In Which We Don’t Sail Into the Sunset

January 21, 2026January 21, 2026 ~ Kana Smith ~ 21 Comments

Last weekend we drove one last time to our boat, to finish cleaning it out. My mom and I had gotten the bulk of things moved out, a couple months back. She and I were there for a "girls' weekend" when I arrived at the realization that we should probably sell it---an epiphany that had … Continue reading In Which We Don’t Sail Into the Sunset

Pirates of the London Underground

the "tube map," a schematic diagram of the London underground subway

November 15, 2025 ~ Kana Smith ~ 12 Comments

This morning I listed some of the significant maps in my life, and there's another one that stands out in my memory: the London Tube Map! The Tube Map has been periodically updated, and stylistic flourishes added, but the basic design of this subway-diagram was created in 1933, by a smart fellow who realized that … Continue reading Pirates of the London Underground

The Lost Map

watercolor map of the world, with pins in many countrires

November 15, 2025November 16, 2025 ~ Kana Smith ~ 22 Comments

WordPress used to have a widget I loved. I love maps in any case---I'm a certifiable cartophile, and this map I loved in particular. A blogger could put this widget on the side of the page, and its map showed all the countries in which the blog had been read. SO cool. I can still … Continue reading The Lost Map