L-R: Jon on his beloved Honda at Ishikawa Beach in '64, with a model he built in Windom; Mary Christenson.
Here is some personal history -- I left Okinawa in Feb 1965 and spent a week in San Francisco marching prisoners and wondering why the Navy couldn't find a better use for someone of my obvious talents while waiting for discharge -- I came back to Minn. to find 10 foot snow drifts and -20 temps -- some shock after 120 degree Okinawa temps. My next crazy move was to drive to Alaska on the same Honda motorcycle that I had shipped back from Okinawa to join my brother at a mining camp in the middle of nowhere -- enroute -- brother quit his job and the mine folded up leaving us in a little fishcamp south of Fairbanks called Nanana and penniless. I got a job as a lumberjack (lovely work) until a job opened up at a nearby Defense Early Warning site (Clear, Alaska). I worked there for two years as a bartender and warehouseman saving up some money for college (there has to be a better way to earn a living). I left after two years on a new motorcycle (the old one froze to death) -- drove back to Minn. with my saddelbags full of money and enrolled in college. I found college to be too much like the military (regimented & controlled) and dropped out to enroll in Brown Institute for Electronics technician training -- after three years at Collins Radio in Iowa, I went back to Brown as an instructor and taught tech school for eight years. The career survived -- my first marriage didn't. I started a business manufacturing industrial market video equipment -- sixteen hour days suck,but I did it for eight years before burning out and deciding to enjoy the rest of my half life. First step in enjoyment was to take time to do some dating and marry the woman of my dreams (1985) -- second step was to semi-retire and find a good hobby. I found that early retirement means eating a lot of beans & peanut butter sandwiches and pissing off your associates who wish they didn't have to work to support their expensive life style. So, for the last ten years I've been discovering the fascination of retirement, working part time when I have to, living on savings and investments (thank you Warren Greenspan for pulling my stocks into an abyss) and trying to convince my wife to join me in poverty. Three years ago my father died -- leaving me a hobby form with several acres -- I built a flying field and flight instruction school, and spend my time selling RC airplanes and accessories, teaching others how to fly RC, and enjoy my hobby -- attending airshows -- competing in rc races & combat -- and building scale model aircraft. I am so pleased to re-connect with you guys, and look forward to hearing from you.
Jon Christenson, PC Hobbies, RR 1 Box 147, Windom, MN 56101
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