Kathleen Cremonesi took a circuitous route to finding her place in the world. In lieu of college, she traveled America's blue highways in a VW bus while following the Grateful Dead. When ready for a new adventure, she flew off to Europe, where she accidentally joined a circus, fell in love with the Italian elephant keeper, and became an ostrich-riding, shark-taming showgirl while traveling around the Mediterranean. Soon after returning to the US, Kathleen and her husband realized their five wooded acres near Eugene, Oregon, were achingly small to fulfill their fantasy of rescuing elephants, so they settled for a family of cats and dogs. Kathleen currently volunteers at a local animal shelter. She expresses her creativity through woodworking, leather craft, and ceramic arts. When not at work on her latest project, she enjoys traveling the world, growing her own food, and sharing good wine and great meals with family and friends.