November is a popular month for gratitude, given the holiday that’s named for the emotion, but my motivation this year is a little different. I’m grateful that October is over! "Isn’t that the same thing as being-in-November?" you ask reasonably. Well, not precisely. The thing is, almost every major Drama, Trauma, and Tragedy in my … Continue reading Drawing up a gratitude list
Eels on the Highway and Other Adventures
Yesterday we took the motorcycle in the opposite direction up the Coastal Highway, heading north through Depoe Bay and Lincoln City, enjoying long stretches of beach views and cliffside oceanfront. And we're glad we did it yesterday instead of today, because a friend just sent us a video posted by the Depoe Bay Fire Department---the … Continue reading Eels on the Highway and Other Adventures
Reasons
We ended up holding an impromptu Scuba-demo last night at our campsite... The same gaggle of youngsters who had gathered around our motorcycle a couple days earlier returned, drawn this time by our clothesline full of wetsuits and dive gear. They were brimming with questions---what things we've seen diving, how we breathe underwater... So Jon … Continue reading Reasons
Enthusiasms
I love little kids' enthusiasm for motorcycles, maybe because it so closely mirrors my own. Yesterday we were walking along Newport's waterfront district, each of us with a helmet in one hand and a mocha from the Surf Shop in the other, when a little guy grabbed his mother's hand and piped loudly, "Look, Mommy! Motorcycle-guys!" … Continue reading Enthusiasms
Beacons
We climbed my favorite lighthouse today, the one that's tattooed on my arm with my daughter's name (which means "shining light")... The headland was shrouded with fog, the lighthouse a barely-visible landmark as we pulled up on the motorcycle, and the wind whipping so hard we were grateful for the wind-proof construction of bike jackets! … Continue reading Beacons
Reframing
The first glimpse of ocean is a spiritual moment, every time. We made it as far as Bend, Oregon, last night before calling it quits and settling into a motel that was unquestionably clean, but quite questionably decorated... We walked this morning to a small diner for COFFEE (and ok, breakfast) and then hit the … Continue reading Reframing
Where the World Is
"The world is not in your books and maps. It's OUT THERE." ~Gandalf, to Bilbo Baggins I'm grateful for books and maps when I'm not traveling... But given the choice, I prefer travel! Of course, my travels won't involve a dragon (unless it's the dragon-kite we flew on the beach last year), so I don't … Continue reading Where the World Is
Kana's Chronicles 