I am a cheerful, kind person who is curious about the world we live in. It is such a huge, diverse world and I'm looking for long-term friends to talk with about literature, art, traveling, history, music, different cultures, the environment,​ crafts, and most importantly,​ our everyday lives. Or a smaller combination of the previously mentioned topics.

As a teacher of English as a Second Language to adults (and a graduate student in Internationa​l Communicatio​ns), I learn every day how different, and yet similar, people from different countries can be. I can't (although I wish I could) travel to every country, but hopefully, I will be able to make friends and share experiences with people from many different parts of the world.

I only want to correspond; I am not looking for romance, as I am happily married. I had pen pals when I was in junior high and still correspond, albeit intermittent​ly, with 2 of them.  It is "a little delight"​ to get e-mail or a letter in the mail box.

No requests for money, romance, etc. Don't ask to be my friend if we haven't shared any e-mails. Please respect my wishes.

I enjoy walking and hiking, also vegetable gardening and growing roses. (Fragrant pink ones are my favorites.) I have 4 dogs and love them all very much. I very much like to be out and about in the natural environment and like all animals.

I enjoy visiting museums - all kinds, as well as studying history and architecture​. My dream is to visit all the UNESCO sites at some point in my life.

I like good food and wine, and like cooking at home as well as eating out; going on picnics in different parks is fun, too. I also like to knit.

I enjoy and value learning about a whole variety of topics and issues. Wikipedia is my friend.

I  have eclectic tastes and like everything from classical music to Pink. I do like strong baritone singers (think Paul Robeson), as well as the classic Motown Sound; in particular, Marvin Gaye. I played the piano for years and like composers like Chopin and Bach. Additionally​, I like music from some of the old musicals, like Showboat and My Fair Lady and rock music from the 70's and 80's.

I like movies, so I have a number of favorites, including Vertigo, Rebecca, The English Patient, Babette's Feast, Babe, The Godfather 1 and 2 (but not 3), Goodfellas, Volver....th​e list goes on and on. (I keep adding movies as the days go by.) That being said, it's also fun to watch a cheerful romantic comedy like Sleepless in Seattle and popular classics like Gone With the Wind.

I'm sort of ashamed to admit it, but I like to watch TV sometimes. My favorite shows on network TV are documentarie​s and crime dramas, like Law and Order and Monk. Also Masterpiece Theater and some of the British crime series.
I also watch those home decorating shows and Antiques Roadshow.

I love to read, so I enjoy a variety of books. My most recent favorite is The Cairo Trilogy by Mahfouz. It was life-changin​g. Some of my other favorites are Pride and Prejudice, Cancer Ward, Our Mutual Friend, Ladies of the Club, The Dubliners...​..so many.

I also like reading mysteries and enjoy Agatha Christie, as well as some other mystery writers and biographies.​

Life is like a vessel that moves further down the river with the passing of every day.

Nothing should be more highly prized than the value of each day. (Goethe)

When the last individual of a race of living things breathes no more, another heaven and another earth must pass before such a one can be again.     (Beebe)