“When God is Your Travel Agent”: Another Installment

October 10, 2022January 20, 2025 ~ Kana Smith ~ Leave a comment

Last time I wrote about God playing Travel Agent in my life, it was about a different October, and the blessings that arose from my stay in a psych ward. (Halloween-themed craft projects? I'm now an expert!) This time God played a more literal Travel-Agent role... and naturally I have a Story to tell. To … Continue reading “When God is Your Travel Agent”: Another Installment

The 2020 Sailor’s “Gam”

April 18, 2020April 25, 2020 ~ Kana Smith ~ 16 Comments

As a kid I often imagined my bedroom into a boat. I planned to sail away in solitude and self-sufficiency... I would stockpile "important" things in my room---often things I wasn't allowed to have in my room (food!)---in preparation for my imaginary cast-off, and I would invest quite a lot of thought into (and derive … Continue reading The 2020 Sailor’s “Gam”

Setting Sail: the Launch of a Serial Novel

February 23, 2018 ~ Kana Smith ~ 7 Comments

I’ve been writing “creative nonfiction” for years–-my Master’s thesis in poetry, essays (for introspection), freelance articles (for pay), and this blog (for joy)… But I haven’t touched fiction-writing since I was a schoolkid. Until last summer, when I did. Not sure exactly why, but this person called Gayla wanted to go whaling, so I let her. … Continue reading Setting Sail: the Launch of a Serial Novel

Drawing up a gratitude list

November 4, 2017November 5, 2017 ~ Kana Smith ~ 12 Comments

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

July 13, 2017 ~ Kana Smith ~ 2 Comments

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

July 12, 2017July 17, 2017 ~ Kana Smith ~ 4 Comments

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

July 11, 2017July 11, 2017 ~ Kana Smith ~ 2 Comments

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