I live in the Chicago area, but also lived in Europe and Nevada for 6 years many years ago.  I enjoy hiking, dancing, swimming, reading, painting, history, nature, cross stitch,  COOKING and most importantly, playing with my grandchildren.   That hiking, dancing, swimming thing above, is somethings I enjoyed when I was younger (ie thinner) but I still LIKE them!!!   I'm in a very conservative profession - banking, but I meet so many interesting people with interesting stories and views.

 black cherry anything, coffee, Belgian chocolate, Jarlsberg, a great German white wine, pasta, peaches, tea.  I love to make soups and muffins.  Both are simple, but the results can be amazing.  I am most interested now in learning more about all the vegetables out there that I'm unfamiliar with and how to prepare and enjoy them.  I typically will choose a topic (ie vegetables) and concentrate on it for summer or winter and pick something else.