Travel
Between the Harbor and the Sword
Posted on: June 9, 2026
The road wandered onUntil harbor, garden, swordBecame one journey This trip was supposed to be several separate things. A promise. A city. A garden. A seminar. A ferry ride. A hotel on a lake. A flight home. Instead, somewhere along the way, they all b …
Read MoreRelax
Posted on: June 9, 2026
Relax, then proceed.The mountain gaze sees all things.Nene has new clothes. Four hours before practice on Friday evening, I found myself sitting in the lounge at the Inn on Long Lake in exactly the mental state that seems to precede every seminar. Not …
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Tagged: Dan ranking Embu Genwakan Hiro sensei John Pritchard sensei Marin iaido North American seminar Todo kai Todo kai 2026 Uchizono sensei iaido mjer nanaimo vancouver
Actually Now Agree
Posted on: June 5, 2026
The map and the townActually now agreeAs I drive away By Thursday morning, something unexpected had happened. The map and the town had finally agreed. This may not sound remarkable. But after several days of wandering Vancouver—sometimes intentionally, …
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Tagged: Canada Inn at long lake Moss garden Nitobe garden Ripplecove inn Travel nanaimo vancouver
Between The Stars
Posted on: June 4, 2026
Dove grey harbor dayBlogging then some wanderingFind the Steam Clock! Now! Yes, I realize that in the previous two posts, I appear to have jumped directly from Five Sails to Botanist. Why? Because the intervening day stubbornly refused to become a cohe …
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Tagged: Bill Reid gallery Chatgpt Coastal peoples Coastal peoples gallery Getting lost Haida Memory Raven Sculpture Traveling Walking
Botanist
Posted on: June 3, 2026
Crows watched overheadA promise found its harborAn extra place set I arrived at Botanist about fifteen minutes early. (Okay, okay, after the rest of the day, I was expecting to get to the venue, a block away, via Singapore.) The hostess offered me a ch …
Read MoreTagged: Botanist Fairmont pacific rim Michelin star Michelin starred restaurants Tasting menu Vancouver restaurants vancouver
Keeping A Promise
Posted on: June 3, 2026
Harbor sunset glowsA promise waits patientlyPast the turning years More than a decade ago, H and I spent our 10th anniversary in Vancouver. Like many couples celebrating an anniversary on a bit of a budget, we spent a certain amount of time looking at …
Read MoreTagged: 5 sails Canada Five sails Michelin star Pan pacific Pan pacific club floor Vancouver restaurants michelin vancouver
Arrival
Posted on: June 3, 2026
Evening mountain glowA sword and one lonely shoeOh, Canada, eh? After several weeks of planning, packing, re-packing, contingency planning, worrying about sword cases, worrying about airports, worrying about trains, worrying about whether I had forgott …
Read MoreThe Packing Tornado
Posted on: May 30, 2026
There was a period of approximately twenty years during which my husband Herbert and I prepared for every trip in exactly the same way. Herbert packed. I did not. This is not entirely accurate. I eventually packed. But first there was a process. The pr …
Read MoreMap Folded Again
Posted on: May 21, 2026
Gentle traveler seventy years beside her map folded again Dr. James E. Shepard, M.D., F.A.C.P., beloved husband, father, grandfather, physician, traveler, and lifelong student of the world, passed away peacefully at the age of 92. Born in Franklin, New …
Read MorePosted in: Featured History Loving Words Priorities Travel sandy
Tagged: dr. shepard james shepard james shepard md facp jim shepard marin county sally-jean shepard
Travel Angels
Posted on: May 18, 2026
Lost! Panic begins . . .That shortness of breath, then dread . . .Kindness appearing My father used to call them “Travel Angels.” Not guardian angels in the theological sense. More like: unexpected humans who appear precisely when travel has started un …
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