CURRENT MISSION

To make new friends and have more fun

ABOUT ME

I am someone who is hard-working and loyal and who takes commitments seriously. Sometimes, however, I am torn by the conflict with this aspect of myself and another side which seeks more independence and freedom to explore, to do spontaneous things, and to experience change.

PHILOSOPHY

As I've gotten older I've come to the conclusion that one better seize the day and live so as not to have regrets. This has led me into some incredible experiences recently...though also, perhaps, some difficult terrain. There is nothing like the reality of mortality to influence one's outlook!

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I've been a CS member for over three years now, and have used it to meet some wonderful people in places that I probably would not have visited otherwise. As I live in a very rural place, I've not had the opportunity to host as many times as I would have hoped...even so, I HAVE been able to host on three occasions...and it was great to show these CS members the beautiful place I live...and to share meals and ideas and experiences with them.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

All of the couchsurfing I've done has been in visiting people in either Montreal or in Maine. It has been a fantastic way to make connections, and I hope to do a lot more in the future. Years ago we travelled in France and stayed with families that we had not met in person before...not completely different from couchsurfing...and had a great experience with it.

Interests

I like to run, hike, contradance and Nordic ski (skate skiing, especially), garden, build things (this year I've been working steadily on a house and outbuilding), cook, take photographs, eat, read, play music (piano, accordion, and recorder), and speak French (and German, a little), to mention a few (interests).
Many years ago I hiked the entire Appalachian Trail, from Georgia to Maine in one summer, and have done a number of other long hikes (though none as long as that again...yet) over the years, most notably in Montana and Washington states, as well as France.

• cooking
• running
• gardening
• traveling
• music
• piano
• hiking
• skiing
• boxing

Music, Movies, and Books

I enjoy many types of music, from Classical (I have a preference there for organ music (from Bach to 19th century French stuff...quite wild!) to Jazz (stuff by Chick Corea, Gary Burton, Weather Report, etc.)to Rock. As a teenager I was really into Pink Floyd, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Yes , Genesis, the Who and other progressive-rock bands of the day....and still listen to some of that stuff a bit, though I also enjoya number of more modern groups (Coldplay, Fastball, Guster, the Decembrists, etc., etc.). I participate in contradancing (and am an organizer of a dance series held in Montpelier) and listen to that music a bit (bands like Airdance, Wild Aparagus, Crowfoot, Elixir, and The Latter Day Lizards.) I recently began seeing more movies again, after a long hiatus, and have enjoyed The Reader, 21 Grams, Head On, The Edge of Heaven, The Statement, The Passenger, The Last Metro, Nathalie, and The Lives of Others. (Whew! some of them were quite intense...I guess that's my preference). I am in a phase of reading non-fiction: such books as It's the Crude Dude by Linda McQuaig, The Big Con by Jonathan Chait, Mistakes Were Made (but not by me) by Elliot Aronson and Bottomfeeder by Taras Grescoe, and The Conscience of a Liberal by Paul Krugman are just a few of the many I've read in the last year. I try to read a bit in French, from plays by Pagnol to "les policiers Maigret" by Simenon. As far as favorites go, that's tough to say...many years ago I was into the writings of Wendell Berry and Edward Abbey (The Monkey Wrench Gang is a really fun read!)...as there are so many incredible books out there.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I think that my summer spent hiking the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine many years ago provided, for me, an incredible blend of physical challenge with an endlessly-changing people experience while travelling through some amazing places.
Skiing down the 45 to 55 degree slopes of Tuckerman's ravine was one of my most adrenaline-filled experiences, ranking pretty closely to hiking on some ridgetops during lightning storms! As far as seeing something amazing....one time on the return from France we flew over Greenland on a crystal clear day...and I was transfixed, looking down at the glaciers, and fjords, and icebergs!

Teach, Learn, Share

One thing above all that I've learned in life is the value of persistence and determination. But....the only way to learn how important these attributes are is to really use (or maybe not use!) them!
But...perhaps that's not what this box is asking! I can teach you about heat-transfer or thermodynamics, or maybe even a little about yogurt-making, car repair, cooking on a woodstove, working with a chainsaw, or long-distance hiking (to mention just a sampling of what is currently in my noggin!).

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Bermuda, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Switzerland, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States

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