Thanks fellow bikers and bike shop owners! It is clunking - real deep inside clunks that transfer a small shock wave all the way to my feet. I think I can tell a bearing noise pretty well. It comes and goes. It recovered for a while, then more ticking, that's when I pulled it and reinstalled it to make sure it isn't the crank / BB connection or any loose BB to frame. I am 90% sure it is the BB. At $11 and 10 minutes of my time with tools I already own, it is the next thing to try!
I have been thinking about a bike shop. Can't be an easy living, but fun. Maybe a semi-retirement project one day. Of course after working at one for some time to learn!
G