Re: Ultima I for IIGS

[Joe <joko@nospam.com>]

Don <coach41@pacbell.net> wrote:

> Nice to see you're still lurking Joe.  Since there's not a lot of
> Apple II activity with you these days, what's your "real job" these
> days?   Are you working in computers/IT or falling back to something
> else?  I'm always curious what happened to the various members of the
> Apple II community over the years!

My life changed pretty drastically one afternoon about 5 years ago.
 
I have a hard enough time trying to explain it to people in person,
and have never really tried to explain it using the written word, for
fear that I'd sound like I completely lost my mind.
 
To make a long story short, I've become obsessed with the native
vegetation of California.
 
It all started 5 years ago, when someone threw a free newspaper in my 
driveway, and looking through it, I saw a blurb for a Spring-time 
wildflower hike on Angel Island. I hadn't been there for years, and on a 
whim, went, little expecting that it would be a life-changing decision.

As a direct result of that walk, I went back to school to take classes in 
Botany and in Environmental Activism. One thing led to another, and I've 
been leading wildflower hikes for the past several years for the 
California Native Plant Society. I've led more than 100 hikes here in 
Marin, trying to open people's eyes to the floral wonders that surround 
us, but that hardly anyone even notices.
 
I've become further involved with the Environmental Education program
that I completed, and have been helping to coordinate environmental
training sessions, particularly focusing on water resources and
watershed issues. I've also been speaking out at various public
meetings, urging the protection of California native plants from
further degradation.
  
The following appeared in a Marin County environmental magazine about
a year ago, and although it's not about me per se, it sure captures
what I'm up to these days:
 
http://www.terra-marin.com/articles/springwildflowers.php
 
And, in case you're curious, I'm typing this on my Apple IIGS.

Joe Kohn