…no, our wives didn’t send us there
For those who want to know about Garage How To and if a real person is behind it, this is for you. In fact, there are two real people behind it.
That’s us in the picture and this is our website.
As we say in Oregon, Howdy! I’m Pat Easterbrooks, a native Oregonian now living in the thriving metropolis of Boring, Oregon. Yep, that’s a real place with a whole lot of excitement going on.
Growing up, I drove by a road sign that said, “Boring Oregon City” (actually, two places), and I always wondered who would live in a place like that. I guess that would be me.
I have always had many interests, from math and music to building and fixing things. This site tends more towards the building and fixing things, especially those related to the garage.
After more than a decade as the sole editor at Garage How To, my very curious nephew, Jacob, asked his Uncle Pat if I “still have that garage site.” Yep.
Jacob graduated as an engineer from Oregon State University in 2021. Actually, he graduated as a Forestry Engineer and a Civil Engineer, and then went on to complete his Masters degree in Civil Engineering while juggling a very busy home life with his lovely wife and son (now a son and daughter).
As a new homeowner, and a newly minted engineer, Jacob didn’t have enough to do, so he asked his Uncle Pat if we could work together on GarageHowTo.com. In truth, he didn’t really ask. He just said, “we need to work together on the site.”
Here’s a little more about both of us.
Uncle Pat: Learning is my Passion
I love to learn new things and share what I’ve learned with others…if they’re interested. That’s how my Garage How To adventure began. More about that in a minute.
Growing up in a small town, my Dad had a lot to do with my love of learning. He always had something new going. He and Mom built their first house from the ground up, bought and sold property for most of their lives, and taught my brother, sister and I how to think on our feet and figure things out on our own.
When something needs fixin’ these days, I always hear, “Dad…can you fix this?” or “Uncle Pat, can you show me how to do this?” or “Babe, this isn’t working…” Ahhh, that’s music to my ears! I love fixing things and figuring things out. And I’ve always been pretty good at it.
What’s my Day Job?
Career wise, I have owned a gym, owned and managed rental property and worked in restaurants during my college years. Although I never finished college, I did give it 6 good trys. And, the 6th try landed me a beautiful, intelligent, amazing wife of 33 years. College is great!
I have been a licensed real estate broker since 1981, and my “steady paycheck” for nearly 35 years years has come from the hospitality industry, managing a resort.
When I started working at the resort, I worked in the maintenance department doing everything from unplugging toilets to repairing garage doors (we have more than 30 of them), and eventually landed in the office.
Now there are three guys in our maintenance department to do the heavy lifting, but I still like to get my hands dirty when a problem needs solving. How, exactly, did that turd get in the swimming pool? (Yes, Mother, I know that is a pejorative term. No, you didn’t teach me to speak that way.)
OK…back to Garage How To
Why that and why now? Garages have always fascinated me. From Jay Leno’s Garage (opens new window) to the one owned by my good friend Tom Fox, I just get excited.
With so many cool garage doors and garage door openers, cabinets, tool boxes, workbenches and garage flooring options, there is just so much neat stuff to learn. My wife wonders about me sometimes, but I have always loved learning new things, and now you get to learn along with me.
I also love the internet and spend a fair bit of time in cyberspace. Why? To learn more things, of course. With so much information, I tend to focus more on “how-to” stuff. That’s what led me to “how-to-build-a-website” in 1995.
Jacob: Curious, Industrious, Fearless Do-er
That description is from Uncle Pat, but it does kinda fit. Ever since I was a little kid, I loved making things and figuring out how things work. I always borrowed tools from Uncle Pat, and occasionally returned them.
Uncle Pat has a barn with salvaged building materials in it and I often “borrowed” materials for something I wanted to create. A few examples include a knife throwing backstop, a skateboard ramp, and a …
Growing up, we also had a tractor on the property and I loved using it. It was great for mowing our pastured or soccer field, but also for moving things, drilling post holes for a new fence, or, sadly, for burying the occasional alpaca that came to the end of its life.
Why Garage How To for Me (Jacob)?
My wife and I recently bought a house with a garage. I have so many ideas on how to use the space and I would love sharing what I learn along the way as Uncle Pat and I tackle new projects.
Our plan is to film and write about projects in my garage and also in my Uncle’s garage. We live less than two hours apart, so the commute will be worth it.
And here’s a quote from Mark Twain you should consider when deciding whether to try something new, even if it seems pretty scary right now:
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” Mark Twain
If you want to be in touch, please contact us. We would love to hear your story.
All the best,
Pat & Jacob
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