Kenneth Skelton

Smiley grew up watching television shows, like Jacques Cousteau Undersea World about scuba diving all over the world. He was influenced by his 5th grade teacher talking about her summer drive to 4 Corners in her big luxury car. My relatives that traveled the world would send post cards to my family and then when they got home show us slide shows of their exciting trips. Smiley read the books written about Robert Ripley's extensive travels to over 200 countries in the early 1900's and today Ripley's Believe it or Not museums are home to the many artifacts he collected in his travels. My urge to travel was so great that at 14 years young I climbed out my bedroom window with my bright orange LL Bean backpack and dark green pup tent to go on an adventure to Nova Scotia on the MS Prince of Fundy. My younger brother David caught me and I told him if Dad and Mom wonder where I am, tell them I will be back in a couple of days. When Smiley arrived in Canada customs wanted to know how much money I had and it was not enough to enter the country. they never asked my age. so I stayed on the ship and returned home. Then a year later my Dad Kenny got me a Copyboy job for Maine's largest newspaper the Portland Press Herald and he helped me buy my first car to drive to work, my 1969 VW Beetle that I named after my Dad Kenny. Our first big 45 day trip was Maine to Florida. It took 13 years to visit all 50 states but it was so much fun and educational about America's history, culture and amazing beauty. There is no other country in the world like America the beautiful.