About Me




I grew up in Minnesota the third and last daughter of Jack and Bette Evans. We lived at the top of Pahama Court (aptly named after Paul, Harry and Mary Altair who used to live at the bottom of the hill). Being at the top of the cul-de-sac I got a good view of the neighborhood and together with my mom we would watch the goings on from our big kitchen window. The same window my dad would sit in front of smoking a Salem, drinking a cup of black coffee during a tornado warning. The superintendent of schools lived next door and my mother would walk across the lawn with a cup of coffee and cigarette in hand if she thought school should be cancelled because of the snow. Next door on the other side was where my friend Geordie lived who could miraculously identify any car by their headlights at night and next to him was the Wente family who had 9 kids and adopted 3 more. My best friend Libby lived just two houses away. I took this picture on my last visit to Rochester in 2014. When we lived there it was beige with brown trim.

I have a sister Beverly, twenty years older than I am who was all grown up before I was even born and my sister Cyndi who was just five when I came barging into her life. Rumor has it that I was born after mom had gone through menopause but I slipped in there somehow. It must have been a big deal for the neighborhood because they made a big deal out of welcoming little Julie.

I spent most of my childhood riding horses and taking care of my mom and anyone else I could find who needed me. Just like my dad I could fix just about anything but neither one of us could fix whatever had hurt my mom and caused her to drink too much. Growing up in an alcoholic family informed my every thought and action. My Mom and Dad died when I was a teenager. Both of my sisters have gone on to create wonderful lives and both are married. I haven't seen Beverly since my dad's funeral and Cyndi keeps her distance. I have come to consider family to be the people I surround myself with but still have a tremendous love for the family that used to be. Pictured here visiting Beverly in Mexico.

Much of my history can be found in my memoir Joy Road so I'll cut to the chase and say that now in 2023 I am living a good life in Woodstock, New York with my amazing cat Marietta. I am a massage therapist who gets to touch people where they hurt and help them heal. And every day I am on the lookout for the words that will lead me on.

Julie