Pacific Fog: Vancouver to Tokyo

"Now, mentally rehearse your process and imagine striking the ball.  Visualize the flight all the way to the pin.  See the shot.  Then, take your stance and your body will make it happen."

Those words of encouragement, expressed by the most patient of coaches and mentors, still echo from an adolescence held captive by self inflicted inhibitions.  All might have been lost if that same youth had not been liberated by a passion for chasing after balls whether it be on the diamond, court, field, or course.  Unfortunately, no amount of "picturing" and zeal could compensate for the want of 4 inches in height, 50 pounds of muscle, and a competitive spirit that refused to cry uncle.

And so it came to be.... 

Whack down the fairway

It went smack down the fairway

Then it started to slice just a smidge off line

It headed for two then it bounced off nine

                                                      Straight Down the Middle, Bing Crosby

                                                                       Songwriters:  Sammy Cahn / Jimmy Van Heusen   

Well, old habits are hard to break.  Come September, in nine days time, Jamie and I will be embarking on a cruise from Vancouver, Canada to Tokyo, Japan via a route along the Southern Alaskan coast.  With itinerary in hand, a goodly portion of the last few days has been spent anticipating specific days of the upcoming voyage.  Visualizing if you will. 

"Hey, Jamie Lynne, in two weeks we'll be in Ketchikan.  It'll be fun to see...".

Of course, I really have no idea of what will actually transpire on any given day anymore than I know where that golf ball ended up.  You might say that the future as well as the past are often veiled in the haze.  Nonetheless, there will be a number of "sea days" while onboard and as is my habit, I aspire to write some blog entries based upon what was experienced on the previous day's ports of call.  

Further, the initial conception of this writing suggests that a theme be employed.  Our home on the Salish Sea is not far distant from Vancouver, BC.  Just across the border and approximately 58 miles as the crow flies.  One August morning last week our community was enveloped by a thick, drifting fog.  It left somewhat of a mystical impression and brought home the fact that we're likely to see fog throughout our route.  

Hmmm.....a journey shrouded in ashen gray would be the ultimate bummer.  Nonetheless, travel is so much more than simple visual gratification.  For instance, lessons have already been taught regarding Sumi-e - Japanese ink painting.  In this art form, mist is not an empty void but something called Ma - the intentional negative space that gives shape and meaning to the mountains emerging from it.  Indeed, fog does not erase the world; it provokes us to look deeper at what lies just beneath the surface.      

Yes, fog will be central to the subject matter that follows.  

Here we go!          

Now, the joy to tarry at the starboard watch with damp air clinging to the wooden rails.  A gull's laugh pierces the opaque and a horn sounds distant.  Then, to peer further into the Pacific fog.

Links:

Fog and Light (Psalms and Prayers)

The Battle of Kiska (1943)

Lighthouses - Imprisoned Guardians

Out of the Mist (Sights Along the Way)

Out of the Mist (Sights along the Way)

Port of Vancouver.
World trade, free and otherwise, continues on a scale
that boggles the mind despite government polices to the contrary.

"Oh my gosh!"

My sentiments exactly while riding shotgun.

4x4 "survival" course somewhere above Ketchikan, Alaska.

John Hopkins Glacier,
Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska

Hubbard Glacier as seen from Disenchantment Bay.
This picture was taken from about 6 miles out.
The glacier face rises 300 to 400 feet above the waterline
and stretches about 6 to 7 miles across the bay.
It is one of a few glaciers throughout the world that is advancing.

Lunch with a view.

Leaving Valdez, Alaska

Hike to Exit Glacier, Kenai Fjords National Park near Seward, Alaska.
Left:  Two hams vying for the spotlight.
Top right:  This glacier is receding.  The glacier reached far down this valley not long ago.
Bottom right:  Exit Glacier as seen retreating to its source, the Harding Icefield. 

Sea lions hanging out near the seafood processing plants, Kodiak, Alaska.
If only the camera could capture the smells.

