My husband and I live mostly off-grid and eat only wild proteins at home. We live on 22 acres in a rural area and have a flock of chickens and a large garden. We enjoy traveling to new places, doing new things, learning about different cultures, and eating foods from around the world.

My philosophy is to try anything twice: Once to get over the shock and twice to actually try it. I've found a lot of good food with this philosophy.

I really enjoy seeing obscure or whacky attractions around the world, road trips, traveling long distance by train, and cooking/eating.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I love to meet new people. I have both surfed and hosted...and each experience is always very different. Remind me if we meet and I'll tell you about a few experiences--the good, the bad, and the highly questionable.

Interests

My family and I spend a lot of time in the outdoors hiking, swimming at the lake, hunting, fishing, doing archery, gardening, and foraging for wild food. We make a lot of things by hand and cook meals together every day from scratch.

• dogs
• books
• photography
• wine
• crafts
• shopping
• traveling
• outdoor activities
• hiking
• camping
• scuba diving
• history

Music, Movies, and Books

I'm a big fan of movies with a good storyline, any genre.

I love just about all music, especially live music.

I enjoy non-fiction.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

2009, India: I took a stroll through the Mumbai slums. I had no goals, no plans, no reservations. I was immidiatly greeted with a swarm of children wanting me to take their picture. Before this happened I was worried--I didn't want to be rude snapping pictures away of these peoples lives that I had just invaded. The kids took me everywhere: to their cricket field to watch them play, to their houses to snap pictures of their cats and dogs, to their friends houses to snap pictures of them playing around with each other...I must have spent several hours walking through the mazes of shack-like structures in the world's second largest slum. It was interesting that many of the girls and women saw me with the camera and went inside. I thought to myself, "wow, I hope I didn't offend anyone--maybe I shouldn't be here." However, they quickly returned wearing their best saris and salwar kamis with their hair combed and makeup on. I found this very curious and kind of novel in a way. I took their pictures with their briming smiles and wide eyes. I kindly thanked them for their time and went on my way. After leaving the slums I thought that it would be nice to get the pictures printed and go back to deliver them. So I did just that. Three days later I went back to the mouth of the slums and again was greeted by the same kids. I started handing out pictures, trying to match the person in the picture to the person I was giving it to. Everyone came out of their houses, moms and dads, grandmas and grandpas...cousins and friends. Everyone seemed so happy and genuinly thankful for the photos. This was all great but it wasn't until I found this little old lady who looked around 85 years old. I had taken her picture and she seemed reluctant at the time. I said hello to her and smiled. She returned the smile. I walked toward her and handed her the few pictures I had taken of her. She took the photos gently out of my hand and starred at them for what felt like forever. She then returned her eyes to mine and started to weep. I didn't know why or how to respond--so I just stood there. She then walked closer to me and grabbed my arm and slowly said, "This is the first time I've ever seen myself in a photograph. I am old and now I have something to pass on to my great-grandchildren". I was speechless and touched. I never knew that my nosy stroll through the slums to fulfill a self-indulging reality check would turn into such an amazing and eye-opening experience.

Teach, Learn, Share

1) We live mostly off-grid and only eat wild fish and game at home. We have a large garden, we hunt and fish, can food, brew beer/make wine, forage, make a lot of things by hand, and live as simple as possible. I'm happy to share my skills.

2) I'd love to learn unique crafts, jokes, culinary dishes, or just about anything interesting from your life!

3) I can share...pretty much everything, except my toothbrush. Just ask!

Countries I’ve Visited

Bahamas, Bahrain, Canada, China, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Laos, Mexico, Myanmar, Namibia, Peru, South Africa, Taiwan, Thailand, Turks and Caicos Islands, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States

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