File Under: Always Carry Your Camera

My photo won the prize for “Most Unusual Object” in West Seattle Blog’s Garage Sale Contest. No, smart guy, the unusual object wasn’t ME, it was two huge bags of duck decoys. Me: How many duck decoys does a person need? Duck Decoy Guy: About a dozen. Me: And how many do you have here? …


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The Two Dimensional World Traveler

He arrived a bit travel worn, but he sat quietly until we could spend some time with him and the weather improved. He’s not really set up for rain, and we’ve had too much of it. Then, I was too busy to show him around, so he just hung out, not asking for much. I …


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A Trip to California for Your Mouth

I went to college in San Jose, California and for a while, I lived just a few blocks from the San Jose State University campus. The neighborhood was a hodgepodge of working class Chinese and Mexican families and students. It wasn’t unusual to see a truck unloading big sides of pork – whole pigs split …


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Mozart at Lunch: Etiquette for Travelers

I can never get the greeting right. Is it once on each cheek or is it three times? And should I plant the actual smooch on the cheek or is it the disingenuous air kiss? Luckily, it’s always friends and family, so I’m okay with getting it wrong, business deals and lives are not in …


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