When not taking selfies, we're taking pictures of each other.
This is the moment we crossed the International Date Line,
each in our favorite reading chair at the starboard watch.
Time:  6:10 P.M., September 17, 2026.
Place:  Latitude 54° 28.420' N   Longitude 180° 00.000' E
   

Two days later we became aware of Typhoon Dujuan 2026 - the purple swirl
on the map downloaded from Windy.com.
With the storm tracking from Tokyo to the Gulf of Alaska, a game of chicken ensued.
Thankfully, our captain flinched.

Entrance to the Imperial Palace, Tokyo.
Outer moat and Seimon Ishibashi (Main Gate Stone Bridge).
No.  We weren't invited in.

Tokyo Skytree, 2,080 feet tall, making it the worlds tallest freestanding broadcasting tower.
Confession:  This photo was heavily edited with AI.  The original was shot out of a moving bus.
  I debated myself about including it as I doubt it wins any photo awards.
But the structure as well as the AI process were interesting to me so here it is.

Left:  Monkey guardian, Hie Shrine.  
Right top:  Descending through 90 torii gates from Sanno Inari Shrine.
Right bottom:  Shinto shrine, Sanno Inari Shrine. 

Three sample works of art stumbled upon.
Artists, era, significance, medium, etc. all unknown.
But these and many more moved me to raise my phone camera.

Just like home....only cleaner.

Hinokicho Park.
Perfect tranquility in Tokyo Midtown.

Akasaka Hikawa Shrine.

Lunch break at Gonpachi Nishi-Azabu.
As the hostess led us to our table, she shouted "Irasshaimase!"
And I do mean full-throat loud!!!  
Then, the rest of the staff echoed back "HAI!  Irasshaimase!"
(Welcome! or Please come in!)

A very small slice of the Tokyo skyline
as seen from the 52nd floor of the Roppongi Hills Mori Tower.
At the far left horizon at distance, the Tokyo Skytree rises into the clouds.
Our last sightseeing stop and appropriately, in a misty rain.

Lighthouses - Imprisoned Guardians

The fog didn't disappoint.  Each morning dawned with a new shade of gray.  Occasionally, light with a slight blueish hue.  Other times, heavy and dense, confining and oppressive - holding captive the sense of sight as well as the images that the eye sees.  Still, even as one sense is restricted, another is set free....and the soul is comforted.

Please unmute the following 20 second video.

It makes me laugh - every time.

Given all that, there had been an assumption that lighthouses would reveal themselves commonly along our journey - if not by sight, then at least by sound.  Turns out, "common" would be a definite exaggeration.  Few and far between would be a more accurate description of lighthouse sightings.  Nonetheless, "few" seldom equates to none and each observance became valued all the more.  

Brockton Point Lighthouse
sitting atop Stanley Park Seawall
with Vancouver skyline beyond.

Guard Island Light
near the entrance to the Tongass Narrows,
just north of Ketchikan, Alaska

 

On left, Hiyoriyama (Weather Mountain) Lighthouse near Otaru, Japan
with the morning sun lighting Sea Lion Rock on right,
and the west coast of Hokkaido in background.

Sea Fort Lighthouse on Fort No. 2
near the chokepoint of Uraga Channel into Tokyo Bay.
Fort No. 2 (1889) was a man-made fortress island, now demilitarized.
The lighthouse remains a navigational marker to hundreds of vessels daily. 

Turns out, the days of the traditional lighthouses with their iconic masonry, massive glass optics, and human keepers are slowly slipping into seafaring lore past.  The two tone "beeeeee-woo" pitch drop of yesterday's diaphone fog horns echo distant although it's resounding clearly even now from somewhere in my brain and remains something more than a fond reminiscence.  I digress.  Today, modern ships rely on GPS, electronic navigational charts, and automated radio transponders to traverse the hazards inherent the high seas. When visual markers are required, simple steel poles and offshore buoys topped with solar powered LED's provide warning at a fraction of the construction and maintenance cost of their imprisoned guardian predecessors.

Original 3rd-Order Fresnel Lens from the Cape Hinchinbrook Light Station
on display at the Valdez Museum.  The lens focused 80% of the light emitted by an
incandescent oil vapor lamp producing roughly 234,000 candlepower to pierce the dense.
For my money, Jamie is the more radiant. 

Middle Rock Light 13
at Valdez Narrows, Valdez, Alaska.

