I love deeply when I love. Among those many loves: My son, my partner, My music, and: cooking, conversation, participating in activities for social justice, living out of doors (in good weather only), fine wine (Bordeaux!), most forms of fine art, dogs.

I have played music since I was four years old. I have written country songs for Nashville singers and composed for the ballet. I love traditional and contemporary ballads and play a wide range of instruments, including: acoustic guitar (of course), hammer dulcimer, old timey banjo, mandolin, pennywhistle. and just about anything else I can get my hands on. Another side of me loves to murder Beethoven, Chopin and Satie on the piano.

I think I may be the youngest 66 (oh my, how did that ever happen!?) on the planet. I take a great joy in life. I hike, wild mushroom, party gently and sometime otherwise, and I love a good sense of humor. My favorite food to cook is duck; or perhaps rabbit. I enjoy intellectual discourse and particularly enjoy hearing political opinions and thoughts I do not necessarily share. I have a hugely important 1st. Amendment decision in my name. (Just ask me and I will gladly tell you more.) I consider myself, politically, to be a conservative revolutionary.

I love to explore and learn. I also love to share the little knowledge and whatever wisdom (harrumph) I have gained in my lifetime of amazing experiences.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I am interested in traveling, have traveled extensively, and I have always preferred to staying in people's homes to being in a hotel. I want to learn from the locals where ever I travel. I love it when travelers of like mind come through my home. It seemed like a perfect match-up to join Couchsurfing.

Interests

My main interest right now is to be warm this winter. I have had enough NYS snow and ice and cold to last me for the rest of this lifetime and the next one as well. I want to meet people who know their own locations well and will share what they know with me.

My other interests are pretty much covered in the about me description.

• dogs
• arts
• culture
• writing
• singing
• performing arts
• ballet dancing
• dining
• cooking
• wine
• partying
• traveling
• socializing
• music
• guitar
• piano
• hiking
• sailing

Music, Movies, and Books

Beethoven for the classics, anything folk song from any part of the world. My favorite reading material is The Nation magazine. I enjoy thought-filled contemporary music, from pop to modern classical. For movies - Moulin Rouge would be numero uno - the new version , not the classic Dietrich one.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

This is a hard choice; I have had a very rich and rewarding life. My Free Speech case, my decade of street performance, making a great son, co-writing (with Shel Silverstein) what Great American Country called the number 47 (out of 70) best Truck-Drivers song ever written (HA!) , and so much more comes into consideration, but here's what personally amazes me most.

In 1976, I was the Musical Director for Operation Sail - The Tall Ships Bicentennial celebration. We went up and down the East coast with the most beautiful ships left in the world. When we performed in NYC on the Fourth of July, we played for the largest audience to ever hear a musical performance!They say over a million people heard us live that day. It was amazing then and it is still an amazing memory.

Teach, Learn, Share

I have taught about the concomitancies between American Fine Art and American Folk Culture in over 150 museums and universities. In another aspect of my life I have worked with over 500 couples on how to make their relationships more complete. (Again - just ask and I will gladly tell you more.)

Of course I love to teach music; everything from instrumental to vocal. Showing people how to open up and sing is an experience hard to surpass.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I am open and forthcoming. I gladly share the little I know. I love to cook for my hosts. I love to play music for them; in fact, playing music in peoeple's living rooms is one of the major reasons I find Couchsurfing to be such a potentially interesting experience.

Countries I’ve Visited

Canada, Jamaica, Morocco