CURRENT MISSION
To talk and to listen, to eat good food and serve others great food, and not to be typical.

ABOUT ME
I was an under-employed philosopher and teacher, but now live and work at an orchard.
I have sometimes taught college, sometimes ESL, sometimes odd jobs from housekeeping to farming.
I grew up in Germany, and in various spots in the US, so I speak English, German, and a bit of French. I went back to Europe a few years ago for the first time since 1976, traveling through Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, the UK and Ireland. I haven't stopped traveling since. I briefly taught ESL in Poland before settling in central New York.

PHILOSOPHY
Being right is not excuse for sloppy thinking;
neither does it excuse unkindness or incivility.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING
I have both surfed and hosted-- while I still had a house.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE
Not as much as I would like, and enough to know that.

Interests

I cook and I bake--today I made both rhubarb almond & molasses (shoe-fly) scones. I read books. I write a blog (http://www.philosophybistro.com/) in which I publish recipes, cartoons, & philosophical observation. I am happiest when travelling. I enjoy telling stories and hanging out with interesting people.

• dogs
• arts
• books
• dining
• cooking
• recipes
• flying
• boating
• cartoons
• traveling
• blogging
• philosophy
• farming
• cider

Music, Movies, and Books

Baroque, Jazz, Folk, Old Time--almost all kinds of music. I read almost as widely as the music I like, and love movies--as long as they show some intelligence and wit. I like any book or poem that shows beauty and humanity. Dislike books that portray senseless violence to the weak.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Boating on the Neckar river as a kid. Bicycling up to Gourdes a few years back. Bringing in the new year with a million people in Berlin. Being inside a thunderstorm on Roan Mountain on the Tennessee/North Carolina border. Rebuilding my life after 2 kidney transplants. Raised an amazing daughter.

Teach, Learn, Share

Can cook and bake and love to learn more. I know a lot about books--and have taught almost anything in a Liberal Arts curriculum. I love hearing and telling stories, historical, hysterical-- you name it.
I am also a philosopher--both the academic kind and the standard lover of wisdom.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Stories & thoughts.

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Canada, France, Hungary, Ireland, Netherlands, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Germany, Poland, United States