Life began for me on the coast
of Oregon in 1953. In the formative years,
nature consumed my thoughts and time. The
year I turned fifteen, I spent the summer in Canada
where I heard my first wolf and saw my first
grizzly bear. British Columbia and Alberta were my
haunts for the next five summers.
Countless hours were spent discovering all nature could
offer including sleeping on cold bare ground and
missing a few meals.
In the 1970's I settled in the
Yosemite area of the Sierra Nevada Mountains
operating a small logging business and raising two
children, or maybe they raised me. This is where I
immersed myself in rock climbing,
mountaineering and back country skiing.
The 1980's and 90's found me
spending the month of February caretaking for the California
State Park in
the Lost Coast
region of northern California. During my
tenure I volunteered as a Ranger/Park
Interpreter.
I also served as Board of Director for, "People
for Healthy Forests", a grass roots
organization supporting the restriction of herbicides used
on National Forest lands.
Never thought I would end up in
the South, but Mississippi educated me in the ways of
the swamps and their less than
gentle inhabitants. It is the food, all that,
"Southern Cookin, yall", makes my mouth water just
thinking about it. When I wasn't working, traveling or exploring, I volunteered at a
local Boy Scout Camp. A recipe for new friends
and a great time.
