Countercultural from an early age yet appreciative of my  Boston Irish middle class background, I have a foot in both worlds.  As kids we were allowed to run wild in the Northern Virginia countryside before it became dedicated to subdivisions. I've been an independent thinker from early days. I'm an artist with a collection of  drawings of places. I left the University of Wisconsin in 1970 (a beautiful place) due to its "irrelevance" but, always curious intellectually, I've followed many interests for years  --progressive politics, new age psychology, alternative health, geography, history,  business, literature. An experienced gardener and horticulturist. Gifted with children, animals and diverse people. Have raised and trained horses. Have lived communally --on a back-to-the-land commune and then in shared houses. My career has been in construction. Beginning as a freelance carpenter, I soon had a design/build remodeling and renovation business in Washington, D.C. where I did the designing for clients or worked from architects' plans with diverse people, including ghetto and country blacks and Latinos. Have worked as project manager for large commercial builders. Successfully developed  real estate projects. Travelled widely in the U. S., Canada, Mexico and Europe.  Have cured myself of serious environmental Illness from occupational toxic exposures. Have published articles on transportation and land use, wastewater treatment, and local community economics. Did my permaculture design certification with Geoff Lawton and others at RDI, Bolinas, CA in 2007.
    My background has made me a good fit  for permaculture --a set of survival-friendly skills which can heal the earth along with people and communities from the ground up.