I was born on February 1 in Deadwood, South Dakota, in the midst of 12 foot snow drifts. My parents moved my older brother Dennis and me to Long Beach California when I was 2 so I consider myself to be a California girl whether the "natives" like it or not.

We eventually settled in Culver City, 3 miles from the ocean. Culver City is the town where all the movie studios REALLY were (not Hollywood) so I have spent my life surrounded by the "glamour" of movie stars and movie making.

My immediate family now consists of my mom, my brother and his children and my "children", Angel and Speedo (they have fur), and Crystel Bey (hooves, mane and tail).

I have loved horses since the day we visited my uncle's farm in South Dakota (I was about 3 years old) and my mother left me to play in the yard. They noticed I was missing and after a frantic search I was found in the horse corral, petting the tummy of a kindly old gelding. I was hooked! I began a professional career at 18, training pleasure horses and young riders. Eventually I moved to the San Fernando Valley and began managing horse farms and breeding programs for Arabian Horse farms in that area.

One of my favorite farms was Ventura Farms in Hidden Valley near Thousand Oaks. It is a 1300 acre showplace with horses valued at over $11 million at the time I worked for them. If you were a fan of Dynasty you saw this farm! They filmed there for several years. It was the set for Carrington Farms and some of our horses, a stallion named Gwydion in particular, were actors for the series. Hidden Valley is often used a background for films and commercials. While I loved the horses very much, I don't miss the hard work at all!

I have followed the horses to Kentucky and Washington state, finally ending up back here in California. I now live in Gilroy, about 30 miles south of San Jose. As I got older the physically punishing life of the horse business became too much. I changed to working for the County (Santa Clara County) as a Senior Animal Control Officer (field supervisor) in 1990. After a year I moved to the job of Animal Shelter Supervisor and am now working as an Emergency Services Dispatcher. We dispatch the Sheriff's Department, Fire Department and Ambulance services for the County. We are the 911 system. It is an excellent, rewarding job and I enjoy it very much.

I now have the freedom to travel which I could not do while working with horses. I took my dream trip last April, spending three weeks in England. I visited with my friends Ricky and Marion Batten in their lovely house in Westgate-On-Sea which is in Kent on the South East Coast.

I also got to see Edinburgh... What a beautiful city. Also visited London of course but couldn't spend as much time as I wanted there because this was the year of the general elections and the IRA was up to their tricks. It wasn't wise to spend too much time in crowded places. As it was, my departure was almost delayed as they had to evacuate Heathrow airport on the day my flight home was scheduled. But, under heavy security, all went as planned. I love the country and am planning to go back to England one day. Ricky and Marion have visited with me here in Gilroy twice and we have a wonderful time! Can they shop! I thought I was good but I have trouble keeping up to them!

I am also an avid fan of the rock group Queen. While I love many styles of music they are my all time favorites. Freddie Mercury, his voice, his stage persona and his inate showmanship captured me from the very beginning. I have always been intrigued by the variety these four men were able to create while still making rock and roll. I have a very large collection of their albums including their solo works, bootleg albums of concerts and related cd's created by other artists. I have collected many related books, videos and other memorabilia too. I had the distinct pleasure of seeing them in concert twice...

For relaxation, I spend time with my horse, play on the internet 8-), crochet and make soft toys (jointed teddy bears and such).

If you would like to meet some of my friends, take a "side trip" to my picture gallery.

Well, that's it for now. I'll be adding more pictures and maybe some more "rooms" in the future. Please come back to visit and be sure to sign my guest book on the way out! I would love to know who's been to visit me.