I accidentally discovered Gualala back in 1976 on a family driving trip - accidentally because my mom vowed to stop at the next motel vacancy sign. Skipping stones into the mist, I heard a roar and walked towards it, only to discover it was the ocean. I ran back up the trail to tell my mom, who was already packing us up and ready to go. Looking out the back window of our car, I promised I would on
e day return, never thinking it would be 31 years later. It was 2007 and my wife, Susannah, and I had been married 3 years but had yet to go on our honeymoon. Our Ballroom dance studio was open 6 days a week and life was pulling us in so many directions that taking time off seemed impossible. You know how it is. Anyway, one particularly long evening, Susannah was teaching her last lesson for the night and I decided to book a trip to this magical place I had found as a kid. When she was done working, I announced the good news and her response was, "What the heck is in Gualala?" I said, "I don't know. It was 31 years ago." Cut to the chase, we came up and fell in love with the place. I reached out to this realtor, someone recommended. His name was Robert Juengling and his company Oceanic Land. He was so cool and patient. He spent the next year talking real estate with me, and we bought our first property with him. Go figure that one day I would be working for him as a sales agent. Aside from from being a Ballroom and Latin dance instructor, I was a private investigator for 15 years. I also worked in a hospital as a patient care aid. I was also a substitute school teacher, which of course living in Los Angeles meant I acted and wrote. My straight-to-DVD acting career includes roles in the movies "The Hillside Strangler" and "Splinter." No need to ask, I was spectacular in these cinematic classics. We made our permanent move from that iconic LaLaLand to this LaLaLand in 2019. We own two properties, a single family residence and an acre of land we are in the process of developing. My experiences are invaluable when it comes to renovation and literally breaking ground to create your dream home. My wife and I walk our dog, Fusco, over 150 miles a month through the town and along the seaside trails. We are boots on the ground, eyes and ears to what's going on. If I don't have your answer, I can find someone who does. When not drinking coffee with my wife in the morning or cracking open a bottle of wine with her at night, I dance, write mystery novels and am a real estate agent with my good friend Robert. Every once in a while, I sleep.
