Hi, I am a consulting gardener/designer, environmental educator, and artist/artisan from Portland

I have traveled all over the NW Coast (Cascadia), and am living in Roseburg, Oregon except for my current travels.

I help home-owners in established neighborhoods improve their gardens with consultations, designs, plant-lists, installation, and maintenance. I have a background in environmental education, ethnobotany, horticulture, and graphic design.

My primary activities are: Nature, Art, Ancient stuff, Dancing, Tech, and Biking (need another one though!)

I have travelled for six months in Europe including 5 months in Ireland, where I connected with my ancestry and sense of purpose(writing and gardening to promote sense of place). I returned to Cascadia after and mostly stay in my beautiful home of the NW since, but there are thousands of miles of mountains and coastline to travel, and I am content travelling locally as a personal journey of place.

I have many earth based, artistic, practical and techie tastes. I am a rennaissance woman.

My diet, etc:
I am omnivorous but have great respect for vegetarian/veganism, as well as ethically sourced diverse diet. I am not picky however, and have no major allergies. I am content and happy to be in a vegan or more "american" kitchen and cook and share whatever food people around me like the most.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I just logged in for first time since pandemic (a month ago now) and have stayed put for multiple years now and need to stretch my legs, expand my horizons, meet humans from all the world, talk linguistics and plants and tech, listen to stories, and go to new places.

Interests

• writing
• singing
• graphic design
• diy
• dancing
• civil rights
• cooking
• yoga
• meditation
• gardening
• flowers
• reading
• survival
• world music
• hiking
• art
• nature
• linguistics
• permaculture
• feminism
• ancient history
• bicycling
• programming
• bicycle touring
• organic gardening
• ireland
• wild camping
• foreign languages
• herbal medicine
• open source
• linux
• foraging
• herbalism
• ethnobotany
• ecstatic dance
• botany
• environmental education
• blues dancing
• screenprinting
• natural history
• wild swimming
• foreign films
• wildcrafting
• lgbtq
• hiking in the mountains
• earth-based spirituality
• land back
• laser-cutting

Music, Movies, and Books

Music: WorldFusion, Downtempo, Celtic, Post Rock, Folk, Pop you can Blues Fusion Dance to.
Movies: mind bending thrillers, Wakowski sisters, Miyazaki, Akira Kurosawa, Jim Jarmusch, Indie, martial arts movies, a good story...
Books: nature guides, permaculture books, books about ancient stuff, I don't read a lot of novels lately, but read most of the classics as a child, tldr reddit...

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I hiked the "North Loop" from Sunset Lodge and an extra bit to Mowich lake and back to Sunset in 46 hours. 48 miles, 32,000 ft elevation gain and loss. They told us at the neighboring park guide employee lodge that "only trail runners attempt that route in that amount of time". It was so stunningly beautiful, going 4000 ft up and down those river canyons, twice each. Mt Rainier late summer splendor. We made sure to leave a note on their door when we were passing back through at 4:30 two days later... I did this when I was 19. I woudn't attempt it in that time frame without a whole season of training, but I'm proud of myself, because I didn't complain, even when the muscles inside my toe split (probably my final "coming of age").

Teach, Learn, Share

I can teach about: sacred geometry, gardening: general, native, permaculture, veggie, horticulture and fancy; survival skills: wild edibles, shelter, fiber arts, friction fire/fire skills, aidless navigation, birds, tracks; silkscreen screenprinting; cooking/nutrition; herbal medicine making, and Linux.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I am a good cook and an excellent gardener, and an avid fan of linguistics, mythology, history, science, philosophy, plants, and human-friendly tech.

Countries I’ve Visited

Canada, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, Scotland, Spain

Countries I’ve Lived In

Ireland, United States