Each time my wife and I go on a trip, I find myself with lots of questions about the things we are seeing and experiencing. This is especially true when we go on cruises. So, for my first book, I thought I would do some research about some of these cruise-related questions, questions such as: How in the world does this gigantic ship float? Where does the crew stay, how many hours do they work, and what are they paid? And how do they parallel park these ships so easily? Well, before I knew it, a book had been born called Cruising - A View Through the Porthole.
Then for my second book I wrote about another one of my great loves in life - golfing. The book is called Golfing - A View Through the Golf Hole. Some of the information covered in this book includes: What are the longest, hardest, and highest golf courses? What are Sabbath sticks? What do sharks and golf balls have in common? And why are so many top athletes in other sports so passionate about the game of golf?
Although I was born in Utah, my family moved to the Netherlands when I was five years old and my first schooling (kindergarten through third grade) was in a little Dutch school down the street from our home called the Nutsschool. Our grandchildren always chuckle when they hear where Grandpa went to school. Returning to the United States at age nine, I completed grade school through high school in Salt Lake City, Utah before spending two-and-one-half years in Hong Kong and Singapore, where I learned to speak the Cantonese dialect of Chinese.
After coming back to Utah and finishing my college education, Holly and I were married, raising two children and being blessed with seven grandchildren. My career has been in real estate and property management. We have had a rich and full life which has enabled us to visit many countries of the world (at last count I have gone to 103 different countries) and has allowed me to get in some golf every now and then. And then, a few years ago, Holly and I were even able to live in Hong Kong for three years.
Having lived in Hong Kong twice, I have a great love for that city. My third book, Hong Kong - A View of a Remarkable City, was written as a tribute to that special place. As with the first two books, the Hong Kong book consists of an embossed cover with a hole in it, 25 chapters, and 25 terms. Among the topics discussed are areas in which Hong Kong excels, the effect of the 1997 handover to China, and traditional Chinese medicine. It also talks about General Tso's Chicken, Golden Phoenix Talons, and stinky tofu.
For my latest book, The Sacrament - A Historical View, I wrote about the fascinating history of the sacrament ordinance in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Following the same format as the other three books, this latest book includes stories and anecdotes from leaders, members, soldiers -- and even from an astronaut and a pro athlete -- and discusses the evolution of the sacrament, a very sacred and important ordinance in the church.
I have loved writing about things that I find especially interesting -- cruising, golf, Hong Kong, and the sacrament -- and although I haven't quite decided on the topic, I am looking forward to doing a fifth "A View" book. I can't wait to get started.
Lee H. Van Dam
Telephone - (801) 842-6738
Email - leevandam@yahoo.com
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