You pay attention to every item that goes into your backpack if you’re going to carry it for 330 miles (about 530 kilometers). That was my state of mind when I planned a walk around the north of England with my partner. I scrutinized every item. Does it provide sufficient value? Can I find something… Continue reading Travel Gear: Spectacle Case
Author: Tom Wilson
7 Ways Twitter Helps My Writing
I use Twitter as a microblogging tool. Because I use photographs, Twitter limits my posts to 118 characters. In that small space I can tell a story about my day. You can see the results in the sidebar to the right of this post. If you are reading this on your phone, my Twitter stream… Continue reading 7 Ways Twitter Helps My Writing
Phase 3 Writing
All my life I’ve allowed my audience to constrain my writing. Writing was a product for teachers, academics, engineers, customers, and decision-makers. I succeeded if I satisfied my consumers. The cage door is now open and I am free to step outside. In Life, Phase 3, life untethered from work, I get to write for… Continue reading Phase 3 Writing
Travel Gear: Trekking Gloves
In Marketing class I learned about a man who had a bunch of folding stools to sell. He first positioned them as general-purpose folding stools, but there were no takers. He sold them all when he positioned them as fishing stools. A well-positioned product connects with a specific market. With a bit of luck, the… Continue reading Travel Gear: Trekking Gloves
Gas
It was breakfast at the Granvia Okayama Hotel. The tour group at the next table murmured in agreement as the colonel railed against typographical errors in the itinerary. I pegged him as “the colonel,” now a paper-pusher, close to retirement. It was impossible to tune him out as he recalled his first encounter with the… Continue reading Gas
Our Castle in England
I’m back in Minneapolis from my travels, so it is a priority to plan future travels. Today I booked an entire English castle for 2016. It’s just a little castle, actually a gatehouse, it’s only for a week, and it costs about the same as two hotel rooms. I want to introduce my nephews… Continue reading Our Castle in England
Monasteries on Rocks
“It’s a good trail.” I could tell from the young woman’s hiking boots and glowing expression it would, indeed, be a good trail. I gratefully accepted the walking stick (tree limb) her companion was ready to discard as they left the trail. I clambered over rocks and headed away from the idling tour buses. A… Continue reading Monasteries on Rocks
Views from a Rooftop Bar
“Great view.” I kept looking at the Acropolis. Then I realized I was being spoken to. I turned around to see a man in his 70’s. I muttered something in agreement. Hearing my accent he started a “Your Country” routine about British politics. “Wrong country,” I interrupted. Once he determined my actual citizenship he started… Continue reading Views from a Rooftop Bar
My Long Journey to Ireland
I disliked history classes at my high school in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. The focus on studying for examinations did not fit my learning style. The teaching style often reflected the teacher’s lack of interest in teaching. To be fair, I did not then have the life experiences to sufficiently understand the nuances of how… Continue reading My Long Journey to Ireland
Ireland by Numbers
Today we reluctantly leave Ireland: Dwight heads back to Minneapolis, and I continue my travels for a little longer. 18: # days in Ireland It never rained, not once. 0: # days it rained 0: # days I wore a jacket And it was warm. We walked almost every day. 150: # miles walked (approximately)… Continue reading Ireland by Numbers