Steve Graves

Margaret Bernice (Aton) Graves (1917-1979) This is my mother at age 44.  This photo was taken April 15, 1961, at the cabin built by my father at Prince's Lakes.  (Yes, "Prince's" is spelled correctly.  A guy named Prince built several lakes there.)  I was 11 years old at the time this was taken.  Dad completed the cabin in 1960, and my parents sold it circa 1969 to help pay for my college education.

It's winter.  I walk along.  The trees bare.  Bird nests now visible.  Pat Arthur called Terri last evening.  Pat is our neighbor.  Jim died Tuesday.  He was 62.  Jim is their daughter's husband.  I did not know Bill.  Never met Bill.  Never even seen Bill that I know of.  Terri and I went to the funeral home.  We saw, paid our respects, left.  The takeaway: When it's your time, it's your time.

In the early 1980s, the U.S. entered an economic recession caused by the Federal Reserve's acting to raise interest rates to curb high inflation.  High mortgage interest rates put a virtual halt to residential sales.  I was a residential appraiser at the time, and found next to nothing to work on. I rented our house so as not to lose it back to the lender.  We rented an apartment for my small family that included two children aged 2 and 3. My financial savior was the chief appraiser at the Indianapolis HUD office, Phil Caito, who allowed me onto the panel of appraisers making FHA appraisals.  ( In those days, HUD approved appraisers directly, unlike later when mortgage companies were given the ability to approve appraisers.)   Working night and day, FHA at the time saved my financial ass.

Lifetime Achievement Award given by Hoosier State Chapter of the Appraisal Institute

I am not sure what year this was. I am guessing 1955 but could be off a year or two. Looks like my expression then is about the same as it is now.

Here is a common house fly I noticed walking on the snow on our deck. I had never seen one doing this, given the conditions. Thinking you might not believe it, I tried to make a video clip showing him actually walking on the snow, but fumbled around and couldn't figure out how to work my camera.