Astronomy and some religions believe that life is a series of cycles. That is certainly reflected in the tale of Al's long, adventurous life; the cycle spun him in many different directions over the years. Twelve Years down the Road shares a collection of stories and events detailing the diversity of Al's unique life. From early childhood, he lived with his parents and two brothers in the woods of East Texas on a family farm surrounded by a national forest with a wildlife management area across the road. These stories reveal how he met the love of his life Betty, what he learned by delivering the Dallas Morning News, how he fared at his fi rst job in the Mississippi Delta in the middle of KKK country, how he perceived his work at a Texas prison, and how he came to work in Siberia for a pipeline company. As Al reflects on the cycles his long and varied life, he shares the stories that shape a person and make a man a man.