The Adventures of Mikey (this is a long one Folks)

Hi folks,well an other Sunday has arrived,It is currently 34*and sunny.as I’m sitting here I’m recalling something that used to be really popular in the late 60’s thru the 80’s.and that is drag raceing.we used to have several cources near here on we in the Vally view area near where I live that was called Cloverleaf raceway that no longer exists.there are still a few aroung Ohio one of the most popular is Thompson Drag raceway.The reason I’m mentioning Thompson is that every Sunday they would hold races there.This is how they would advertise it”Sundy at beautiful Thompson drag raceway” they would hold drag races and they would even have something called grudge races.that is where the muscle cars could come and races against each other.It was a practice to settle the grudges on who’s car was better,that is why they named the events as grudge races.it was fun to go and watch.
Doeing it this was was better and safer that raceing each other on the regular streets.something that was done anyway. One time while at my high school two knuckleheads were raceing each other when a car pulled out of a side street and one of the racers slammed into the car.No one was injured,but the car racer’s car suffered substancialk damage as did the car that was hit.the other racer kept going if he had stopped and the cops caught him both of the racers would have been cahrged with street raceing.as it was the racer that crashed his car was charged with reckless driveing and causing an accident.The guy that crashed his car spent most of the summer rebuilding his car.After all what do you do when you love your car,right?
You see people rebuildig cars now during the winter because they dont want to take their “classics” out in the snow and salt of winter. I had a co worker when I was with the Sherriff dept,that had a classic corvett.every winter he would loveingly strip the car down and repaint it and any other maintance it would need.
I always promised my self that if I would ever suddenly get rich I would go hunting for two cars.
Both of them Ford cars.First would be a 1965 mustang ragtop. the second would be 1965 Ford Galaxie 500 LTD with a cleveland 351 engine. the reason I mention the two cars inpectular it that the Galaxie was my very first car I owned,the Mustang was the second car I owned.Both those cars being back memories good and bittersweet,and that is all I’m going to say about that(the bittersweet that is) My Galaxie I had bought when I arrived at tech school at Chanute AFB (now Closed)My second car was bought after I sold my motorcycle,a 350Honda.The bike had to go that was one of the conditions for getting married the first time that should have clued me in for what I was in for,but it did not.Don’t get me wrong,we had some very good times,and some very rough times.Ultimatly the marriage failed after 5 years.

I guess that I sould show a time line of this chain of events.January 1971 I graduated from High School.Max S.Hayes Vocation School to be exact.July 1971 I enter the USAF, while in basic training I got real sick and was put into the hospital for a couple of weeks. I fanally graduated from basic training in about late sept,then I was sent to Chanute AFB for my tech school training.that is where I learned how to be an aircraft electrician. This is where I bought my very first car,the 1965 Ford Galaxie 500 LTD.I had graduated from tech school in december a week before Christmas.I did not tell my parents that I was comming home on leave,I decided that it would be a surprise Christmas present. I processed out the day before Christmas,And had to be at my duty station no later that 13 January 1972.So you could imangine the surprise on my Dad’s face when he open the door to find me standing there. I had enjoyed a great time while home on leave.Than all too soon it was time for me to leave,I did not want to drive the Galaxie to Californis so I left it home with my Dad.,I had asked him to sell it for me. Instead of selling it He paid me what I asked for it and kept the car for himself. So Now I’m in Ca. at my first perminate duty station the 2951st CLSS.(combat logistic support squadron)At McClelland AFB (Now Closed)After processing in I was a for sale sign on a Honda 350cc motorcycle and it was priced to sell,the owner was being transfered out of the squadron that I had just joined.Now I’m a ripe old age of 20 in 1972. During 1972 i started hanging out at the U.S.O. in down town Sacramento Ca. there I met a girl who would become the first mrs.golch.we were in January 1973 just after I turned 21.I was going TDY alot and she was not happy about that,she just could not understand that is what my squadron did,since the other service people stayed in sacramento.The reason I said service people was ther was two AFB’s in Sacramento ,McClelland and Mather and there was an Army base as well.In late July 1974 I was out of the Air Force and working as a dishwasher at a resturant called the Alamnac,I had started as a dishwasher but was being trained to move up to an assistant to the main cooks,the mananger was called the Cheif. any it is here the I came down with the fluid on the heart and had to be hospitalized.I was in the hospital a month and a half.Part of October and all of november.Because of the seriousness of the problem that I had I was given a 20/80 chance of survival the 20 in my favor.This had bigger strain on the relationship between me anf my parents.They did not approve of my marriage.So after I got out of the hospital we had a major shouting match between me and my parents.It was during the yelling match that I had severed ties with my Family,I chose my wife over them.