Woody Island Channel Buoy 6
near Kodiak, Alaska.
It felt like a tight squeeze between the rocky shoals.

United State Coast Guard Cutter Aspen at berth in Homer, Alaska
with payload dockside.
Launched in 2001, the ship is operated as a seagoing buoy tender.
Her eponym was a steam-powered lighthouse tender commissioned in 1906
and assigned to the Great Lakes.

The lighthouse - a contrivance that humanity got right.  For how many beams have split the dark?  Never knowing if any would reach the eye of a human soul, yet always believing that the soul in harms way was worth saving. 

The Battle of Kiska (1943)

 "The horse is prepared for the day of battle,

But deliverance is of God."

Proverbs 21:31                                                         

The fog of war.  It's a real thing.  Not only in real time but also in regards to history bygone as well as prosperity future.  After all, "winners" will chronicle one version of events past, "losers" another.  Chalk that up to human nature.  As for destiny?  Indeed, the future is tied to the past.  While wars to end all wars have been waged, conflicts continue raging in this very hour, and greater battles are coming which foretell the Revelation.  Yet, in greater measure, these words of Christ our Lord spoken two thousand years ago apply today:

"But of that day and hour no one knows,

not even the angels of heaven,

but My Father only." 

                           Matthew 24:36

What follows is an attempt to neither glorify nor condemn, idealize nor denounce, canonize nor vilify.

Nor should we minimize one mother's tears as we elevate the sacrifices of millions more.  No.  What follows is to simply say that God is Great and His ways are mysterious.  I give you the Battle of Kiska (1943).  Codename: Operation Cottage.

7:55 on the morning of December 7, 1941 saw clear skies over a peaceful, nearly idyllic Honolulu, Hawaii.  Seventy-five minutes later, the United States Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor lay battered, sinking and in flames.  In just over an hour, the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service had delivered a decidedly one-sided military strike.  By all accounts, the attack was a tactical success although U.S. Navy aircraft carriers had been intended targets and none were present, much less damaged.  The outcome may well have been more devastating for American forces had the carrier USS Enterprise been moored in the safety of the harbor.  Her arrival had been scheduled for December 6 but high winds and rough seas had delayed her return to port, thus ensuring her survival.

On December 8, 1941 the United States declared war on Japan and entered World War II, the official response to the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Emboldened by their early successes in the war, Japanese forces landed on the remote Aleutian islands of Kiska and Attu in early June 1942 to little or no resistance with the timing concurrent to their Midway campaign.  The Japanese strategy was threefold:  1) Draw elements of the U.S. Pacific fleet north and away from the real prize, the Midway Atoll.  2) Provide a northern flank defense for the Japanese homeland.  3) Bolster domestic morale by seizing physical American soil.   

The Battle of Midway is where the trajectory of the Pacific Theater changed direction.  Midway proved to be a disaster for the Japanese war machine - four aircraft carriers sunk, hundreds of highly trained pilots and skilled mechanics killed.  Japan would never recover from those losses and the Imperial High Command was forced to shift strategy from offense to defense.  It should be noted that aircraft flying off the deck of the USS Enterprise accounted for destroying three of the four sunken Japanese carriers.

Nonetheless, three more years of bloody battles lay ahead.

In May of 1943, American and Canadian forces undertook Operation Landcrab - an amphibious assault on Attu.  Three weeks of bloody hand-to-hand combat ensued.  Ultimately, the Allies prevailed and Attu was recaptured.  But the cost was great.  Virtually the whole Japanese garrison of 2,600 men fought to the death and some 549 U.S. troops were killed in action, 1,148 wounded.  

On to Operation Cottage.  Allied Intelligence expected a tougher fight on Kiska than Attu as it was believed the Japanese garrison on Kiska to be between 5,000 and 8,000 men.  To overcome fire with fire, 34,000 U.S. and Canadian troops were assembled.  On August 15, 1943, they stormed the island.  For eight days, the Allies slogged forward mostly by foot through sharp gullies and waterlogged bogs while the most severe of weather conditions prevailed.  Thick, persistent fog, and zero visibility resulted in pitch-black firefights.

