| - - - This Page Designed By - - - |  |
Back to Index Page
If the flashing name is annoying, click the "Stop" button above in your Browser Tool Bar.
| I was born to a Dutch Catholic family in the town of Oss in Holland. The town is close to the German border and in the middle area of Holland. We immigrated to Canada when I was a half year old. |  |
 |
After moving to Canada, my dad worked in Toronto for a year and then started his own business. Within 3 years, we had moved to Whitby, Ontario and lived withing 10 kms of this town until I moved away from home. Me and my sister to the left, |
| and me and a snake to the right. Our family ended up with 3 siblings, me the oldest, then sis, then bro, all about 2 years apart. |  |
 |
To the left, our first trip to Disneyworld. Our family started regular vacations to Florida. |
| To the right, canoeing on Eel's creek near the family cabin. |  |
 |
Here we are clearing the snow off of the cabin. There was a really old 2 room cabin with an outhouse on the property which the whole family used for a couple of years. My dad created a family project of building our own cabin. A house size one with 3 bedrooms, full bath, kitchen and a 10 foot rock fireplace in the living room. The project was pretty much completed in 2 years of weekends with one complete summer dedicated to it. The whole family pitched in and some of the lumber was cut from our own property |
| This is me at one of my first real jobs. I am the one serving the ice cream, my brother is on the seat. Before going to University, I worked Chinese food delivery, baker's helper, and plant care at a garden nursery. In University (of Waterloo) I studied computer science and did my work terms at General Motors - programming department. During this time I realized I did not want to be stuck behind a computer screen the rest of my life so I headed for the mountains for a change of scenery. |  |
Jasper at Twilight!My own picture.
 |
My first steady job there was working for the Jasper Tramway(where I also met Mary). I worked there for three years and in my last year there, worked at what was then the Andrew Motor Lodge. |
 |
The bride and groom with his family. My brother, my mother, Mary, Me, my dad, my sister |
| One of my more ambitious hikes, Pyramid Mountain, Jasper. We had one bike between the 3 of us (My dad, brother and me) which we walked up to the end of the fire road. Then we climbed the mountain to the peak. This is all walking, no real rock climbing except for 2 to 3 foot boulders to clamber up. Start elevation around 3500 ft, summit around 9000 ft. Total trip was around 9 hours including everyone getting a share of the bike on the way down. |  |
 |
 | Second ambitious hike. Total round trip was around 46 km. First and last 10 km by bike then hiking from end of fire road to Berg Lake at Mount Robson. Picture is of Kinney Lake and the Valley of a Thousand Falls. 10 hours. |
| From Jasper, we move to Vernon in the Sunny Okanagan. We make our first venture into self-employment with a soup and sandwich shop and within a year have moved on to a convenience store. |  |
The most fun business we ever owned.  |
 Another convenience store, this one with a gas station. We really enjoyed businesses that we could live at. This way the family was always together. |
Inside Picture of me at the counter of the above C-Store.
 |
Whole Family - Summer 1997 or 98? 4 on right are me and my family.
 |
I guess we don't feed them enough. The little one is pure chihuahua, the other is cocker spaniel-chihuahua cross.  |
Continuing the Family Tradition. Relaxing on the bench after enjoying a terrific meal at the Crystal Palace in the Magic Kingdom, DisneyWorld, Florida
Sadly, Mary passed away from breast cancer in September 2000.
She was a special lady and is missed constantly by her family and friends.
My most recent business was Planet Lazer in Kelowna, a lazer tag gamin center.