Fast forward to 1978 My first wife and I were going through a divorse,I was drinking verry heavely and writing check for my booze at the grocerystore.Some of those checks bounced and I founf my self faceing a Judge who because it was my first ofence decided to be nice to me.I was ordered to payback all of the money from the bounced checks,and to attend A.A. meetings I had to prove that I was attending with a court ordered paper that had to be signed at every meeting that I attended.It was also during this time that I had managed to patch thing up with my folks,it was rather hard to do since my Parents had move from where they lived when I entered the service and I did not have their new address,so I did the next best thing.I sent a letter of appoligy to my parents best friend along with my telephone number asking the to please forgive mre and that I desperately wanted to talk to them.a week and a half went by and I did not hear from my parents.turns out our friend did not give my letter to my parents,and when I called them I got it with both barrels something that I deserved.I explained that my letter was not meant to hurt them. I just needed to know that someone in my family cared about me,if not I was going to kill myself.I had planned to drive to San Fransisco and jump off the Golden Gate Bridge.But after recieving that great a$$ chewing that I got my family friend open the letter and read it.I told her to so she could see that I did not want to hurt my Parents I wanted to try to patch thing up.If I could not and with my marriage on the rocks and there was no way to fix it.I had to fix things up with my folks,if I could.I was able to patch things up and I told them that as soon as I could save up the money I wanted to come home.They told me they wanted me home. So now I’m working as a Cabdriver for a great man,m
Mr.Erol DeBock,he had several business in addition to the cab company,he owned a motel was a bail bonds man and a few other things.While I was working for him I was saveing up my money.I had bought a Nice car a plymoth Duster from my boss Erol.The car was part of a stunt car show that he owned.He had at 6 cars just parked at the motel.The bad part was that like a fool I had started drinking again.I had crashed the car totaling it.At least I had it insured and got the total cost of what I paid for the car back.so I paid off the car and quite drinking again. Mr DeBock even allowed to buy an other car from him. now we are about mid October 1968 and I have saved up almost 600 bucks and It was time to pull up stakes and go home my divorce was final and I had no reason to stay in Ca. It took me 5 days to drive home that is with takeing two 8 hour sleeping breaks.I fianally got home. then I had a couple of jobe that did not last.My Dad had a friend who was a supervisor in a security company.Dad told me to go and talk to him and I got a jobs working for the company I was good at what I did and was used as a roveing officer(Mr Dad used to say My name is Golch and I’damned good at what I do.and I would say My name is golch and I’m also damn good at what I do) at different accounts,which was fine with me I was working16 hours a day and really enjoying it.One of the accounts my company had was the local A.A.A. club.I worked as security at night there.One of the road dispatchers,Pat Wright introduced me to a lady in sept 1979 and that she would ultimatly become the second Mrs.Golch. We were married March 1 1980. in July 1980 I started at the county Sherrifs department.I worked there until 1995 when I ended up takeing a disability retirement.
Now getting back to my Parents,we were getting along great,it was as if we never had the fight that caused the split between us. Now we are at August 1984 Dad is in the hospital and just a couple days of passing away.when He died it was a devesting loss indeed,he was only 58 years old. I recieved some pretty rough handed treatment from my shift supervisor.To the point I had thought of just handing him my dage and telling him where he could put it.If I was single I think that I would have done just that.I had to think of my wife and myself we were getting health care coverage and perscription coverage as well and how else was I gonna pay for here medical supplies for her type one Diabedes?So I just swalled the crap that was given to me and kept my job,I decided to show Him that he would not “win”.I’d show him! long story shot a year later he left to become a policeman.By the tome 1995 rolled arounf I had asthma real bad and finally had to retire from the department.I was also haveing real bad mood swings as well between the two thing I ended up getting the disability retirement.
I was even allowed to work part time as long as I never did any type of security work again.
So I got a job working for sears,as a parts clerk. that job lasted until 2001 then because of take time off due to the asthma problem that I had I was fired for missing too many days in a year.
So at this time in my life I decide to persue a caree in Realestate,something that I had wanted to so for some time and did not think I could afford to take that leap of faith.but I did.This happened in 2002,Where The companty that I was working Realty One,I had earned the Brass award for sales. I was still reality One when in August2003 my Neice Allisan got married and we found out that My Mom had lung canser.We were told that she had six months to live,September 2003 she passed away.My company was very supportive of me,for wich I was glad.A whole bunch of agents came to Mom’s wake.
Then the seizures came back finally to the point that I was told no driveing.This was in June of 2006. By august 2006 I was comming up on the time that i would have to pay my annual dues for the priveledge of being part of the Multiple listing service and the Local area board of realitors,rather than pay out that money and not being able to work,I put my licence to practice realestate in escrow with the state of Ohio.My license renewal id due in 2009 on my birthday as well as the 30 hours of continueing edcation,I will let my license go and not renew it for the money to take to courses and the renewal fee are not there.not to mention I would not have the startup funds to get back into the business.So here we are in 2008. Now you have the life and times from the age 19 to the ripe old age of 56.