When did you know you were "Home"

[Spock]

We posted a picture of Littlest Spock(11 YO) and a nice bass that he caught last night on FB. A comment started a train of thought(also led by my recent posts here) for me that from the first time he ever picked up a rod at age 3 that fishing was just in him. He was "Home", so to speak.

I first learned of the Bakken in a December, 2007 article in the Star Tribune about a small oil company drilling in the Bakken. From the second I read that article-I was "Home." It just clicked and ever since then I have been fascinated by the oil industry and stuff. It just feels right.

It is funny because as I told the Spocklette on the bus trip-when I was considering college at age 17/18-I thought(half-seriously) about geology. I ended up going for a business related field-which was absolutely the wrong major for me. It is neat-because even then, my gut was trying to direct me to where I belonged.

When I did college V2 from 2003 to 2006-age 37 to 39- (Geography/GIS)-I, again (half-seriously) considered geology-I talked to profs and so forth-but I just could not see where I could make a Geology degree work in my life plan.

Gee-graduating with a Geology degree in 2006 (or so) just as the ND boom was starting would look pretty good right now. Once again, my gut was telling me where I belonged-but I didn't listen to it.

When we went to Texas in 2012, my favorite part of the trip was seeing the kids at the Alamo. A (very) close second was driving through oil towns in western Kansas-Yes, I know-I am easily amused.

[themanintheseersuckersuit]

OT is this guy Burnham's Evil Twin? Pieter Krueler

http://www.lewisheatonbooks.com/fourwarboer.htm

The amazing life of Pieter Krueler (1885-1986) provides a window into a full century of conflict such as one man rarely experiences. Four-War Boer traces Krueler's highly colorful life from the Second Boer War, where he first served as a 14-year-old scout, through his service in World War I with the German army in East Africa, to the Spanish Civil War to World War II, this time with the Allies, and on into the latter part of the 20th century, when he served as a mercenary during the 1960s Congo Crisis.

[christie1111]

9th grade science class.

We grew alum crystals out of 'water'. As soon as I was taught how the crystalline structure was formed out of the supersaturated solution, I was 'home'.

[Spock]

OT is this guy Burnham's Evil Twin? Pieter Krueler

http://www.lewisheatonbooks.com/fourwarboer.htm

The amazing life of Pieter Krueler (1885-1986) provides a window into a full century of conflict such as one man rarely experiences. Four-War Boer traces Krueler's highly colorful life from the Second Boer War, where he first served as a 14-year-old scout, through his service in World War I with the German army in East Africa, to the Spanish Civil War to World War II, this time with the Allies, and on into the latter part of the 20th century, when he served as a mercenary during the 1960s Congo Crisis.

I have the Book on him-"The Four-War Boer"-Dipped into it-but haven't gotten to far yet.

In Johannesburg last year, I bought 2 books by Deneys Reitz-He had a similar life arc to Krueler. One was on the Boer War and one on WW1. I loved these books-but Krueler is just "Too much, too soon" at this-I will read it soon, but not yet.

The clock is ticking on Steven Kemper's upcoming bio of Burnham-I am waiting for it like a kid for Xmas.

[themanintheseersuckersuit]

9th grade science class.

We grew alum crystals out of 'water'. As soon as I was taught how the crystalline structure was formed out of the supersaturated solution, I was 'home'.

There is still some copper sulfate out in my parent's garage from our crystal growing days

[silverscreenselect]

9th grade science class.

We grew alum crystals out of 'water'. As soon as I was taught how the crystalline structure was formed out of the supersaturated solution, I was 'home'.

There is still some copper sulfate out in my parent's garage from our crystal growing days

You grew crystal meth...

That explains some things.

[Bob Juch]

I'm slow to respond because I've been thinking about what the one point was. From about age 10 I had great interest in chemistry and electronics. I learned FORTRAN when I was 14 but didn't do a whole lot with it as the computer was too limited. It was only after I matriculated at UCLA, became disillusioned with Chemistry, then found there were a lot of fun things to do with computers that I knew I was "Home".

[Spock]

Speaking of Kreuler-I think he had was involved in training Selous Scouts in the Rhodesian Bush War so that takes his activities into the late 60's or even the 70's.

It is kind of appropriate that TMITSSS went off-topic in this direction-because I had thought about saying something about Zimbabwe/Rhodesia.

While I will never live there and have only visited it once-There is something about that chunk of land that is "Home" and I felt that way about it long before my visit there last year.

I just read some info that some of the sons of the white farmers kicked off their land 14 years ago are now leasing some of the seized farms.

Frankly, I am in awe, I don't think there is a people more resilient than White Zimbabweans.

[themanintheseersuckersuit]

9th grade science class.

We grew alum crystals out of 'water'. As soon as I was taught how the crystalline structure was formed out of the supersaturated solution, I was 'home'.

There is still some copper sulfate out in my parent's garage from our crystal growing days

You grew crystal meth...

That explains some things.

[themanintheseersuckersuit]

If I was cooking any black market chemicals in the garage it would be DDT