I am a native Texan who enjoys meeting people of different cultures, both in the U.S. and in other countries. My wife Josie is from the Chicago area and enjoys painting with acrylics. We love our little house on Galveston Bay.

I joined CS in November, 2019. We were fortunate to host a delightful Russian couple in February 2020. For two days they cooked Russian food for us and she sang Russian folk music playing my guitar. My first surfing experience was March 2020 in Savannah, Georgia with a wonderful host.

You should read my entire profile if you are interested in staying with Josie and me. You should also be verified and make your payment before asking to be hosted, either with us or anyone else.

I had planned to spend three months solo backpacking and couchsurfing in Europe in 2020. That didn’t happen because of the Wuhan virus, so I did it in 2021.

Flying into Amsterdam Tuesday July 27, 2021 I began for me the Trip of a Lifetime, a three month solo backpacking trip, couchsurfing through Europe with a Eurail Global Pass. Its "solo" because my lovely wife, God bless her, is simply not that adventurous!

I completed my adventure November 1, 2021. Six days in July, 31 days in August, 30 days in September and 31 days in October. I was hosted in Amsterdam, The Netherlands 🇳🇱 …Ypres, Belgium 🇧🇪…Wurzburg, Germany 🇩🇪…Rothenburg op de Tauber, Germany 🇩🇪…Schwarzenborn, Germany 🇩🇪… Prague, Czech Republic 🇨🇿…Brno, Czech Republic 🇨🇿…Olomouc, Czech Republic 🇨🇿…Krakow, Poland 🇵🇱…Budapest, Hungary 🇭🇺…Timisoara, Romania 🇷🇴…Belgrade, Serbia 🇷🇸…Zagreb, Croatia 🇭🇷…Plitvice Lakes National Park, Croatia 🇭🇷…Trogir , Croatia 🇭🇷…Rijeka, Croatia 🇭🇷…Ljubjlana, Slovenia 🇸🇮…Innsbruck, Austria 🇦🇹…Zurich, Switzerland 🇨🇭…Zermatt, Switzerland 🇨🇭…Lyon, France 🇫🇷…Barcelona, Spain 🇪🇸…Figueres, Spain 🇪🇸…Paris, France 🇫🇷…Ypres, Belgium 🇧🇪…London, England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿…Edinburgh, Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿…Inverness, Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Glasgow, Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿…Windermere, England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿…Oxford, England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 …London, England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

My oldest son Jimmy said it best while seeing and talking with me about my trip on FaceTime while I was in Krakow. “Dad, I know you thought it would be a great trip, but it sounds like it is even better than that!”

It is not possible for me to conceal how meaningful and stimulating this trip was for me.

My “working for money” career as a financial counselor ended in 2019. The financial part of it did not interest me nearly as much as counseling people about their lives in the future based on their current circumstances, and getting to know what makes them do what they do.

Tennis, hiking, love of nature, politics, camping and small boat sailing have been an important part of my life for over 40 years. We bought a Casita travel trailer a few years ago and have used it a lot, particularly me!

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I am on couchsurfing to meet new and interesting people as I travel to places I have not been previously. Learning about people and the history of other cultures is of particular interest to me. Visiting 17 European countries, staying with 25 different hosts on a trip of a lifetime in August, September and October 2021 was a fantastic experience.

Interests

My interests are many and varied as you can see from the 15 I have listed.

• birds
• insects
• politics
• traveling
• fishing
• backpacking
• camping
• tennis
• history
• cultural immersion
• hiking in nature
• my wife
• philosophical conversations
• my church
• park hosting

Music, Movies, and Books

Music-wise I am a bit eclectic. I love the beautiful melodies found in the popular tunes of the 1920s through the 1950s. I also like the folk and rock music of the 60s, 70s and 80s. Dylan, the Beatles, Neil Young, Roy Orbison, Willie Nelson.

With movies I am not interested in newer movies. I prefer movies by the great directors...Hitchcock, Wilder, Kubrick, Capra, Huston. I also like film noir, movies like Sunset Boulevard, The Postman Always Rings Twice and Double Indemnity. European films by the great directors and actors have always been special to me, like Manon of the Spring and Jean de Florette with Yves Montand.

When it comes to books I like serious non-fiction books I can learn from. These could be history, politics, wildlife, biographies, and philosophy. Also fantasies, by writers like C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. The Bible is my most important book, and the book which is my guide to making life decisions.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

In October 2019 I traveled from Texas to northern Minnesota to work in the sugar beet harvest as an RV work camper. I did it not for the money (which I certainly did not turn down!), but rather to meet people in a part of the U.S. I had never been to.

It was truly a life-changing experience. I met small town, rural people in Minnesota and North Dakota who did not grow up in a large city as I did. I learned about farmers , developing a deep appreciation for their importance.
I went to their churches, and was invited for lunch into their homes. I learned about Norwegian and Swedish food. I learned about their strong sense of traditional values.

I also did it simply to learn if I could do it, both physically and mentally. My profession was financial counseling for individual clients, not manual labor. This work was hard physical labor 12 hours a day, 7 days a week. The harvest experienced weather interruptions, from both rain and snow. Instead of lasting 2 weeks, it lasted over 4 weeks.

Teach, Learn, Share

Having discussions with open-minded people about the ultimate issues of life is what I enjoy most. Religion, philosophy, politics, culture, and psychology.

I do love being outdoors experiencing God’s Nature. Hiking and camping in many of the beautiful Texas State Parks is a particular passion of mine. Have camped and hiked many times in Big Bend National Park, and hiked the highest mountain in Texas, Guadalupe Peak in Guadalupe Mountains National Park.

What I Can Share with Hosts

My wife is quick to point out that I am a curious person. What that means is I ask a lot of questions of people I meet.

As I am older than the average couch surfer, I have likely had more and different experiences than some have had. I hopefully have gained in wisdom from these experiences. If you are interested in learning about Texas and the United States I can certainly help you.

American politics is a passionate interest of mine, as are economics and philosophy.

Countries I’ve Visited

Aruba, Austria, Bahamas, Barbados, Belgium, Belize, Bermuda, Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba, Canada, Cayman Islands, Czech Republic, England, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Luxembourg, Martinique, Mexico, Morocco, Netherlands, Poland, Puerto Rico, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Sint Maarten (Dutch part), Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States, Vatican City State

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States