I collect stamps, postcards, and old envelopes (aka covers), postcards, baggage labels, and photographs. I've been a teacher, a journalist, a hospital corpsman, and a professional photographer.
I was born in New York State in 1943, but came of age in New Mexico. I've climbed (smallish) mountains, sailed in a submarine, survived a plane crash, and witnessed death and dismemberment during my 37-day tour of duty with the U.S. Marines in South Vietnam during the Vietnam War, where I earned a Purple Heart medal simply by getting shot by a sniper who nearly blew off my right leg.
I've lived in 12 communities, four states, two Canadian provinces, and three countries (four if you count my tour of duty in South Vietnam). I have dual Canadian-American citizenship.
In Ephemeral Treasures, items from my collections and in many cases my own photographs illustrate stories about some of my experiences and some of my safer interests, including astronomy, military history, propeller-driven airliners, and chickens — yes, chickens! Often, the collectibles themselves are the story.
Please note: Some of the images I have used are not mine, but in nearly all cases I have been granted permission by the copyright owners to use them. If you believe that I am using an image without permission, please email me with an explanation.
And now, join me on my journey through my history, and yours.
EVOKING WAR: As a Vietnam veteran, I followed in the footsteps of ancestors and relatives all the way back to the American revolution. In Evoking War, I salute the soldiers of my own family, and those of all wars throughout history, who did their best to retain their humanity against impossible odds.
AVIATION AT MID-CENTURY: My father taught me to keep my eyes on the ground, looking for ancient Anasazi artifacts, and my ears open to the sky, listening for approaching aircraft. Aircraft more than Anasazi artifacts have embellished my life, although one airplane did try to kill me.
NEW MEXICO CONNECTIONS: In 1949, when I was six years old, my father moved our small family from New York State to New Mexico. In New Mexico Connections, I tell about the experiences I had and the things that I learned just because I went "out West" with my parents and older sister. NOT JUST STAMP COLLECTING: I'm a stamp collector, or, more accurately, a philatelist. To me, stamps and their brethren — postcards and covers (used envelopes, with their often-fascinating back stories) — are artifacts that reveal and illustrate interesting stories from the late 19th Century and 20th Century.
DIVERSIONS: FITNESS, FAMILY, FICTION is published by my wife, Susan Ingraham, who taught elementary and high school for 32 years, then in retirement became a fitness instructor, genealogist, and novelist. Of special interest to seniors are articles about the direct relationships between exercise and health; other genealogists will be intrigued by her web pages about the Overturfs (her family) and the Ingrahams (my family).