My first music education came in grade school in Idaho. I played the trombone. I grew up by the gorgeous Payette River, the outrageous Snake River, the majestic Seven Devils Mountains and much more. I had wonderful art, music and English teachers in the midst of extraordinary settings of impressive nature. My high school art instructor Mr. Jackman played guitar and sang to focus the class. My art teacher is where the guitar began for me, so my works reflect nature, both human and natural. Each morning of my life brings the beauty of a cup of coffee, a newspaper, and thoughts of what the guitar and I will compose and play as we look at a forest of green trees in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains.