CURRENT MISSION

to go...

PHILOSOPHY

When I was a kid, Grammy always made the kids and cousins do 5 good things each day. They could be small or large, as long as things were better when you left then when you came. I try to live that way - make things better when you can, no matter how small the change.

Interests

Wide and varied, and changing every day. Running, rock climbing, roller derby. I also like things that don't start with "R" - knitting, compost, learning to play the harmonica, parasites ... there's really very little that truly bores me.

• running
• knitting
• rock climbing
• cartography
• beaches
• mountains

Music, Movies, and Books

I love anything with a banjo.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I learned to play the drum when I was in Madagascar. I took a few classes, and decided I needed a drum of my own. I asked a friend and he took me on a long and winding trek through the back streets of Tana to find the drum maker. We chatted for a bit, and he asked me about sound, and skins, and carvings. I came back a few weeks later to pick up my drum, and it was beautiful. I shook his hand and noticed he had 6 fingers, two thumbs. I still cherish and play my drum made by the 6-fingered man.If you stay with us, I'll tell you the story about the time I accidentally got thrown out of a Tijuana whorehouse...

Teach, Learn, Share

People's definitions of distance and time, can be hugely different from yours. When my husband and I were in Mexico last year, we decided to visit a freshwater lagoon "just down the road." We asked the woman that had rented us the bungalow on the beach that we were staying in, and she said it was just 15 minutes down the road if we wanted to walk... I convinced my husband that this would be a good idea.
We walked 15 minutes down the road and were out of town. 15 minutes more and we were on a lonely road winding through the hills. We stopped and asked some construction workers if we were headed the right direction and continued on. 15 more minutes and a truck full of armed Federales rolled by (we found out later there was a fair amount of fighting in the area). 15 minutes after and we turned down the dirt path to the lagoon.
It was a lovely spot, and was worth the walk - but a taxi might have been easier and safer (particularly when we learned that there were no taxis back into town).
The moral of the story ... maps are your friend.

Countries I’ve Visited

France, Guatemala, Honduras, Madagascar, Mexico, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

Madagascar, United States