CURRENT MISSION

to walk the rougher and more precarious edges of our world's natural splendor

ABOUT ME

I'm a NATURALIST... a teacher of environmental science for over ten years. I take sixth graders on hikes and teach them how nature works... through games, hands-on activities and exploration..... currently at the Rancho Alegre Outdoor School in Santa Barbara. I've worked in New York, Massachusetts, Maine, Indiana, Colorado, Hawaii and California.... beautiful places, all.

I'm a MUSICIAN... whose primary style is to beatbox through an irish whistle. I play with occasional bands, as well as on the open mic circuit.

I'm a WRITER... whose adventure travel column "On The Road" is featured weekly in the upstate New York newspaper "The Evening Sun".

I'm a HIKER... and I love spending the summers car camping and backpacking in the Rocky Mountains, especially when lofty summit views are involved.

I hope that the things I am will someday outweigh the things I am not.

My favorite personal photographs are online at:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/1 0372690@N00/

PHILOSOPHY

I've encountered sixteen paths to spirituality and enlightenment.... why am I a master of none of them?

Well, I strive, and I appreciate others that do the same. I believe magic permeates all things, and I learned everything I ever needed to know from Fraggle Rock. That, and life.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I used the the Hospitality Club before learning about CS, and now I host and surf through CS in roughly equal amounts.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

In the Lofoten Islands in Norway I stayed on a couch on the third floor of a Glass Gallery with a view down to a forge and glassblowers at their craft. Besides hitchhiking, it's a great way to meet people, and to give back a little to the land through music.

Interests

Seeing the country, seeing the world...

Sharing insights.... the ways people make the most of being human. Learning how people become more than what they are...

Hiking and exploring places with unique geography...

Gypsy jam band dancing...
SB's Deep/Ecstatic Dance scene...

Improvisational music..... stretching myself musically, socially, spiritually....

• writing
• dancing
• clubbing
• traveling
• socializing
• magic
• music
• guitar
• outdoor activities
• hiking
• backpacking
• camping
• skiing
• rock climbing
• teaching
• geography
• science
• hitchhiking
• adventure travel
• mountains

Music, Movies, and Books

70s Prog Rock: Jethro Tull, David Bowie, early Genesis

Folk: John Denver, Gordon Lightfoot, Simon &
Garfunkel, Cat Stevens, Nick Drake

Modern Songwriters: Belle & Sebastian, The
Decemberists, Regina Spektor

Movies: Terry Gilliam films, The Muppets

Books: Lloyd Alexander's "The Chronicles of Prydain"

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Glissading down Ben Nevis, Scotland
Locked in a cathedral tower, England
Falling into the Arctic Ocean, Alaska
Belching away a curious bear, Montana
Crashing a wedding parade, India
Trying to change a tire in 120-degree temeratues, U.A.E.
Meeting an artic fox in the backcountry, Iceland
Dancing through dust storms at Burning Man, Nevada

Teach, Learn, Share

I can teach recorder, rudimentary guitar, tree-climbing, trespassing, fire-spinning, and renegade camping.

Countries I’ve Visited

Antigua and Barbuda, Canada, France, French Polynesia, Germany, Iceland, India, Ireland, Kenya, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

United Kingdom, United States