PLEASE READ OUR WHOLE PROFILE BEFORE MAKING A REQUEST. WE ARE SORRY THIS HAD TO BE SAID.

CURRENT MISSION

To live a long and healthy life and be a burden to our children.

ABOUT ME

David: Retired June 2012. My wife says I am dependable, honest, and hard working. Good thing too as I would likely be travelling with her! Independent, self-sufficient, and self-sufficient. Did I mention that I try to be self-sufficient? I am an Eagle Scout.

Mary: Retired June 2012 because I didn't want David to have all the fun.

PHILOSOPHY

Don't be selfish. - OR, if you would prefer - Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. - OR, if you would prefer- Do not do to others what you find distasteful yourself. It is all the same really - try to be a responsible person while you are on this earth.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

We enjoy meeting friends that we haven't already met and have continued some of those friendships beyond the initial visit, maintaining the relationships to this day.

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

We have mostly hosted and have enjoyed it very much. We prefer to limit our hosting to one to three days (two nights) only and are unlikely to accept someone who is not verified and/or doesn't bother completing their couchsurfing profile (or at least enough so we have a good idea who they are) or who hasn't read ours.

BUT lately we have been frustrated by couchsurfers who have minimal profiles or are not verified, requesting that we host and then not confirming or contacting us, or asking for long term accommodations. We go out of our way and often make or change our plans to host. When we commit to hosting someone and they don't follow up, we wonder why we bother opening up our home.

So...and this is easy...WE WILL NOT HOST (and probably will not even respond) IF YOU DON'T SHOW IN YOUR REQUEST THAT YOU HAVE READ THIS WHOLE PROFILE. Mention the beer, or the cheese, or the Eagle Scout, or the fact that we are 250 kilometers from New York City. No secret words or codes, just anything to show that you are putting a little effort into your request.

Also ... complete your profile - or at least most of it. How can you expect us to host you if we know nothing about you? What are your interests? Why are you on Couchsurfing? Why do you think we would get along? Hey, if all you want is a place to crash for the night, that's okay, we'll still consider hosting you. But no one likes to be taken for granted. We hate to seem inflexible, but this seems to be the only way to screen out the "freeloaders" as opposed to the "friends we haven't yet met."

Finally, the COVID scare isn't quite over, so you should advise any host of your vaccination and/or testing status.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

You know, we read the papers, watch TV, and listen to the radio and begin to think that all the people in the world have either a "I got mine, the heck with the rest of the world" or "Wah, I'm a victim, its not fair, gimmee, gimmee, gimmee" attitude. We like couchsurfing because it reminds me that people are not all like that. All of the people we've actually hosted have been warm, caring, open, and friendly. It reassures us of the humanity in the world. Except for those people who request that we host and then don't confirm or contact us. That's rude and those people shouldn't be on couchsurfing.

Interests

David: I brew beer, make wine, cook, bake, sew, fix things, and am a pretty good analyst and writer. I like to travel, especially by rail, but I dislike flying. I like backpacking and bicycling but, since I've gotten back most of my middle-age spread, don't do them as much as I'd like. I make beer and wine and give most of it away. I am hopeless with languages, but don't let that discomfort keep me from enjoying the company of people who are not fluent in English (Google Translate helps, too)

Mary: I cook, bake, sew, weave, dye and tye-dye, and make cheese. I also like to travel and experience the world. I speak some French, Dutch, a little Spanish and a little German and enjoy the opportunities to practice. I helped David build the house.

• writing
• cooking
• wine
• cheese
• traveling
• homebrewing
• knitting
• backpacking
• engineering
• weaving

Music, Movies, and Books

David: My list is long, varied, eclectic, and makes no sense at all. Got any suggestions? I'm open to suggestions.

Mary: My favorite music depends on my mood. Same with books and movies.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

David: When I was ten years old I saw the sequoia trees in California and remembered them as awesome. I went back a couple of years ago, just to see if my memory served me correctly. It did.
I built my last house, a 2500 sq ft two story home. Considering that I failed my college wood frame construction class 20 years before, worked at a desk job, and had a young family, I'm amazed that the house is still standing.

Mary: I once got David to sit still in a sidewalk cafe in Firenze.

Teach, Learn, Share

There is no percentage in keeping secret anything I can do. I'll show or teach anything I know.

What I Can Share with Hosts

We want to share our experiences, not just experience our experiences ourselves.
When are guests at someone's home, we do not want to be tourists - we would rather be more like family.
We are easy going, pick up after ourself, independent, and self-sufficient
We cook, bake, sew, weave, knit, tye-dye, brew beer, make wine, make cheese, and fix things.

Countries I’ve Visited

Antigua and Barbuda, Austria, Barbados, Belgium, Bermuda, Canada, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Grenada, Italy, Mexico, Netherlands, Puerto Rico, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Martin (French part), Sint Maarten (Dutch part), Spain, Virgin Islands, U.S.