Maxine has lived on 20 acres in Sams Valley near Gold Hill since 2014, after transitioning with her husband from urban living to a rural lifestyle.

Born in Palo Alto, California, and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, she has degrees in History and Medieval Studies from the University of California, Santa Barbara, later supplemented by photography courses at the City College of San Francisco. Upon moving to Jackson County from San Francisco, Maxine became involved with the Oregon State University Extension, taking courses, volunteering, and mentoring others in the Land Steward, Master Gardener, Master Woodland Manager, Master Food Preserver, and Citizens Fire Academy programs. She served on the Jackson-Josephine Small Woodlands Association board from 2017-2022.

After college graduation, she worked for the Social Security Administration and the National Labor Relations Board, and spent two years in Senegal, West Africa, as a Peace Corps Volunteer teaching high school English.

Maxine transitioned to freelance writing and professional photography for 30 years, writing and providing visual content for newspapers, consumer magazines, and trade publications for meeting planners, travel agents, and genetic engineers. Traveling around the world, she also authored 20 books about travel and history.

Her property’s oak woodland and mixed conifer forest was an immediate plunge into learning about and dealing with invasive plants such as Scotch broom, Himalayan blackberry, and yellow starthistle. Forest health, fire resistance, improved wildlife and bird habitat, and restoration with Jackson County native plants, trees, and bunchgrasses remain personal priorities.