John, AKA "Sparky"
I have lived most of my life in Minnesota with short stints in Wisconsin and a few other states. Having been a former Medic with the US Navy, you would think I have seen the world but rather I spent most of my time with the Marines.
While in the Navy working with the Marines I learned to appreciate the qualities of a good Marine. I also enjoyed the fact that they treated us “Docs” with the utmost respect, more so than the people who commanded them. It was great to be able to work with such dedicated people and I was taught the work ethic I hold to this day. I was also able to do things that other people will never get a chance to do, and many of those experiences are with me to this day.
After my time in the service I did a wide variety of things, from political action to raising birds. At one time I had 5,000 birds under my care. Raising parrots, parakeets, cockatiels, canaries, finches… if it had feathers I worked with them! I developed a number of techniques that allowed me to train even the wildest of bird to be people-friendly and even speak.
In the late 1990’s my grandparents passed away which allowed me the opportunity to keep their lake home in the family. At first it was a weekend retreat from the hustle and bustle of living in St Paul, but eventually it turned into my permanent home and now I wonder how I was able to live in such a noisy place. Living in a lake home presents challenges such as, do you do your work today or do you go fishing?
I am an avid outdoorsman. Camping, hunting and fishing are all things I have enjoyed doing since as early as I can remember. Fishing is especially enjoyable, as I prefer to go for fish that can fight back. Northern Pike and Muskie are my objective when I hit the water. I also generally give the fish an advantage, as I fish from a canoe, so the danger of a fish, or me, tipping the canoe is always a possibility.
John's Workspace—Featuring His Custom Erik Organic Desk!
