These words of Robert Frost ring through to my soul. The simple closing phrase in his famous poem, The Road Not Taken, speaks to the fact that my life path has not been one of a two-lane desert highway, cut straight and without detours, but rather my choice (whether conscious or subconscious) has been to travel a winding mountain road. A road that boasts of scenic views and roadside distractions. A path that has been full of twists and turns, risks and adventure, uphill climbs, and my fair share of flat tires. I wouldn't have it any other way.

Dragged out of New England at the age of five, I was brought up in Northern Virginia by two Massachusetts born & bred Yankees that insisted Virginia was indeed the Deep South. (In other words, that was as far south as anyone would ever want to live, after all, we were Yankees.) The New England breeding has given me determination, persistence, and the Puritan Work Ethic...

Although rooted in the Calvanist religious theories of the minority lot commonly known as 'Pilgrims', in my family it had come to mean that one was to work hard, utilize all one's God-given talents, and the rewards will come.

And as far as not venturing further South than Virginia? I crossed the Mason-Dixon line decades ago and never looked back. I have made my home in the northern suburbs of Atlanta for over twenty-five years and enjoy the people, the ever-changing hardscape, and the proximity to the North Georgia mountain roads.