Estacada, about thirty miles SE of Portland.

I was born in Portland, Oregon, raised in Estacada, Oregon. I graduated Estacada High School in 1980.

Estacada is a lumber town rough thirty miles southeast of Portland. Beautiful area. Recently broke two thousand.

Attended Portland State University for three years as a chemistry major, switching to Oregon State University, first in computer science, then as an ultimate mathematics major, finally getting two degrees from OSU – mathematics and an combo degree OSU offers called Mathematical Sciences (see link) that combines math, computer science, and statistics. Having the right credits and only needing another class or two, I did it.

Douglas Fir.

Mount Hood, miles off Estacada.

What the Estacada is about: lumber.

Yes, it rains an awful lot in west-of-the-Cascades Northwest.

Crown Point in the Columbia Gorge, close to Estacada.

The wreck of the Peter Iredale, Oregon coast.

Cutoff of I-84 from I-80, North Utah, one of
countless crossroads out of which I hitch-hiked.

After OSU spent over three years on the road, hitch-hiking thousands of miles and living out of my backpack, living in Sequoia National Park, Portland Oregon, Yosemite Valley, two winters a ski bum in Colorado, traveling by whatever means I could. Guess I was not “respectable,” and rare speak of the time.

As consequence of years living out of a backpack, I laugh at “voluntary simplicity.” I don't need to read Jack Kerouac – I lived it.

Fall 1989 set off to study graduate mathematics at the University of Colorado, in the city of Boulder.

Angel Lake, Nevada – didn't hitch-hike there, but didn't
hit or leave by respectable means.

Cross of Interstate 15 and Old Highway 58, Barstow, California – hitched out twice,hitching through the Mojave Desert – twice.

Typhoon over Okinawa, August 12, 1996 — I was in
that eye nine hours. Click here for full-size image.

Ruins of castle, Okinawa.

Summer 1995 received my Ph.D. in mathematics from the University of Colorado, in the city of Boulder.

Six years. A lot of time at a desk. Links to my dissertation and an abstraction I did in Japan are here.

Shortly after my Ph.D., I went to Poland to give a mathematics talk, bumming around Poland a month, shortly landing in Japan, working for the University of Maryland Asian Division on Okinawa island, spending a summer in Sasebo, Japan (just north of Nagasaki on Kyushu Island), teaching mathematics and computer science to United States military.

Nearing two years, decided life on an island was ... insular. Great experience, but time to go. Landed back in Boulder. Went through several girlfriends, doing the “backpack Europe” routine, giving a mathematics talk in Aberdeen, Scotland & later going completely around the world with one girlfriend I later left for Colleen.

One shot at CU - Boulder.

Me, in an English telephone booth, 1997.

Morskie Oko, Poland.

The three wise monkeys: hear no evil, speak no evil, see no evil — Nikko, Japan.

August 17, 2002: Colleen pours dried rose petals on Dean's head

I married Colleen Jane Keller on August 17th, 2002, by the Saint Vrain river at a music festival in Lyon's, Colorado. Colleen has no home page as yet.

Shortly after: woman on left is Jackie, did the service, Dean's brother Marvin at far right.

Orchard Road, downtown Singapore.

Isle of Skye, Scotland.