CURRENT MISSION

To build a sustainable, adventurous life

ABOUT ME

Derek and Lisa met online shortly after Lisa returned to Canada from a 2-year stint as an ESL Teacher in South Korea. We quickly bonded over mutual loves of outdoor adventure (hiking, camping, fishing, snowshoeing etc), food and general silliness. After not quite a year of travelling 4 hours (each way) to see each other, Lisa moved closer to Thunder Bay. As a couple we went to British Columbia to complete a farm internship and learn just how much we liked each other by living in a 28' camper trailer for 5 months. Turns out, we really do like each other! Fast forward the present day where we are making our homesteading dreams come true as we work on completing our straw bale house and creating a beautiful new life on our 85 acre property.

PHILOSOPHY

Your perceptions of the outer world often reflects your inner life, so we try to practice kindness, curiousity, mindfulness and openness. We are human and often fall short of our ideals, but will never stop trying to be better than our last attempt. We love home-popped popcorn covered in butter, Eddie Izzard and road trips. Lisa is very close to her family and they mean a great deal to her. Derek is very loyal to his close friends.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

We are happy to host people in amongst the craziness of our straw bale house build in progress but it is not for the faint of heart. At the moment we have no running water (drinking water is brought from town and showers are in town or you can splash in the creek near the house.) We are using a generator for power while we get our off-grid solar set up. So in essence it is like camping in a large straw cabin. That said, if you have a desire to learn about alternative building techniques, off-grid living or living off the land then this will be a unique opportunity for you.
For sleeping accommodations we have a futon in the spare room, a comfortable camper trailer or acres and acres of wilderness where you can pitch a tent or park your own camper.
We have two friendly cats and a playful almost grown German Shepherd puppy.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE
Derek has hosted a number of people over the years through the Hospitality Club network. Lisa is new to couch surfing. We are excited to share our home and surrounding paradise with travellers as we live in a beautiful place if you enjoy the outdoors.

Interests

Hiking, camping, fishing, snowshoeing, FOOD, Derek likes a good beer, sustainable living, ethical farming and local food production, we watch a wide variety of TV and Film, enjoy a good laugh and are pretty laid back folks.

• chickens
• dining
• cooking
• beer
• running
• clubbing
• tv
• traveling
• homesteading
• outdoor activities
• fishing
• hiking
• camping
• surfing
• scuba diving
• snowshoeing
• teaching
• road trips

Music, Movies, and Books

Movies: Children of Men, Eagle Vs Shark, Cabin in the Woods, Lawless, Gadjo Dilo, Eternal Sunshine, Army of Darkness, District 9, V for Vendetta, Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz. Music: Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, Fleet Foxes, Matt Anderson, A Tribe Called Red, Xavier Rudd, Serena Ryder, The Cat Empire, Patrick Watson, Ray Lamontagne, Mumfor & Sons, The Civil Wars, The Swell Season, Royal Wood, Sarah Slean, Of Monsters and Men, The Lumineers, Shayne Koyzan and the Short Story Long, Walk off the Earth, Joy Kills Sorrow, ABBA. TV: Sherlock (BBC), Gilmore Girls, Community, 30 Rock, The Walking Dead, Cheers, Firefly, Downton Abbey, Key & Peele, Archer, Dexter. Authors: Farley Mowat, David Sedaris, Alice Munro, Neil Gaiman, Gregory Maguire, Michael Pollan, Joel Salatin, George Orwell, Ursula K Leguin, Lucy Maud Montgomery, Jane Austen

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Derek - Great Barrier Reef, Northern Lights, Quetico Park, Climbed Sleeping Giant (Thunder Bay)
Lisa - 2 Buddhist temple stays in South Korea, Scuba Diving in Malaysia, White Water Rafting, Angkor Wat, Keeping Backyard Chickens, Running a farmers market, talking to Eddie Izzard about Canadian Weather

Teach, Learn, Share

Derek is a wonderful cook - and a good teacher of his skill. Under his tutelage, Lisa has improved from terrible cook to reliably edible. Lisa isn't a master of anything but loves trying new things and having long conversations - I have no idea what I might teacher others.

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Cambodia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Thailand, United States, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

Australia, South Korea