I have had a basketful of different experiences in my life, which I am sure, over time, has smoothed over many rough edges. My grandmother owned a restaurant and a motel in Ventura CA and she always had me do odd, age-appropriate jobs...like when I could reach the button on the dishwasher. Every time the dishwasher would quit, I would get the call, usually at midnight. So restaurant work came easy for me, and all through college and beyond even, I was either waiting tables or cooking. I have been an industrial and house painter, a landscape designer, gardener, a clothing model, horticulturist, a biological research scientist and a movie extra. I even worked for the CA State Parks administrating an environmental educational and work program. I have worked in construction and learned many different trades. What has been my most interesting job? It has to be a toss-up. Working the graveyard shift in a pea processing plant in Snohomish WA and the other, as a janitor in a rest home in Petaluma CA or was it working on my 90-year-old septic system? I have a Bachelor’s Degree in Environmental Studies from Sonoma State University and a Master’s Degree in Education, from Chapman University. As an educator, I have been a staff developer for the CA Science Implementation Network at UC Irvine and a consultant/presenter for the CA Integrated Waste Management Board. I also taught classes for 10 years in the Department of Extended Education at Sonoma State University. I have dedicated much of my teaching career representing my fellow colleagues throughout California’s political landscape with the California Teachers Association. I was inspired to write fiction after studying under California author, Gerald Haslam and I was also inspired to create pieces of art after hanging out in the art department, while attending Sonoma State University. Having taught writing since 1988 and have written and presented curriculum for well over 20 years, I began again to write poetry and fiction and my art became more focused. I was a consultant with the Exploratorium in San Francisco, conducting field research, using science as a model for teaching and learning English as a second language. I have received several teaching awards, including Educator of the Year in 2003 from the Sonoma Valley Education Foundation. My published works include collaborations on two independent California science textbooks. I have been living in the Sonoma Valley since 1975. My wife Patty and I have been married for 35 years and have been restoring our 113-year-old property longer than that. We have 3 adult children and 5 grandchildren. Along with becoming a dedicated writer and artist, I have been growing grapes and making wine for 35 years. With all this being said, “There is nothing like creating passion on the plate.” I still love to cook!