About Mark

About Mark

I landed on this beautiful property and home on Valentines day in 2017 with no idea how to manage a homestead that includes a mature apple orchard.

Working in the corporate world for more than two decades, I feel grateful for the opportunity to be here sharing the land with all of the furred and feathered friends as well as all the other critters that reside here. I credit my own medicine journey with helping me feel more connected to the land and soil and all of the nature that surrounds me every day. I find joy in the deer that feed from the apple trees and sleep under them at night. I also enjoy sharing my berry harvest with all the birds in July and August.

Growing up gay in a Midwest suburban household filled with violence and neglect conditioned my emotional experiences for most of my adult life. The impact of this childhood trauma fostered an intense desire to explore my identity and make peace with the past. It has also been my gateway to therapeutic work.

I like to say that I “graduated” from therapy after five years of weekly sessions. With the help of my great therapist, I also found my way through two rounds of ketamine therapy, more than three years in ACA, and one magnificent and impactful medicine journey. I believe that my medicine journey may have had the most significant impact on my progress.

Over the years, in addition to these therapies and medicine work, photography and physical exercise have helped me manage stored trauma. Photography has been a creative therapeutic outlet, which includes all the nature and wildlife photographs contained on this website. I have run ten full marathons, as well as hiked and backpacked thousands of miles (including the John Muir Trail, Colorado Trail, 500+ miles in Glacier National Park, and all of the high peaks in the White Mountains). In recent years, yoga and masters swimming have helped me progress in my path of mindfulness and peace.

It feels natural now to share this space to connect with and support folks on their journeys.