My Enchantment

I'm sure every man has their story, and this is mine. I can't remember exactly when my facination began, but I've ways wanted to live on a tropical island. During my formulative years, it was likely my attraction to movies like South Pacific, Mutiny on the Bounty, and Swiss Family Robinson, that captured my imagination. And then there was Donovan’s Reef and Paradise, Hawaiian Style. Back then, it was adventure that I was drawn to more than anything, and that early desire was likely reinforced by the popular American television sitcom series, Gilligan’s Island. It was not always co-stars Ginger or Mary Ann that captured my imagination as a boy, though I won’t deny that the two young beauties played a role in my cognitive development. It was the deserted beaches, all the coconut trees, and the beautiful turquoise blue lagoons that helped build my enchantment.

The Hollywood "Lagoon" that really got to me.

It was every episode and re-run that Gilligan threw at me that drove my fascination with discovering and living in a tropical paradise, wherever it may be. I grew up knowing that I needed to get one of those sailor caps that Gilligan wore.

The Real Affliction Begins!

After graduating high school, my best friend Mark and I immediately migrated to the closest place that we knew where palm trees and warm weather existed, thanks to the technology of broadcast television. We headed south and landed in Orlando, Florida. It wasn’t long before I ventured out even further, hitchhiking south to Key West, where I discovered first-hand the famous “Cheeseburger in Paradise” culture of relaxation and peacefulness. Ah, life in “Margaritaville”... and the tropics.

I quickly learned however, that without money and some form of sustenance, I was destined to return home to reality - to the now even more dreaded, snow-belt of North-Central Illinois - where I just knew my fate was to live out the rest of my life between a bean-field and a corn-stalk. I needed a plan and it wasn't long before I placed my bet... I would take my chances and join the U.S. Navy - At least I could start my journey with the Gilligan hat!

I Joined The Navy!?

After my return to Illinois from Florida, only a few months passed before I was swearing to uphold and defend the United States Constitution, without any reservations (well, maybe a couple). The Navy had guaranteed me photography school but as sure as the world turns, “stuff” happens (I got myself into a little trouble with Mary Jane), and I found myself accepting an assignment to “Weather Observing” school in Lakehurst N.J., which I would attend after I completed basic training. I was going to become an "Aerographer!"

I didn't really understand how prophetic this was, but I recall my teen years when my father often accused me of walking around with my head in the clouds. And this was the result of my armed forces aptitude test? Okay I thought, maybe it was a good fit. Whether it was prophecy or irony, I was resigned to a career of staring at the sky AND getting paid to do it. It was more than a good fit, it was perfect!

A Weather Observer?

I can vividly remember the strangest looks on my friend's faces when I told them I was going to get paid for watching the clouds. And, it just kept getting better, as my 'Cheeseburger in Paradise' destiny would have it... my first set of orders after "Weather Observing" school landed me in Guam, U.S.A., where "America’s Day Begins!" Not only was it lush and tropical, with waters the color of turquoise, azure and sapphire, but it was also in the Domain of the Golden Dragon. Beautiful beaches, coral reefs, coconut trees, and the "Asian Fiesta" - many, many fiestas! Did I mention the tropics?

To summarize to this point, I had hit the Lotto, about 15 years before the first Lotto drawing was ever held. Life just couldn't get any better than this I thought! When I landed on Guam at the ripe old age of 19, I found myself privileged to be working a really cool job as a computer operator in one of the largest computer centers in the Eastern Hemisphere at the U.S. Navy's Fleet Weather Center.

A room-sized mainframe computer

Living in paradise was just a side benefit now. Eight of my next twelve years found me living, working or traveling between the 180th meridian and the Indian Ocean, mostly under the tropical sun that seemed to always follow me. From Guam to the Philippines, Singapore and Hong Kong, to Diego Garcia, and back to the Philippines, where I met my mate in 1984 - and we were married two years later.

I discovered my Cheeseburger in Paradise! But living on the mainland for 27 years, I was tormented... until my escape to the topics. My affliction finally found its cure.

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