Hi i'm Jess, and should I admit to being Cory's real cousin?  I'm a high school bio teacher with a great hubby, Al, and 2 cute kidlets, Eve (4) and Nick(2), and cute saves them a lot.  I also have 2 dogs, Samson (who is gr8) and Delilah (who lives up 2 her name).  I have lots of blurbs to share on life in general that will hopefully make you smile.

I have been a resident of Pennsylvania all my life and have never felt the desire to relocate, although Uncle Sam did give me the opportunity to explore other places, states, and countries when I was drafted into the United States Army in 1969.

I have been alive for 58 years and married for 34. My wife is a stay at home mom/wife while I earn our income. She has been a great cook for the past 33 years - the first one was practice and I lived. Newlyweds are never focused on food so I never really noticed.

I was a factory worker after high school, served in the U.S. Army, worked as a coal miner, used the GI bill to escape the coal mines for Penn State where I received a B.S. degree in Park Administration, worked as a Seasonal Ranger at Raystown Lake, was the Executive Director of the Huntingdon County Tourist Promotion Agency for 14-years, then worked in various management roles for the Southwestern Pennsylvania Heritage Preservation Commission and its non- profit groups for 16-years, and finally was down-sized into early/temporary retirement. 

It is not easy to be 58 and unemployed for the first time in 40 years.

It is hard to say what factors shape the person you eventually become, but like many people I am where I am because of the choices I made. 

In August 1973, I made several major moves - I quit my job in the coal mines, got married the following Saturday,and started Penn State two days later.

All were good moves - the mines closed, I am still married, and I got a job after college.

By the way, I spent four years at Penn State and I never attended a football game! It was years later until I did and now I am a Blue & White fan.

The Lord has blessed my wife and me with two, great daughters who are married two fine young men. Both couples live and work in Knoxville, Tennessee.  They all attend a wonderful fundamental, independent Baptist Church - Temple Baptist Church and they faithfully serve the Lord in the Church's bus ministry and young couple's ministry.

Our first grandchild, Chloe Abigail, was born on August 2, 2007.

New technology and the Internet permit anyone to stay connected to family, friends, and special interest Internet sites. For me that means I have a cell phone. two computers [desk top and laptop] with high speed service, web cam, and plenty of bookmarked sites. 

I also confess that I have a passion for Lake Erie steelhead fishing and turkey hunting.

Living near Raystown Lake makes access to the outdoors easy, and we also have the opportunity to meet plenty of visitors who travel here from all around the country. 

BOAT PARKING

In fact, many boaters park their boat in a field across the road from our house to save gas and the "wear and tear" trailering boats back and forth.  If you need this service or know someone who does, call my wife at 814-658-3006.  Vickie will be glad to provide you with a nice place to park your boat.  She also has for rent several year-round spaces.

When I was 14 yrs old my parents took us camping to a family reunion at Tenderfoot Campground in Dillon, Colorado.  It was a large family gathering and our parents were very busy so our persistent questions about the flora, fauna and history of the area generated an "ask the ranger" response.  The Forest Service seasonal ranger was named Johnny Maple(I am not making this up) and in our eyes he knew "everything"!  He so inspired me that at the end of our stay there I told my parents that I was going to become a park ranger so I could help people in the parks.  Five years later I began working seasonally in Yellowstone while studying Parks and Recreation Management at Michigan State.  I worked for the National Park Service and the Dept of Interior for 34 years and did my best to live up to the standard set by Johnny Maple.  This blog is intended to continue that effort to help others understand and appreciate America's natural and cultural heritage.  I will try to answer questions on America's heritage either directly or by finding the answer when I don't know.  Perhaps along the way we can share ideas about conserving America's heritage and inspire the next generation of rangers.

"I can not say why I am good at what I do, but I can say that I work very hard at it.  Nor am I aware of any conscious career decisions.  I've always found that one thing leads to another, and that I've moved from project to project in a natural progression.  Perhaps one thing that has helped me in achieving my goals is that I sincerely believe in what I do, and get great pleasure from it.  I feel very fortunate because I can do what I love to do." JIM HENSON

Welcome to the Cousin Mike Hub here at Storytrax!

How did I come up with the name "Cousin Mike?"

Well, my cousin always referred to me as "Cousin Mike."  In our circle of friends, all of them began to call me that as well.  It extended to other places where we hung out, so everyone we met started calling me "Cousin Mike." 

When I began playing my guitar out in bars, I had tossed around using that as my stage name, but ended up calling myself "Open Mike."  Well, that didn't work out too well, because when people don't know the difference between a name (Mike) and a piece of sound equipment (mic-as in "microphone"), problems happen.  People started showing up at gigs with instruments thinking it was an open mic night, or even karaoke. 

So, that had to change.  I decided Cousin Mike was the way to go, and it's been that ever since.

My day job isn't one I talk about too much due to the nature of the work.  I work with juvenile offenders, after having spent numerous years working in institutions and even running an elementary after-school program.  Although the field I'm in is very stressful at times, the kids are what it's all about.  They're going to be changing my diapers when I'm in a nursing home someday, so someone has to look out for them, because society and even parents aren't doing that a lot of the time.  Not to mention, kids who people view as "bad kids" aren't usually as bad as they think.  They're actually pretty neat once you get to sit down and talk to them.

