CURRENT MISSION

Make a living writing so I'm free to travel when and where I want. I've got a toe in the door writing scripts for TV movies and am going to the romance writer's conference in Denver because that's a genre that sells reliably. When I write without that kind of direction, I end up with cross-genre books that are hard to market.

ABOUT ME

Buffalo's just where I started. I've lived all over the lower 48 and visited Hawaii a few times. Have missed several opportunities to travel abroad & want to correct that. I had an awesome cabin in the White Mountains (tall pines) area of Arizona but was never home when surfers needed a place. Moved back to northern California to be closer to family - and 2/3 moved. (No, not to get away from me, for job stuff.)
I'm "between" homes, waiting for my now-empty place there to sell so I can get situated somewhere less expensive and have more funds for travel again. Spending the summer visiting family and deciding where I want my home base next. The Denver conference is along the way.

PHILOSOPHY

Keep learning and try to make the world a better place. That includes things like being nice to a stressed-out clerk or throwing away someone else's trash, not just the big schemes.

AMAZING: Every sunrise, every sunset, every night sky.

FUN/INTERESTING THINGS I'VE DONE:
What I grew up with: Niagara Falls, riding on the Niagara River on a Coast Guard Icecutter, watching the lightening cross Lake Erie from Canada, seeing the Northern Lights over the same lake.
My first rock concert: Yes!
Took Greyhound across Canada, visited Banff in July and got snowed on in my shorts.
Amtrak across the US, riding in the observation car.
Being a guest at an Apache coming-of-age ceremony.
Yosemite, Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon, the Golden Gate, Muir Woods, Lake Tahoe, etc.
Camping in the Adirondacks.
The view from the top of the mountains skiing at Steamboat Springs, Colorado.
Swimming with the turtles in Kaua'i & hiking part of the Nepali coast trail.
Oh, I jumped out of an airplane once, but that was just stupid. OK, it was a great view on the way down, but once was enough.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

My last big trip - to India with a medical Yatra - got cancelled due to a family emergency. Antsy to travel some more, but need to get my base set first.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Stayed in Hilo a couple days for my first CouchSurfing experience. Made other more traditional arrangements for the rest of my visit because I was a little timid about the whole concept, but it went well. Also surfed in Sacramento, which went great. I've emailed with a few people looking for info on areas I've been. Had my home in Arizona open for guests, but timing never worked out - it was off the beaten path, too. Figure on hosting when I have a place again.

Interests

I don't watch much television and no professional sports, but I'll smile and nod. Most everything else, we can talk.

• writing
• concerts
• traveling
• hiking
• camping
• skiing
• sports
• swimming
• mountains

Music, Movies, and Books

Slumdog Millionaire made me want to see India. Love in the Time of Cholera made me laugh.
I am a movie junkie - I like indie films and big box office stuff.
I read thrillers for entertainment.
Music - Eclectic. My collection has Digereedoo, Native American music for the flutes, Candy Dulfer and Kenny G for sax, Yanni and Winton for piano, lots of rock n roll, some country and blues, a little techo and punk, classical, Montoya on guitar as well as Clapton and McGuinn, etc. Anything with syncopation or a good beat or skilled musicianship. Lots of rock n roll...

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I went to Peru as an exchange student for five weeks and celebrated my sixtieth birthday there.
The first day I introduced myself as "the alternative student" and was accepted from there on out by the other students, most of whom were 18-22. We took classes together and spent three weekends on adventures: sandboarding south of Lima, Cuzco & climbing the mountain overlooking Macchu Picchu, and fishing for pirhanna on a tributary of the Amazon the weekend we stayed at a jungle lodge.
I'd always wanted to be an exchange student, and it was everything I'd expected.

Teach, Learn, Share

Teach: I know a little about a lot of things. Things I've learned traveling solo: Do talk to strangers, but be the one initiating contact to be safer.
Learn: I am a learning junkie.
Share: Whenever I try to speak the language of the country I'm in, people go out of their way to be helpful.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Stories. And I figure it's only polite to provide a meal.

Countries I’ve Visited

Canada, France, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, Peru, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Peru, United States