If you'd like to stay with us, we need at least a day's notice, preferably more. I won't accept same day requests, sorry! I also appreciate detailed requests (a bit about who you are, where you're coming from, where you're going, arrival and departure times, etc. etc.), particularly if you are new to Couchsurfing and don't have any friends, references, or verifications.

ABOUT ME

I grew up in rural northwest Connecticut, moved to Iowa to go to Grinnell College. Since graduating, I've seasonally worked for an organic vegetable farm, done Americorps with a local non-profit, and run a continuing education program for the local community college. I now run my own organic vegetable operation called Middle Way Farm full-time during the growing season and do part-time jobs in the winter. I've lived in Grinnell for over 9 years and I am very happy to call it my home along with my partner Emily, who also went to Grinnell College and stayed to become the founding director of the Liberal Arts in Prison Program at the college. My farming operation is located on a family farm just north of Grinnell that also hosts Grin City Collective, a seasonal artist residency that focuses on place, collaboration, and community participation.

PHILOSOPHY

"But I knew that love's doorway to life is the same doorway everywhere."

- from Innocence, by Patrick Kavanagh

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I live in a shared house in Grinnell, Iowa that prides itself on hosting weary travelers from Interstate 80. We have hosted a number of CouchSurfers since joining and I try to use CouchSurfing when I travel. We have had several people live with us temporarily while they were between jobs/living situations. We believe in having an open, welcoming household, showing hospitality and generosity to strangers and friends, and being a part of a reciprocal sharing economy and culture.

Interests

Plants, landscapes and agriculture, local food and seasonal cooking and preservation, wild edible foraging, fermentation, reading, board & card games, listening to radio and music, hiking and exploring nature on foot, small towns, pick-up sports, off the wall and absurd comedy, antique stores, junk shops, and thrift stores. Living simply but well.

• arts
• culture
• education
• dining
• cooking
• running
• thrifting
• reading
• traveling
• music
• hiking
• kayaking
• sports
• agriculture
• teaching

Music, Movies, and Books

Movies - enjoy them, especially independent, noir and foreign films; Music - love it, especially Gillian Welsh and David Rawlings, tolerant of most styles that have quality and craft behind them; Books - read them, especially really good fiction and scientific/historical non-fiction

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I once tipped my kayak and a friend's kayak going around a bend in a river in Connecticut in the middle of January and it was so warm that winter that we just pulled ourselves out and walked a mile back to my friend's truck under the moon without a shiver.

Teach, Learn, Share

I can tell you what you want to know about Iowa agriculture.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I love to learn through conversation about other places in the country and elsewhere that people know deeply through experience.

Countries I’ve Visited

Bahamas, Costa Rica, France, Ireland, Scotland, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

United Kingdom, United States

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