Ever since I was a wee tyke I have been designing solutions to solve space challenges, making yummy sparkly holiday things and thinking up gifts to make people happy. My dad Ray, always encouraged me to find materials just lying about and craft them into stuff. My mom Lydia, had me make sure it was a finished good: sylized and durable. We owned a display factory with a full-on wood and metal shop and a sewing department that was fierce. Consequently, I am not afraid.

Times were different then. You could walk into a neighboring factory and the owners would allow you to dive in and use their machines. I cast plastic masks with one guy and poured molten metal with another. I was like 12. We did not know about the severity of inhaling lacquer or the impact of using certain bird feathers or that the x-mas tree lights would eat up so much electricity. The “ecology” was something that was talked about in my hometown of Berkeley but it didn’t stretch past oil spills and littering from cars. Not yet. Besides, we had racial prejustice and Vietnam riots and the ending of Pleasantville going on…

My marine biology teacher, Mr. Lavrov, would take us out to clean the bay. When we camped, my Camp Fire troop would clean Tilden Park of litter left by others. As kids, we saw our elders vote to stop the black streams of smoke that poured out of the factories in Oakland. I grew up understanding that when we knew things were wrong and bad for the world, we should change them. We did what we could about what we knew. Now we know much, much more…

So here I am today… living in Marin and focused on making a difference in this century. I still design solutions and sparkly things and happy gifts. And I am armed with new, wonderful information on materials that are pretty and practical ( thanks Mom! ) and really cool to work with ( thanks Dad! ). I have stayed here in the beautiful Bay Area to live.  I travel the world to see what other people are doing and how we can help each other with our unique knowledge.

I like China.  This is a big truth for me. The people there have always been kind to me. China has a bad rap because it is currently under a microscope and, shocking as this may seem, there are individuals there motivated by greed and not caring what stands in their way. Not everyone is like that there. It is similar to how, as Americans, we have been lumped together as a nation of uncaring warmongers, because the outside world only sees the actions of some of our citizens. There are people in China doing the right thing. I am linked up with a cool group of them and building new relationships each day.

I build things for myself and others and I like doing it with stuff lying around. That is how I grew up and that is how I am today. There. A bit about me and where I come from. Stay tuned for more.