Conejo Post

I am, “Writin’, writin’, writin’ on my ‘puter,” to be sung to the melody of “Proud Mary,” “Rollin’ on the river…”

It finally came down to a choice for me.  Either I would finish the book I have been working on off and on (but mostly off) for the past 4 years and get it published, or I would put it aside permantly and move on to other projects.  With so much already written of the book I am calling, “Growing Up With G.I. Joe’s,” I decided to press ahead and finish.  But, it is making me a bit grumpy and taking away from time for posting on the Conejo Post.  So sorry, however, I believe the goal is in sight of finishing the writing!  Of course, then one moves on to choosing a publishing option or options, like just e-publish for Amazon’s Kindle and Apple’s iPad, or also publish a hard copy, or both.  And, then, there is promoting it!

So, it is one step at a time to complete this story of how my dad, Edward Orkney, started an army surplus store, G.I. Joe’s, that became a large retail chain in the Pacific Northwest, along with the story of my growing up.  My brother was either CEO and/or COB after Dad died, and he sold the business in 1998.  G.I. Joe’s, under the new name, Joe’s Sports, Outdoor and More, lasted until 2009 when the 31 stores had to be liquidated.

But, the store had a good run of 57 years of supplying folks in Oregon and Washington with recreational and outdoor gear and other product categories!  Not bad, not bad at all, and that is the story I am telling.

Above is a possible book cover that Susan Wells designed.