Category Family
Petroglyphs and sea arch!
Within Volcanoes National Park there’s a road that leads down from the craters to the water’s edge, where the lava cliffs and ocean waves make for a dramatic coastline. Along the way there’s an understated stopping point with a trailhead to the middle of nowhere. This particular bit of nowhere happens to be a stretch […]
Plants!
The big island seems to alternate between vast swaths of barren lava sheets, lush jungle, and scrubby desert hillside. Seeing how the micro climates change from one place to another has been fascinating, and one of my favourite aspects of the trip has been discovering the range of plants that characterise each one. My absolute […]
Volcanoes!
We dedicated a whole day to visiting Volcanoes National Park. It’s in the opposite side of the island and kind of a schlep to get to, but it wouldn’t have done to have missed it. The forecast predicted rain, but very little of it fell while we were outside the car. And while there was […]
Hawaii! — let’s start with beaches…
I cannot tell you how good it feels to get out of the house, Seattle, the daily routine—and instead enjoy sun, warmth, and the joy of living in a big and beautiful world. And having Heather decide to join me at the last minute has made it even better. We flew in yesterday, separately, and […]
New baby!
I’m taking an unheard of three-week vacation to regroup and recharge after arguably the most intense professional year of my career. At the start of it I set three intentions: (1) connect with family, (2) tackle some of the big projects that I’ve struggled to make progress on in the ordinary course of life, and […]
Thanksgiving!
This post is weeks past due but I’m resolved not to get to Christmas without posting about Thanksgiving. So here’s the short version: I went to Idaho and did Thanksgiving with the family. The parental units hosted, and Heather and Ashley each had their full crew. Mark was off in Jordan on military deployment and […]
Autumn and crafting and cozy in bed by 9:30
It’s 9:30pm on Sunday. I’m curled up in bed, cocooned in a mountain of flannel and down, and—weirdly for a Sunday night—I feel good. For the first time in months, I didn’t do a lick of work this weekend and the “Sunday scaries” are just a murmur reminding me to set my alarm a little […]
This is 41
A full day at work—then dinner with Justin (takeout from Revel served on my favourite blue and white dishes!), followed by gifts (wireless desk gadgets! nose hair trimmers!), a FaceTime call with Heather (candles, singing, and apple pie!), and the latest episode of The Voice—or at least as much of it as we could get […]
Meridian in August
By the time I handed off the covid project at work at the end of July I needed a break. And since I hadn’t even started my day job, it was the perfect time to be gone—it’s not like anyone would even miss me. So I booked a flight to Idaho to visit my family […]
Flowers for Easter
Back in December my mother, sister, Scoutmaster’s wife, and a few strangers had a lively exchange on Facebook about their blooming cacti, and I — ever the joiner — wanted desperately to be part of the club. And now I am. Joy.
A More Gentlemanlike Manner 