I moved to Cincinnati pretty recently after spending 10 or so years moving around often doing seasonal outdoor work like environmental education and guiding. Some of the places I have lived and worked include off the NC coast, in the Catskill Mtns in NY, Haast NZ, In various parts of CO and UT, the Santa Monica Mtns in CA and near Portland ME.

I have worked with kids for most of my career and education and the brain fascinate me. I am also into cooking, making pottery, baking bread, reading, gardening, beer drinking. I run, bike, climb and paddle all just enough to embarrass myself.

I love people, being outside, and trying new things.

I am currently back in grad school and my partner and I just purchased our first house with the intention of turning it into a little baby farm, despite being in the city.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I originally got involved with couchsurfing through a roommate I had who had surfers all of the time. I also couchsurfed with her some. Then when I moved out I decided to get an account of my own. I used it a lot when I was living in Asheville and had some truly fantastic surfers come through and surfed periodically throughout my travels. I really believe in the ideas behind couchsurfing and have met some of the sweetest friends through hosting and surfing, who I am still in contact with.

Interests

being outside for a long time, reading, thinking and talking to people, making pottery, laughing. Also plants.

Music, Movies, and Books

I like anything by Colum McCann or Alex Lemon or Juno Diaz oo and Jenny Offil. I also love any books about expeditions, preferably humorous like Rowing to Lattitude or the Emerald Mile. I enjoy some poems. I am a bluegrass fan and I like small women with smokey voices.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

All of best things I've ever done can be summed up in the times I've ever felt really connected to other people, mostly outside.

Having a salty, sandy toddler, exhausted from playing in the surf, fall asleep in my arms on the farthest point of a small island

Laughing with a man named Davindra when I ate some samosas that were only partially cooked without realizing it and gathering what I had done from his gestures

Falling asleep in my sea kayak during a break when we were paddling through the night to get a tidal advantage to be awoken by the singing of another paddler a few feet away

Successfully catching an almond in my mouth at the top of the 3rd peak my best friend and I had made it up that day

Any time there is a food, music and people

Teach, Learn, Share

I can throw on a potters wheel, and I can cook good vegetarian things to eat. I would love to learn about literally anything, everything is interesting to me to the point that my friends laugh at me for it.

My newest interests are: carpentry and building, current and the science of how water moves in nature, ecology and indentification of plants, butchering large animals, alternative firing techniques (for pottery), interesting models for elementary schools that currently exist. And food preservation, if you’re into canning teach me things!

What I Can Share with Hosts

I can share my optimism and my energy with hosts. I can also share anything I have with me at the time.

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Canada, China, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Laos, Mexico, Mongolia, New Zealand, Puerto Rico, South Africa, Swaziland, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

New Zealand, United States