[SEL] Skills

[Elden DuRand]

I was taught early by Dad to try to fix things before going out and buying a replacement.  He was a product of the Great Depression, a time when you had to make do with what you had.

It's interesting to note that my grandfather was definitely NOT technical.  He was a businessman and never touched a tool as far as I know.  How Dad got his mechanical knowledge is a mystery.  He told of when he was a kid, buying things like a $5 Model T Ford and overhauling it with his friends.  He was also interested in that newfangled thing called "radio".  He was playing with a home made radio, listening to the Morse signals one night and accidentally stumbled onto KDKA which was transmitting its first voice program.  He was a Ham radio operator before he had to have a license (his first "ticket" was 9EKA).  Thankfully, he passed some of his aptitudes along to me.

Now, I get a great deal of satisfaction out of "Cheating The Junk Man".  THANKS, Dad!

Take care - Elden
http://www.oldengine.org/members/durand