>>
>>Steve;
>>
>>Did I ever mention you were creative? :)
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>>LOL!
>>
>
>Tom,
>
>No, you didn't...thanks :)
>
>Did I ever mention that you are quite a storyteller? (NEWS FLASH!!) My grandfather is the same way, except his stories are older than yours *grin*. He is about 90 years old, mind as sharp as a tack, but his legs have failed him (and he is in pain). I love to sit and hear the stories...the stories from the Depression are particularly fascinating.
>
>And like you, he is large (6'5"). He's a self-taught machinist/mechanical (I want to say engineer, but you would not agree with the term)...he worked for the Air Force (Kelly AFB), designed some parts on C5, for example.

Steve;

Your grandfather sounds like an interesting person – like my grandfather. Stories of the depression – yes grandpa told me many. Please remember this is from the viewpoint of San Francisco, so it could be different in other areas. Such as:

1. If you wanted to work there were plenty of jobs. The problem was the pay was low but the work was there.
2. Grandpa said, “The worst thing that happened to this country was when FDR put us on the 40 hour week”! Up until then men worked 56-hour weeks. 10 hours Monday – Friday and 6 hours on Saturday. You worked 40 hours and got 40 hours pay – so you got a pay decrease thanks to the 40-hour week. Those that worked took home less money!

By the way some of the most brilliant people I have met do not have college degrees and are self taught. Most are machinist and tool and die makers. They could solve problems that an engineer would have no idea where to start. Formal education can be a great limiting factor in many ways. It forces you to think like a textbook. I always like to think externally from the academic world when it is called for. It gets the job done!

You should tell some of your grandfathers stories. I would love to hear them!

Tom