Another piece of hay in the stack

Greetings to all Steemians who happen to stumble onto my little introduction post. I have no silly aspirations of gathering a mass of followers and filling my storage tanks with STEEM. I was drawn here by my interest in science and computers; the idea of a social network encouraging original content using a blockchain structure is very intriguing. I'm not much for social media, as I have no Facebook, Twitter, etc. Researching cryptocurrencies out of educational curiosity I happened upon Steemit and decided 'why not join the community'. So if you're here, reading this, thanks for your interest. I'll use this time you've given to share a little about myself.

Alaska raised, Washington born

I spent most of my formative years in Alaska. I met my wife here, my children were born here, yet the roots of my heart are strongly planted in Washington state. But just because this isn't my favorite place to live (for many reasons) that doesn't mean I don't enjoy the wonders on offer here. Granted, get it while you can, because the winters are long and the summers likely rainy. I did a lot of backpacking, back country snow boarding, and even some white water rafting back in my younger days, but now I keep it mostly to day hikes; having children can change what you're able to do. I've done a small amount of hunting as well, but decided I don't really crave it like many dedicated Alaskans. Of course, these are all things you can do when the Last Frontier's famous summer sun stretches through nearly all the day's hours. The real truth of living in Alaska are the long, cold, dark winters. It comes every year sooner than you wish.

Ohh all the things to do, see, and learn

It's daunting to try and list all my interests and hobbies. Whatever captures my imagination or stimulates my brain to learn more about our universe can grab my enthusiasm. I enjoy studying physics and astronomy. I am fascinated by puzzles and mechanical contraptions. I enjoy music and have played the guitar and didgeridoo. I enjoy maritime history and the age of exploration.

When it comes to books, I feel a kindred spirit in Robert Louis Stevenson when he said “I kept always two books in my pocket, one to read, one to write in.” And its always fun to search for a Geocache while getting outdoors, even planning a 7 mile hike just to be the first-to-find. Of course, I cannot finish this section without mentioning soccer. I didn't grow up a big fan of sports, but in my adult years I've grown to love the beautiful game. As my username would suggest, I am a dedicated follower of the Seattle Sounders. I'm constantly reading (and a frequent commenter on) my favorite sports blog: Sounder at Heart.

The blank canvas of Steemit that lies before me

The biggest thing I've gathered when learning about Steemit is the vision to encourage original content. I've got several ideas: my posts could range anywhere among my many interests, bloggish in nature, but my main plan is for original fiction. There may be some photography sprinkled here and there, as I've done it for years and even professionally on a few occasions. Some other art ideas are in the hopper that would exclusively be shared on Steemit when they come to fruition. Whatever way it may go, the path ahead is a new one for me.

Oh, and one last thing. I have a pretty cool job too.