All posts in category travel adventures

Japan: Last Things First

So fellow travelers, Japanese books are printed in the reverse format of western books meaning the front cover and first page are what we consider the back end of our books. Not so great shot of my favorite origami book, just to illustrate this reverse printing. I have never found a clear explanation of how […]

Tokyo : Hell Hath No Fury

So fellow travelers, they say it’s not the heat, it’s the humidity that gets you. So far both, viciously aided by jet lag, have made the first few days here in Tokyo pure hell. Three days of nausea, blinding headache and crushing fatigue have been sheer torture while trying to navigate the city’s complex transit […]

Left Coast Dreams: Epilogue

So fellow travelers, endings bring beginnings.   Self portrait in Lone Fir Cemetery, Portland OR Having had the chance to return to Portland, I now understand why I bogged down last year trying to write about our first trip. The two trips really were book ends of one larger experience.  I could not put words […]

Left Coast Dreams: Vintage, Vinyl and Bon Voyage

So fellow travelers,  when things get rough, tough girls go shopping right? Oh the vintage shops of PDX! They are gloriously packed with treasures waiting to be found   I have already informed my husband we will ship very little when we move here. I intend to furnish my retirement cottage from the wares of […]

Left Coast Dreams: Castles in the Sand

So fellow travelers, the tides turn imperceptibly. One moment two kids are playing in the sand somehow moments become years and those two little girls have become young women setting out on their own. Camping at the beach has become the kids’ (aka favorite oldest daughter and son-in-law) best weekend getaway and they were eager […]

Left Coast Dreams: Coast to Coast

So fellow travelers, grab some sunscreen and flip flops, we are headed for the beach. At the beginning of this series, I referenced a quote from one of my favorite writers Jacob Glass. Stop chasing joy, live it. Is there a better place to find, live and breathe in joy than being by the ocean? […]

Left Coast Dreams: Lost in Thought

So fellow travelers, moment by moment, I am discovering even more than magic in PDX. As tired as we were, we had to laugh when we realized we had walked right past what we were looking for.  I am blessed to have a family with a pretty decent sense of humor. Still, I was not […]

Left Coast Dreams: Running Amok in Tillamook

So fellow travelers, I am about to uncharacteristically ignore 90 percent of everything I know to do when hiking. We arrived in good time at Tillamook Forest Center, greeted by the old fire tower, which actually has a live webcam mounted on it so people can check on their favorite forest view anytime online. There’s […]

Left Coast Dreams: Trailing Thoughts

So fellow travelers, “When the Rational part of our mind becomes too dominant our entire focus stays trained on our needs and accomplishments. Everything becomes stressful, competitive and ultimately unfulfilling because we believe we have to skew everything to fit those needs.”  Angelic Messenger Cards by Meredith Young-Sowers. “I went to the woods because I […]

Left Coast Dreams: Lost in Wildwood

So fellow travelers, come with me to a land of pure imagination (cue Willy Wonka Theme.) One of the finds I came across last year while treasure hunting in Portland was the children’s novel Wildwood. Written by  local musician Colin Meloy (lead singer of the Decemberists) I first discovered the book in Powell’s, but did not […]