Intro

I married my soulmate in 2011. Whenever we could, we’ve been traveling ever since. We took our honeymoon to the World Heritage Sites of the Historic District of Old Quebec and Old Town Lunenburg, Nova Scotia. So far, we have been to over forty U.S. states and Canadian provinces together, including Washington, DC. Worthitplaces.org memorializes those trips. Worthitplaces.org also includes my observations of what makes a place “worth it” – a place worth caring about, a place worth living, for work, school, and play.

Values (F-Words)

1. Faith

Mainline Protestant Christian (Lutheran – ELCA)

2. Family

Loving my soulmate-wife and my family members, including our two rescue dogs – Charlie and Mister!

Kayaking in Louis J. Sima Great Lakes Marsh Preserve, New Buffalo, Michigan

3. Friends

Good friends to count on, help, and have an enjoyable time – fellowship.

American Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America (by Colin Woodard – 2011)

4. Fulfilling Work

Passionate and caring social studies teacher

I am a transition-to-teacher secondary education social studies teacher. In World/US History I scored 192 of 200 on the teacher qualification test. In Geography I scored 191 of 200; and in Government/Civics I also scored 191 of 200.

I previously worked as senior planner for Saint Joseph County, Indiana’s Division of Planning and Zoning. This is the county in which South Bend is located. I started there in the August of 2019, focusing on planning, zoning, code enforcement, MACOG TTAC (macog.com – About), and special projects.

I was also a planner the Southwest Michigan Planning Commission focusing on economic development, transportation, and community planning. I have also been city manager for the City of Bangor, Michigan (harborcountry-news.com). And I was assistant city manager/assistant zoning administrator for the City of New Buffalo, Michigan.

Grand Prismatic Spring, Yellowstone National Park

5. Fortitude – Travel makes me happy!

Pursuing happy, positive, enjoyment of life in spite of adversity

6. Fitness

- - Hiking & walking – My most common exercise
  - Swimming – My favorite exercise in Summer
  - Paddling (kayaking, canoeing, whitewater rafting, rowing) – My most favorite activity!
  - Caving – Over the last ten years I have explored about one cave per year, on average
  - Snorkeling – On my list of things to try!

7. Food

Plant-Slant/Plant-Based Eating Lifestyle

Healthy eating: heavily plant-based eating lifestyle (not a diet of deprivation, but a lifestyle choice), when possible using community-supported agriculture (CSA), farmers markets, eating local/in-season, and temperance.

8. Food Garden

Grow food, not grass!

9. Flat

Home with flower gardens and food gardens – seeking elimination of lawn grass.

Merchants Exchange Bank, Sturgeon Bay, Door County, Wisconsin

10. Finance

Pursing financial security, not materialism.

11. Fact-based

Life-long learning: Don’t know? Google it! Critical thinking. Problem-solving. Prudence.

U.S. Capitol Building, inside the dome above the rotunda, “The Apotheosis of Washington”, a fresco by Constantino Brumidi in 1865

12. Fairness

- Progress
- Justice
- Equal Rights
- Environmentalism
  1. Water Quality
  2. Renewable Energy
  3. Sustainability
  4. Land Conservation
  5. National Monuments
- Universal Health Care
- Net Neutrality
- Space Exploration
- Science (climate change, evolution, etc.)
- Teachers
- Veterans
- First Responders
- Reconciliation* (see below)

* Reconciliation: the progress of social relations through wide-spread social understanding and redress of grievances for the harmful effects dealt to some populations through long-standing, significant institutional discrimination against them by the government of the United States and of the states, e.g., for African Americans, American Indians (including honoring American Indian treaty requirements), and Mexican migrants (including immigration reform and supporting “Dreamers”); anti-Confederacy.

13. Fun

Geography, history, travel, blogging, photography, art, architecture, bird watching, genealogy, books (mostly non-fiction, e.g., U.S. trip books), Settlers of Catan, Carcassonne, Transformers G1 (1980’s), and the Legend of Zelda.

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)

14. Film Fan

Marvel Cinematic Universe, Star Trek, Babylon 5 and Firefly, Fantasy

Timeline

2009

- Summer: Old Route 66, Carlsbad Caverns, Chaco Culture, Mesa Verde, San Juan Mountains, and Grand Canyon
- Fall: Michigan Riviera
- Work highlights: City of New Buffalo – Oselka Park Phase 1 Dedication Ceremony, Sari Asher Memorial Park Dedication Ceremony, and New Amtrak Station Dedication Ceremony

Arch Rock, Mackinac Island State Park, Michigan

2010

- Chicago
- Summer: Mackinac, Tahquamenon Falls, Pictured Rocks
- Labor Day: Sleeping Bear Dunes
- Work highlights: City of New Buffalo – West Michigan Pike Historic Marker Dedication Ceremony, Severe Wind Storm, and Oselka Park: Phase 2 Check Presentation

2011

- Wedding and Honeymoon: Frankenmuth MI, Toronto, Quebec City, Lunenburg, Fundy
- Work highlights: City of New Buffalo – Pokagon Fund Appreciation Day, Federal Channel Dredged, Oselka Park: Phase 2 Groundbreaking, Galien River Watershed Field Trip, Strong Beach Storm, Master Planning Public Hearing 1, and Water Plant Expansion Dedication

Mount Katahdin from Sandy Stream Pond, Baxter State Park, Maine

2012

- Spring Break: Cumberland
- Summer: Falls of the Ohio State Park, Louisville
- 1st Anniversary: Baxter State Park, Appalachian Trail, Acadia, Penobscot Bay, and Rockland in Maine
- Work highlights: City of New Buffalo – Amtrak 110 mph Celebration, Dredging Grant Secured, TIGER Grant Application for $70M Project, Low Impact Development Workshop, U.S. Route 12 Road Work, Joint Building Authority for Library, Stray Dog Fire, and Superstorm Sandy

