Don Weston:
CLASS OF 1962
Simi Valley High SchoolClass of 1962
Simi valley, CA
Jemtegaard Middle SchoolClass of 1982
Washougal, WA
Canby Union High SchoolClass of 1975
Canby, OR
Minerva High SchoolClass of 1962
Minerva, OH
Euclid High SchoolClass of 1962
Euclid, OH
Don's Story
This is still being updated occasionally in case anyone is interested.
I attended public schools in five different districts, three in Ohio and two in California. One of the few advantages of moving so much was getting to know some great people.
My college education includes a BA from Cal Western, 1965, and MS from the University of Oregon, 1979. I also have a substantial amount of post graduate work at Cal State Northridge and Portland State University,
I have been divorced twice, and have four "kids" and two step kids ranging from 45 to 29 in age. Between us, Carla and I have eight grandchildren,
As a teacher, I have worked in six school districts - in California, Oregon, and Washington, where I have lived since 1979. This has given me the opportunity to work with many wonderful students and staff members.
I taught in the Simi Valley, CA School District from 1965 to 1972, Canby, OR High School from 1972-1975, Washougal, WA from 1979 - 1983, Evergreen School District (Vancouver, WA) from 1989 - 2007, and Orcas Island School District (Eastsound, WA) part time from 2007-2010. I dropped out of teaching three times - to administer a community school program, go back to graduate school and run a restaurant that I bought, and spend a few years owning and running a couple of computer stores.
Carla and I have been together since 1990. She is a psychiatric nurse practitioner in a solo practice on Orcas Island, as far north and west as you can go and still be in the contiguous United States. We relocated in 2007, and are continuing to develop the property - 11 steep acres of waterfront.
Besides sub contracting out and working on the house, lots of details, I substitute taught grades k-12 until going back to teaching part time in Orcas Island School District's alternative education program. This lasted until enrollment dropped and the district cut back on staff.
In my spare time, whatever that is, I build and tinker with computers, study nutrition and supplements, buy and sell collectible 45 rpm records, especially rarer Elvis Presley. and have two vintage Impalas, a '64 and a '68, both two door hardtops, 327 engines and four speeds. The '64 is parade quality, the '68 needs the cosmetics completed. I have the tools and the skills to do this; all I need is the time.
In 2010 I had a ...Expand for more
new treatment for prostate cancer. I had to do a lot of research and go to the University of Colorado in order to get it. The bottom line is that I had just the cancer removed, and that my recovery was swift and complete. If anyone reading this has early prostate cancer, you do not have only the choices of radiation or radical surgery. It took me research and a THIRD opinion to learn this. I am very happy with the outcome.
A venture, that helped to make up for the the income lost when alternative high school enrollment declined, is renting our guest house through Vacation Rentals By Owner - VRBO. If anyone is curious about what things look like up here, you might check out the pictures on the site. Going from San Juan Islands, to Orcas Island and then to Eastsound, and looking for the gray building with waterfront and panoramic views in the headline will get you to it. We're pretty well booked from May through September, and get some rentals the rest of the year The contacts and record keeping are a lot like having a job, not to mention being sure that the place is as close to spotless as we can make it. I also need to find the time to work on my honey do list and get the last <1% finished on our house, mostly small bits of tiling and finish work. Then there is the never ending outdoor stuff.
In late 2012 I started doing the billing for Carla's practice. I had already been doing all of the taxes and paying the bills, but her patient load has left little time for anything else. Between the vacation rental, helping with the practice, and looking out for Carla and our furry kids, I can honestly say that I have no idea what retirement feels like, other than not having to get out of bed when it is still dark and drive to work. The good news is that with the help of good nutrition, mostly organic, supplements, and the built in cardiac workout from living on a steep piece of property, Carla and I are in excellent health and have been able to get back to and maintain what we weighed in our 20s. If we could only get the proportions exactly the same....
The photo was taken on our deck. The Salish Sea/Strait of Georgia is in the background (for those really into geography). Bellingham, WA is about 20 miles east of my left shoulder, and Vancouver, BC about 35 miles northwest of my right one.
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