Nancy and I reside in the picturesque village of Kennebunk, on the coast of Maine. Our three adult offspring--Jeff, Gregg, and Katherine--and our son-in-law, Alex (and our granddaughters Eliza and Emilia)--are off leading their own lives, but two bichon frise dogs (Lily and Emmett) keep us company and provide sufficient activity in the house. We also enjoy walks at the nearby Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge in Wells.
In addition to songwriting, I am fortunate to have many diverse interests and activities. I enjoy being outdoors, especially gardening and landscaping in the backyard. I am also very much at home in my basement workshop, working with either stained glass or wood.
Over the years, I have enjoyed choral singing--in church choirs, the Southern Maine Chorale, the Seaglass Chorale, Notre Dame College Concert Choir, and Tri-City Community Chorus. I have also enjoyed participating in community theatre productions. My favorite role was Max Detweiller in two Seaglass productions of The Sound of Music.
I am often asked how songs are born, whether I write the lyrics or the music first, etc. My general response is that I'm not really writing them...I'm merely writing them down. Several years ago, a colleague argued songs are really poems set to music (an assumption with which I do not entirely agree!) and suggested that I write an article for a university creative magazine. The article, published in The Last Word at University of New England, is entitled, "Songwriting: A Double Process - And Twice the Satisfaction." (pdf - 5.8MB)
My "day job" is in school administration--currently as the principal of four elementary schools in Buxton, Maine. Additionally, I serve as a part-time member of the faculty in the Department of Education at the University of New England, where I have enjoyed working with aspiring teachers since 1988.