I am very chill, kind, compassionate, quiet yet social, respectful, tolerant. Politically I lean Marxist, spiritually I lean Buddhist. I am a former peace activist and War Tax Resistor. I believe that as a human being, it is my responsibility to act in opposition to oppression and injustice.

I worked most of my life in the education field. I am humble and grateful. I practice service to others, including as a foster parent of a 17-year-old Dominican boy, once-a-week volunteer at a local soup kitchen, and member of a local peer support recovery center where I facilitate a weekly Buddhist addiction recovery meeting (I am sober).

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I love to travel. I want to share my home with and be hosted by like-minded people from whom I can learn.

Interests

Music, art, travel, cooking, gardening, playing basketball and tennis, hiking, bicycling, kayaking, photography.

Music, Movies, and Books

Jazz, classical, jam bands including Grateful Dead, Middle Eastern, Indian classical, West African.

Martin Scorsese, Woody Allen, Coen Brothers, Quentin Tarantino, Pedro Almodovar.

Kurt Vonnegut, Noam Chomsky, Barbara Kingsolver, Tom Wolfe, David Sedaris, Thich Naht Hahn.

I don’t own a TV. I avoid social media like the plague.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Climbed to the top of Mt. Saint Helens not long after it erupted.

Teach, Learn, Share

I speak some Spanish, want to learn more. I want to learn some Italian should I decide to move to Italy because I do not like what my country has become. I like to teach English to non-native speakers.

I recently started taking lessons to relearn how to play piano, and I hope to teach myself how to play clarinet, accordion, and banjo. I recently took a shibori workshop and a couple sewing classes.

I like to share food and the experience of breaking bread together while engaging in meaningful conversation.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Wisdom (?) and life experiences. A comfortable and well-adorned home, with a lovely garden (but not in winter).

Countries I’ve Visited

Argentina, Belgium, Belize, Canada, Cayman Islands, Chile, Ecuador, Finland, France, Guadeloupe, Hong Kong, Italy, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Romania, Saint Lucia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Tunisia, Turkey, Turks and Caicos Islands, Virgin Islands, British, Virgin Islands, U.S.

Countries I’ve Lived In

England, United States