I realized the other day, that I am in this contest for a different reason than most of the other contestants.

Most contestants are diligently toiling through the task of building a sleeker, perhaps faster, self-propelled vehicle.  One that is fuel-efficient.  One that doesn't run on processed fuel, only clean, pure bio-fuel, commonly produced by nature.   One that will run smoothly year-after-year with little maintenance.

The vehicle I am trying to build is a Time Machine.  A Time Machine has many similarities to the other vehicles.  In fact, it looks just like them.  The plans have been in the works for a few years, I just never got around to start building it until this year.

Travel by Time Machine is not unlike travel in the other traditional vehicles in real time.  My Time Machine needs to run on the same fuel as the sleek, fast, self-propelled vehicles being assembled by others.  It too, must be fuel-efficient, able to go the distance and hopefully require little maintenance.  Speed is not a requirement, but it can be a bonus.

Gathering up all the basic parts has been done.  Behind several beer cans and an empty pizza box, I found a strong frame in decent condition.  It had been laying on the couch for years.  It was so heavily-wrapped in a thick covering that I could hardly recognize its potential.

A drive mechanism was needed, but I found one, around the time of my 55th birthday.  The drive mechanism has been holding up, under testing, for the past eight weeks.  Some days the drive burns hotter than others, but that is not a problem.  The system actually runs better that way.

By design, my Time Machine has a very specific date that can be set - 1982.  Back then lived a strong, healthy man.  He ran every day.  No activity was off limits.  I need to find that man.

Travel into the future is not necessary for this machine.  That will come easy and soon enough without it.

Although this challenging task does not have a specific deadline, I would like to complete this device by Saturday, July 27th.

Right now, my Time Machine is about 50% complete.  The fuel system has been set-up, its daily intake calibrated and it does everything it needs to do.  The Time Machine has already been beta-tested.  The ignition system has worked so far.  The drive starts every morning.  The Time Machine has proven right now that it can go back to about 1995 at about 50% speed.  During that preliminary test, a man was found.  Although fabulously handsome and interesting, he was not quite the same man I remember further back in time, the one I really want to see.

In just a few months, when this contraption gets lighter, I think it just may be possible to travel a little further back in time to meet that stronger, healthier man.

I will enjoy that journey back to 1982.