above: Me with Mike, my partner of 16 years

Hello, fellow Centralites! Looking forward to seeing everyone in September.

For most of the past 20 years, I've worked as an Outdoor Adventure Educator, meaning I take people rock climbing and backpacking and caving and whitewater kayaking/rafting, etc. In some jobs I've been actually trying to teach people the skill of paddling (or whatever), but most of the time it's a vehicle for personal growth or therapy. I've worked with school groups, corporate executives, and "regular adults," but at the moment I run a program for my favorite population, juvenile delinquents. I LOVE my job! It's my opinion that energy and resources spent to change people's behavior are best spent when those people are young and still able to change with relative ease. So I feel like I'm making a difference in these kids' lives!

In my non-work time, I enjoy almost any activity that takes me outdoors. My very favorite is mountaineering, followed closely by rock climbing. Since mountains and cliffs are very rare here in coastal Virginia I spend quite a bit of time sea kayaking, canoeing and bicycling. I'm also a certified Shock Trauma Technician (in Virginia, it's one step above EMT), and have been volunteering with the local Rescue Squad for about 10 years.

I live with Mike in a house built in 1787. We have no kids, just 2 cats. (The kids I work with every day are quite enough!) Mike, an avid bicyclist, won't be able to make the reunion, so you'll have to take my word for it that he's a very funny, helpful and easy-going guy.

Looking forward to catching up with y'all in September!

Linda

below: Me at 22,300 feet elevation on Mt. Aconcagua in Argentina, Jan 2001