Friendship, time, respect, affection, trust, honor, mutual enjoyment, patience, and mutual sacrifice will tell if we find a way to reach out to each other. If not, I will be the richer for having known you, and in any case, in my opinion, those are the keys.

A lifelong romance starts with friends. I just don't want to make a mistake again--been that done there--and it is something I wish for others. I show single, because after being divorced 17 years ago, I consider myself single! I have a daughter who is 24 and a college graduate, and I tell her I love her at the end of every conversation.

I am many things: confident, independent, optimistic, honest, sensual, opinionated, intelligent, passionate, vocal, loving, affectionate, caring, tactile, considerate, cynical, romantic, involved, fun, witty, perennial child, sexual, loving, liberal, maybe-too-blunt, trim/athletic, very healthy, outdoorsy, alone by choice, semi-retired, science background. I don't suffer fools. I stay fit and work out. I walk, hike, ride a bike, play hard and work hard. I don't do drugs, smoke, or drink. Please don't do them either. Some alcohol is acceptable, but in moderation.

I have a very irreverent, sarcastic, goofy sense of humor. (All right, maybe I just don't write funny! Think South Texas Monty Python!) As soon as the awkwardness of a new situation wears off, laughter is a great glue, but without being messy! I love the irreverence of South Park and the middle class, common sense intelligence of The Simpsons. George Carlin, Eddie Izzard, Bill Maher and John Stewart are great caustic topical comedians.

I enjoy watching good intelligent movies (mostly comedies and dramas), music and concerts (Rock 'n' Roll, Baby!--well, mostly), theatre, musicals, conversation, being close and allowing space. With someone you care about deeply, watching a good, deep, thoughtful, maybe even funny movie, eating popcorn while tangled up on a couch is a great way to spend an evening.

Train travel is a favorite way to take a vacation. Amtrak has neat trains and neat people ride them. It is very relaxing and restful. Having an intimate partner is a great way to travel this way. I have taken several train trips and they are great enjoyment. ("...and the rhythm of the rails is all they feel...")

Regarding astrology, at the risk of sounding harsh, if you ask me "What's your sign?", I might say "It's 'Go Away'". If astrology rules your life, then we wouldn't have a chance, regardless of what so-called signs we might be. On the other hand, astronomy is a fascinating science and I love being at a dark site to look at and identify the constellations and stars. I have a telescope at home, and it gives me great joy to see clusters of galaxies hundreds of millions of light-years away with your own eyes, and globular clusters seem to me the embodiment of thought. Having someone to share these and many other things makes astronomy even more special.

Sustainable living has been a central theme in my life for many years. I live off-the-grid in the country about an hour from Corpus Christi, with wind (one picture is my wind turbine--14 ft diam. rotor) and photovoltaic (I write on the computer powered by Wind and Sun!), solar water heater, dry composting toilet, roof top water collection system, and wood-burning fireplace in the winter.

I am a wildlife biologist and use prescribed burning techniques to manage my 32-acre property and other local ranches. I have free-range chickens for food and insect pest/vegetation management. I am interested in sustainable, organic gardening and agriculture. I try to think 'green' in all my actions, but no one can do everything, so there always is more to do.

Among the pictures are the yellow flowers of a native cactus here, me in my firefghting gear (if people can wear cowboy hats for no apparent reason...? But I actually use mine for work), my daughter at 3, and the pink blooms of cenizo, a native brush species here.

Thoreau, Twain, Aldo Leopold, and Noam Chomsky are among my favorite authors. I also read magazines and non-fiction.

I really enjoy and initiate simple, affectionate, physical contact (no, not sex ALL the time!) as part of a relationship. Holding hands in public, hugging, spontaneous touching throughout the day mean a lot to me. I am a one-woman man. I would love to meet a woman who could be a lifelong partner, starting with a close loving friendship.

Scrupulous honesty is necessary to maintain a trust, so if anyone is offended, honesty is my only defense.

About You (Funny, you'd think there would be a box for this!)

You, my ideal woman, can easily tell I am not a person distracted by superficial shiny bright things, and neither are you--you have real, deep substance. You are a 'statistical outlier'--in the good sense! You are smart as a whip but neither hide it nor parade it. Same with your beauty--you look great (the best!) right out of the shower, don't need to do anything else to yourself and you know it, and everybody else sees it. If we are an intimate couple, we both know that if we see each other right out of the shower, we'll both be taking another shower in 2-3 hours. (Kinda complicates scheduling, though.) So comfortable are you, makeup is scarce if at all. You are educated, liberal, cultured, but unpretentious. You aren't necessarily religious, but spiritual, intelligent, independent, and fun-loving. You can laugh out loud, and even snort, too! You are a great kisser, too, but not while snorting!

You can kick the ass of anybody twice your size, but you don't accept violence and abuse. You are fit and you stay active. You don't smoke or do drugs, and drink only a moderate amount of alcohol at most.

I would never expect you or ask you to change anything just to please me. This is an-off-the-rack world and it is arrogant of me to expect you to cut yourself to fit my fashion. Together we are optimistic, idealistic, romantic, we have room to grow and expand together, and we are both comfortable in our own skin. You are a one-man woman.

Since I don't drink, it is not part of my expectations of you. If you responded "Socially" to the question "Do you drink?", because of social pressure to do so, rest assured there would be no such pressure with me.

You have children, you don't have children, you want them, you don't--is that all the choices?--all are welcome.

These are of course my ideals, but if, like the song says, "..two outa three ain't bad...", or if you see something that makes you say "Hubba HUBBA!", get in touch!

Love and Best Wishes, David

Maybe a first date should be real informal, just a simple drink or snack of some sort, or some other low-pressure situation in which either can flee if necessary. When people don't look, talk or act anything as presented or like you expected, you start counting how many steps it would take to get to the restaurant door! YIKES!!

However, if prior communication, time, and confidence overcome the first date concerns, and if significant travel is involved, a "second date as first date" could work:

Since we would want to get to know each other even better, we could relax with a great meal at a nice restaurant. Over the meal, we have a great conversation. You catch me catching glimpses of you a lot. A couple of times, we might even look at each others' eyes quite a bit longer, wondering what the other is thinking. We laugh a lot, but have some very serious revealing moments, too.

Later, if things are going well, we can continue talking while taking a walk, in a park, while window shopping/people watching, anywhere it is public but fairly quiet and we can connect. I carry your doggy bag from the restaurant! At 58, I still like holding hands in public and affection in general, so that would be nice. We laugh and talk and fool around, and soon we are smiling so much it is like we are in a toothpaste commercial. If there is a mud puddle, I'll pick you up and carry you over it--or maybe the other way around! At the end of the evening, if it feels right, we'll share a nice, long, soft, kiss, and we both decide spontaneously that this is good. We tell each other exactly how and when to contact each other again, and then we reluctantly say 'good night'. Neither one of us can sleep that night. Of course, the best date is the one neither of us wants to end.

Thanks for staying 'til the end. Best wishes, and get in touch!

David