Welcome to my first blog! In this space, we’ll explore industry events and people of yesteryear, and perhaps take side trips to discover the backstory of current events or trends. Sometimes when you peel away the layers of time, you find a fascinating kernel of truth or an insight that puts things into an entirely new perspective.
Just don’t expect this to be a dry, dusty history lesson! It’s fun to look back, see how far we’ve come (or not), so we can figure out where to go from here. And sometimes it’s just fun to look back. If you ever crack open your high school yearbook, you know what I’m talking about.
Longtime readers have seen my name for years, but don’t really know much about me. So let me share a little. My favorite color is red, and I like long walks on the beach. Wait – that’s a different blog. Seriously, I hail from Oregon, and I actually do like walks on the beach, but usually I was clam digging or hunting for treasures that had washed up after a storm.
After college, I worked at the Oregonian and other publications – writing features, news, columns, copy editing, you name it. I moved to Southern California after numerous vacations there. I was totally smitten with the place.
Soon I joined Pool & Spa News, then owned by Leisure Publications, and I’ll never forget the date because it was tax day – April 15, 1985, to be exact. There, I said it. (Just don’t call me a grizzled veteran; I wasn’t that old when I headed south.) Anyway, I also joined the Aquatics International crew in 2001, the same year Hanley Wood acquired both magazines. I’ve enjoyed the journey as the publications evolved over the years, and I’m sure the best is yet to come!
In the next blog we’ll embark upon our time travels in earnest. I hope you’ll find these writings entertaining and informative —and that you’ll leave a comment if something strikes a chord.
