I was recently digging through some old photos for Father’s Day, looking for pictures of my dad and me. I came across some interesting ones from my youth. I posted a goose hunting one on Facebook. It has caused some hubbub around Taylor Studios Inc. I guess I look a little scary and not like a CEO. Yet, I look at it as another life adventure. I often wondered why I got up way before the sun and sat in a muddy hole in a field on an overcast, rainy day in southern IL. Actually, it was quite amazing to see the sky filled with geese flying low. To watch the sun come up, to be with friends, to call the geese in and to watch a well-trained dog do his stuff is better than sleeping.

At the time, I hated that truck. It was a “67 Dodge something or other (that is a good year, the year I was born). When we went to sell it, I had all the potential buyers show up at the same time. The first one dashed to me and handed me the cash without even looking at it. Dang, I should have asked more for it. I was learning how to do business then, too. Now I kind of miss the truck. It was pretty cool.

My neighborhood was very humble. During college, I worked several jobs to pay my way through. One job was training horses for an entrepreneur. I really ran out of money my junior year. He had a rental house in a tough neighborhood. He let us live in it in exchange for work. I did more horse work, put on a roof, mowed lawns, etc. When I got a graduate assistant job I was able to pay him some rent and moved to a nicer house on his farm, continuing to work more than one job.

Even before getting my bachelor’s degree, I was able to have many adventures. I had friends that flew airplanes.

I took a trip out west that included a quick stop at the Grand Canyon via Texas on something like $200. I explored all of Southern IL. I did an endurance race bareback on an Arabian Black Stallion.

I also found a picture of the love of my life, Charlotte. She was my teenage horse. I rode her everywhere – McDonald’s drive through, rivers, railroad trestles, downtown Streator, etc. We were together 28 years. I sure miss that horse.

I think all those escapades have informed and enhanced my life. Do you grab life by the horns? You can sleep when you are dead. Go have some adventures. It doesn’t take money, just an adventurous spirit.

By the way, I’m off to China on Sunday – alone in a strange land. Yee haw!