Currently traveling in the mountains and front range of Colorado through June , 2023.
Yikes - Possibly in Colorado longer as I needed a hip replacement which I am now recovering from! Staying in a tiny cabin in the foothills west of Denver, about 25 minutes from Denver.

Fully vaccinated and boosted :)

NOTICE: Due to the Coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic, I am not hosting at the moment.I am sorry I have had to make this decision. I hope greatly that the situation changes and I will be hosting again soon! Be well, be safe. Get vaccinated, wash your hands a lot, practice social distancing, wear a mask in public, and if you are up here go for walks by the lake, in the woods and enjoy our fabulous outdoor scenery. I would love to meet you outside to do things. I am 77 and have had pneumonia 3 times so am careful and only willing to be with people who have been vaccinated and wear masks. Thank you for honoring this:)

Greetings! I live in a lovely small town in the Upper Peninsula (UP) of Michigan an 8 hour drive from any major city or airport where most tourists go! So we get very few guests, only those specifically coming here. So I have hosted many people, but only 3 CSers so far:)

When I am not in the UP, I am traveling, or in Colorado in the mountains west of Golden and may possibly be able to host you there or at least meet for coffee, a meal, or a walk.

Do you speak Spanish or German? Great, I am trying to learn both. However, I am open to people of any language:) I always find it a delight to learn to communicate without a common language, and there is always the computer for translation in this day and age, even if the translations are often incorrect and often hilarious!

Life is fascinating and it keeps getting more so! I don't remember having ever been bored in all of my 76 years.

My travel partner is my cream white, fluffy, non shedding, standard poodle Service Dog. .... Best travel partner I have ever had:) He has attended Opera's, University Classes, agility lessons; funerals, weddings, long boring meetings, accompanied me to restaurants (got a compliment today that the waitress had no idea he was with us for a 2 hour lunch:) He is a frequent flyer and has as many miles as I do. I trained this amazing dog, with occasional help from an expert to tell me what to do when I got stuck.

I've had various occupations: have been a public health program planner and grant writer; mortgage loan officer, I was the 1st female asphalt estimator in Colorado; at age 18 a cook in a boys camp in the mountains in Colorado; Reiki practitioner, etc :)

Hmm - lets see, a typical day when I am home.... the last 48 hours: daydreamed about traveling internationally meeting new interesting people and trying new food and experiences; attended Spanish class at the University, met a friend to see and discuss a movie; volunteered in the homeless shelter from 10 pm to 2 am and had my ear talked off by a couple of very interesting people; slept for a few hours and had strange dreams; scrounged up some breakfast from what was in the fridge; attended a book discussion about a famous female Judge - RBG - with friends; walked in the woods with my wonderful poodle Service Dog (SD); checked out couchsurfing; studied for my Spanish final; met friends for lunch; debated downsizing by getting rid of tons of stuff and moving to a tiny place; Or maybe selling everything and becoming a van dweller nomad; attended a ballet with my SD and a friend; shopped in a thrift store and found a couple of great bargain shirts; Sat on a bench by the lake and watched the waves; got really hungry and realized I had skipped two meals ... snacked on crackers and cheese cause too lazy to fix a meal; went to the laundromat (my washer is broken); went to the chiropractor to get the kinks out; emailed friends and family; went grocery shopping and stopped multiple times to answer peoples questions about my SD and let two little kids pet him after they asked him to sit; talked on the phone to a friend from Dar in New York; etc , went to the forest with my dog to explore and enjoy nature ....

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I have no desire to stay in generic tourist accommodations.
I enjoy spending time with locals, learning to live the way they do, going off the beaten track, having fun, sharing stories and lifestyles.

I love meeting new people, locals to a place, listening to tales of travel and adventure, learning more about other cultures, sharing life experiences and different perspectives, ... and huge varieties of food. I am happy to know people of many races, countries, religions, sexual identities, ethnicities, ages, experiences, etc.

Interests

Wow - too many to list. Daydreaming. Learning Spanish. Service Dogs, Different cultures, Being a Citizen of the World, Working for social justice and equality, Art, Music, etc.

