Friendly. Single father. Activist. Lover of life and beauty. Open. Active. Inclusive. Honest. Respectful. Interested in nearly EVERYTHING. :-)

I grew up in and around San Francisco and the Bay Area during the late-1960s, 70s, and 80s -- and, back then, I saw and did a lot of what that implies... which deepens my appreciation for everything. Since then, I've kept busy, following interests and activism in all sorts of directions; I love to share thoughts, experiences, and projects with other good people.

My daughter (often my co-host/co-guest) is an only-child who was raised around artists, musicians, dancers, scientists, and activists -- she has hidden depth, a lot of heart, and a good spirit; she also swims, plays violin, and does Brazilian jiu jitsu.

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~~~ GUESTS -- PLEASE NOTE: ~~~

Please check out my location (https://goo.gl/maps/mxWBAxLhM9z). We are near San Francisco, but we are NOT in San Francisco; San Fran is 30-60 minutes away by car; beaches are 20-45 minutes away.

If you have a car, that is not as far as it sounds, because the drives are beautiful. However, if you are only interested in San Francisco or beaches, this would only be a good location if you have a car. This is a semi-rural area tucked into some nice hills and trees. There are a lot of hiking trails nearby, and a few really cool places to hang out a few minutes away by car. If you come, we will be happy to help you make connections!

If you have no car, the best places to stay for a San Francisco visit would probably be near a BART (train system) station -- here is a map of the BART system -- https://www.bart.gov/stations -- BART also goes directly to the airport.

Our apartment is small, and a little busy, and we only have a little free time to hang out, but we are friendly. You will be welcome :-)

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~~~ Another Note ~~~

I've heard many stories about females on CS receiving unwanted vibes or overtures. Although I am a single male, if you are our host or guest, my goal is to relate to you as I would with a friend, and to treat you as I would want my daughter/sister/cousin/mother treated. You should feel safe and comfortable.

Whether you are male of female, please feel free to figure out interactions, be friendly, perhaps even have fun. Nothing weird is going on. Feel free to talk to me about anything. :-)

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The rest is also long -- there are no hidden messages -- feel free to skip or skim! :-)

Safe and happy travels!

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Why I’m on Couchsurfing

In 2016, my daughter (11, then) and I were able to take a big trip (to Europe) for the first time. As someone who had been a CS member, but who had never used it, I was nervous about trusting hosts -- so we split our trip between hotels, rentals, and CounchSurfing+BeWelcome.

As it turned out, our connections with CS+BW hosts is what MADE our trip the BEST experience of our lives!

We completely adored our hosts -- Jean and Laurence in Aix-en-Province, Caro and Angeliqué in Lindau, Felix in Ravensburg, Juliya in Milan, Andrea (Andy) in Rome! They changed our trip from merely seeing places to experiencing! More than anything else about that wonderful trip, we remember these people and those connections!! The personalities, kindness, advice, and hospitality of our hosts have continued to light our lives since that time.

Even if costs were never an issue -- we know that will always prefer to meet good people during travel than to stay in hotels... to connect with them, enjoy their knowledge and advice, and to share in the spirit of hospitality.

So now our goals in travel are:
• The usual touristy stuff -- historical attractions, natural aspects, past and modern cultures
• Discover something out of the way -- wander and discover something about the place, people, culture
• Meet someone wonderful!

We feel that hospitality and connection for their own sake makes the world a better place. Economic transactions -- as appropriate as they might be in many cases -- can detract from the human interactions. It is good to explore other, more holistic ways to inter-relate to each other and the natural world.

We also love hosting! Although we do not get many visitors, because we are about 45 minutes from San Francisco, we like traveling vicariously through hosting other explorers, and simply sharing a sense of community and hospitality with others. We do live in a beautiful area -- come visit! :-)

Interests

Interested in nearly everything. :-)

• arts
• singing
• performing arts
• street art
• photography
• dancing
• salsa dancing
• swing dancing
• cooking
• exercise
• running
• traveling
• live music
• classical music
• hiking
• kayaking
• camping
• sailing
• trail running
• martial arts
• water polo
• swimming
• art history
• history
• philosophy
• science
• waterfalls
• water sports
• everything
• love
• water
• bodyboarding
• etc
• vegetarian cooking
• vegan cooking
• exercising
• healthy life
• club dancing

Music, Movies, and Books

BOOKS: Classical literature, pre-1970s tradition-exploding fiction, historical fiction, and poetry, and nearly all non-fiction. French poetry, translating one word at a time!

MOVIES: I don't watch many, but I enjoy escapism, period pieces, romantic comedies, sci-fi, action, great yarns; not horror; rarely thrillers; rarely angst-ridden life-like dramas.

MUSIC: Classical, world, classic soul/RnB/funk, dub, disco, classic rock, euro-pop -- anything good! Also, live music in small settings. And dance music. I sing bel canto, badly!

ART: Love it! Especially public art.

SHOWS: Plays, dance performances (nearly all kinds), live music, acoustic music, classical, operettas, plays, etc., fire dancing... ...

FOOD: Fresh, local organic. I like food, but I am not a foodie. Italian, Mexican, Chinese, vegetarian, cooking at home, picnicking (sunset at the beach).

SPORTS: Rather play than watch.

MUSEUMS: Yes.

EXERCISE: Swim, run, bike, play. Exercise for me is about feeling better and more alive, and being as ready as possible to try something new, hike to a great destination, do something spontaneous, work the spiritual-physical dharmas of self-discipline and physical-spiritual trials.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

In general -- the most rewarding/amazing thing I've done is to appreciate...
others, nature, history, experiences, etc., etc.

Is that too boring?

I rarely talk about myself -- I tend to be more interested in everything else.

Here are a FEW random things I've done that are NOT about travel
(Feel free to NOT read ANY of this):
• Built superconducting circuits designed to detect sub-atomic particles
• Played a key role in winning lawsuits to clean up and shut down dozens of dirty US coal plants, and other factories
• Written pieces of legislation that are now state laws, in California, to help protect institutionalized elders
• Served on the local boards of the National Organization for Women, the Sierra Club, and others
• Organized rallies and political activism events
• Written investigative journalism
• Worked -- paid and as a volunteer -- on dozens of political campaigns
• Played water-polo in college, did open-style mixed martial arts, etc.
• Swum from Alcatraz Prison to San Francisco
• Done theater and dance
• Built an award-winning website
• Walked straight at a Chinese-gang member who was pointing a gun at me
• Taken knives away from thieves
• Run most of a marathon while wearing a back-pack and hiking boots, just because it happened to be going by
• Fought back through debilitating illness
• Survived being dragged into a cult as a kid
• Survived and thrived as a street-kid during the craziness of San Francisco during the 1960s and 70s, when drugs, violence, and phonies were everywhere, mixed into insanely amazing ideas, music, art, and activism -- heart-piercing disasters and glorious (r)evolutions

Teach, Learn, Share

I am interested in learning just about anything.

I know a bit about general science, and have a few techie skills.

I am happy to share or teach anything I can.

Happy to share in anything I can help with when I am around.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Respect. Gratitude. Interests. The rest depends on the host -- as a guest, I want to make my visit a worthwhile experience for my host.

Countries I’ve Visited

Canada, England, France, Germany, Italy, Puerto Rico, Switzerland

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States