Ignoring the theory of reincarnation, I first appeared in this world almost half a century ago. My parents, who emigrated from Poland, met in Montreal, Quebec, fell in love, got married, and built their home there. In the early seventies, Quebec's language and employment situation became intolerable for my father, so we moved to Ontario and better prospects. Even as a child, I always had a need to create with my hands. Whether it was the endless hours of sketching and cartooning that I did, or the construction of forts and go-karts out of wood and metal, I seemed to have some sort of project on the go all the time. I was introduced to the two wheeled world in the late sixties, and it has been a focal point of my life ever since. To not have a bike now is something that I just can't even imagine. Bikes have provided me not only the exhilaration and freedom of riding, but also an infinite number of possibilities for expressing my creative need. For the past twenty odd years, I've been rebuilding my home, a one hundred and fifty year old typical eastern Ontario farm house. Although financially it has been a questionable investment, it has provided me with ample opportunity for keeping my hands busy. Someone once told me that when the renovation of a house is completed, the owner either moves on or dies. Since I don't plan on going anywhere, I expect I will be around a long, long time. I also enjoy playing with computers. I bought my first one in the early eighties, an Atari 400. It had a membrane keyboard, 16k memory, and used a cassette tape deck for data storage. It introduced me to the frustrations of dealing with lost data long before Bill Gates ever became well known. So here I am now in the midst of a midlife crisis. Unlike many others at this juncture of life, I can't try to regain my youth by rushing out and buying a Harley - I've had one now for many years. No, I've decided the most important thing for me is time; time to ride, time to create, and time to smell the roses. If all goes according to plan, that time will become available in the not too distant future. George |
