Queen Charlotte Sound to our left and Kenepuru Sound to our right, the trail proceeds between the two, offering lovely views. Another hour or two of hiking and we’ll reach the Te Mahia Bay Resort, our comfy doss for the night.
Category: Japanese Concepts
Travel wabi-sabi
In a moment of boredom, I mapped out the Japanese prefectures I’ve visited (blue), many of them multiple times. While I’ve traveled through the yellow prefectures near Tokyo, I don’t count those. The younger me might’ve felt the need to visit every prefecture to ‘complete the set,’ but these days I embrace the imperfection: a bit of travel wabi-sabi.
Navigating negative space
On a cold day like today, with sidewalks slick from yesterday’s snow dump, I’m a part-time fan of the 10-mile Minneapolis Skyway system. At times, it feels like sensory deprivation while navigating twisting tubes through and between buildings. Today, I found myself imagining its odd lines at a more abstract level, then asked AI to do the same with a photo I took. Click through for the original.
White spaces
The world gradually turned white as snow fell all day. Indoor activities won out, including this jigsaw puzzle featuring the art of Keith Haring. Once we’ve assembled all of Haring’s instantly recognizable symbols, the white space between the symbols will be a bigger challenge.
A space where thoughts drift
During a random bike ride, I found myself at the Walker Art Center and stopped for a tasty lunch. Afterward, I sat alone in James Turrell’s Sky Pesher, feeling calm under the opening in the ceiling that frames the sky. It brought back memories of another Turrell room in Kanazawa, Japan, at the lovely 21st Century Museum of Modern Art—where, come to think of it, I also had a fine lunch back in April. Happy thoughts.
And then it was gone
I looked away for a moment and the eagle vanished. It’s one of a pair raising chicks across the river from where we live, but it likes this safe perch on our side of the river where it presumably scopes out meal options. I then spent way too much time trying to track down a quote about the prey being dead the moment its image touches the retina of an eagle. AI assures me Saint-Exupéry never wrote anything like that, but I’m not so sure.
Accidental tourists: flight or sit tight?
The PowerPoint slide flashed a title we weren’t expecting: “Working in Tranquility: Landscapes, Interiors and the Modernist Corporate Campus.” We’d walked into the wrong lecture. But we shrugged, deciding to stay and see where it led. Later, we had lunch at Blackbook, shown here, where I enjoy spotting the occasional straight couple who’ve wandered in by mistake. Some flee, some stay and relax, others stay and cling closer.
Thames Path Diversion
We’ve all but abandoned the Thames Path, having faced impossible flooding. Instead we renamed our hike The Thames Path Diversion Hike and took a cab to the next inn on the itinerary where we dumped our backpacks. From there we hiked on dry land and in sunshine to William Morris’s country home. Back at our…… Continue reading Thames Path Diversion
Even the Best-Laid Plans…
View of the Thames from our window this morning, swollen and discolored from runoff from recent unusually intense rainfall. We’ve pretty much abandoned the Thames Path, instead finding alternative trails that were usually less flooded and presented fine sights, including traditional thatched cottages. My back muscles tell me tomorrow will be a mandatory day of…… Continue reading Even the Best-Laid Plans…
Turrell’s Light
Imagine my delight finding Sky Pesher, a permanent James Turrell installation, open to the sky, right here in Minneapolis. I first learned about his work while staying on Naoshima Island in Japan’s Seto Inland Sea where several pieces by this American artist are on display. My room even had a signed Turrell print on the…… Continue reading Turrell’s Light