What can I say to describe myself without giving everything away? We all need little surprises.

I'm an easy going sort, shy with strangers, a listener rather than a talker until you get to know me.

I'm searching for a woman who is both serious and playful. A person with whom I can enjoy new experiences, whether they be trekking though Nepal and sampling butter tea or going to the opera. Someone I can spend the rest of my life with and never lose that spark of initial attraction. In short, my best friend.

I have an instant attraction to dogs and cats so I'm rarely able to pass up the opportunity to render a good scratch.

I am a dedicated kayaker. Some would call that being a fanatic. It is really about developing the skills and knowledge to more fully experience the wonderful coast we live on and to do so in as safe a manner as possible. I do push my personal limits, which to many would seem perhaps foolhardy, but I always maintain a healthy safety factor when doing so. If I am with a person or persons who do not have my ability any potential risks are reduced to the comfort level of those I am with. Safety is foremost. I would dearly love to take two months and paddle around Vancouver Island, but Ill have to save that for retirement. I don't want to rush a trip like that, as I'd like to be able to plod along poking into every bay and cove, meeting all manner of folk in the various communities along the way. Almost a voyage of discovery if you will.

I read voraciously. All manner of books with the exception of autobiographies. I have a great dislike for those who excessively pat themselves on the back telling everyone how great they are. Enough said on that. :-)

Some of the things I'd like to do is learn to cook well, without having to resort to explicit directions. Watching me cook is not a pretty sight. I'm currently at the "Have Microwave Can Cook" stage.

I'd love to return to University and finish the degree I worked on so many years ago, if for no other reason than to keep my mind agile. That will have to wait until retirement as shift work is not overly conducive to attending class on a regular basis.

I also hope to quit smoking by years end. I've been trying for a while and have managed to drop consumption considerably. Not sure that occasionally fits overall, but it's the first target/plateau I've managed to reach in some while.

I'm painfully shy, so a first meeting would most likely be at a coffee shop to chat. This first meeting could be extended perhaps, to dinner, should we find ourselves enjoying each others company.