Background and Interests

Originally from the small town of Delano, Minnesota, my wife and I moved to Flagstaff, Arizona soon after we were married in the Fall of 2004. We both love Flagstaff and plan to call it home for many years to come.

I love to travel and experience new places and different cultures. I have been to several cities in Europe and Mexico, but particularly love visiting Spain. Its language, food and culture have always held a special interest for me.

I also love spending time outdoors and take every opportunity I can to enjoy Arizona's temperate climate by hiking and backpacking in its many national parks and forests. Although, most people think of the desert and cactus when they think of Arizona, the state is host to a wide range environs. From the tundra like environment on the top of Humphreys Peak, the tallest peak in the state, to the sun baked desert of the Valley of the Sun to the plentiful lakes near the Mogollon Rim, Arizona has a lot to offer.

Although now I work in healthcare, my first career was as an Archaeologist. I did fieldwork for some years in northern Wisconsin excavating prehistoric Native American habitation sites. My particular interest in Archaeology was "Lithic Analysis", the study of prehistoric stone tool production and use. As a result, I taught myself how to flintknap. Flintknapping is the art of creating stone tools by chipping away flakes of stone in a controlled manner. Although I have since changed careers completely, I still have an interest in flintknapping and try to keep up my skill at this ancient art form.

Photography, on the other hand, is a relatively new interest for me. While going to school to become a Radiologic Technologist, we spent several weeks studying film processing, which in turn sparked my interest in photography. After reading several beginner's books on photography I got out there and started shooting and found I had a pretty good talent for it. Soon after I started the photoblog called Flagstaff Daily Photo, where for months I have posted a new photograph from in and around Flagstaff every day. I still maintain that site and I hope you will check it out when you have a chance. Click here to visit Flagstaff Daily Photo.