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Gwen O'Leary
Gwen fell in love with books and the dreamed of writing her own book at the age of ten while attending a one room, country, schoolhouse. Her teacher selected a young girl’s novel for her to read fr...view moreGwen fell in love with books and the dreamed of writing her own book at the age of ten while attending a one room, country, schoolhouse. Her teacher selected a young girl’s novel for her to read from the book mobile; she was hooked for life. In high school, her charismatic teachers encouraged her to reach out and experiment with creative writing. Gwen graduated from Carsonville High School in 1970, attended St. Clair County Community in Port Huron, Michigan and graduated from the Alma Practical Nurse Center in Alma, Michigan in 1972. She attended Mesa State College in Grand Junction, Colorado from 1987-1989. In 1992, she graduated Suma Cum Laude from the University of Utah with a Bachelor of Science Degree and continued her studies at the University of Utah pursuing a Master’s Degree in the Geography. She ended a 10-year career with Salt Lake County as a Cartographer and Geographic Information Analyst to pursue a life of travel with her husband Lon.
Gwen has been writing for her own enjoyment, for work, and for volunteer positions for three decades. She polished her writing style by attending workshops, participating in writing groups, and by choosing writing emphasis courses at the University of Utah. Writing for her, is a form of recreation, meditation, and therapy, a form of yoga with words and sentences.
During her experience as caregiver for both of her dying parents, she kept notes in a personal journal. She shared some of her entries with her sister, Katie Frostic, who convinced her to continue to write stories of her experience and complete a book. Her dream of writing a book was finally a reality but the achievement was bitter sweet, “Who could know that the book I finally wrote would be about my dying mother?”
As a retired geographer, she now has the opportunity to travel and explore many of the places she once studied while earning her Geography degree. She and her husband, Lon Hinde, live a life of simplicity in a 21-foot travel trailer where everyday they have the luxury of deciding where they watch the sun rise and set. They sold their home in Salt Lake City, Utah, along with all the ‘stuff’ that once cluttered their life. They continue to achieve their retirement goal of living with less, as it allows them to live life more; “our home is where ever we are.”
Their life on the road is also a life on the water, as they are both avid sailors. Their sailing adventures include many years on the Great Salt Lake, and Strawberry Reservoir in Utah. They have sailed on Jackson Lake below the grand peaks of the Teton Mountains in Wyoming and between many of the San Juan Islands and Gulf Islands of Seattle and British Columbia in the North West.
Gwen’s life is very different then the humble beginnings as a farmer’s daughter from the thumb of Michigan. She comes from several generations of hard scramble, tough, working class, humble people; “It was a great foundation on which to build a remarkable life.”
Gwen enjoys her gypsy life; “We find tourist attractions sterile where as intimate ‘mom and pop’ cafes are always rich with the history of a region. Strolling side streets in rural towns and peeking into backyard gardens hold more charm than waiting in line to view a famously planned landscape. We prefer a night in the desert with hooting owls and pompous coyotes over an exotic destination vacation that is superimposed in the middle of an impoverished country.”
Life on the road affords Gwen the opportunity to enjoy old hobbies and learn new skills: “A lovely woman from New Zealand taught me how to knit while we both enjoyed the beauty of Alaska. I set up my art supplies during a rainy week in a tiny library of Seward, Alaska and worked on a colored pencil portrait while the children of fishermen sat at my side waiting for their fathers to sail in with their catch. Writing is something I do everyday but my hands also find themselves placing tiny quilting stitches in a hand made quilt. While living in the west, I take brisk, morning, mountain hikes and then sit outside where the birds sing as I sew “aprons for Alzheimer’s” using solar power.”
Gwen makes every effort to be in remote areas where bird watching and spotting animals in their natural environment never cease to amaze and entertain. Her wanderings always offer fodder for great stories of people and nature. Read more about her travels at:
http://www.getjealous.com
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Books by Gwen O'Leary
When Life Hands You Alzheimer's, Make Aprons!: A Daughter's Journal of Her Mother's Last Months