I'm a huge Jimmy Buffett fan, and I am also a big fan of folk acoustic music.  I play acoustic guitar...electric guitars give me a migraine...there's nothing in the world that compares to the sound of a good acoustic guitar.  They don't have an artificial voice like electrics do.

If you need to know anything else, just ask.  When you read my stories, keep in mind that life has ups and downs.  Some entries are philosophical, some are funny, some are downright cynical.  When you read them, don't try to psychoanalyze them.  Just enjoy them or don't enjoy them.  But always feel free to comment.

Happy Reading!

Born in Butler, Pennsylvania in 1951, I have been happily married to the world's most wonderful man for over 38 years! We have five grown children: four scattered around the country, and one who passed away in 2005. I enjoy reading and traveling; to support my habits I toil as a secretary at Penn State's main campus.

My name is Erin Cooley, and call it the gift of the Blarney or just Cooley genetics but I love to tell and hear stories. I enjoy discovering those "did you know" items and sharing them with friends. For many years I listened to my grandmother tell stories about the Great Depression. I have heard stories about war, love, food, far off places, and places right next door. A story can inspire people to clean a stream, build a museum, or preserve a family treasure. Stories bring us together, and I love that about stories.

As President and CEO of America's Stories Inc., the founders of StoryTrax.com, welcome to your new online community. A place where people can read, share and discover exciting new stories about their own home. I hope the stories you read here encourage you to interact with other individuals, businesses and organizations either online or in your own community.

We all leave our track on the landscape, preserve your story track and the stories of loved ones by writing them in your Story Blog. We hope you enjoy the site, please Blog and comment often, this is your community.

As for my story . . . . well, you will just have to read that in my Story Blog.

I am a professional archeologist and an amateur storyteller. I love authentic stories about real people and real places.

Im a guy from South Central, PA that likes to play and watch sports.  I like to hunt, and fish.  I started my own business and now work from home.  If youve got time to waste, stop by http://www.jeefer.net and post to my message post.

Also you can visit my myspace and read more about me.

It's all Cory's fault. If I offend someone, blame Cory. Of course, if you like something I put here, I'll take full credit.

This is my disclaimer. Anything I post is my own opinion, although I might borrow something funny from a more talented source, to help make my point. Rest assured, if you aren't laughing at my humor, I very well might be laughing at you!

My name is Nathan Koozer.  I am employed at Fort Roberdeau and at the University Park Campus of the Pennsylvania State University as a Staff Assistant in the Collections Maintenance Unit at the Pattee/Paterno Library.  I reside in Bellwood, PA with my wonderful wife Amanda.  I possess a BA in History from Penn State-Altoona.  I love all kinds of history especially local history.  I have had a hand in changing the way people view local history and showing that many "local" stories actually have a national significance.  My research interests include:  Fort Roberdeau/Revolutionary War, The Pennsylvania Mainline Canal and the Allegheny Portage Railroad, The Civil War and Gettysburg/Pennsylvania, Abraham Lincoln, and the History of Penn State University.  I look forward to adding research information on www.storytrax.com from Fort Roberdeau

I graduated from Gallaudet University in Washington, DC with a BA in Psychology last December.

I am praying I get in Wright State University's Graduate Program with a focus in Rehabilitation Counseling this June.  I would like to be a vocational rehabilitation counselor where I've been offered a job this fall.

I am a fluent user of American Sign Language (ASL). NO KIDDING!

A 40 hour a week volunteer. Enjoys history, archaeology,and people.

Making a Living by Working Smart... Not Hard.  :)

My name is Mike.  I'm 30 years old and married to a great girl.  We were just blessed on Christmas Eve with our first newbord Dhylan Michael.  My interests are... business, scuba, riding ATVs, Video Games, Computers, and most importantly spending time with my family and friends.  I am "Working Smart" everyday to improve the quality of life for my family and those closest to me.  I'm always outgoing and look forward to meeting and talking to new people every day!

I am a wife, mother and grandmother and interested in the internet community of people. Also, I enjoy creating websites and photography. I just logged on after 14 weeks and discovered that the Hollidaysburg Library will get $1 if I write a story. So I am going to think about that.  After some thinking, I submitted a short story about last weekend at Boalsburg.  So I hope that helps out the Hollidaysburg Library.  Thanks to StoryTrax for contributing $53 to our library; we appreciate it.  And I enjoy reading the interesting stories.

Family Physician in Cresson, PA

Hi!  I'm a wife to a great guy who also happens to be a minister.  I am mom and homeschooling mom to 5 kids.  I have very little free time so hobbies will come later in life- hopefully.  If it involves being with my family- I love to do it.  We all love to camp, play games, and hang out together.

My name is Andrew Cox and I have worked with America's Stories on the StoryTrax website. You can contact me via e-mail at: acox@nisgroup.biz.