Getting Hooked
In April of 2007 I retired from the Canadian Civil Service. Specifically I worked for the Public Works Government Services Canada department, in the Informatics field. I loved my job, and really enjoyed the people with whom I worked, but it was time to retire and I could feel it. The commute into Ottawa was getting longer each day and there were other things I wanted to do, so retire I did. I won’t say I’ve never looked back, because I have, but in general I’m glad to be retired and doing other things.
Can you see me on the ship ?
One of the first things my wife and I did upon retirement was to go on a short cruise out of LosAngeles. As a retirement gift, I was given a Martin “travel” guitar which I brought along on the cruise and subsequent vist to some of our relatives. While standing in line getting ready to board the ship, a total stranger came up to me and starting chatting about travel guitars. it was great fun; I had never realised that there were so many makes and models of travel guitars. The seeds that had been planted in my brain in my teens were starting to stir.
Merlin Humours Me
After the cruise, life returned to more mundane things and what could be more day-to-day than getting a haircut. Sitting in the barber’s chair I mentioned to my barber, Don O’Neil, that I’d like to build my own guitar. Now Don has been a professional musician, as well as a barber, since he was born. I suspect that he came out of the womb playing jazz chords to a country melody. “You should check out Dave Nichols in Malone New York” he said. “He teaches guitar making and he’s one heck of an inlaying artist. Google www.custompearlinlay.com.” So I did, and signed up for the Inlay course as well as the Guitar Building course.