CURRENT MISSION

My hubby and I have finally retired and we moved to southern Spain for the next chapter of our lives. We chose the little village of Torremolinos near Malaga because it’s a lovely community that happens to have a lot of gay retired people! I am active in the LGTBIQ+ sports group DiverSport where I do beach volleyball, hiking, petanca, and sea sports. My hubby and I also enjoy nudism at home and with the community at large. We host naked socials at our house and enjoy the many nude beaches in our area.

Terry and I read in The Big Gay Relationship Handbook that after 32 years together, we have the option of taking a one year “sabbatical” from our relationship. We weren’t breaking up. We weren’t separating. But instead we individually worked on all the stuff about ourselves that will make us a better person overall and a better partner for each other.

Right after I retired in 2022, I took my "sabbatical" year traveling the world alone. I met many wonderful people and shared lots of great times and food with other world citizens. During the year, I spent three months in Europe, then three months in South Africa and Asia, then three months in Central and South America, and then finally the spring back in Europe.

ABOUT ME

Fiften years ago, my husband, son, and I quit our jobs, sold our belongings, rented out our house in LA and moved to Munich, Germany. After we finished our contracts and traveled for a whole year visiting all six continents before returning to California. We called it Fifth Grade Around The World so that our son could experience some of the diversity that the world has to offer.

Next we landed back in Berkeley next to San Francisco for 11 years. The area is vibrant and offers lots of family, friends, and fun. We had a lovely time.

Finally we have retired from the Bay Area life, gotten rid of most of our possessions and are enjoying a simpler life in southern Spain.

PHILOSOPHY

Life is to be enjoyed. I am lucky to have many wonderful friendships. But there is always room for more. I often say that I am my happiest when I have a full house. Life is meant to be shared with others.

IG: @olafmandk

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I use Couchsurfing to meet great people from all around the world.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Had a great time meeting CSers in Malaga, San Francisco, Istanbul, Bangkok, Ho Chi Min, Cochin, India, Delhi, Jaipur, Mumbai, Singapore, Melbourne, New Zealand, Buenos Aires, Valparaiso, Cartagena, Bogota and Santiago.

We have also hosted Couchsurfers from time to time wherever we happen to be living.

Interests

Travel, rock climbing, mt. biking, live music, theater, drag queens, museums, musicals, planes, Lego, eating locally grown food, cooking, reading, Scrabble. We have been playing Scrabble for our whole lives and 33 years of playing with my hubby. We are aficionados and have memorized most of the two and three letter words. That skills proves very useful in building multiple words in a single turn but makes it almost impossible for our friends to enjoy playing with us. But it’s fun when you can make the word “CWM”!

• theater
• dining
• cooking
• electronics
• reading
• traveling
• music
• live music
• cycling
• rock climbing
• tourism
• queer
• gays

Music, Movies, and Books

Favorite book: Confederacy of Dunces
Music: Classical, jazz, musicals, gospel
Movies: I'm a sucker for a romantic comedy. I also like anything that gets me crying. I cried THREE times during Toy Story 3. I'm a sap. Can you really watch Pretty Woman too many times?

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Arriving at the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro just as the sun was rising. Tears still fill my eyes thinking about it.

Teach, Learn, Share

FREQUENT FLYER POINTS: I am a crazy collector of frequent flyer points. I once got over 2 million miles by buying Nutrigrain cereal bars. I love talking to travelers about maximizing their miles. These days I travel mostly in business and first class only using miles!

What I Can Share with Hosts

I love to cook. Let's make a meal together!

Countries I’ve Visited

Andorra, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Chile, China, Colombia, Denmark, England, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Portugal, Qatar, Scotland, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, Tanzania, Thailand, Turkey, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Vatican City State, Viet Nam, Zimbabwe

Countries I’ve Lived In

Germany, Malawi, Spain, United States

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