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Jim & KelleyWe have assembled this page to help introduce ourselves to those who have not had the opportunity of personal interaction. |
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Jim and Kelley met in June 1999 while working on a course at the University of Washington. They became friends during that summer and in early fall began dating. |
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KMD - I am a native of Richmond, Virginia. I count myself lucky to have lived in seven states between ages 7 and 14 thanks to my father's military career. I attended Radford College (University) studying dance and art from 1976-1978. After a wide variety of professional callings, forestry captured my full attention in 1993. I received two BS degrees from North Carolina State University in 1997. I have been in the forestry extension "business" since 1995 (NCSU and University of Washington), educating the public about forest resources and helping private and public landowners maintain working forests. I began work on a Master's degree in the summer of 2002. JBM - I was born in Cleveland, OH and spent my first decade in Parma. For the next decade I lived in Brecksville, until heading off to college in Logan, UT. A bachelor's degree, master's degree, and several years of working later and it was time to move on to Seattle, WA to begin working on a Ph.D. Mixing school and work over the years it took me until 2001 to finish the Ph.D. in Silviculture and Forest Protection. Since then I have been working at the University of Washington, College of Forest Resources as a Research Scientist. |
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KMD - Our first big adventure together was Christmas 1999 at Rosario Resort on Orcas Island, WA. Jim had shown me pictures of the McCarter Reunion at Orcas, but they did not do justice. Jim drove us up to the top of Mt. Constitution and I took the picture on the left on the way up. We also visited Madrona State Park and despite the chill of December, it was great. JBM - We decided to spend the Christmas holiday together. We managed to score lodging over the holiday weekend at Rosario Resort (thanks to NPR donation premiums). We spent Christmas at Rosario, and then moved to Smuggler's Cove for the rest of our holiday. We also enjoyed visiting with some friends, doing jigsaw puzzles in front of a roaring fire. The holiday crabbing contributed to a wonder feast, featuring fresh crab and a variety of other holiday treats. |
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JBM - Thanks to Kelley my baseball passion evolved from several games a year to full season tickets. We started getting season tickets to make sure we could make the 2001 All Star Game is Seattle. Since then we have a developed a steady list of customers that gobble up any games we can't make. KMD - Baseball is our shared sports passion. When we went to Cape Cod for the McCarter Reunion in 2000, Jim's brother-in-law purchased Red Sox tickets for us. I am so glad to say that I have now seen a game at Fenway Park. The picture on the right was taken at Pack Forest, the place where we met in 1999. |
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KMD - I will always have a special reverence for forestry in the Pacific Northwest... for its history, culture and evolving policy issues. Even though my profession was the catalyst for my moving to the PNW, I know the real reason for my coming here... it was to meet Jim. Yes, sounds a bit sappy, but I believe it's true. JBM - I moved to Seattle after spending years in Utah -- finally finishing my Ph.D. in December 2001. In the time I have been in Seattle there have been many changes to forestry in the Pacific Northwest -- the last of the large logs disappeared years ago. In June 2002 my parents and an Aunt and Uncle made it to Seattle for the official University of Washington graduation, where all Ph.D.'s dress up like purple plumb wizards. |
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JBM - We have been fortunate to be able to take a number of trips together since meeting. So far we have been to Bella Vista, AR, Boston, Brevard N.C., Cape Cod, Duck, Ft. Myers, Mufreesburo TN, New Orleans, Norfolk, North Cascades, Orcas Island, Portland, Raleigh-Durham, Richmond, Sequim, Vancouver B.C., Washington D.C., and Winston-Salem. Still on the list are Alaska, Arizona, California, Chicago, Cleveland, Hawaii, Kershaw S.C., Houston, New Mexico, Utah, Wisconsin, more Canada, upstate New York, and the rest of the world (especially where there is a water fall). KMD - Thanks to Jim and the McCarter Reunions, I have traveled to some wonderful places in the last 3 years. One of them was Cape Cod (photo on left) and another is the North Cascades. The scenery is absolutely breathtaking! |
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KMD - For many years I have had a strong desire to own a small inn or B&B. Jim tolerates this with great humor and lets me book us into all sorts of little hideaways. JBM - We found the B&B above (on the left) during our Labor Day trip. It turned out we were the only ones there. The cabin above on the right was found by Kelley. It is one of several cabins just outside the Rainier National Park. Kelley and I had a nice quite break over the weekend in the middle of one of the training sessions I teach. |
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JBM - We have also enjoyed taking the train for weekends in Vancouver, BC, Canada and Portland, Oregon. We take a relaxing ride on the train and then take advantage of local transportation to explore the city. KMD - It's no surprise as professional foresters that we like the outdoors. For me, an appreciation, both intellectual and aesthetic for the natural world came late in my like. I am so glad it did because Jim and I have hiked, biked, walked and kayaked together on both coasts and plan to do a lot mo re. |
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KMD - These photos were taken when we took one of our urban hikes in the Seattle area. The "beaches" in the Puget Sound area are not like any I've ever encountered. One of the characteristics that I love most about Jim, is his optimistic approach to everything. He helps me see the best part of everything and everybody. JBM - Thanks to Kelley I'm getting much more exercise than I used to. She makes sure I get out from behind the computer and take a hike once in a while. I've had fun showing her some of the places around Seattle that friends have shown me over the years. We have even discovered a few on our own, since we are running out of places that I already know. |
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JBM - It's amazing how close we came to being in the same place over the years. Sometimes it just takes a while for two people to find each other. KMD - You be born in Cleveland, and I'll be born in Richmond and 40 years later we'll meet in Seattle. |
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