I took an early retirement from 31 years of teaching to return home to my roots in Amador County’s Shenandoah Valley where I was born and raised. I moved home to be my mother’s care provider and companion in the last two years of her long life.  Since her passing, on land I have known and loved for a lifetime, I have created a small certified Biodynamic® /organic farm named “Abbondanza”–the Italian word for abundance – where I produce vegetables, nuts, fruit and essential oils.

Local Affiliations

Farms of Amador, MotherLode Harvest, Amador Arts Council, Chaw’se IGA Association

Professional experience

Barry Elementary, Yuba City, Sutter County, CA 1996-2008 Seventh and eighth grade elective art,gardening and computers Administrator of extended day program HIVE 2000-2008

Creator and coordinator of award winning school garden 1996-2008

For more imagery of the garden, please visit Daniel’s School Garden.

1989-1996 Andros Karperos Middle School, Yuba City, Sutter County, CA  Eighth grade math and science/ sixth grade all subjects Creator and coordinator of school garden.

1981-1988 Pioneer School, Somerset, El Dorado County, CA  Seventh and eighth grade Developed school garden and coordinated thematic field study of Mono Lake for eighth grade science.

1972-1978  Dixon Elementary, Dixon, Solano County, CA  Fourth and fifth grade (co-creator of Rainbow Room) 

1981-presentProfessional Freelance Photographer 

For more information on Daniel’s photography, please see the  Photography page.

To see a partial list of all Daniel’s photo credits, click here.

Education

1967  Amador County High School (Student Body President)  

1970  First Student Assistant to Chancellor at University of California, Davis  

1971   B.A Rhetoric, University of California, Davis .

1973  Education Credential Program University of California, Davis  HONORS

2013 Distinguished Alumnus, U.C. Davis School of Education 

For a great article on Daniel’s Alumnus Award, check out Amador Ledger Dispatch article.