Thanks Lisa,

On the flip-side of inspiration is education. @ age 11 I use to sit with a mentor of mine, Larry Ligon rip. He was a fire inspector and he played me devil’s advocate. It was a game we played, I would tell him how the system works and he would tell me how it wouldn’t work. I would draw it out and he would shouw me what I am not taking into account. I attribute my, self proclaimed, keen sense of observation to Larry’s devil advocacy program. Since he was a fire inspector he had videos of fires that were under investigation. We would sit and watch the videos and Lary would tell me what he sees and why those details were important but most importantly what he was able to conclude from the observation.

We examined everything from arson to electrical fires to Forest fires and campfire reflares. I was friends with his son Charlie. Charlie went to war in Iraq and is back safe… Thank God!

I have a few Larry Ligon Stories… I will share them over time…

Cool stories you all!

My brothers got chemistry sets and microscopes for Christmas and I got an Easy Bake Oven… Don’t get me wrong – I liked my cookery – but I really wanted that chemistry set.

So, I guess it was my brothers that inspired me to invent… Thanks Jerry, Thanks Ray. :)

Great topic Chappy!

never had a role model for invention. My middle name is Theodore. I thought I was supposed to be a Rough Rider and was born in the wrong century. My first invention was a rocket powered sled that I built growing up on a farm. Might have made it all the way to the moon just like Santy Claus, but the Black Cat bottle rockets just had enough oomph to move it a couple inches before it blew up.

Well i guess it would be no surprise to say my dad was the one who inspired me the most… A book that i always remember on our HUDGE book shelf; and he always talked about was “The Power of Positive Thinking.” I don’t recall who wrote it…. i dont believe i read it… but i remember it and to this day refer to it… i know it to be true as i have used it in my life… !!!

Also i remember a story he told off and on … He was teaching a architectural drafting class and a girl came to the class by mistake… He convinced her to stay and she later became a architect… WOW power of suggestion eh???

Also my dad taught me so many things i still use to this day… It is how i have become to be independent… !!! he would say what ever you want to do in life you can do… ANYTHING… and he encouraged me and my brother/sister to do things like wood working, home ec.. didnt really separate girl from boy activity… you should learn all that you can… He offered all three of us at age 16 to get our pilot licence if we wanted… my sis and brother did !!!!!!! they flew airplanes before they drove a car !!! i was chicken… i stuck with my horse !!!

My dad taught me some car mechanics… some easy electrical… some flooring… a little of allot of stuff… he used to say "Jack of all trades… Master of none… :))) However to me … when i look back on what he did… was a logger when world war II broke out… went to the war as a medic…became a carpenter… then law enforcement… then engineer… then CA OSHA then FED OSHA then Expert Witness on slip n falls … Mom was still getting calls for his Opinion after he passed unexpectedly at age 88… He did what ever he wanted !!!

i asked him once… Hey dad how do you still keep going??? he said… "ONE FOOT IN FRONT OF THE OTHER’ i love him… !!!! i bet i copied him like Gregs son copied him at the dinner table !!!!!!!!!! :))))))))))))))))))

i have always “come up with things” common sense things to me… to work something out that i needed… like using a latch from the inside of a door to fix my antique lamp from the inside in order to hold up a stained glass shade… Making a wooden wind chime out of old table legs… and on and on…. boring stuff… but workable :))))

i feel there are those that need to be taught and those that have a feel for something…Kinda like some take piano lessos and some learn by ear… we are all so unique… i dont believe on size fits all… that is for sure !!!!!!!!

OK nite nite !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I’ll start.

When I was 8 years old my grandfather just built the most amazing house on Marco Island. It was equipped with, what was then, the most sophisticated control system. He explained the inner workings and I hung on every word. He was a aeronautical engineer and I would spend hours looking on his drafting board. This house had the most incredible vaccuum cleaner that I had ever seen. It was built into the wall and wow, I was impressed. He showed me the canister in the garage and the contacts that generated power in the head to power the brushes.

Then I showed me how the computer controlled all of the systems and lights on the property. The monitor was touchscreen and built into the wall too. For its time, It was THE most sophisticated system. Between that and his stories he inspired me to invent.

Instruction to invent is something completely different.

Who inspired you? When?