Where does this find you? Tell us the story of how you got there.

Almont, North Dakota. I was born in Southern California and lived there most of my life. The day the last surviving orange tree from one of the original groves was cut down for no good reason, I made the decision to leave. I loathe homogenization, and it happened in SoCal to the extreme. Rick had a job opportunity which could lead two ways - either Gillette, Wyoming or Hazen, North Dakota. Easy choice, I've always loved the Dakotas from visiting when I was young. Adding to the decision was the fact Rick had worked in Gillette, and did not like the place at all. Rick's job 'opportunity' didn't work out after the move, so we went from Hazen to Bismarck. In the end, Bismarck simply had more rules than we cared for, so I went online to Bismanonline.com, looked for rural properties, and we found Almont. Instant love, that. No conformity, no rules. A town full of eccentrics, all of whom like their privacy. Definitely home. Almont also nurtures my deep love of nature.

Why do you moblog?

To see, learn and share. I am astonished every day by the photos people take and the stories they tell. It's life, an abundance of it. Moblog and mobloggers at large have fueled my love of photography, something I never thought I'd be interested in or be good at.

What were you hoping not to be asked for interview52?

I don't know how to answer this, I wasn't worried about anything I might be asked.

What would your biography be called, who would write it, and who would play you in the film?

Nature Calls, I have no idea who'd write it, but as this is all fantasy*, I'd have Howard Hawks direct and I'd be played by Carol Burnett, because I've been told all my life I look like her. *I'd never do or allow such a thing in real life, I like my privacy.

Who has been an inspiration to you? Why?

Not a who. Things seen, natural and manmade. I've observed things all my life, and find wonder in the smallest of things, and my curiousity is easily sparked. Out of all things, nature inspires me the most. I end up fascinated by most anything, a pebble, leaves, bugs, whatever I see. Many of the people on moblog share certain fascinations, and luckily for me, share their knowledge. Viv, Euphro and Silar31 in particular happily provide wanted information on lichens, shrooms and bugs to name a few things. Photography has ended up being both a tool for exploration and inspiration. I chose a bee for my photo. I'm a bit known for my bee shots. I have been scared half to death of bees all my life, I'm deathly allergic to them. Once I had a camera, the desire to shoot them overcame that lifelong fear. I look at things differently now, it's as though I've been granted an extra set of eyes.

What book would you recommend to your fellow mobloggers to read and why?

The World Without Us, by Alan Weisman. It's a reminder, dominant though we might be, we are animals, and we should treat our planet and fellow animals better than we do. It's also a sound and good reminder we should not take ourselves so damn seriously, after all, we'll be extinct one of these days.

What was your childhood obsession? What happened to it?

My obsession was being still. Being invisible. It wasn't exactly a bad idea during my childhood to be still and quiet, but it suited me. I would climb trees, (a massive Weeping Willow was my favourite haunt) and stay for hours watching and listening everything going on at street level. I also loved paying attention to leaves, bark and the varieties of tree life as well. Never lost the obssession, it stays with me. It's part of me. One of the major delights of my life was discovering Rick enjoyed being still also. (That was a long time ago, roundabout 30 years or so.) Rick's better at it, so I'm still learning. One of these days, I'll master camo painting if Rick ever gets around to teaching me.

Where do you go to my lovely, when you're alone in your head?

That's a loaded question. Depends. At times I travel some damned dark roads in my head. Most of the time, I get lost outside, looking at everything around me, wondering, thinking, making mental notes about all I see and feel. There is always something to fire my curiousity, and learning ahead. I love that. I'm alone much of the time, and like it. Both Rick and myself require healthy amounts of time alone. When I'm immersed in artwork, I'm definitely alone in my head as well as alone physically. I don't explain that process to anyone.

If you had to draw a moblog family (and friend) tree, who would you be linked to, and how?

Oh boy. It would start with Bronxelf and Geodyne. They are the reason I'm here. It branches rather wildly from there. Gael, Paintist, Dhamaka, Viv, Silar31, MaggieD, SLG, YourHermione, Sprocket, Mandy, 540Air - their absolute kindness is amazing and they are wonderful people who cannot be painted in a few strokes. Nige, who I was in awe of, looking at his photos with wonder. Factotum, with her quiet love of the eccentric and the unique, she has impressed me from day one. Swamprose, with her not so quiet embrace of life and obvious love of it. Rick, of course, once I talked him into moblogging.

People whose lives and photos became an important part of my life, and I would miss them so if they weren't a part of it: Ojo Azure, Parabolichobo, Taniwha, Hildegard, Kostika, Minkey, Harimanjaro, JokerXL, Rare Aquatic Badger, Spiderbaby, OJ, Viktor, 095, Bfish, Alfie, Essitam, Euphro, Stella Finkelstein, Mouseninja, EvilMink269, EmmaB, Eroika, Suzi Shoes, Monkey Finger, Alicat9, Billion and SmaugFilledWindows & Looker who are fellow Dakotans and good friends.

That does not cover my friends list at all, and I don't mean to leave a single person out. This would go on for pages if I tackled each person. I end up making new friends all the time on moblog, and each person is important to me and brings wonderful things to my perspective and life. Each person adds to my knowledge and there is never a lack of new things to learn. The connection - friendship, community. Moblog is a world neighborhood, and it is a truly fine thing.

Posted by Caine