I grew up in an oil-field family — Dad worked for Sun Oil Company from 1946 until 1982, when he retired. My dad’s family is from East Texas — has been in the same county since before the Texas Revolution. My mother’s family has deep roots in South Louisiana going back to 18th century immigrants from France and Germany, to 19th century Acadians from Nova Scotia, and to 1851 Ireland. I have a Ph.D. in English and taught composition, introduction to literature, and American literature at McNeese State University from 1981 to 2011. I love to read and to travel. I cherish my family, friends, pets, and laughter. So just how did I end up making jewelry? The journey in short: I retired in May 2011 as a Professor of English at McNeese State University in Lake Charles,Louisiana. My father worked for Sun Oil Company, so we moved around, though not as much as many others. We settled in Egan, Louisiana, in 1956. That's where my brother and sister and I grew up, and that's where I found myself as I became a caregiver for my father. I'm teaching again at McNeese, part-time only. Making jewelry was a hobby I'd started a few years prior to this, and over time, the hobby has become an avocation as much as teaching was and is. It is an expression of me, of my love of color and texture and shape and design -- just as teaching is an expression of my loves of writing, of nonfiction and fiction and poetry, of the human experience across time and culture. The hobby grew from one technique or two (wire-wrapping and setting calibrated stones and cabochons in purchased findings) to include working with metal clay (firing with a torch and using a kiln), to traditional metal-smithing. I'm hardly a master of all, but an enthusiastic learning, continuing to read, take workshops, and refine and improve my skills. It's a journey that reflects my many interests -- reading, traveling, teaching, writing, painting, even sewing and crocheting. Creativity in one area feeds others, I've found. My jewelry hobby used to be something I could contain in a few boxes. Now it consumes a room. It's also now a business. I've been selling at area craft shows and fairs. This website is a new venue for my jewelry. It is also a work in progress! Follow me on my journey here on my webpage. I'll be offering jewelry of different types and materials, across a variety of styles and prices. I hope you enjoy learning more about me and my jewelry.