From the time I could walk I loved the forest. My mother and Grandmother both took us to the redwood forest and taught us so many wonderful things! One of my first big words was pseudo-suga-taxifolia, at the time the scientific name for Douglas fir. We hiked the trails of Big Basin and Big Trees in the Santa Cruz mountains, and the love instilled there never left me.
My first teaching job was in Pacific Grove, where I furthered my nature education on the seashore. I also became passionate about sailing and bought a 14’ boat on the consideration that the seller teach me to sail it. He did, and eventually we were married. We lived aboard an 85’ schooner in Monterey harbor. The ship’s owner and family and the two of us left with a plan to explore the Caribbean - but alas, while in So Cal we were boarded by a sheriff - seems the boat owner had failed to bother with the IRS for 10 years. End of trip, but we spent 4 years there and bought a sailboat.
Next adventure was a year in Washington state living on a mink ranch. Here began my love of the Northwest.
In 1967 my husband and I took a freighter to Scotland, in pursuit of a boat to charter. Found it in Plymouth in October. We traveled the Channel and then through France to the Mediterranean, to Italy, and back through Switzerland, Belgium, and Holland, just the two of us on a lifetime adventure. Hence my second passion - to travel! As an aside, the first French words I learned were food words, navigation words, and swear words, the latter due to the barge captains! The climax to all that was 35 days coming home on a French freighter with numerous stops, wonderful food and wine, only 9 passengers.
In 1998 I retired and moved to the Sierras, just south of Yosemite. For the next 6 years I immersed myself in the flora and fauna of that region, spending endless happy days hiking in the Valley. My travel days began in earnest with my close friend. Probably my favorite trips were Antarctica, the Arctic, and Argentinian Patagonia. Both of us are Francophiles and have done 10 different road trips, covering all of France, plus several in Spain and Portugal. We’ve taken rental cars where they never went before!
All that brings me to Silverton and Silver Falls State Park. In the 80’s I had visited a dear friend who lived here - on the first day she took me to the Park and we did the whole ten falls - I was smitten! In due course it was feasible to move here, which I did in 2004, to my cozy retreat on Silver Creek.
I have always loved sharing what I know and learning from others - it was a natural to begin leading nature walks at the Park. I met wonderful people from all over. I have done other volunteer work, but none as happy and satisfying as at the park!
I am proud to be a member of the Friends of Silver Falls State Park, to help support the history and natural wonder of our special place.