When I was a kid of just 14 rs old,  I joined the Local Volunteer Ambulance Corps,

 and eventually, after many hours of training and an "internship" of sorts,

I trained to become a Red Cross certified

First Aid instructor, Advanced first iiad instructor, and C.P.R. Instructor.

I became an Instructor with

The

American Red Cross

Teaching Basic First aide,  &  then Advanced first Aid ,

and

C.P.R Instructor .

then, My goal advanced to becoming a certified

E.M.T.

( emergency Medical Technician )

H  i v /A.I.D.S  Educator,  and  Paramedic, 

 Eventually I became a Bio-Medical Engineer,

 Repairing Artificial Kidney Machines, Heart Lung Machines,

 and various other Surgical Machines.

 I've  also had the Privledge and Honor

 of Hand delivering Human Organs ( BOTH  Hearts , Kidneys and Eyes ) for Transplantation

Flying them by Private Lear Jets, to several different  locations throughout  the United States.

in association with the Procurement Team of Beth Israel Medical Center, in Newark, N.J.

But, for most of My working life,

 I've been a skilled tradesman of one sort or another.

And whenever it was appropriate, or I happened to be on scene,

I've gladly risked My own life many times over, 

 in order to save others ,

  which was always My Priority,

and Great Honor to do !

At this writing, I can count over 35 individual Lives, who were in deep peril of dying,

whom I have single handedly and persoanlally saved through one way or another,

thanks to My extensive emergency response training.

( I highly recommend that EVERYONE learn CPR

along with some advanced First Aid techniques,

as You never know when You'll be able to help someone or a loved one. )

My Most exciting rescue  

Was the time, I was fishing in the Gulf of Mexico.

 I once kept a man alive on an overnight fishing charter,

 while aboard "The Florida Fisherman 1 "  in St. Pete Fla.

He had mistakenly left his Nitro-Gycerin tablets

in His glove compartment back at shore, 

This Poor guy  was laying in the lower bunk next to me in the belly of the beast so to speak,

 as We were on an overnight trip to the outer banks to fish for Grouper,

when during the night I had heard Him gasping for air.

He needed more than that, and there was no Oxygen aboard !

Luckily, I kept Him alive for Over 12 straight hours during a very bad storm,

with 60 -70 mph Winds and 20 foot seas,

 all the while awaiting the aid of the U.S. Coast Guard while

out in the Outer Banks of the Gulf of Mexico during November of 1981.

It was some rescue , with no Oxygen or medical supplies on board !

 I couldn't believe it !

The Coast Guard couldn't fly in this weather until it let up, which took what seemed forever !

I guess It was Lucky I was on board at the right time,

as unbelievably,

I was the only person on the ship

 with any rescue skills to try & help this poor man !

For 12 hours straight I performed C.P.R. til finally,

The Coast Guard Helicopter  finally reached Us,

 and Thank Goodness because I was totally exhausted !

They lowered the basket in the rainy night,

 and  I and several fellas lifted Him into the basket, with some difficulty ,

and finally,  off He went, Up into the rain. Never to be seen By Me ever again !

I wish Him well !  It was an Awesome Trip regardless,

 and I was Happy to Help  !

Some things You never forget, or  get any credit for,

but as usual, most every Rescue I've ever made

Was  performed anonymously.

 Unsung, and Untold of , especially By me, until now,

But being a shy person , 

 I always sort of disappeared into the shadows,,.

so I only have Myself to blame for that !

But I never did it for "Pats on the Back" or the attention or label of "HERO". 

I did it because I could, knew how, and had a moral obligation to Jump In !

besides, like I've always said,

I never was much for attention.

But, I'm 57 yrs old now, & pretty well beat to a pulp physically

 and now..,

  I am unfortunately & Painfully,  Physically Disabled,

 due to severe Back & Neck Injuries, not helped

 from My many rescues and several mishaps

along the way,

all which now place me in constant pain

which unfortunately limits My activity to a very great degree .

 But hey, Come on , I can't just sit around crying in a towel all day. Right?

