Category: seasons

Thirteen Reasons I’ll be Returning

« | Main | » 05/08/2013 Note:  If this blog looks familiar, it's because I originally wrote it more than three years ago. It still holds true.  Parentheses added for additional thoughts now.  The order of these reasons has no significance! 13 reasons I'll be going back! 1. CIVILITY.  Everyone is NICE !  Customers are always cordially welcomed and … Continue reading Thirteen Reasons I’ll be Returning →

The Cat and the Mouse

I knew we were in for a visual fest when we received an invitation to join our friend Masa to visit a garden at the Daitoku-ji that is only open to the public for a short time in the spring and autumn. It's been a glorious few weeks. A streak of fine weather prolonged sakura … Continue reading The Cat and the Mouse →

oh! oy? christmas

I never feel ready for it. I am often baffled by it. I am uncomfortable with certain aspects of it. I am also fascinated by it. It? Christmas. In Key West this year, Christmas manifests itself with over the top displays of lights, displayed on the unquestioned assumption that more is better, particularly if it's … Continue reading oh! oy? christmas →

It’s Almost Like Being in Love

When I'm in Japan, people seem nicer, the landscape more beautiful, the mundane more interesting. The giggling groups of young women enjoying each other's company help me to appreciate how fleeting youth is.  The laughs I share with new friends are more frequent. The reds are redder, the golds more golden. Respect for and tolerance … Continue reading It’s Almost Like Being in Love →

In Search of Beauty

I awakened in Japan this morning to learn of the terrorist outrage in lower Manhattan.  It's not the news any of us want to see wherever we are.  We live in times that can easily be called disheartening.  I have felt the encroaching darkness  for several months for reasons that don't require illumination. Anyone with … Continue reading In Search of Beauty →