Charlie
I grew up in a small town in southern Ohio during the ‘50’s and 60’s, amidst a large, loving family. Despite a fondness and attachment to sycamore trees and lightning bugs I moved to the Northwest at age 18, and was among the first group of students at The Evergreen State College during its inaugural year. Although it was a wonderfully formative time I contracted a case of wanderlust, and travelled to Scandinavia where I lived and worked for three years. After returning to this country (with my partner and eventual spouse) I finished my studies in biology at Evergreen. After a few natural resource jobs with the Fish and Wildlife Service, local agencies and contractors, I started (with two partners) a small shellfish growing business in a nearby bay of Puget Sound, a job that has kept me busy, challenged and enlivened the past 30 years.
Becky and I (now separated) have two children: Dinah (27) is a Los Angeles resident and public affairs specialist with Planned Parenthood of LA. She’s grown fond of surfing, the San Gabriel mountains, and visiting Koreatown, but still feels like a mossback at heart, and visits us whenever she can. Walker (25) lives along the Mekong River in northeast Cambodia and works for the Cambodian Rural Development Team, an innovative NGO that builds community in rural areas via farm improvements, energy self-sufficiency and water projects. His adventurous spirit has carried him far, and SE Asia is a great fit for his skills and loves. Both kids grew up in a group household in Olympia, and are big supporters of such arrangements.
At various points during the past several years I’ve gravitated to: bicycling; hiking and camping; rowing on the Sound; Son Jarocho music; literacy tutoring; odd-ball architecture; living in the South; local environmental activism; gardening and horticulture; learning about Latin America; and volunteering on natural restoration projects. I’m drawn to living at Woodard Lane for the benefits of being surrounded by a ready-made throng of people for support, interaction and learning. I’m proud and happy to be a renter member of this pioneering, sustainable effort.
Last updated: Jan, 2011
