How long on the Mountain? Things all began around 1988.
If you were not brought here as a child, what brought you to the Mountain? A slow trail of migration. It clearly has been a great choice and very little of it was predictable.
Profession? The most over-educated log builder on the planet would probably capture it.
Other professions? I grew up in a family that had a farm and a sawmill. This put me on the track of working with my hands and my head in forestry, lumber and construction.
Favorite movie? It could be Popeye with Robin Williams; Defiance, based on the true story of the Bielski brothers; Reign Over Me and Spanglish with Adam Sandler.
Favorite Actress/Actor? Sigourney Weaver, Julianne Moore, Geena Davis, Matt Damon, Kevin Costner, Adam Sandler, and Keanu Reeves fit here.
Favorite TV shows? I do have a preference for public broadcasting work from both NPR/OPB here in the US and SVT, Sweden’s public broadcasting system.
Favorite books? I like most anything that makes me think. I have been reading a lot of Swedish historical novels the last few years as I am tracking down my ancestry.
Favorite type of music? Generally anything that deals with acoustic instruments, mostly guitar, and artists who are very well rounded and authentic. One person that exemplifies that for me is Brad Paisley.
Favorite Food? Just about anything that challenges the taste buds. I like various ethnic foods and to recreate them at home.
Favorite hobbies? Working, building, creating, and modifying anything that I can improve. I found that I have a knack for mechanics, solving problems and blending it all with an eye toward art.
If offered a dream vacation, where would you go, and why? I am particularly attracted to northern Europe, central Europe, and the Nordic countries. I think it is a heritage thing and possibly even DNA.
Best lesson learned as a child? The best lesson I would have loved to learn as a child, came as an adult. Looking back, I would have spent far more time with the older people in my life — my father’s father, my mother’s mother, and a wise old soul named Henry Berkebile. They are the ones that set me on my life’s course and I owe them everything.
Defining moment in your life or your greatest accomplishment? There is no one moment; it is all part of the process. I’ve learned many things and spent a great deal of time educating myself, but, as Mark Twain was to have said, “I have never let schooling interfere with my education.”
A memorable dinner? Far too many to recall one in particular. They all would have involved friends gathering, cooking, eating, often with homemade beer, wine, or liquors, with great conversations.
A funny moment from your life that you can share? In 1975-1976, I was at WSU in Pullman, Washington and my younger brother, Bruce, was living with me and supposed to eat all his meals at the sorority where he was a houseboy. It always irked me when Bruce would come in at night, generally when I wasn’t there, and rummage through the refrigerator, eating my food without helping on the food bill. He was like a dog going through someone’s picnic basket. I went down to the local supermarket and found a can of Alpo Beef Stew dog food. I went home, cooked it up, and put half of it away in the fridge. I knew that Bruce would be coming home that afternoon. I waited and tried to do homework, and Bruce came home and headed right for the refrigerator. He sat down, took one big spoonful, looked at me and said, “Damn your cooking is normally better than this. This **** tastes like DOG FOOD!!”
If you could invite anyone (past or present) to dinner, who would it be, and why? It would be Grandpa Fritch, Grandma Timmerman, and Henry Berkebile. Dad and his grandfather, Papa Borgen, to round out the meal. And I would do the cooking.
Describe yourself in one word? “Relentlesslycuriousandabsolutelyfascinatedbylife”
When you’re not reading The Mountain Times, what book/author/magazine/other do you read? If I stop moving and have a moment anywhere, I’ll pick up anything with printing on it and start reading.
If your life were made into a play or movie, what would the title be? “It’s Never Too Late to Have a Great Childhood”.
Pet peeve? Inconsiderate Narcissists.
Bad habit you’d like to break? Not getting enough sleep.
Famous person(s) you have met, and the circumstances? No one that has been on the news or in the tabloids, but I have met hundreds of people who should have been famous had it not been for their humility. It has been my great good fortune to have met some of the finest people on the planet.
Favorite quote? “If it isn’t working for all of us, it isn’t working for any of us.”
Favorite part of The Mountain Times? I prefer anything that gives me insight into people and the history that surrounds us. Both are underestimated and underappreciated in their value in our lives.
