Family

"He's a case," Anne said to the reporter the summer before last, as I unicycled my ONE WHEEL – MANY SPOKES book tour from Canada to Mexico.  "He's more than most people have to deal with."  That line ended up on Seattle Evening Magazine's TV feature of our 2004 unicycle trip down the coast.  After 15 years of marriage,  I know that Anne knows best, and I believe that she's doing a great job of putting up with her "case."  Thankfully she and our kids are fully supportive of my pedaling STRAIGHT INTO GAY AMERICA in search of everyday gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered stories and GLBT justice.

Since our marriage in 1990 we've lived in

  • Berkeley, California where Anne taught special education and I did my seminary training for ordination into the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
  • Nome, Alaska where I served my first call with Inupiat Eskimo people, and where  KariAnna (11) and Kai (9) started their journey with our family.  Living in the midst of a hunter-gatherer culture remains one of the most valuable experiences of our lives.
  • East Lansing, Michigan where I served a call to campus ministry at Michigan State University.  Together our family led students on service and learning  trips stretching from the East Coast to the West.  The energy and vitality of college age people continues to be one of the most hopeful signs for the future of the world.
  • Whidbey Island, Washington where we started a self-initiated "sabbatical."  Anne dove more deeply into her watercoloring.  I dove fanatically onto my unicycle and began preparing for ONE WHEEL – MANY SPOKES, the first ever 50 state unicycle tour.  After the ride we returned to Whidbey for the writing of ONE WHEEL – MANY SPOKES: USA BY UNICYCLE.
  • Holden Village, Washington.  We returned to the place where Anne and I first met, a Lutheran retreat center deep in the heart of the Cascade mountains.  Sharing two years at the village helped us realize how quickly time is passing, what a privilege we enjoy each day that we live, and what opportunity exists for making a difference with hospitality and compassion.
  • Chelan, Washington.  This little resort town at the foot of Washington's longest lake (Lake Chelan) is home since August, 2005.  The kids have found a great school and wonderful friends. Anne is watercolor painting full-time (www.lakechelanart.com).  Lars, between writing and speaking, is helping authors to share their work online and set them up with websites that help them promote their writing. (www.americanauthor.com)

Anne's great love is art
, especially watercolor.  She helped to lead the craft cave at Holden Village during 2004-2005.  Now in Chelan, she's painting as many hours a day as she can.  Main Street Gallery in Chelan has her work on display.

KariAnna and Kai lived an idyllic life during our two years at Holden.  Imagine a place where the entire community walks, where no child is dependent on automobile transportation to get anywhere, where six children make up the elementary school.  Every one of them unicycles.  Adults are constantly and positively involved in the children's lives.  Between sports, reading, art, and playing with friends, KariAnna and Kai put together memories for a lifetime.

What a surprise when we moved to Chelan, found a house to rent right downtown and resumed the walking life.  Our car is mostly just for play, now.  The little one-bedroom house is actually right next door to school, and our home is often filled with school-friends.  My work is a block-and-a-half away from home, a three minute walk on slow days.

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