 employees and a customer list of who's who in Palm Beach was who we were.
All was fine, except on the home front. The marriage, which was a sham and should never have
happened was finally collapsing.
When the sheriff visited, to issue 'papers' it was too late.
All of 'our' investments had long since been transferred into her pension fund, which, under
Florida law could not be included in the divorce procedings.
22 months later, I was awarded sole custody of my sons and raised them as a single parent.
Did my sons know that I was gay? No! Not officially. I did not have the right to impose on them
the stigma that society would have placed on them.
Do they now know. Yes!
When the twins graduated from high school and went into the Navy, I had lost all interest in
material gain and gave my business to my key employees.
I gave away all my household goods and bought a used Winnabago.
By the time I'd reached Fort Mill, South Carolina, the home of a friend from the Insurance days,
I'd had enough of the Motor home life. Now What?
Watching TV, late one Sunday night, I saw an add for truck-drivers. I called.
By Wednesday I was in Green bay Wisconsin and 2 weeks later was driving an 18-wheeler
through snow in Oregon.
I was in my mid fifties, Mark was 24, ex-navy, cute as a button. We drove team for 2 and a half years. Never a disagreement.
Did Mark know that I was gay? No! Still doesn't. I still love Mark.
I convinced Mark to go to school. He did. He graduated.
He has a great career. I miss him.
The reason I drove an 18-wheeler was to see the country. I did.
It's not as big as you might imagine.
Now What?
The old bod was beginning to come unglued.
My last hurrah! Working for the navy at Mayport, $16.20 an hour.
When my fellow workers were threatened with pay cuts,
I Unionized in 24 hours. Yup,. Me!
I was hired by the Union.
I quit when I found out how crooked they were.
The arthritis killed any further ambition.
Eighteen months later I was approved for Social Security Dissability Insurance.
Through the internet I met a very nice man who made me believe that
Pensacola was a great place to live.
I'm in Pensacola and it is a great place, to live.