"No Problem, Mr. Walt: A Memoir of Loss, Building a Boat, Rebuilding a

Walt Hackman's "No Problem, Mr. Walt" is more than a poignant travel memoir. It is written by a father and easygoing voyager about his travels throughout China in his extraordinary quest to build an authentic wooden Chinese junk boat--in China! This delightful book is filled with humor, drama, and suspense juxtaposed with Chinese history, anecdotes, poetry, and recipes.
Synopsis: When Walt's son was tragically murdered, his world collapsed around him. Seeking peace of mind and a new beginning, Walt sought to honor his son's memory by bringing to life a dream that had long been delayed.
It is said, "the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." "No Problem, Mr. Walt" is the story of how, despite his unimaginable heartbreak, Walt decided to take that first single step, and the next, and the next. The result is a fun and fascinating story about the people and experiences he encountered in China during the construction of the 'Mei Wen Ti, ' an authentic handcrafted wooden Junk, and the journey he took in the process of becoming "Mr. Walt" while rebuilding his life as he built this extraordinary boat.
Mr. Walt's memoir is an account of personal tragedy and tenacious triumph. It's about the adventures and experiences of making unlikely friends despite significant cultural and language barriers, achieving an improbable dream against all odds, and the culmination of the "first step of a thousand miles" that changed his life forever.
Mr. Walt's extraordinary journey to build a wooden boat ultimately helped him honor the beloved son he lost and sail new seas.
Receiving rave reviews from readers around the world, this rewarding read will allow you to vicariously experience the author's China adventure--wherever you may be at the time you read it.

Author Walt Hackman is a retired computer executive, art gallery owner, philanthropist, Navy serviceman, father, husband, and world traveler. Walt joined the Navy in 1954, where his attachment to the ocean began. The next four years were filled with electrical and electronics training and an international tour aboard the USS Kermit Roosevelt ARG-16. While stationed aboard the Kermit Roosevelt, Walt traveled extensively throughout Southeast Asia and developed an ardent and abiding interest in Asian and Pacific Rim culture. After his discharge, Walt attended Glendale College, where he studied electronics and then went to work for Singer-Librascope, a subsidiary of the Singer Company, which primarily developed and manufactured computer systems for the US Navy. Walt started as an Incoming Electrical Inspector and worked his way up to Field Engineer. In the early 1960s, he was sent to Mare Island Naval Shipyard where he worked on the latest computer system aboard nuclear submarines. In 1962, Walt married Diane Magrina, and they moved to Hawaii where Walt had been transferred for work and continued his travels throughout the Pacific. His daughter, Lynn (who would later own the Mei Wen Ti from 2000 to 2008), and son, Walt, Jr., were both born in Oahu. The Hackmans eventually returned to Glendale, California, and in his early forties, Walt pursued his bachelors and master's degrees at Pepperdine University, graduating with a BSAS with honors and his MBA. For a while, Walt was a partner in a small computer company that specialized in third party maintenance (before the Geek Squad). In 1980, Walt and Diane purchased a local art gallery and custom frame shop. By the middle of the '80s, they had successfully expanded into an additional operation in Old Town Pasadena. Perchance, it was at the Pasadena art gallery that Walt met Don, a modern-day China trader, and his Chinese wife, Mei. They became friends, not realizing at the time that they would later share a life-changing adventure as they traveled back and forth to China together. In 1989, life as they knew it dramatically changed forever when the Hackman's son was tragically killed. The Hackman's marriage fell apart, and by 1992, they had sold their businesses and home, and both were set adrift in sorrow and the uncertainty of new beginnings. It was then, in his early fifties, that Walt Hackman decided to pursue his dream of living on a boat. Not just any boat, as it would turn out. Thus began his adventure of building a boat, rebuilding a life, and discovering China. The Mei Wen Ti would become Walt's phoenix rising, and the happy beginning of a life filled with adventure, discovery, and love. Walt met Virginia Harmening, who had a boat right next to the Mei Wen Ti in Ventura Harbor, and they married in 1997.