CURRENT MISSION

keep healthy, keep active, keep learning and discovering...

ABOUT ME

My journey has been a solo one (never married, no children ...sigh...) I live in Pacific NW USA where sometimes in summers I do landscaping and specialty ornamental pruning to supplement my very modest SS monthly check. I also swim, hike, bike, chill out with my world music (I just don't like the music of my age-mate peers!) go to (usually foreign) films, take photos and set 'em up for computer showings, try and cook healthy - then junk out on Black Licorice, Ginger Snaps, and Trader Joe's Coconut Sorbet....
For nine recent years I have alternated Oct/March months between New Zealand, Australia, Thailand, Bali, and Phillippines. These past two years, I've remained in Oregon, trying to "make my peace" with our cold, grey, wet winters

PHILOSOPHY

way, way, WAY left of Mitt Romeny, consumerism, Fox TV and shopping malls...
I'm not sure which scares me more: Global Warming - or middle America's absence of doing anything about it!
Throw out your clothes drier and hang your clothes up on the drying line (just like the rest of the world!) I think people in USA who buy bad-ass Humvees and off road trucks ought to take them to Apganistan and play their "warrior" games in a place where it's real ....
The recent attempts to make Health Care in USA a more egalitarian right for more people (and it's current watered-down compromise) is the latest sorry example of the public's emotions being hi-jacked (into fear and negativity) by the for-profit, corporate health care business. Those of us fortunate enough to know people in Europe know that they do just fine, thank-you, with their so-called "Socialized" health care!

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

Although I've been a member for a several years, I've used CS essentially only when outside of the USA. Alas, my home environment (room renter in shared home) has not allowed me the opportunity to host.
Since moving to Eugene (fall 2010) I have a very SMALL apt. (can't host o'nite) but happy to show people around our small "alternative consciousness" City

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

When I joined CS my last time in New Zealand (2007-08) I put out many inquiries, with little actual connecting, but I'm pleased and grateful for the CS visits I was able to have on my recent European trip (Sept/Oct. '09) - grateful to my seven hosts in three + weeks: Germany, Spain, Holland.
I've done longer home stays WWOOFing (Willing Workers on Organic Farms) in earlier years (2001-02, 2006-07) when in New Zealand.
My last extensive couch surfing was as a participant in an 'over 50 CS group" trip to Istanbul Turkey. Short but stimulating! Most of my references here are from that trip.

Interests

total "outdoor junkie" (but non competitive, no team sports)
best of all is swimming in the womb of "mother ocean" exemplified by the bracingly cold sea in New Zealand
Also see "philosophy" and "movies music books" (etc.)

• books
• festivals
• environment
• cooking
• beer
• gardening
• shopping
• clothing
• movies
• tv
• team sports
• music
• world music
• outdoor activities
• cycling
• hiking
• kayaking
• surfing
• sports
• swimming
• business

Music, Movies, and Books

in chaotic order: Angelique Kidjo. Cafe del Mar (early CD's ONLY) "Bliss" Ablums (Danish Group) some Bhudda Bar, lots of African Music, Moana and the Tribe (NZ) Te Vaka (NZ/Pac islander) Dougie MacLean (musical poet from Scotland) "Pet Sounds" Beach Boys (1966!) and recently - a different enchanted reality: LIBERA (look 'em up on you tube!) Pandora (internet streamed radio) is cool......
Films: Bernardo Bertollucci's 1900 ("Novacento" -all five hours worth!), "The Lover," "Billy Elliot," "Ray" (Charles) "Whale Rider," "Map of the Human Heart"
Books: DREAMS FROM MY FATHER (Obama --- Should be required reading for ALL Americans - especially those in Southern States!) the two by Khaled Hosseini (Kite Runner, A Thousand Splendid Sons) Jean Aul's "Earth's Children" series, the Sunday Oregonian and Sunday NY Times

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

(1) seeing about 18,000 hot air lanterns ("balloons" with open flame at base) being lit and lifting off within about five minutes from a huge field of a Wat near Chiang Mai for Loy Kratong festival night time early November ...
"a Milky way galaxy of rising hot air balloons..."
(2) kayaking the North Coast of Waiheke Island (NZ)
(3) attending a local Sunday AM "church service" in a mountain glen in Ehrwald, Austria -they had beer, Bratwurst and prayer (bow your head to pray, then take a slug of beer!)

Teach, Learn, Share

Can share my experiences with herbs for specific probs, back excercises, how to compose a photo, living in some various countries/cultures ...
oh yeah, did I note gardening and landscaping ? (an interest of 50 years...)

What I Can Share with Hosts

TRAVEL EXPERIENCES (mostly OUTSIDE USA) , photography, cooking, music, films, my life in Eugene...
many more, TBD
(note: as of this writing, I cannot get this site to accept my listing of countries I've visited/lived in! ar--gggh!)
so this to be discussed with hosts...

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