Japan – a prepared adventure


Delta 167, Sunday July 17, 2016 – Non-stop Seattle to Tokyo’s Narita airport. Hotels in Tokyo and Kyoto are booked, house and cat-sitter all arranged, we are set. That is really all we have planned, no detailed itineraries, not much in the way of “must see.”I will readily acknowledge that our approach to travel is…

A Japanese gem in Torrence


Sometimes sheer luck brings us a gem in the midst of a otherwise less than non-descript travel day, a reminder that it is always worth it to travel and explore. Today was my first time on JetBlue, my fourth flight in four days. You don’t expect a lot on discount airlines, and JetBlue lived up…

Las Vegas, I won!


Thank you Las Vegas, I think I figured it out. What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas – perfect, as there is nothing here I would want to take with me. Sitting in the noisy Southwest Airline concourse, eating a mediocre overpriced meal, something started to make sense – what makes me a bit different…

Smelt fries at Salt & Iron in Edmonds, WA


One late night, some forty years ago, after working the swing shift at the Brazier sawmill in Molalla, Oregon, a few of us guys drove to Troutdale to dip-net for smelt. For a few brief days the rivers near the Columbia are alive with these small, silver fish, the river sparkled as if filled with…