Douglas Robinson is the founder of www.verdantva.blogspot.com, a place where every shade of green in Virginia can be discussed and written about. He's an award winning financial journalist and currently a public relations manager for one of the largest community development nonprofit corporations in the U.S.

Some other things:

Outside magazine is one of the best written magazines in the U.S., and its writers have encouraged me to explore the world and myself.

The greatest writer alive to me today is Isabel Allende. The cover art for her novel, Daughter of Fortune, haunted me for months until I picked it up, read it, loved it and am now transformed into her biggest fan.

I never thought that I'd leave New York City -- why? it's the center of the world, but just because it's the center, doesn't mean the things on the perimeter are not interesting, too.