 After all, Every scrape and scratch I earned, I wear as a badge of honor !

It's "how I rolled" back then, and probably still do.

 I wouldn't trade these memories for anything !

So, despite running into quite a few QUACK OC's along the Journey,

I owe many Thanks to  a few caring and competent Physicians,

at Comprehensive Pain Center"

in Allentown PA.

Their use of Medical Science,

 & 

My Good insurance... (of course )

 And quite a bit of  Modern "Space age" Cybernetics,

 I'm Lucky enough to get My life back with the Miraculous help

 of an

 Implanted Medical Device Placed within My abdomen,

 called a "Micro Infusion Delivery System"

 made By

 "Medtronic".

This little pump delivers

anesthesia directly into My spinal cord,

 As a result, I am  in much less pain,

 and can function more clearly once again .

 Without it's assistance, I would probably not be here.

 I'd have rotted away in bed a long ago,

from all the nasty oral med's I used to have to take.

(Probably enough each day that it would stop an elephants heart! The pain was that BAD !)

 But now, I am doing much better and I'm so grateful for this life saving machine,

a Morphine Pump implanted in My abdomen ! WOW !

 it allows Me to be clear headed  and try to be moderately productive and useful once again !

I Highly recommend looking into this Pump, if You suffer any Chronic Pain Conditions.

You can have Your life back once again !

So now...This is how I try to make ends meet

 as I just cannot be a reliable employee these days, working a nine to five,

 although I would dearly love to get back to work once again,

I just can't.

  It's important to Me to be able to be reliable, and  It's pretty tough some days to even move

especially in the cold of winter, do to My physical limitations caused from Dreaded

 "Pedicle Screws,

 implanted by a "Quack" Neuro Surgeon, from Clarks Summit PA.

(Beware !)

 The constant stabbing pain they inflict on me,

instead of the Miracle they were supposed

to have performed for Me.

 But gratefully,  because of this Pump,

  and

 with the love,

 support & care from

My lovely Wife of 30 yrs,

  and My Best Friend,

Kalli

 Whom I owe so very Much to , I manage to get by these days pretty well despite the pain.

 Without Her love & support, I would surely have perished long ago  !

 We also have a Wonderful Daughter, " PATI " whom We are so very proud of !

So now,  realizing my limitations, and knowing

I have to try to supplement our income somehow

 I returned to Wood Sculpting once again.

 It seems to be what I do best, especially at this stage in My life,

and time I now have, permits Me the luxury.

 However...Being in My position, has certainly taken a toll on Our budget,sanity

 and My physical condition.

 I feel pretty helpless, not being able to hold down full time employment anymore.

 I love to work, work hard, Work well and provide My Employer

a quality person to do the quality job they hired Me for.

 I dearly miss it.

Many people might envy Me, but  believe Me, It's no Party !

I would only wish it on  Osama,  and Al Quaeda

  But  honestly,

 I'm not feeling sorry for Myself,

 I don't want You to either !

I'm just telling it like it is.

 I am  trying to do whatever I can,

to help ease Our financial burden in any way I can

 and to help Us survive in this crazy world We live in.

So, once I felt able enough to give it a shot again, 

 I gathered My wits, Pulled Myself up slowly but surely,

 and as I was able to do some work once again,

 I went to work on a mission of  "Serious Artistic endeavors".

 It sure beats watching "Judge Judy" !

So, I started Wood carving again, trying to replicate 

these Wonderful Little creatures,

 after having recovered from a very bad car wreck a few years back, 

in which I actually Died, and was luckily revived.

 luckily I was not only left with a second chance at life,

and it seemed I came back with a few gifts along the way,

one of which being the gift allowing Me to create these Beautiful Birds.

Not just A Birds, But  realistic looking Birds,  all lifesized,

 life like in a Flying pose with wings outstretched ~

Very rare to say the least. I've done lots of research,

 looking in "google" and other sources of wooden art.

Lifesized, Wings open... Hard to find for sure !

Go to 

 Google/Images

www.google.com/images/

 and search for

  "  Wood Carved Birds in flight  "

  Wings spread out in flight.

