Where Globe-Trotting meets Beach-Combing
Chris invited me to the spring 2025 US Navy and Marine Commissioning ceremony at Texas A&M University last week. Of course I tossed on an old fit and flare navy blue Banana Republic dress and low red wedges. On campus, black graduation gowns tangled around the ankles of all the nicely dressed students flowing in…
I blinked stupidly at the tea scoop in my hand. What am I doing? “You’re making tea,” Sumie prompted, pointing out the obvious. We were seated on tatami. The bowl and whisk ordered in front of me, ro heating the water, which steamed nicely. The bamboo ladle was in place. Everything started to go fuzzy…
I am thankful for my family at Thanksgiving. I am thankful that after the past eight years overseas or moving during the holidays, we are home, in Texas, within driving distance of family. Today, with the detritus of moving scattered all over the house, we had more family members visit us in our home than…
Eat strawberries until you explode!
My friend Kelli and I met up one day last spring to walk from our neighborhood along the boardwalk up a hill to a viewing platform where Mt. Fuji peeks up over Tokyo Bay and Yokosuka on clear days. So we’re walking along and we see these guys dressed casually but identically, and all with…
Isaac was six or seven in Hawaii when he told me he’d trusted Jesus and prayed with Pastor Perry at Kailua Community Church. I asked if he wanted to get baptized and he said no, he’d get baptized when he was 12. This seemed like an inarguable way to punt this issue to a later…
Cool spring water flows forth in the Tanazawa Mountains in Atsugi, where bamboo and azaleas dot the hillsides and a clear stream runs alongside Koganei Brewery. For over 200 years, this brewery has produced sake (rice wine) made from rice grown across Japan. Rice from different parts of the country lends itself to different drinks…