Currently fascinated with boondocking - staying on Bureau of Land Management or public Forest lands. Being a bit of a Nomad and using solar energy to power minimal things, likes lights, phone, etc. I have a van now with solar on top:)

One thing I am Not interested in is watching TV! I prefer quiet, or discussion with interesting people.

So sad at what is happening in the US with immigration (past and currently 2022). Doing my best to see what I can do to help. Educating locally. Went to the border Feb 2020. Now assisting non-English speakers with grocery shopping, etc.

• reading
• traveling
• hiking
• camping
• mountains
• adventure
• learning new things
• exploring new places
• healthy eating
• solar energy
• boondocking

Music, Movies, and Books

Music: Classical, also World Ethnic, Classical Guitar, etc. I played the violin way long ago.

Movies: Harold and Maude, Never Cry Wolf, Smoke Signals, The Gods Must Be Crazy, Forest Gump, Thelma and Louise, Hidden Figures, Dead Poets Society, The Full Monty, The Piano, 'Letters to Elena' - 'Cartas a Elena' in Spanish with English subtitles, The King's Speech. Just Mercy

Books: Illusions, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Diary of Ann Frank, All The Light We Cannot See, Outlander, Siddhartha, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, The Art of Racing in the Rain, The Grapes Of Wrath
HELP: I have over 5,000 books in English, German, French ...... drowning in books. Will be glad to send a few along with you!

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

*In 2020 spent a week at the US/Mexico border to experience what is really happening there. Heartbreaking experience. Then COVID happened, sigh. Now an asylum assistant.
*Stayed in a tiny Mayan Village in the jungle boonies, no water, electricity, phones, or furniture.
*Traveled solo in Turkey on the chicken buses.
*Haven't had a TV for over 40 years. (Update 46)
*Camped solo in mountains and desert.
*Trained my dog to turn on lights, and to bring a towel to put on the couch so he would get to be up there with me:) Sadly have not been able yet to teach him to fold up the towel neatly and put it away when he gets off the couch :(
*Held two hummingbirds, one landed on my finger when I held flowers, the other got in my home and couldn't get out. I talked to it calmly and approached. It let me pick it up, oh the tiny heartbeat... and I took it outside and after a few moments it flew away. I was blessed.
*Watched a huge mountain lion pass 3 feet in from of my dining area window when I lived in the mountains in Colorado.
*Got run over by a Shetland pony pulling a cart, ripping my clothing into long shreds.
* At age 76 wearing the new wildly patterned leggings with tunics! Definitely can't go bare legged at this age :)
*Joined couchsurfing when I am not a joiner
* Trekked deep into a cave in Belize

Teach, Learn, Share

Teach English, Learn Spanish. Learn German. Share humor. Share books in English, German, French.

Not sure how to share at all, but worked for 10 years with Hospice, people who were dying and their families.

At age 69 I went back to the University to study Spanish with all the young students. What fun - old enough to be everyone's grandmother. (Update, I am now 76 - My Spanish study partner is 21 :)
Note: I am definitely not fluent in Spanish or German! I don't mind if you speak bad English. My English is fluent, and we can combine that with my clumsy German, and intermediate Spanish. I thoroughly enjoy trying to understand people in different languages. ... When learning a language I always seem to get stuck at a certain level and not be able to get past that!

What I Can Share with Hosts

Lots of travel stories for sure. Enthusiasm for life. A good ear. Prayers. Books - again! The opportunity to play with my standard poodle who is totally lovable and incredibly smart:)
Whatever I've learned in 76 years of life !
I would love to take you out as a host in your own town! - your choice in my budget! And food from your favorite market.

I can share my dog training methods with hosts and guests:) I trained my Service Dog with gentle positive methods to be not only helpful and life saving to me, but also to have great manners: For example not beg at the table, not jump on people, not bark, not get on the furniture, and be totally lovable. When I house-sit for others who have dogs I always train them to do something they don't already know.

Odd to say I have been to a country that no longer exists....
I visited Yugoslavia when it existed .... so add it to the list below (it wouldn't let me)

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Belgium, Belize, Canada, Denmark, Ecuador, England, France, Germany, Guatemala, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Morocco, Netherlands, Norway, Puerto Rico, Scotland, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey

Countries I’ve Lived In

Germany, United States