Meet the Family

Damien Valera-Scobie

Damien Valera-Scobie was born in San Francisco, CA in 1994 and was raised by his aunt and uncle whom he refers to as his mother and father. He is of Filipino, Tlingit, and European ethnicity. Growing up in the city exposed Scobie to a variety of cultures which led him to become more empathetic and understanding of the world he lives in. 

He earned his B.A. in Environmental Studies from California State University Monterey Bay. While going to school he worked at the Monterey Bay Aquarium furthering his growth in interpersonal education. 

He met Della while working at the California Academy of Sciences located in San Francisco, Ca.

He now works as a Communications Manager at an Alaskan Native non-profit and does freelance IT consulting for a variety of nonprofit organizations and private clients.

In his free time Scobie enjoys playing video games, his current fixation is Stardew Valley and Pokémon Emerald Version. He additionally loves being outdoors, practicing yoga or doing light exercise such as hiking, calisthenics, or taking is cat Marjorie out on walks. 

Della Rae Stroh

Visual Artist and Anthropologist specializing in photography, videography, and writing. She was born in Los Angeles, CA in 1995 but grew up in the Coachella Valley of Southern California from age 3 on. 

You are what you perceive

Della uses her artistic interests as the conduits through which the flow of creative energy she manifests may be actualized. As an "Anthropologist", she is primarily concerned and fascinated with the human experience and the impulses and biases of both the conscious and unconscious mind.

She is endlessly enchanted with the intersection of science, art and spirit. Why do humans feel the impulse to create? Why and what makes something beautiful or inspirational to a person? Why not to another? Her work explores these entangled intersections and highlights the role that mindfulness and perspective play in our human experience. 

Ecstatic union with nature 

Nature is her biggest inspiration, and she views the natural world as a magical space. Nature bridges the gap between form and formless, it exists in a liminal space between two worlds. Nature is a place that is so closely connected to humans on both a cultural and biological level that it is not irrevocably either and therefore is the only true “reality”. She believes that the Western view of Nature is inherently rooted in the dualistic point of view that has become the norm within this culture, and therefore leaves out key aspects of the spirit of the natural world, leading to the large scale suffering many of us endure today. 

If Form is what can be empirically shown, and the Formless is what can be felt by the human spirit, then Nature is the realm through which this and all possibilities originate. 

She earned her degree in Anthropology from San Francisco State University in 2017.

Marjorie Townes

Marjorie is a nearly 6 year old Calico that has been in our lives since February of 2018. She was adopted from the SPCA in San Francisco, but was originally a barn cat born in Merced, Ca. 

She has adapted to life on the road very well, which we attribute to her bravery, outgoing nature, love of being outside, and ability to walk comfortably on a harness and leash. 

Marj has been on the road with us since the very beginning of our journey and we are eternally grateful for her presence in our lives.