Working in Manitowoc, Wis.

After being the editor of the Prescott Journal newspaper, in October 2000 I went to work as the copy desk chief at the Herald Times Reporter newspaper in Manitowoc, Wis. I worked the night shift, 3-11 p.m., editing and designing the newspaper, usually Tuesday through Saturday.

During my time there, I tweaked the look of the paper and helped transition us to a new computer and software system. I also wrote editorials and columns for the Opinion page.

The apartment we had was decorated with lighthouses. During my couple of years living there, I wrote two novels, including "Windmill," the one I've since published.

One of my favorite things to do in Manitowoc was to walk along the Lake Michigan waterfront. I also spent a lot of time working out at the local YMCA. Then in December 2003 I got another job in Iowa City, Iowa - more about that later!

Jobs I've held in journalism, teaching

In a previous entry, I mentioned that these days I work as an editor and a writer. That's been my career for most of my life!

When I went to college, I studied journalism so I could work at a newspaper. My very first job was as a newspaper reporter in Red Wing, Minn. I covered Wisconsin news. I met your mother while I worked in Red Wing.

For several years, I also worked as a teacher. I mainly taught English but also journalism to grades 7-12 (and mainly eighth and ninth graders at that) at a school in New Mexico and one in Wisconsin.

But my heart was in writing and editing, so I went back into journalism and worked at several newspapers and magazines for several years in the 2000s. The biggest newspaper I worked for was The Desert Sun in Palm Springs, Calif. I also was the top editor at two newspapers - the Prescott (Wis.) Journal and The Daily Triplicate in Crescent City, Calif. (You were born when your mother and me lived in Crescent City!).

Jobs your dad has held

While sprucing up some of my websites about my background (important to do because it's information that people interested in hiring me as an editor often look at), I thought you might like to know what kind of jobs I've held. You can check out my resume online at anytime, but that just really lists the places I've worked.

Growing up, I worked on my parents' dairy farm. I milked cows and generally took care of the animals. I didn't do much field work; my dad and brother (your Uncle Chris) typically preferred to do that while my mom and me liked the animals.

In my junior year of high school, I joined the Army National Guard, which I stayed in until 1997. I served in an infantry unit, where I handled a number of different weapons from grenade launchers to machine guns. I rose to the rank of sergeant.

In college, I studied to be a journalist and a teacher (grads 7-12). Upon graduation, I worked as a reporter for a daily newspaper. After three years, though, I made a career change and went into teaching. I taught English and journalism, primarily the former, to grades 7-12, but mainly to eighth and ninth graders.

After seven years of teaching, I went back into journalism, working as a copy desk chief (we proofread and design the newspaper), as a editorial page editor (writing the newspaper's editorials), and as a managing editor (I headed both a weekly and a small daily newspaper). I also was the manging editor of a suite of business magazines in San Diego for a while.

After newspapering, I started my own business, which is what I do now: editing and proofreadingother people's books and helping them get publish. I also research and write my own books (mainly about hiking and writing), but I've also penned a book of poetry and a novel (both of which are coming out this autumn at the time I write this entry).

Do you like to write? What kind of job do you want to have when you grow up?

Your name and picture are in another article - again!

Your name and picture are onlien again! Wisconsin Outdoor Fun ran an article about my latest book, “Hikes with Tykes: Games and Activities” on Monday, Aug. 20. The article includes an excerpt from Chapter 3 of the book, listing nature-oriented games that can be played on the trail with children.

Wisconsin Outdoor Fun is owned by Gannett, which operates several newspapers in central and eastern Wisconsin, including Green Bay, Appleton, Wausau, Sheboygan, Oshkosh, Fond du Lac, Manitowoc, Wisconsin Rapids, Stevens Point, Marshfield and Door County. It covers a range of outdoor news from ATVing and boating to hunting and fishing, from cycling and skiing to hiking and camping. I should note that I worked as news editor for three years at the Manitowoc paper during the early 2000s - I'll have to tell you all about he places I worked in a future entry.

You're in the newspaper again!

Your name and picture again appeared in a newspaper this week, this time the Hudson (Wis.) Star-Observer. It was a story about my new hiking book. Of course, your picture is on the cover of my two hiking books, and your name appears in the article.

You've been in a lot of newspapers and articles since being born. Guess it has something to do with me being in journalism and promoting my books, but it also has something to do with you being one damn cute kid.

When I was the editor of the paper in Crescent City, Calif., your picture appeared twice, once with an article I wrote about hiking a trail there and the other as part of a lifestyles story about parents getting help with thier children. You were an infant in both instances. Later that same year, your photo appeared in the Halloween contest section of the Eureka, Calif., newspaper.

When we live in Palmdale, you got in the the local paper, The Antelope Valley Press, with us looking at planes during a monthly Mojave air show.We also appeared a couple of times in the California City, Calif., paper that covered the air show.

And you've been in tons of newspapers (and on blog sites) in association with my hiking books. Among them is the Dunn County (Wis.) News and the North County Times out of Esconido, Calif.

I've saved all the clippings I could find. Can't wait to show them to you one day!