I'am an active, retired husband and grandfather. My wife and I live in Alexandria VA where she is currently employed nearby in Washington DC. My adult children still live in the midwest. We retained our home in Iowa while taking a 5 year assignment in Washington DC and my new grandchild lives there in Iowa also. I love to travel and I get to join my wife on her many business related travels across the US. Since I am retired I have additional time available to explore new places where I might wish to bring my wife or my family on a future trip. I love meeting new people, sharing our stories and like most of us, I need to travel within a budget!

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

As I mentioned above, love of travel, meeting people, sharing our stories and trying to do it all on a budget are the reasons why I am investigating Couchsurfing. At this time, Spring 2017, I'm new to this experience though several young people, who are friends of my own children are couch suffering travelers and recommend it to me. I also follow Mike and Anne at www.honeytrek.com and I saw them at a Smithsonian presentation they gave in Washington DC. Mike was passionate about the world wide sharing culture that he was becoming engaged with as a result of the travels he and Anne were taking. Check out HoneyTrek, they are inspirational to all of us who have a genuine love for people and new places. My heart resonates with the spirit I find as I read their site. And HoneyTrek recommends Couchsurfing among many ways to facilitate one's travel.

Interests

• arts
• architecture
• wine
• good food
• exploring
• museums
• good conversation
• good beer

Music, Movies, and Books

I grew up on American popular rock & roll, so I still like classic rock.
I invested nearly 2 decades in an annual symphony season, so I've got an appreciation for classical music performance as well.
In between, I really enjoy an eclectic mix of jazz musicians.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I explored San Francisco for a week, on foot and on public transportation during one summer while I was in my 20's. Though the word had not yet been invented, I couch surfed across the bay at the Beta Fraternity house on the campus of the University of California in Berkley. Everyday, I would pick a new area of The City to explore and I would walk up and down each block, ducking into cathedrals, museums, public buildings and inner-city parks. I lived on pretty sparse rations because I had very little money but I experienced a vast richness of people and places. It was intensive, immersive, self guided tourism that I continue to love today.

Teach, Learn, Share

I have enjoyed sharing my knowledge with other visitors to the Washington DC area in terms of helping people quickly figure out how to navigate the city's transportation systems, to access the Smithsonian museums, to see the monuments and to tour the Capital. There is so much to see and do here, and so much is free or very affordable. When we moved here in 2016, we decided to embrace urban living and leave both of our cars in Iowa. So we live full time walking and riding the connecting links between rail, bus and even boat! (There is a water taxi from Alexandria to opens up fabulous scenery and travel opportunity at a bargain price.)

What I Can Share with Hosts

Though I have not hosted a Couch surfing guest, I have hosted many times! In our Iowa home we hosted foreign exchange students and foreign visitors 10 consecutive years. During Iowa's political campaign season we have hosted numerous campaign staff members for months at a time. I don't know what I can share or teach other hosts, but my wife and I at least have greater than average experience with welcoming students, guests, visitors and volunteers for short, medium and long stays

Countries I’ve Visited

Bermuda, Canada, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Japan, Mexico