My (non-mathematical) Life

 W. Ted Mahavier, circa 2010

A bit about me... I am a hard working individual and divide my time between my work, family, and hobbies. To call any of it work would be a lie, because I love math and the teaching of mathematics so much of what I call work is more like play -- for example when I first wrote this page, I was at Math Camp in San Marcos where I taught Level 5 and my daughter took Level 2. We lived in a dorm together for two weeks each summer for four years. In the morning I would work on my book or on mathematics and in the afternoon I taught a course. In the evenings I spent time with my daughter. Was that work or play?

I love to create, build and improve on things. If you look closely at my hobbies you can see some form of creativity in all of them. My hobbies are financial investing (building a portfolio requires math and creativity), sailing (I do almost all my own work on my boats), martial arts (teaching always requires creativity)...

A bit of relatively random information about me is included below.

Fishing in 1997 with my buddy Robbie in Grand Isle, Louisiana.


My daughter doing math homework and then rowing me ashore after we spent a night on Aftermath on Galveston Bay.


Making new "beverage" holders and a new main sail cover for my sailboat.


Sailing from Sabine Lake to Galveston Bay!


Martial Arts Club 2001 - 2011!


Here are pictures of the sailboat I restored (below) on her last cruise before Hurricane Ike killed her in 2008. Bad Ike, bad.


Sailing on Sabine Lake with son and friends 2005? Here's a picture of my daughter Caroline and me on my boat, after a sail to Double Bayou in Trinity Bay where we spent the night.and a picture of my son Austin in 2004. The last picture is dediated to my love of boating, includes my latest project, Chalupa, the 1962 Pearson Aerial that my father gave me in 1998. You will also see in the first pictures The Outboard, my mother's boat, and Pisces, my first sailboat. Chalupa was originally co-owned by John W. Neuberger and my father and I am now in the process of restoring her.


In 2001 it underwent the beginnings of a complete restoration, including engine, paint, woodwork, etc. As of January 2004, the entire cabin has been stripped and painted, the interior wood has all been refinished, the motor has been rebuilt, and I am continuing to upgrade systems whenever I am not sailing her.


I do find time to sail her a bit -- here are picutres from two separate trips over to Double Bayou in Trinity Bay.


But then it is time for the next restoration. In 2007 she is moved to Pleasure Island in Port Arthur and I begin the next round of work!


As I write, I think back to previous restoration projects, including the Black 1965 Barracuda that I worked on, but sold to get through graduate school, the Ivory 1965 Barracuda that my parents now own. That one was a joint project with my labor and my parent's funding and was originally Nancy and Gordon Johnson's car. It had been to college several times with their daughters and sons. Through all of these restorations, my 1965 Plymouth Valiant wagonhas been a steady work horse, hauling parts for all my other projects while under constant contruction and reconstruction. That last picture shows my sister and I beside the wagon a 'couple' of years ago. Handsome bugger, wouldn't you say? Here are a few more current pictures of it:


These pictures are dedicated to all the motorcycles I've loved. Check out the scenery in New Mexico! I missed including my mom's '74 Kaw 100, but you probably caught a glimpse of it in the boating graphic above. The bikes in that last pictures include my father's 1986 Liberty Edition Harley, a '74 BMW R60 that I helped him purchase, and Damien, the '82 Virago that I gave to pop and he later gave back. Also included are my own BMW's. These include Puff (1985 K100RT), PuffII (1982 R65), and my current BWM, PuffIII. Do you see a pattern here?


Most importantly, my favorite breakfast cooked in one of many wonderful black iron skillets the folks have passed on over the years! For some reason this graphic is not accurate...one egg is missing! And here is my favorite place in the whole world, San Leon. There are a few views from the porch, my wife on the porch, and the house my family used as a summer place before pop could afford a place of his own.


A few friends and camping pictures,seem appropriate as well. The photos are taken in Laramie, Wyoming; Brazos River, Texas; Las Vegas, New Mexico ("I need advil" photo and picture of Jimmy Ochoa and I taken by a friendly local bear); Thibodaux, Louisiana (my first and only garden and my friend Tee-Bob); and Galveston Bay, San Leon, Texas with my friend Ross in 1978 before we started beefing up.


Hope you enjoyed the brief tour of my life.


Ted