My family arrived in Savannah, Georgia in the 1690s and moved south into the then Spanish colony of Florida. They have been in Florida since the early 1700s. That part of the family traces its line to William Dampier. He was an explorer if you were English and a pirate if you were Portuguese or Spanish. We have a family newsletter that is called the "Buccaneer" after him.

History can be fuzzy on some points. Some also argue that Alexander Selkirk was William Dampier. Some argue that it was Dampier that first marooned and then rescued Selkirk. Alexander Selkirk was the man marooned for four and one-half years on an island off the coast of Chile. Daniel Defoe fictionalized that story as The Life and Strange and Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe. Thus, my great, great, great, great, Grandfather was a Pirate who either rescued, or was Robinson Crusoe!

I am a Virginian, but I grew up in Florida. My Father was a scientist at Kennedy Space Center and my Mother remains active in Florida's local government. I spent twelve years in the New York metropolitan area, and returned to South Florida in 1992. I enjoy the beach, sailing, and travel. I enjoy many cuisines and fancy myself an amateur chef. I have two wonderful sons and have many photographs of them in my online photo albums.