Really it's about US. I'm Baja - the dog. I'm a Rottweiler. Plan on lots of time spent scratching me during your stay. But I'm not real fond of other furry and/or four-legged things - and if it slithers or hops, I'll eat it first and ask questions later. So you'll need to leave your creatures at home. And if you're tall or have a really deep voice I may not trust you for a while - but if you like dogs and treat me well, I'll warm up to you after a while.

Then there are my people:

June is my mom person. She is a CSW (certified specialist in wine), loves teaching people about wine, and learning more about it . She has never met a stranger.

Geoff is my dad person. He is a listener and takes a while to warm up to people. But he loves people, and hearing their stories. He's also a motorcycle rider (I'm trying to talk him into a sidecar for me).

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I (Geoff) like the idea of Couchsurfing. I enjoy traveling, learning from other people, and understanding different points of view. And I enjoy challenging myself - as a somewhat introverted guy, it's a lot easier to find a quiet hotel - but I want to experience more than that.

On a recent motorcycle ride in Louisiana, I met a number of relatives in a rural area for the first time, heard World War 2 stories about my uncles, and got to experience great food. Being welcomed by near strangers, hearing people's stories, making new friends, and experiencing people and food the way I never would at a hotel, made me ask myself, "how can I experience this everywhere I go?"

If I'm hosting, then it's about June, myself and our Dog (see "About Me"). If I'm traveling, it will usually just be me.

Interests

• dogs
• wine
• motorcycles
• boating
• video games
• traveling
• socializing
• hiking
• wine tourism
• motorcycle
• motorbikes
• public speaking

Music, Movies, and Books

Music: All sorts, but mostly classic rock (70's and 80's era in particular). Bob Seger and Kenny Chesney are both favorites of both of us. We enjoy getting our friends to put together a playlist of 10 songs along a theme (i.e. songs you loved in high school) and combining them with our own and spending the evening listening to them together.

Books: Love reading. Favorite is Lord of the Rings but also like a lot of history, historic fiction, self-help and business books. Recent reads: Art of Asking, Give and Take, Platform, Flags of our Fathers

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Married an amazing woman. Raised two amazing daughters. Saw the sun rise from Mt Haleakala, and over Santorini, and over Yosemite. Touched the hand of God. Wrote a couple of books.

Teach, Learn, Share

It's odd, but I love ... work. I love helping people to be successful in it and I love helping businesses to be more successful with people. In fact, I think people were made to do great work and that life can't be fully experienced without it.

I'm a lover of stories. Personal life stories. Historical stories. Stories of events. Everyone has a fantastic story to share. I want to hear yours, and maybe help you discover some of it.

What I Can Share with Hosts

But the goal is mostly to share experiences, knowledge and to create new friendships. I'm glad to share the book I've written.

Things we can share when hosting:
* A comfortable bed
* Warm blankets
* Wifi
* Your own bathroom
* A glass of wine
* Maybe a boat ride on nearby Lake Norman

Glad to take a ride together (if I'm on my motorcycle when visiting). If you don't ride, but you're an adventurous spirit, then let me know your helmet size and I'll take you for a ride while I'm visting (or while you're visiting us).

If you like to talk about business, starting a business, or challenges at work, I greatly enjoy that (I'm kind-of a work geek). Geoff knows a bit about wine, June knows a lot about wine, and we're happy to share knowledge and experiences about wine and touring wine country.

Countries I’ve Visited

Canada, England, Greece, Mexico

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States