CURRENT MISSION

My mission today is to increase my awareness of the world and to give thanks for all of it.

ABOUT ME

I have lived most of my life in the West, which gives a person a distinct set of attitudes. I'm a small-town girl, outdoorsy and informal. I have been married for 33 years to my husband, John. I love hiking, skiing, fishing; also cooking, gardening, travel, long walks. Also music--I play the guitar (sort of) and sing (a little better). I read a lot, different kinds of things, from travelogues to science books to good murder mysteries. I've written three books and coauthored a fourth, and I've published many articles and essays.

PHILOSOPHY

Oh, my gosh. I could write books about that. Compassion, clarity, and usefulness are at the core. Please see below for books and music that come close to my heart.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I am new to CouchSurfing, so I haven't participated yet. But as time goes by ...

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Am looking forward to getting some.

Interests

Anything about landscapes, especially forests and especially of the West; natural resources, land management, landscape history; world peoples and cultures, religion and spirituality; music and art.

• arts
• books
• singing
• cooking
• gardening
• traveling
• music
• guitar
• fishing
• hiking
• skiing
• history
• religion
• science
• beaches

Music, Movies, and Books

Huckleberry Finn (Twain), The Great Gatsby (Fitzgerald), the short stories of Alice Munro, the Bible, the nature writings of Barry Lopez, the poetry of Theodore Roethke, the essays and writing advice of E.B. White, the spiritual writings of C.S. Lewis and Kathleen Norris. I am reading "1491" right now (Charles Mann) and finding it fascinating. Writing about the history and culture of the West, especially Wallace Stegner. I love Beethoven's violin concerto and 7th symphony, the chorale preludes of J.S. Bach and also his choral music, and the music of Bartok and Barber. I love Chet Atkins and Mark Knopfler and Hawaiian slack-key guitar. I like African and Indian pop music.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I helped my daughter give birth to my grandson. Wow! I also found a whole sand dollar at the beach not long ago.

Teach, Learn, Share

I could show you how to make blackberry creme brulee. I would like to learn to play the hammered dulcimer.

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Ethiopia, Germany, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States

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