Pinnacle Overlook, Badlands National Park, South Dakota

2013

- February: Joshua Tree
- Spring: Great Smoky Mountains, Appalachian Trail
- 2nd Anniversary: Badlands, Mount Rushmore, Wind Cave, Custer State Park, and Deadwood in South Dakota, plus Devils Tower and Theodore Roosevelt National Park
- Work highlights: City of New Buffalo – Assistant City Manager Promotion, First City Arbor Day, TIGER Grant Application 2013, New Buffalo Harbor Open, and Walkability Review

2014

- 3rd Anniversary: Chimney Rock, Scotts Bluff, Rocky Mountain, Dinosaur, Salt Lake City, Great Salt Lake, Craters of the Moon, Idaho Potato Country, Grand Tetons, Yellowstone
- Summer: Cuyahoga Valley, Cleveland’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum
- Fall Recess: Parke County Covered Bridges
- Work highlights: Top Accomplishments in Bangor

2015

- Spring Break: Hot Springs, Vicksburg, Natchez, New Orleans, Selma
- 4th Anniversary: Door County, Wisconsin Dells
- Fall Recess: Dayton, Hopewell, Serpent Mound, Mammoth Caves, Abraham Lincoln Birthplace
- Work highlights: Top Accomplishments in Bangor

Yosemite Valley, Yosemite National Park, California

2016

- Spring Break: Fallingwater, Shenandoah, Appalachian Trail, Monticello, Washington DC, Mount Vernon, Baltimore
- Summer: San Francisco, Big Sur, Monterey, Pinnacles, Sequoia & Kings Canyon, Yosemite
- 5th Anniversary: Mackinac
- Work highlights: Associate Planner, Southwest Michigan Planning Commission – Village of Stevensville Master Plan, Twin Cities Harbor, Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy, Southwest Michigan Regional Prosperity Initiative, and Grants and Loans Research

2017

- Spring Break: Nashville
- Summer: Old Route 66, Land of Lincoln, Oklahoma City National Memorial, Monument Valley, Petrified Forest National Park
- Work highlights: Associate Planner, Southwest Michigan Planning Commission – Village of Stevensville Master Plan, Twin Cities Harbor, Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy, and Southwest Michigan Regional Prosperity Initiative

National Blueberry Festival, Downtown South Haven, Michigan

2018

- Summer: Michigan Riviera, Sleeping Bear Dunes
- Work highlights: Associate Planner, Southwest Michigan Planning Commission – City of Buchanan Master Plan, Twin Cities Harbor, Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy, and Southwest Michigan Regional Prosperity Initiative

2019

- Spring: San Antonio, Texas
- Summer: Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas
- Work highlights: Senior Planner, Area Plan Commission/Area Board of Zoning Appeals/Division of Planning and Zoning, Saint Joseph County, Indiana

Kitch-iti-kipi, Palms Book State Park, Michigan — Kitch-iti-kipi (“big cold water”), originally called the “Mirror of Heaven” by early Native Americans, is Michigan’s largest natural freshwater spring – part of Palms Book State Park

2020

- Spring: Backyard Garden
- Summer: Hartwick Pines State Park, Kitch-iti-kipi – Palms Book State Park, Fayette Historic State Park, and Pictured Rocks Country
- Work highlights: Senior Planner/Interim Executive Director-Interim Zoning Administrator, Area Plan Commission/Area Board of Zoning Appeals/Division of Planning and Zoning, Saint Joseph County, Indiana

Monument Rocks (Chalk Pyramids), Kansas Badlands

2021

- Summer: American Heartland
- Work highlights: AICP Certified Planner, Area Plan Commission/Area Board of Zoning Appeals/Division of Planning and Zoning, Saint Joseph County, Indiana

La Porte County Courthouse, La Porte, Indiana

2022

- Winter: Plymouth, Indiana
- Spring: Sturgis, Michigan
- Summer
  1. Fort Saint Joseph Museum in Niles, Michigan
  2. Notre Dame Snite Museum of Art in Saint Joseph County, Indiana
  3. Grand Rapids, Michigan
  4. La Porte, Indiana
  5. Flint, Michigan
  6. Marshall, Michigan
  7. Albion, Michigan
  8. Jackson, Michigan
  9. Meridian-Base Line State Park, Michigan
  10. Charlotte, Michigan
- Work: La Porte Middle School, Indiana

2023

- Summer
  - Leelanau and Grand Traverse
  - Ithaca, Perry, Covert, and Fennville, Michigan
  - Michigan Underground Railroad Sites in Schoolcraft and Vandalia
  - Illinois Old Route 66
  - Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site (a World Heritage Site)
  - French Colonial Illinois Country
  - Saint Louis, Missouri
- Winter: Carmel Christkindlmarkt, Indiana
- Work: La Porte Middle School, Indiana

Fish Town, Leland, Michigan — Fish Town on the right bank, in Leland, Michigan, port to the Manitou Islands of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

2024

- Work – Spring: La Porte Middle School, Indiana
- Spring
  - Aladdin at the Morris in South Bend, Indiana
  - Trillium Ravine Preserve in Niles, Michigan
  - Tulip Time at Holland and Grand Haven Pier, Michigan
- Summer: Leelanau and Grand Traverse
- Work – Fall: Pierre Moran Middle School, Elkhart, Indiana