Here are some old photos I took in Japan in 2017. But first, a link to the page about our upcoming move to Japan. If you are coming here from our sayonara party, welcome. Please note it’s possible to create an account on the site, and you can be given additional permissions to see more… Continue reading Past Photos from Japan Nº 2
Circus Juventas
Back when I was a kid I remember we would occasionally get a postcard from the circus with information about circus classes. To me, this was basically junk mail. Not because I wouldn’t be interested in such a thing, but it was just too good to be true. And besides, it was for a place… Continue reading Circus Juventas
Longfellow Park
Another playground review, this time a little closer to home than some of the more recent reviews. Longfellow Park is in, erm, the Longfellow neighborhood of Minneapolis, and covers one square city block. It has tennis courts, soccer fields, baseball diamonds, a basketball court, rec center, pool, a few grills and, of course, a playground.
Main Street Park, Orting WA
On the last full day in Washington I took the younger kid to Orting, WA to check out the park on their main drag. It was a good early morning spot because it’s across the street from Legendary Donuts (and an ice cream shop for the afternoons), and I’m always down for a good donut… Continue reading Main Street Park, Orting WA
Wealth, Shown to Scale
We rarely see wealth inequality represented to scale. This is part of the reason people consistently underestimate the relative wealth of the super rich.
Mississippi Gateway Regional Park – Part 2
This is going back a few weeks to our bike ride out to Mississippi Gateway Regional Park in Brooklyn Park, but I want to be sure I cover the actual playground at this large park. In the “Part 1” post I only talked about the Mini-Mississippi water feature, which I think is really the distinguishing… Continue reading Mississippi Gateway Regional Park – Part 2
West Fenwick Park Playground, Kent WA
In Washington state we checked out a newer playground in Kent, built atop a hill between I-5 and state Highway 167 and the absolute warehouse town in the valley. The playground is built as a giant Chutes and Ladders board game. There is a path of squares to move along, and the number of squares… Continue reading West Fenwick Park Playground, Kent WA
Conbini Wars | Map of Convenience Store Territories
In Minnesota we have Walgreens or CVS for national chain convenience stores, sometimes literally across the street from each other. In Japan, there is FamilyMart, 7/11, Lawson, Ministop, or SeicoMart. These are called conbini (コンビニ), pronounced like “cone bee nee “, a shortened form of convenience store. Conbini are like a Walgreens with the hot… Continue reading Conbini Wars | Map of Convenience Store Territories
Cross Park in Frederickson, WA
On a trip the family stopped at a county park in Frederickson, WA called Cross Park. Finished in 2021, the park is unlike any I have seen in its details. It is a wood and steel construction built on an artificial turf surface. Everything feels extremely smooth and durable, leaving a very premium impression. Unfortunately,… Continue reading Cross Park in Frederickson, WA
Autumn at Lakewood
In the spring, when we were standing in the kitchen and finally starting to talk about when we were going to move to Japan, to actually put a date on the calendar and buy a plane ticket, we narrowed it down to sometime around October or November. For a few reasons we settled on November… Continue reading Autumn at Lakewood