Dennis EcklundDennis Ecklund was born a stone's throw from the Rio Grande river in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Dec. 1, 1946. He lost his father at an early age. In his early teen years, he began working nights washing dishes to help support his mother and younger ister. He's held a wide variety of jobs since then. Among other things, he knows how to shoe a horse, scrape a boat, repair any old Volkswagen, short-order cook, machine anything, edit a newspaper, design a magazine and run a darkroom. He's a lifelong avid photographer and a voracious reader. He spent 30 years in journalism and marketing, retiring as a corporate communications director. In 1970, Ecklund married Anita Wolf in Mexico, where they spent their honeymoon camping on Rosarita Beach in Baja, California. They share a love for the open road and since then have visited all 48 contiguous states, plus Canada and Mexico. I've always been a worker, He says. I learned early on that people who make themselves useful never lack for employment. Nowadays I take care of my wife and three cats, and I grow tomatoes when it's warm enough. When there's time, I write. Read More Read Less