CURRENT MISSION

to look listen watch and learn

ABOUT ME

I am an amateur academic, a sometime construction worker, an occasional Latinist, and currently a lawyer; I have always been and continue to be a seeker, a student, and a wide-eyed observer of our complicated world. I cherish the written word and the unwritten beauty of wild places, where I have always felt most free. I am deeply moved by others' honesty and authenticity, and hope to achieve both in the way I live.

PHILOSOPHY

"For me there is only travelling on paths that have heart...looking...looking...breathlessly."

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I have enjoyed the bountiful good will, friendship, and kindness of hosts when I have traveled. I strive to offer the same to those who stay with me and to promote couchsurfing whenever I can.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I couchsurfed in the Netherlands in 2010 and was hooked. I have not since then had the opportunity to surf, but have hosted surfers at my house. Every connection has been deeply rewarding.

Interests

Politics; human rights; thinking and writing precisely; Buddhism; zazen; Beat Poets; nature writing; wooodsmanship; construction; Arts and Crafts furniture, buildings and pottery (love those glazes!); making things with my hands; the Classical World; antiques; justice; wild poetry; ecosystemic thinking; the old ways; biospheres; the rebirth of urban centers; good beer and, more importantly, good Scotch; can't leave out bourbon; Japanese woodblock prints; living at a human pace.

• arts
• writing
• literature
• poetry
• beauty
• human rights
• beer
• crafts
• politics
• traveling
• pottery
• canoeing
• buddhist
• track and field
• law
• lakes

Music, Movies, and Books

I love folk music--old Wobblie political stuff, particularly--but I am fairly indiscriminate and like all kinds of music. L. Cohen, Adrienne Young, and John Prine would be representative of my center or background in music.

Books: I particularly like those books that are conceived, as I see it, by a powerful mind and driven by a kind of cohesive philosophy. Examples would be Moby Dick, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, some of the novels of Edward Abbey, the poetry and essays of Gary Snyder, Steinbeck, or Waiting for Godot. I especially like the novellas of Jim Harrison.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Probably the most amazing experience of my life was canoeing across the the lakes of northern Manitoba on a canoe trip that lasted a month. Through the work and cruising on the lakes, the everlasting slap of paddle on water, I lost track of the days, the world, and, eventually, myself: the most blissful state of being, pure presence. It was exquisite.

Teach, Learn, Share

I know all kinds of very practical things about residential construction, from drains and pipes to how to put on a roof, as well as lots of carpentry. I love houses: how they are built, how they work, and who lives in them. One of my favorite things when travelling is to compare what people in other places consider normal to live in versus how it is where I come from.

I also know a lot of random information about the Classical world, Latin, literature literary theory, and law. I practice whistleblower (False Claims Act) law and love what I do. I cherish the opportunity to engage in discussion on any topic and am always thirsty for good conversation.

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Germany, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States

• 

•