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From the mountains of Pennsyltucky!
Using the power of OpenOffice, the Gimp and Linux.
My Name is Bill Byron and I live here in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania. I was an Auto Technician by trade. Now I am disabled and live day by day with severe back and neck pain. I had been an Automotive Technician for 24 years, until my spine gave out with degenerative and compressed disks and arthritis. I also have moderate asthma and allergies. Automotive work takes a toll on ones body. This has made a major change in my life and made me realize how much I appreciate family and friends. I've been married for 25 years to my wife Miriel. She works for our local school district and we have two sons. My oldest William the 3rd is a school teacher in South East Pennsylvania. He has a major in history with a secondary degree in teaching. He teaches secondary social studies. My youngest, Alan will be going to East Stroudsburg University this fall. He wants to major in science with a secondary in teaching. Then there are the dogs. My wife thought they would keep me company. What I ended up with is two that are kind of like three year old spoiled kids! We have Dante a three year old white male German Shepherd. We've had him since he was a 7 week old pup. Now he is 90lbs and 28 inches high at his front shoulders. Just big enough to come over to the computer desk and when he wants attention he just keeps putting his muzzle under my arms and lifting my hands away from the key board. "Hey it's play time". Then there is Cody. He is an all American dog or also known as a mutt. He is an Australian Shepherd/ Keeshond mix. Both are Therapy Dogs and have their Canine Good Citizenship papers and compete in agility and Dante also competes in AKC Obedience.
Here
is most of the family from December 2005
We live in Albrightsville, Pennsylvania and my ground elevation at my house is 1,974 feet and I have lived here since 1993. Bought my house during the summer and quickly learned that there are only two seasons here, a very brief Spring, Summer, Fall that goes from May 15th to October 15th and the rest of the year it is winter. So if you like gray cloudy days and lots of winds, that have been clocked in the 90mph range when we get strong cold fronts coming out of Canada and off shore Nor-Easters, along with cold damp days this is your kind of place. This area was farm and coal and logging and tourism. But now people don't think twice about commuting from the New York City or Philadelphia areas, don't think twice about the long hour plus one way trip. Now we have state sponsored gambling coming. Our area is getting so built up I can see a time when it will just be one more area in the Northeast Corridor.
If you live in this state you quickly find out that the governor thinks Pennsylvania is just Philadelphia and Pittsburgh and Harrisburg and the rest of the state does not count. January of 2005 we got hammered from two ice storms and six counties up here in North East PA had no power in some areas for two weeks. He was to concerned, as ex-mayor of Philadelphia, about the Eagles being in the Super Bowl to give any thought to our area. We, in the area up here, lost 50% of our trees, it took till the fall to finally get rid of all the dead trees and get my yard back to nice shape. I was lucky that none came down on my house or vehicles. Thank the heavens that the GOP found someone to seriously run against Mr. Rendell in former Pittsburgh Steeler Lynn Swan!
On the subject of politics, we have also gotten involved with a group in our community. When we first moved here to this quiet little private development we were given a rule book which consisted of 5 pages of mostly common-sense rules & regulations, that was 13 years ago. Today the rule book cannot even be stapled together without an industrial grade mechanical stapler and the people who are on the Board for the community are advocating more and more rules despite the opposition of the majority of the homeowners that live here. At this point our group in addition to trying to unseat the current Board is trying to start a grass roots movement to have the state adopt legislation that will protect homeowners and their rights from out of control abusive boards of directors in private communities. We don't believe that the US and State Constitutions are suspended just because you buy in a "community".
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Alan is 17 years old and is working on his Eagle Scout. He is an avid shooter and has his NRA sharp shooter rank. He likes hunting and target shooting. He is still looking for his first Whitetail Deer, although he helps us out by bringing home possums every now and then for dinner. Unlike his brother who drives a fancy car with all the bells and whistles he wants to get a big V-8 American made 4X4 pickup raised up real high with a gun rack and those girlie mud flaps. He is in college classes in high school. He has made Distinguished Honors this year with his grades. He wants to follow in his older brothers footsteps and become a Secondary School Science Teacher. But unlike his older brother is proud of his roots and where he comes from. My oldest never wanted to live here in coal cracker redneck land. Alan will go to East Stroudsburg University right here in the Poconos.
I am a avid computer nut and I try
I am a computer nut who tries to keep up with all the changes. There is something for everyone. Even my parents, who are retired, have gotten into computers. The best thing that has happen is that my friend Tom introduced me to Linux. What an operating system! That was in 1998 and since 1999 I have been 100% M$ Windoze free. No blue screens of death and such reliability and performance. If you are still using the other guys OS and tired of all the stupid stuff that happens to it maybe its time to give Linux a try or Apple with its UNIX based operating system. I am also an Amateur Radio Operator. My call is N3VAE. I have a two-meter repeater that is linked to several other repeaters that is used for passing traffic for the Mount Holly National Weather Service Skywarn Program. Plus I have a UHF repeater that is linked to several others. See my HAM PAGE. I have a better hobby than amateur radio and that is shooting. I love going down to the range with friends or the family. Looking forward to getting my son in to competition shooting. So that is about it for now.
William Thomas Byron Jr.
