CURRENT MISSION

Inventing an inexpensive R&R camp/retreat for select New England activists & healers

ABOUT ME

I travel around the world a great deal - usually either roughing it (!) while scouting out evocative sites to take students inexpensively, or leading a group of students on some inexpensive global quest trying to honor questions they choose - or adult students on more physically comfortable pilgrimages. I co-own a tiny studio a couple medieval lanes from Chartres Cathedral - and aim some day to co-own others in places like WashDC's Capitol Hill, Greece and south India. I am currently studying world wisdom/spiritual traditions in a open-minded open-hearted way to globally broaden my understanding and empathy. I am gay age 63: the 1st half was exuberant but conventional (e.g. Jimmy Carter's exec office, and research/production asst for foreign news); the 2nd half has aimed to live a creative non-conventional life (e.g a decade in a globe-trotting, barter-seeking collective, etc.). My housemates age 28-36 are gay friendly and closer in age and playfulness to the high-spirited 33 year old (Max) who manages the house as I bounce around the world.

PHILOSOPHY

Perhaps the magic in an adventurous life is simply being open to all the unexpected possibilities in an encounter, especially with empathy for the other person's path and quest.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

just joined March 2009

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Plenty couch surfing on my own - giving and receiving - just starting via this site

Interests

I am currently helping plan curriculum for a "wisdom" school and build a global on-line undergraduate university.

• culture
• dining
• news
• traveling
• magic
• survival
• camping
• surfing
• sailing

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Repeated visits: the planet's oldest pre-historic cave paintings (S.France) and oldest town ruins (central Turkey) - and to Greek ruins. Celebrated Rumi's 800th birthday in his home town (Turkey), and the 1000th anniversary of the radical medieval School of Chartres (France). With teens: Sailed down the Nile, camped and climbed Mt. Sinai, brought Jewish and Palestinian teens together to camp in the Arabian desert, mixed US male teens and Thai female teens living on a teak rice ship sailing on Thai river, mixed rice-paddy-culture teens of Sulewesi with US teens, 2 UK-wide quests to find King Arthur (failed). Alone: Contemplative months in diverse Indian ashrams, and in Christian/pre-Christian Chartres. Relaxed guardian and minor helper for 2 teen boys living in my home. A decade of periodic urban survival training along the way - and a lot of living in woods and an amazing warehouse. Overseeing dispatch of freighters of emergency food worldwide - with a calling card from Exec Office of the President. Arrested for inappropriate Pentagon entry. Took my aged dad on his WWII route through Europe. Came out of the closet. Stayed healthy and, much of the time, dazzled and bemused.