Hank Cheyne is a happy man. When he wakes up in the morning, he's beside a wife he adores. When he goes outside his home, he is surrounded by mountains and streams in every direction. And when he goes to work, it's to the Sunset Beach studios, where he is pleased to toil at playing Ricardo Torres for a kind and considerate boss. "Life is good right now," Cheyne declares. "What can I say?"

Life has been good for quite a while, actually, and Cheyne doesn't take any of it for granted. "We got so fortunate, me and Missy," he says, referring to his wife, actress Missy Hughes (ex-Sara Montaigne, Another World), and their retreat in the still-wild California hills. "I don't want to say it's a success story, because it's not paid for yet," he says with a laugh and only amplifies his undisguised enthusiasm. "We bought a house, but really the bank will own it for quite a while! I'm just happy to occupy this space for a certain period of time. That's the way I look at it. And every day I get up, it's a blessing here.

"We have an incredible place. It's up in the country, on three acres. We had 25 people here this weekend. We have a bunch of bedrooms and beds, and a big-screened porch, and people set-up tents. We had bonfires and bbqs; we played horseshoes and basketball. There is a stream running on the property, and we built some little ponds. I tell my friends it's therapeutic; I try to convince people to help me with the work under the quise of it's being some kind of spiritual, moving experience that they are going to benefit from. They are totally onto my scheme, but they have a great time anyway. We really have some fun up here!

It's not always such a mob scene out at the Cheynes; often there is only solitude and nature shared by two. "I occupy my time just sitting here watching the change in seasons," he says. "I see where the sun rises and sets in the winter and in the summer time. We know where the light comes in. We've lived here for a year now, and finally we are getting an idea of what we can do with the house."

Cheyne has always identified with the life and the landscape of his native California. In addition, he is proud to claim some Yaqui Indian blood, and he sees his current setting as contiguous with where he's been, where he's going, and how he views himself. "I have read the Carlos Casteneda books about the Yakui way of knowledge. There's a real spirituality in this area, in the Southwest, and with those Indians in particular, and I'd like to think that I'm carrying on a little of that tradition."

More coming soon