Lambing Season, Shark Encounters, and Grain Bins: My Story

If you've followed my writing on grain, logistics, management, and supply chains, you already know what I do. This is a bit of the story behind why I do it and what's been driving me since I was a kid.

In the late 1970’s I watched a management and leadership training film entitled “ You Are What You Were When”, produced by Morris Massey. The theme of the film was that your core values,  the things that drive your decisions, reactions, and worldview are shaped by the era and environment in which you grew up. With that in mind I thought I would share what shaped me.

Growing Up Outdoors

I grew up in California outside more than inside: little league until a curve ball to the head sidelined me, vegetable gardening at a young age, and a lot of camping and fishing with my dad. Those early years taught me to love dirt under my fingernails, quiet mornings, and figuring things out with my hands.

Along the way there were Cub Scouts, pinewood derby trophies, and evenings spent coin collecting with my dad. That mix of outdoors, tinkering, and detail work still shows up in how I look at fields, facilities, and supply chains today.

Learning To Work Early

From age 10 to 17, 4‑H was my second home. I raised and showed sheep and a few steers, learned to shear sheep, and hauled animals to 6–7 fairs a year in both 4‑H and open classes. Those animals paid well enough that I could pay cash for a new car to start school and cover my college fees.

That experience baked in a simple mindset: if you want something, you work for it, you learn the craft, and you show up when other people are tired. It's the same attitude I've taken into my work life and consulting projects.

Chasing Speed And Adrenaline

I've always had a soft spot for speed and a good adrenaline spike. In my younger days that showed up as street racing my sister's souped‑up ’69 442 and cliff diving into Lake Oroville or body surfing rapids on the Feather River. I tried bull riding once and lasted about two seconds, which was long enough to confirm I didn't need to make a career change.

Over the years the “adrenaline series” expanded to parasailing, bungee jumping, skydiving, and white‑water rafting the upper Gauley River in West Virginia during the spring dam release. If you ever want to understand the word “rush,” work your way through class IV and V rapids in a four‑man raft.

In the more recent past, the speed fix usually came from taking the grandkids out tubing on the tritoon or heading out alone at sunrise to let the supercharged 250 push the boat to around 50 mph on a calm lake. Every once in a while, when I can sneak off, I still take my wife's Porsche out and let it stretch its legs past 140. My old Silverado is not made for speed.

Underwater And Behind The Lens

If I had to pick a favorite hobby, scuba diving would be near the top. There's nothing quite like a night dive on a wall off Turks and Caicos, chumming for sharks with no cage; beauty and adrenaline in one package.

Underwater photography naturally followed, and then photography in general, especially old barns and grain elevators. Looking at those structures through a lens probably helped me see facilities not just as assets on a balance sheet, but as stories about people, time, and place.

Making, Brewing, And Gathering

I've always liked making things: I dabbled in candle making for a couple of years and went through a stretch of gourmet cooking. For a long time, I brewed my own beer, starting by grinding the malt and making 100–150 gallons a year; friends were happy to help make sure we drank more than we brewed.

There were seasons of bowling leagues and regular monthly poker games with the guys. Those evenings were less about the score or the pot and more about staying connected and blowing off steam between long work hours and trips. The old adage of “Work Hard-Play Hard was lived out.

Seeing The World

Lake Tahoe was part of my backdrop growing up, and to this day I still think it’s one of the most beautiful places on earth. I’ve always been drawn to big landscapes and big skies.

During my college years at Cal Poly, I got to know the mid‑California coastline, rugged cliffs, cool mornings, and endless Pacific horizons. The mix of mountains, ocean, and agriculture felt like a preview of the life I’d end up living.

Over the years I’ve stood in the mist at Niagara Falls, driven across the Mackinac “Big Mac” Bridge, and pulled off the highway to see places like the Mitchell Corn Palace and the Alamo. I’ve had wild nights in Key West and New Orleans and quiet mornings in classic churches in places like San Pedro Sula and Antigua.

Warm, sandy beaches and clear water have always been a draw, especially in the Caribbean and Hawaii where I’m happy to sit in a chair with my feet in the sand, drink in hand,  and just watch the world go by. On the other end of the spectrum was a 15‑day photo safari through Kenya and Tanzania. Floating in a hot‑air balloon over the Serengeti plains at sunrise or watching first light hit snow‑covered Mount Kilimanjaro is the kind of moment that stays with you forever.

I’ve seen the warm Caribbean & Pacific coastlines, Andes, and Amazon rain forest of Colombia; watched windmills turning in the Dutch countryside; and wandered through canal cities from Holland to the old port city of Gdańsk in Poland, with its canals, fountains, and ornate, gold‑gilded architecture that feels almost too elaborate to be real. I’ve explored the Mayan ruins of Tikal and the sites of Amsterdam. I’ve made it to 47 of our 50 states and more than thirty countries, each with its own lessons in how people live, work, and get by.

Travel has taken me to the Panama and Suez Canals, along the Amazon River, and to Foz do Iguaçu and Niagara Falls. In 1986 I  witnessed Halley’s Comet passing through a hole in the northern lights in Canada. Those moments have a way of shrinking your ego, expanding your gratitude, and defining your place all at the same time.

Work, Family, And Now

If you ask my family, they'll tell you my biggest “hobby” for many years has been work, long hours, heavy travel, and saying yes to big responsibilities. That intensity helped shape the experience I lean on today when I write, teach, and advise.

These days my center of gravity has shifted. Life now is more about grandkids and dogs, and landscaping. The common thread through all of it is pretty simple. I like building things, learning new things, and pushing myself just far enough outside my comfort zone to feel alive.

Thank You, America

I've led a blessed life, supported by a family that loves me, and fortunate enough to have been born in this great country of ours. I’ve traveled to dozens of countries for work and play, frequently into places where real life happens, not the tourist version. That perspective reminds me that the life I've lived had only a slim chance of coming together the way it did.

For that, I’m grateful to God, our Founding Fathers,  and proud to say:

HAPPY 250TH BIRTHDAY, USA.

Wishing you all the best!

Grain Guy Fifty