I recently moved to Lowell after living for thirty-four years in the house that my wife and I built in Carlisle. It was quite a project since neither of us had ever done anything like that before. Unfortunately, my dear wife died four years ago.

My son has carried on the tradition of building his own house, but he carried the task even further than we did. He cut down 150 trees from his property in western Massachusetts, made lumber from the trees, and built a home, bigger than mine, using post-and-beam design, and relying on mortise and tenon construction to hold the pieces together.

My daughter and her husband live in Portland, OR, taking good care of my two grandgirls. She is a professor in early childhood education and development at the local community college.

I am retired from a career in chemical engineering, and human resources, specializing in compensation management, recruiting and outplacement, i.e., helping people find jobs. I have been a GEARUP tutor for the past seven years working in the Lowell school system. I am a great cook, and a terrible, but avid golfer. Love of woodworking, travel, reading, watching foreign films and having stimulating conversations keep me busy in retirement.