This is the story of George Mann and what he did to celebrate his 75th birthday with his two sons and how his last words profoundly enriched his family. George Mann had taken his boys to the hunting camp from the time they were six. As they grew older they learned to share his love of camping, hunting, and the outdoors. A gift that they, in turn, have passed on to their boys. As his 75th birthday drew near George conceived and arranged a very special trip as a present for himself and his sons. Its object, hunting jaguars in Central America, sounded like a dream trip to his sons. However, as often happens, it did not quite turn out as planned. This story is Frank's first person account of that miserable ten-day survival experience where whatever could go wrong did go wrong. Filled with graphic details of incompetent guides, airplanes shared with chickens, disgusting food, "tourista" stomach, nights of terror, fierce mosquitoes and ticks, and filthy bodies and clothes-all the elements that made it the hell trip it became. But, as so often happens, this worse-ever experience became in retrospect Frank's best and most precious memory of his loving father. But the story wasn't ended when they finally got back home. Fourteen years later a little kitten named Resurrection manages to make George's last days on earth more significant and moving than his sons could have imagined.And now we invite you to share this fabulous trip without the danger or discomfort. Just adjust your lamp, open the book, sit back, and begin.
About the Author: Frank Mann was born and raised in Florida, Fort Myers to be exact. He left briefly for a degree from Vanderbilt University in Nashville but returned in 1963 to begin a 40 year career in Florida politics--a long time state legislator, candidate for Governor in 1986, and currently a county commissioner for Lee County. He was also for 17 years spokesman for the Association for Retarded Citizens of Florida. He has worked tirelessly to get government assistance for society's often overlooked citizens. Although he has written numerous political reports, news stories, and speeches his creative writing efforts are relatively recent. Twenty years ago Frank wrote a personal story about a tiny kitten named Resurrection that was born on Easter day and lived only a few months. He entered it in a contest on the subject of cats, which he won. A story about a hunting trip to Honduras with his father and brother, his second creative effort, also won first prize when submitted to another contest. The two have now been combined to tell the story of his father's love and generosity and have resulted in this, his first published book. Pretty good for a late-blooming author!