So, I took it as a personal challenge after having so many amazing Hummingbirds

 visit me, inches close, as if they knew me .  It was strange...but  true.

 I even have Bald Eagles flying overhead, seeking trout in the River that borders My front yard.

 So, I sure had subject matter, no problem.

These Little Hummingbirds just amaze Me.

 They'd often come just inches from My face each morning, as if to say...

  "Hi Pat, Thanks for the nectar Buddy, see ya later , 

and off they'd fly, like little fairies dancing on the wind !

 That's what got Me started with Carving these amazing Birds,

after studying them as close as I could, I said to Myself,

"Hey .., I can bet I make one of those ! "

  The results got better & better, with pretty good reviews.

  As I carved more and more of them, I'd add more and more details.

After all...

 "Practice makes Perfect"

 right ? 

 Being a "Sick"Perfectionist, (it drives Me crazy sometimes, believe Me) 

 I'm not satisfied until I get it right ~

So fascinated  at how such tiny little creatures hover and dance in the sky.

 I just love watching them as they gracefully Hover and weave their way through the air !

Being a pretty good photographer, I manage to catch these  wonderful creatures  with My digital camera,

 so I can study their details more closely.

  Heres a few good shots I caught recently, in the summer of  '08

I took on this not so easy a task of Carving them out of wood,

 trying to catch them Doing what they do,

and

Hopefully preserving them forever through My Wood Sculpting.

 Turns out that after a few near misses, I seemed to have luckily gotten it right.

 But...then, came the Eagle family, living on the beautiful Lackawaxen RIver,

 upon which Our home and Front yard run parralel with each other.

Our

"Front Yard" !

( I love it ! )

 American Bald Eagles, once very few in numbers,

 have thankfully been taken off the endangered species list,

and

are thriving in N.E. Pennsylvania like never before!

 So beautiful and majestic,

 they often fly right passed My shop,

 looking for a tasty trout to land.

Heres a picture I took,

of one of the

Bald Eagles that often land across river

 from My Property on the Mighty Lackawaxen River,

 Perched Hi up in the trees, to survey the land and river below.

 A true inspiration if ever there was one !

 I'm so glad to see them.

 It's a true honor to be in their company !

My love for wood has always been a big part of My life!

However, never quite as strong before My Car Wreck.

Now, I have such a strong desire to create these wonderful creatures out of wood,

 and it seemed I had develoved some talent in doing so.

I think it's a gift I brought back, from My now deceased Grandmother,

Marie, whom I was so very  close to,

 and Who met Me in the afterlife, only to send Me back. 

 As I lay in Her lap, She stroked My hair and She said

 "I wasn't allowed to be there just yet, & I still had things to do." 

Next thing  I knew, I awoke in the local trauma center, and they got  started rebuilding My face .

 back in the early 90's.

But Bird Carving..? this is an extremely difficult thing.

 carving Lifelike, lifesized Birds, with open wings ?

Practically,Unheard of !

Most  all wood carved birds I've seen throughout the internet,

 are all perched on a branch,

 and

 they're usually miniatures at that, mostly wings folded.

 Very Nice work indeed,

 But  so  "static".

My Birds,  come "alive" which is critical aspect for Me personally,

 like I said, I suffer from "Perfectionism", which is a very annoying thing most times,

 because after all, Who among us can truly achieve perfection ?

 But I do try as Hard as I can,

 and so far,

these are the results.

My one big hope, is that I can continue doing so,

 with the support of My Patrons ,Family and Friends,

and I can continue creating Birds and Sculptures out of wood.

 Hopefully,

 I'll Please a few eyes before I pass from this realm permanently .

It's amazing what a Knock on the head can do to a guy,Huh ? !

 ( however, I don't recommend it ! )

 But I'm truly  glad after all, to feel good enough now and to have this new talent,

and the opportunity to share My work with everyone.

 I hope You enjoy My work as much I enjoy creating it.

Thank You for Your visit  and Your Valuable Time !

 

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