INFP/J :: I cook things and build stuff. You can find these things on my @BotanicalEats and @BotanicalWare instagram pages.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

In 2015 I was new to couchsurfing. I left that summer on a solo journey because I got a job as a plant-based chef on a biodynamic farm in upstate New York. On my way to the farm I visited Little Rock, St. Louis, Chicago, Detroit, Toronto and Niagara Falls. After my work in upstate I ventured around the New England states, and then went to Brooklyn, Philadelphia, Baltimore, DC, Asheville NC, Atlanta and New Orleans staying with friends as well as hosts.

I haven't couch-surfed since 2015, as I've been relatively rooted to a location with cooking jobs, and then starting my BotanicalWare business making and selling wooden geometric shelves and spice racks. This time around my dog Maleilei and I will be heading west with my final destination being Indianola Washington, which is a town just across the Puget Sound from Seattle. Here, I will again be working on a farm, but this time I'll be out in the fields getting my hands dirty and learning all there is to know about growing vegetables. Maleilei is my super sweet, soft, loyal, well mannered pooch that has been with me since the moment she was born over 10 years ago.

The plan is to take two weeks, head west from Texas and then shoot up the coast to Washington, all while seeing the sights, eating delicious food and drinking craft beer on dog friendly patios, camping in National Forests, and staying with you lovely people along the way.

I have met incredible hosts, been to some killer restaurants, bars, and breweries, and explored areas of towns I otherwise would have missed. I've also had some hosts simply say, "Here's my key. I have to go to work so just make yourself at home." which is so refreshing in today's world. The people in this community have been nothing but kind.

Interests

family | my dog Maleilei | most all forms of art | culinary arts | film | plant-based cuisine | recipe development | food science | craft beer | sustainable design | social activism | exploring | red wine | gin | botany | woodwork | crystals and minerals | holistic health | darts | frisbee | thrift stores | photography | farming and all things vegetables

• arts
• design
• photography
• dining
• cooking
• wine
• thrifting
• woodworking
• darts
• skydiving
• science
• film
• craft beer
• farming

Music, Movies, and Books

Some of my favorites in no particular order.

Films:
Vertigo (1958), North By Northwest (1959), Psycho (1950), Tokyo Story (1953), The Kid With A Bike (2011), Yi Yi (2000), It Happened One Night (1934), M (1931), You Can't Take It With You (1938), Black Narcissus (1947), 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), American Beauty (1999), Chinatown (1974), The Philadelphia Story (1940), The Silence Of The Lambs (1991), Badlands (1973), Easy Rider (1969), Dumbo (1941), Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind (2004), Wall-E (2008), On The Waterfront (1954), A Clockwork Orange (1971), The Tree of Life (2011), Full Metal Jacket (1987), Mulholland Drive (2001), Annie Hall (1977), Rashomon (1950), Rushmore (1998), Grand Budapest Hotel (2014) , Double Indemnity (1944), Pleasantville (1998), M*A*S*H (1970), American Psycho (2000), The Graduate (1967), Sunset Blvd. (1950), One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest (1975), Bicycle Thieves (1948), Do The Right Thing (1989), Paris, Texas (1984), The Big Sleep (1946), Dead Ringers (1988), The Skin I Live In (2011), Boyhood (2014), Birdman (2014), Oldboy (2003), Stray Dog (1949), In the Mood for Love (2000), The Square (2017), Shoah (1985), A Woman Under the Influence (1974), Naked (1993), The Lobster (2015), The Tale (2018), Fantastic Planet (1973), The Handmaiden (2016), Moonlight (2016)

Music:
Modest Mouse | Alt-J | Portugal the Man | Bob Dylan | Tallest Man On Earth | The Black Keys | Etta James | Bill Withers | Lorde | Kendrick Lamar | The XX | Dr. Dog | Beck | Cold War Kids | The National | Nina Simone | James | Portishead | Prince | Ani Di Franco | Childish Gambino | Dustin O'Halloran | SZA | Chance the Rapper | Morphine

I also have a soft spot for classic country music. I'm from Texas after all, y'all.

Books:
Cider House Rules - John Irving | Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood | The Poisonwood Bible - Barbara Kingsolver | The Time Machine - H.G. Wells | Animal Farm - George Orwell | Becoming - Michelle Obama | Harry Potter series | Breakfast of Champions - Kurt Vonnegut | Americanah - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie | The Catcher in the Rye - J.D. Salinger | Brave New World - Aldous Huxley | To Kill a Mockingbird - Lee Harper | Anything by Malcom Gladwell

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Started a woodworking business that I operated on my own, and made nearly 800 sales in one year to 46 of the 50 states and 6 different countries. Being a small business owner is tough work, but incredibly rewarding, and I'm pretty freakin' proud of this feat. - BotanicalWare.com - I'll be putting the shop on vacation mode in early April, though I look forward to re-opening after my farm job this season in Washington state.

Skydiving and going on solo journeys around the US are also some dope things. :-)

What I Can Share with Hosts

I can share knowledge of cooking, film, and small business management (start-up, photography, styling, social media, etc.).

Countries I’ve Visited

Belgium, Canada, Germany, Mexico