I grew up near Chicago and had a pretty straight passage through University and Grad School. Lots of sports. At 29, I left the US with my bicycle, my camping gear, and a one-way ticket to Portugal... and cycled to Australia.

I was fortunate to find work in Japan in quantum physics -- which was like teleporting to a different planet. After that, more than a decade of exploring the world by bicycle and sea-kayak. Highlights: 2years on a tandem bicycle across Europe and S.America; and 2years solo-paddling the Thai/Malay peninsula, both coasts, island-by-island, camping and spearfishing.

In December 2004, I passed through the Great Tsunami. I was kayaking in Thailand, separated from my boat twice, nearly killed three times in one hour. (That story, told as a mystery in mixed media, begins here: https://www.forgiverance.com/www.forgiverance.com/index.html)

Since then, I've raised a family of five siblings, adopted from Brazil in 2006. This has been the *real adventure* of my life. The youngest are now independent and, once again, we have the freedom to travel. In 2019, Grace and I spent three months doing a walking tour of the beaches of Bahia, in central Brasil. Last winter, a three-month driving/kayaking tour of the western states and the inside coast of baja. And this spring 6 weeks walking the beaches and footpaths of Santorini.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

Parenting was really hard -- but wow! -- I grew so much!! Now that the kids are off on their own, we are opening our home to guests (and planning more travel ourselves). We want to meet new people and share some of the adventure and joy we have discovered.

Note that we are located inside Pike Lake Provincial Park, right on the water, about 25kms south of Saskatoon. It's a big plus if you have your own transportation (though that's not essential) and a Very Big Plus if you arrive by bicycle!!

Interests

It seems I was *born hungry* ~ for ideas, languages, science and art. I've always felt a certain tension between thinking and creating, between dreaming and doing. In consequence, I tend to be quite active in mind and body. Always in motion: woodworking, dance, poetry, travel.

Lately, I have been contributing taoist perspectives and zen poetry to a website called Quora: https://www.quora.com/When-did-you-wake-up-and-take-control-of-the-wheel-of-life/answer/w-w-Lenzo

• literature
• poetry
• salsa dancing
• swing dancing
• cooking
• working out
• juggling
• woodworking
• jazz
• kayaking
• cinema
• spearfishing
• zen
• bicycling
• taoism
• quora
• wild camping
• vipassana
• trip hop

Music, Movies, and Books

O Wow, there's a lot. Always fertile ground for conversation. Most recent read: "Klara and the Sun" by the Nobel prize winning author Ishiguro. Current favorite director: Denis Villeneuve.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Sixteen years ago, my former partner and I adopted a family of five brothers and sisters from Brazil. We brought them to Canada and raised them here at our lake cottage. Their ages now span from 26-31 and (surprise surprise!) we've got grandkids! -- which is fun, wacky, and totally disorienting.

Teach, Learn, Share

Simplicity and Joy are Everywhere around us -- if only we could see through the clutter and distraction.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Cuisine, poetry, shiraz and jazz, travel stories, soulful conversation.

Countries I’ve Lived In

Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Greece, Japan, Mexico, Switzerland, Thailand, United States