I'm influenced most by my home — the Midwestern landscape. I was raised in the timber of Illinois, attended college and settled on the windy Iowan plains. I was educated as a landscape architect, but these days I wrangle interns. I'm a perfectionist and am used to hearing and giving honest and constructive, though sometimes harsh, critiques — a lingering inclination from my design school days. I want to work in environmental advocacy. My reading interests range from LotR-style fantasy, to lighthearted jests, to dire warnings on nature and man.