As a young child, maybe 5 or 6, I had an aunt who for whatever reason took me along with her and some friends to the Michigan shore and that was my first experience there. It must have been a fairly windy day because I remember big waves, and I can remember thinking that this was just such an incredible sight and this sense of a large waterbody. They had to drag me out of the lake at the end of the day. since then I’ve always been attached to water, especially big water…

All through my career and academic I still focus my recreational activities on the water, either through boating, swimming, scuba diving, or fishing. I actually own two boats and two kayaks that kept me on the water as much as I possibly can. Here I am recently retired and finding i still have a desire to be in on, or at least near big water.