My Personal Life
The Wonder Years - I grew up in Lewistown, a small town in central Pennsylvania. My education started out by riding a bus to the Strodes Mills Elementary School. I worked my hardest there at not doing my homework. I never grasped the concept that it might have been far easier just to study and complete homework assignments than to have to deal with the repercussions of not. Itried out for Little League baseball but caught more balls with my face than my glove. I joined Cub Scouts and attended Sunday school at the
Lewistown Presbyterian Church. As I grew older, I became much more shy, and from what I have been told by many, grew much more nerdy. My middle school years were not all that different than what I knew in elementary school. I enjoyed school, but did little besides attend classes.
When I was young, I loved watching The Underdog Show on TV when I was a young child. Like many I dreamed of being the lovable super hero. Eventually the years passed by and these days I don't dream as much about being Underdog.
Outside of school, I played in the school band and participated in Boy Scouts and church activities. At the Lewistown Area High School, my approach to learning was that if I was interested I would participate, and if not, little could motivate me. I continued with high school band, which was my social joy, and with youth group and Boy Scouts, both of which were wonderful experiences for me. The time to graduate eventually came. I had never prepared to enter college, so I opted for joining the United States Navy after a small disagreement with the Air Force recruiter. I wanted to be a photographer. The Navy was willing to offer that.
U.S. Navy - Military life was a complete overhaul to my life. I finally grasped the importance of some self-discipline, broke out of my shyness for the most part, and professionally became very driven. That drive provided many professional opportunities including; photographing President Ronald Reagan's second inaugural, meeting then Vice-President George Bush, traveling the country with various foreign diplomats. During this time I started my interests in computers. As my luck would have it I had a few opportunities to photograph Grace Hopper, pioneer of computers. She coined the term "bug" in the computer world when she pulled a moth from a mainframe. Check out My Computer Life.Return to Lewistown - While in the Navy, I got married and we had a son. He wound up an only child, like me. Upon leaving the Navy the family returned to Lewistown. I struggled in that area personally and professional for 15 years. While I had known great accomplishment in the Navy, I was never quite able to find a job in the central Pennsylvania area that allowed me to grow, be creative, and be myself. My personal life suffered as well. I separated from my wife and relocated to Columbus, OH after sixteen years of marriage. We divorced four years later. Since my separation my personal life has been such that writing about it on this website would be less than wise. I will say that I have learned much along my journey. I lived and worked in Columbus from July 2002 through August 2006.
Annapolis, MD - From the summer of 2006 through the summer of 2011 I lived in historic and beautiful Annapolis, MD. Living there was like a permanent vacation. The city dock area, lined with stores and restaurants, is just a few blocks away from where I lived. Annapolis is a pedestrian friendly town and a place where walking can be considered safe any time of the day or evening. The house I lived in had an excellent view from the second story reading room of the chapel on the United States Naval Academy.
Baltimore, MD - I lived in Baltimore, MD, a city that I have yet to fully investigate. I lived close to Lake Montebello which offers up the opportunity for nice walks. Just a few blocks from the house is a school that has some of the nicest tennis courts one could ask for. The creative stimulation at the American Visionary Art Museum is a must see for those finding themselves at Baltimore's Inner Harbor. I am member at The Walters Art Museum and enjoy the great photography book section at the Enoch Pratt Library.
Feeding the Hungry
Thanksgiving 2017
Baltimore, MD
Crofton, MD - The next stop in Maryland was Crofton. This location was located about 5 miles from the office. Crofton is a very pleasant little community with way too many good places to eat.
Arnold, MD - I currently reside in Arnold, MD. It is but a few miles northeast of Annapolis. It feels more like being in Annapolis here, offering a more nautical environment. One of the joys of living here is the Anne Arundel Community College. Its a small community college that I have enjoyed attending for some non-credit writing classes.
Wherever I find myself, my personal time is spent writing, photographing, and spending way too much time on the computer. A variety of other interests make up for the rest of my "free" time. One of my personal photographic projects is about capturing images and abstracts of flowing water, which takes me to central PA often. Three of my favorite photographic locations are Alan Seeger Natural Area, Reeds Gap State Park and Poe Valley State Park.
My Family
My family consists of my mother and my son along with an uncle and numerous cousins and their families.
Joyce Dixon, my mother: My mother resides in Lewistown, PA, the town where she has lived most of her life and where I grew up.
Thomas Dixon, my son: Thomas has loved music from the beginning - singing and playing saxophone in grade school, and then later getting very involved in choral singing opportunities at his high school which led him to major in Music Education at Mansfield University.
After he graduated, he moved to central Virginia for a high school teaching job, which he's held for thirteen years. In addition to his high school position, he also conducts a handbell ensemble at an Episcopal church, sings in various community choral groups, and is active as a soloist and music director in community theatre.
When not making music, Thomas likes playing board games, reading, working in the garden, and hiking in the Blue Ridge Mountains and Shenandoah National Park. He and his partner Matt live on three acres in Barboursville, VA and are proud dog dads to three lazy retired racing greyhounds.
