Origins

“One cannot think outside the box, without first realizing they are in a box.”

I was born and raised in a small sea-side town located along the fresh coast of western Michigan.  A middle child, in a middle-class family, in the middle of America …who loved to wander the outdoors. And in my mind.

Much of my childhood was spent exploring and inhabiting the area’s cool forested ravines, wonderous inland lakes, and the beaches and wild dunes of the freshwater sea known as Lake Michigan….. in all 4 seasons.

The volatility of the micro-climate there only added to my fascination with the power of the elements. As they say in Michigan, “we’ll weather the weather whatever the weather whether we like it or not.”

Many times, I remember skipping school without permission, even in elementary, just to explore “outside”. It was the one place where I could count on being able to daydream with distraction, and therefore truly “think”.

Then I got older.

I found it within me to gut-out high school, and then amble on my way to college. After obtaining my B.A. in Physical Geography, I had little clue as to what to actually do “for a living”, so I attended graduate school and obtained my Masters in Landscape Architecture.

Finally, it became time to “enter the fray.”

The rest is history. I am history.

Currently, I am “surviving” a fairly mainstream existence in the Lowcountry of South Carolina.

I am somewhat ashamed to admit that at this point in my life I have two SUVs, a normal house, and a garage that is slowly losing the “stuff” in it…..but plans for living off-the-grid are underway.

I am married to a fine woman who thinks I’m “way too serious”sometimes, yet manages to still love me. I am also the lucky father of three young amazing off-spring who inspire me everyday.

I provide for our food, shelter, and general well-being through my ecological consulting business, and am a registered Landscape Architect in South Carolina.

BUT to this day…. I still prefer wandering around “outside”. And in my head.

I feel like I’ve been blessed for quite awhile now.

Let me tell you WHY…  READ THE REST OF “MY STORY”