Toad Hall - Home of the WxToad

Meet the WxToad

A life, mostly in his own words

"Wx" is the weatherman's shorthand for weather. Here is how a boy from a little New Hampshire inn became the world-renowned WxToad.

At the inn's first sign, 1950
1950

Home was a country inn

"In the spring of 1950, when I was 5 years old, my parents bought a small inn in Intervale NH."
Growing Up in a New Hampshire Country Inn
The 7th-grade weather station
7th grade

His first weather station

"This was the beginning of a life's career, although I had no idea at the time."
He built it for a science project, and it sat on a stump in the back yard for years.
Growing Up in a New Hampshire Country Inn
Maine Central #470, 1 Oct 1962
1962

Colby College, and a camera

At college in Waterville, Maine, he began photographing trains. His oldest railroad photo, Maine Central Pacific #470, is dated 1 October 1962.
Pacific #470
His one-week-old VW, May 1966
1966

Into the Air Force

"After graduation and receiving my Air Force commission, my first assignment was in New York city."
My Model Railroads: The Early Years
The reception at the inn, 1967
1967

Liz

"My proudest day at the inn was 9 Sept 1967 - the day Liz and I got married."
Growing Up in a New Hampshire Country Inn
Pusan, South Korea, 1985
1980s

The weatherman

"During the 1980's, as a meteorologist with the Air National Guard, I made 6 trips to South Korea..."
In 1991 he spent a year at Scott Air Force Base, as the Guard's advisor to the Commander of Air Weather Service.
Korea Railroad
Shelby, at home on the road
On the road

The Lazy Daze years

"She loves all the windows - watching all the birds and squirrels is like having a special TV show."
He and Liz took the Lazy Daze to 48 states and Canada. In 2008 little Shelby the cat joined them, and the line above is about her.
The Trek of '08-'09
Savoy Mountain, 1976
Always

Family

"We've been camping here for over 30 years, first with our kids and more recently with the grandchildren."
That's Savoy Mountain in Massachusetts, one of their "favoritest" spots.
Savoy Mountain State Forest
Boothbay Harbor, 2017
2017

Fifty years

"We recently celebrated our 50th anniversary and decided to return to where we spent the first two nights of our honeymoon."
Boothbay Harbor, ME

On this day

From

Read the whole day

Railroad photo of the day

One of the WxToad's 1,811 railroad photos, going back to 1962. A new one every day.

See the whole album

Inside the Lazy Daze, looking forward to the cab — Home on the road

Meet the Lazy Daze

Home is where we park it

The WxToad's Lazy Daze carried him and Mrs. WxToad to 48 states and Canada, from the Big Sur coast to the Maine woods.

Along the way he fixed, upgraded and tinkered with just about everything in it, and wrote it all down: heaters, radios, shades, storage, and even a home-made toaster.

See the Lazy Daze projects