TEN UNOFFICIAL FACTS ABOUT ME
- My tombstone should be inscribed: She made brownies.
- I love to create beautiful table settings.
- I collect old photographs of people I don’t know, preferably cabinet cards and studio portraits from 1870 – 1950.
- My three “can’t live without” ingredients for cooking:
Tomato, lemon, and onion. - My favorite composers are Brahms and Rachmaninoff.
- I love Get Fuzzy cartoons!
- Mountain vs. ocean/water scenery preference? Water.
- Pet peeve: being asked to admire out of focus baby pictures
- Marked for life by required P.E., I don’t exercise much but love to walk.
- I especially love the intense first-moment-in-the-mouth taste of good cheese, and of cold Sauvignon Blanc.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS:
Have you always been a writer and photographer?
No. These are my second and third careers.
How did you come to them?
I grew into writing via journaling. I began to want to express myself in the specifics of words, also to create what I spent my time on rather than always play someone else’s creative product. I’ve loved and appreciated photography all my life but only with my first digital camera, did I find the means to do what I wanted in an organic way.
What was your first career?
I was a flutist and private music teacher, of the flute and early-level piano. I taught for
thirty years.
What was your education?
I’m a graduate of the New England Conservatory of Music, with a major in Flute; I also hold an M.A. from Mills College in Music History and Research.
Where did you grow up?
Several towns around Boston, especially Newton; when I was eleven, my family moved to Cape Cod year-round and I went through high school there.
Do you have a family?
Yes! I’ve been married for 51 years to Andy, and we have two daughters, two wonderful sons-in-law, and three grandsons.
What do you do for fun?
READ! And read some more. I also love getting together with friends for lunch or coffee. With my husband, I enjoy food and wine both at home and out, and prowling antique shops and shows. We also love going to plays.
Who are your favorite writers?
Fiction: Ivan Doig, Anne Tyler, Jane Austen, Barbara Pym. Non-fiction by Kathleen Norris, Robert Finch, Mark Doty (also his poetry).
Who-dunits: classic English women writers, plus Deborah Crombie and Archer Mayor. The most striking book I’ve recently read? If All the Seas Were Ink, by Ilana Kurshen.
Are you involved in your community?
Yes! My faith and church –University City United Church, United Church of Christ – are the ground of my life. I’m active in LGBT outreach, women’s groups, a book group, and on the worship committee. In the community at large, I serve on the board of the San Diego Early Music Society, a concert-presenting organization.