As far as lives go, I must admit that mine has been quite the journey. Adopted at birth into a wonderful family of Ukrainian heritage, reared in San Francisco until my early teenage, then moving to a small town in Mendocino county onto a working farm where I helped my Dad maintain a walnut orchard and milked our goat Daisy every morning before school. Simpler times for sure, and it seems a lifetime ago, which it was!I entered radio broadcasting as a summer internship during my senior year at Potter Valley High School in nearby Ukiah at a “daytime” station, “KMSL~1260 on your radio dial” K~ missile blast off every morning at dawn! Our FCC license allowed us to be on the air from dawn to dusk only, but it was enough for me to learn the basics and develop my natural skills of rapport with my audience. I advanced my skills in the coastal city of Fort Bragg before joining the military and becoming an enlisted member of the Public Information Office where I conducted interviews of returning soldiers from Vietnam, sending the taped messages back to their hometown radio stations. From Fort Hood Texas, I was sent to Saigon to continue working in the military broadcasting field. Once released in 1972, I rejoined the civilian broadcasting industry as an announcer with ABC Radio affiliate KTON in Belton Texas, where I worked part time during my active service in the Army.Having worn many “hats” over my lifetime, radio, selling automobiles, owning a boutique winery, and ultimately becoming a professional real estate broker, affording me the opportunity of working with a vast variety of individuals and instilled in me the appreciation of diversity and development of the “win-win” attitude. Lynda and I are survivors of the “Tubbs” inferno, having awakened the morning of to our home in flames and literally racing out into the surrounding countryside and driving through the tunnel of fire of Mark West Springs Road to Sutter Hospital, whilst watching the advancing wall of flames throwing embers onto the hospital grounds. We decided to drive to our house in Ukiah, only to find the Redwood Valley Fire at our doorstep! Immediately I hosed down the roof as we prayed that we would be safe from a second catastrophic inferno. By the Grace of God we were saved a second time. The ensuing years brought more fires as we returned living in an apartment near Lynn’s employment at Sutter during the tedious rebuilding process. We are not alone in these issues, as so many having experienced these and other catastrophic disasters during their lifetimes, most recently in Maui County, Hawaii, where my sister and family reside. Our collective hearts go out to those affected.Most recently, I have returned to the airwaves as the host of the retrospective music program the “Roots of Rock” broadcast live every Sunday morning at seven over KOWSfm.com the studio is located in the historic Cherry Street neighborhood of Santa Rosa. Hopefully you will tune in, as a community radio station we host an eclectic mix of programming as well as offering the opportunity of hosting your very own show!As Lynda and myself enjoy our retirement, we travel and enjoy the peace and quiet of our new home here in the Riebli Valley district, contributing to the community through the Sunrise Rotary Club of Santa Rosa and the friendship of our neighbors at the Chamber. We believe that every day is a “gift” … that’s why it’s called the present.Incidentally, artificial intelligence was not abused in writing this article!