Welcome to my web page. It is still under construction and I have a lot more that I want to do with this page, so check it again later. I'll be updating it from time to time quite often over the next few weeks. Feel free to contact me regarding any of the topics contained in my page and I'll be happy to trade emails with you. The main purpose of my web page is for the rabbit hobby that I enjoy so much, but you can see that I also have several other interests too. I'm available for any rabbit topic, any time. I'm also willing to talk about gardening and robotics. I'm in no way any sort of expert on any of these topics, but I do enjoy trying to help people or to just share just sharing information.
Dutch
American Dutch Rabbit Club homepage
I really like the Dutch breed. I can't remember when My family first got into Dutch, but my dad and my niece raised and showed them for many years. The Dutch personality and temperament makes them one of the best pet breeds there is. They are challenging, but fun to raise and to show. I've raised several breeds over the years and like to try out a new breed from time to time, but the Dutch are one breed that I will always stick with.
Mini Satin and Satin
American Satin Rabbit Breeders Association homepage
I'm not real sure what drew me into Mini Satins to begin with. Maybe it was the fond memories of the early years in Mini Rex when they were new. I expect Mini Satins to be coming along at a really fast pace, with the development of more colors and increasing popularity. I have whites and am working on a few other colors too. There are a lot of good Satin and Mini Satin breeders in the Midwest, so check out the American Satin Rabbit Breeders Association and get to know some of your area breeders. There are a lot of people that can help you get started with Mini Satins.
Mini Rex
National Mini Rex Rabbit Club homepage
I started raising show rabbits in the early 70's with Rex as one of my breeds. I've always loved Rex and would watch the judging even after I got out of them. When Mini Rex came along I was eager to try them out since they were smaller, and at the time, I preferred that. It was also a great breed to have when trying to learn rabbit coat color genetics. The Mini Rex have come a long way since the first pair I got in those early days of the breed. I showed a lot of them in the 90's and then took several years off from raising and showing Mini Rex. Recently I have started breeding and showing them again and I can see that they have progressed to be a really beautiful breed with a lot of people raising them.
Gardening
I grew up raising rabbits and growing a garden. Gardening is every bit as important to me as rabbits are. The rabbits provide valuable fertilizer for gardens, so the two hobbies do go hand in hand. Each year I typically grow at least 25 different kinds of vegetables along with several kinds of herbs and a few flowers.
My dogs
Link for Dog Training Information
Collie Club of America
These are my two Collies, Libby and Boo. What a great pair of dogs these are. I'll never have anything but Collies for the rest of my life after getting to know this breed. Boo is a white blue merle. Collies have a white variety, think of it like the broken gene in rabbits. He is out of some really good show dogs, but for me is just a pet so far. I got him when he was 14 months old and he has a lot to learn to catch up to Libby. Libby is a sable. She comes from a line of Collies that specialize in herding. It's pretty funny when I take her to the dog park because she does not fetch. What she does instead is to run alongside a dog that is going out to fetch, and then she herds it back while it is returning the ball. She will push it along with her snout as if to make it go back to the person that threw the ball. Both of my collies are purebred, just from lines that focus on entirely different kinds of competition than each other.
Robots
I am a mentor for the Peoria Notre Dame High School Robotics Team. It can be a lot of work, but it is very rewarding. The robotics competition is through an organization known as FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology). FIRST was founded in 1989 to inspire young people's interest and participation in science and technology, while building self-confidence, knowledge, and life skills. It is sponsored by NASA and has over 1500 teams from all over the world, mostly from the USA. The founders of FIRST recognized that most of the role models for our young people are sports stars and musical performers, who often set negative examples. And there has been a serious lack of inspiration for kids to pursue careers in science and technology. FIRST Robotics was created to not only create heightened interest in science and technology through hands-on learning, but to provide youth with positive role models active in industry.
The actual competition changes every year, this means that teams must design and build an entirely new and different robot each year. Most years, the robot is approximately 5 foot tall and weighs around 120 pounds. We involve the kids in every phase of the robot design and build; electronics, pneumatics, computer programming, mechanical build, even the budgeting for the team. Teams also compete in web design and computer animation using industry standard software. Over all, this is a great way for kids to experience a wide range of technical skills, while working on a real project with real engineers to mentor them. Hopefully some of the kids that go through the program will be the next generation of innovators that will be taking on the difficult problems that await their generation. Some of their age group are going to have to solve challenges of energy shortages, pollution, food supply in an ever increasing population, and various other things. And so we start by making science and technology fun and interesting while trying to foster the best in our young people.