CURRENT MISSION

My current mission is to visit as many places on the planet as possible, to meet knew people and share experiences, and become a better artist.

ABOUT ME

I am nurturing my artistic side after a life of working at some things I was enthusiastic about, and some other things, not so much. While trying to find the right fit for me in the world, I worked as a secretary, retail sales manager, and bartender. I had my own wallpapering business in the 80's and 90's and enjoyed that immensely. Following my love of birds and wildlife, I returned to college in the 90's and earned a Bachelor of Science in Wildlife Management. I loved being a Natural History Biologist and searching for and counting birds for a living, but the job market was such that there was no security in the field, so I again returned to school to learn Physical Therapy, an old interest. I found work as a Physical Therapist Assistant depressing because of the constraints of our health care system and having to be indoors so much. I was grateful to retire from that work in order to care for my mother-in-law, who had Alzheimer's disease, one-on-one in my home. I did that for 8 years and it was a life-changing time for me. When she passed away in 2006, my artistic aspirations, which I had abandoned as an 18 year old college freshman, began to sprout wings.

My husband and I enjoy traveling and I travel around the U.S. to participate in plein air competitions and sell my work. I also teach pastel painting workshops.

My husband is a producer for the local NPR affiliate KMST and has worked there 40+ years! He is an audiophile and a great lover of music and the CD's are taking over our house! He is chomping at the bit to retire when he can have more free time to travel and work around our "compound" of about 20 acres. We married when we were 40 and 41, and Norm's Mom came to live with us shortly after and needed much care, so kids didn't happen for us. We love our dog, Skye and our cat, Brown Toe.

PHILOSOPHY

Walk softly on the planet and manifest as much beauty and good energy as possible.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I love the altruistic nature of Couchsurfing. I enjoy meeting and helping new friends and sharing interests through hosting and through surfing.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I have stayed with couchsurfers when traveling to art workshops and competitions. My husband Norm and I have used CS to take some great vacation trips on a budget. We have hosted surfers from all over the world. All have been great experiences.

Interests

Art, music (especially live performances in intimate settings), bird/wildlife watching, hiking, wine, photography, travel, environmental concerns, slow, healthy food, singing and playing hand drums and other percussion instruments.

• dogs
• wildlife
• birds
• arts
• singing
• photography
• beauty
• dining
• wine
• traveling
• music
• drums
• hiking
• biology
• history
• science

Music, Movies, and Books

My first favorite movie was "The Graduate". My most recent favorite is "Temple Grandin"; Claire Danes is AMAZING in it. I loved "Avatar" for the beauty of it, although I found the story, formulaic and predictable and disliked the "military" aspect of it. I felt it was a direct rip-off of "Dances With Wolves", another big favorite of mine and I was disappointed in James Cameron for writing such a weak story.

Favorite Books: Diana Gabaldon's "Outlander" series - fantastic historical, romantic fiction! "Teaching a Stone to Talk" and "Pilgrim at Tinker Creek" by Annie Dillard; "Still Life with Woodpecker" by Tom Robbins; "Pillars of the Earth" by Ken Follett, "The Agony and the Ecstasy" (biography of Michelangelo). Anything by Barbara Kingsolver.

Music: Singer/Songwriters are my favs - Brooks Williams, Patty Larkin, Keb Mo, Chris Smither, Bonnie Raitt, Taj Mahal, Vinx, Shawn Colvin, Sting, Dee Carstensen, Beatles, Stones, Pink Floyd - the list goes on and on.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Watching a wild flock of Flamingos take off from the water in the Mexican Caribbean Sian Ka'an Biosphere Preserve and then lying on my back on the bow of a our small boat while they passed 50 feet or so over my head. Nothing has ever topped that. I cried!

Teach, Learn, Share

I can teach how to identify birds by sight and song. I give private art lessons in my studio and teach workshops anywhere someone wants me to go!

Norm is very knowledgeable about music, having been a producer for public radio for 40+ years.

We love to learn just about anything new.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Good food, good wine, walks in the Ozark countryside with our dog Skye, a tour of my studio/gallery, Public House Brewery, St. James Winery (voted one of the top 100 best wineries in the world) and many other wineries. Lot's more!

Countries I’ve Visited

Bahamas, Mexico, Saint Lucia, United Kingdom, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States

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