Finally, the whole of the island had been combed and the realization set in that not a single Japanese soldier had been encountered.  Three weeks earlier, on July 28, 1943, a fleet of Japanese ships had slipped past the American naval blockades under cover of a dense Aleutian fog.  In less than an hour, some 5,183 soldiers were evacuated leaving Kiska completely deserted prior to the Allied invasion. 

Still, the firefights were all too real as 32 dead attest.  Friendly fire.  Phantom armies.  The fog of war.  

Fog and Light (Psalms and Prayers)

Who am I?

The frail amongst the sturdy 

The slight beneath the towering

The weakened amidst the powerful

The finite against the vast

Blackness settles over the land

A mist rises up from the earth 1

Resolute.....they fence all creatures

Stars in the heavens fade from sight

Now the hour of trial arrives

Illness, infirmity, and loss befall

Shadows of death 2 linger near

Temptation subtle lies in wait

The flames scorch, cheered by the gale

Still, He remains steadfast through all

By grace, hope beyond self glimmers 

Yet.....O my Father, may this cup pass 3

Day breaks forth with the first beam

The second foretells the rush

Each radiance a gift to nourish

In time, the darkness is overcome

As the ray, so the "Light of the World" 4

Streaming forth with blessings unending

Faith, hope, love.....aspects now evident

When fog illuminates the Light

How great art Thou?

1  Genesis 2:6 (NKJV)                 
2  Psalm 23:4 (NKJV)                  
3  Matthew 26:39 (NKJV)          
4  John 8:12 (NKJV)

The Dog Incident (God Moments)

A few weeks ago, I posted My Daily Walk (Psalms and Prayers).  It briefly expressed some the joys and beauty that are available to us all in our daily routines.  A testament to the simple pleasures in life as they in turn inspire us towards a greater Glory. 

Today, not so much.  My jaw was set as I ventured out the front door and I must confess to a certain amount of trepidation as I headed out through the neighborhood.  Some of those misgivings perhaps for good reason.   

Yesterday had started out as so many others - sun shining warm on my back, gentle breeze, an osprey soared past as it headed towards it's favorite hunting grounds.  Yup, a beautiful day.  Something inside me said "Let's go a longer route today....around the park....you haven't done that for awhile" and on that whim I crossed over to the sidewalk on the other side of the street.  Not too far along, was a vacant lot with a motor home parked on it.  The RV was positioned perpendicular to the sidewalk with the nose of vehicle butted up to the sidewalk.  All was quiet as I passed the front of the vehicle but as I gained field of vision to the other side, two dogs were rough-housing near the back wheel well.  Maybe 30 feet away.  The smaller dog was on its back in a submissive position and tied to the back fender while the larger dog bounded over and about freely.  

My impression is that the larger dog sensed my presence as it to started barking before we made eye contact and as the animal turned towards me, I could see it had a pit bull-shaped head with maybe a black lab's body - 50 to 70 pounds.  With that, it ran towards me, barking, while I tried to show it my hands in a non-threatening manner and softly confirming "It's OK big fella".  Those actions had no effect but to my relief, the dog's path took it in front of me, over the sidewalk and out into the street where it made a wide turn.  Circling back, the dog gained speed and being the master of understatement, I remember thinking "This could be trouble."  Coming straight at me, it launched itself from about six feet out.  I'm not sure if it's intent was to knock me over with a direct blow or grab my right forearm with it's mouth.  No matter.  Amazingly, the animal totally whiffed save for it's back right foot grazing my right thigh as it flew by.             

Turning to face the animal, I could see that my good fortune had really pissed him off (excuse my vernacular).  The barking was now superseded with growls and a menacing snarl with barred teeth and wrinkled nose.  While snarling, the dog crouched on the sidewalk maybe 15 feet away, all the while sizing me up.  Again, I tried to show submissive hands but this time there were no words.  The time for reasoning had come and gone.  I slowly took a step back but the movement triggered the dog to charge.

This time I "felt" that the dog was going for an ankle.  Somewhere between 5 and 10 feet, the dog's intention's seemed set and I instinctively dropped into an offensive lineman's pass protection stance.  The whole episode seems imprinted on my brain as I clearly remember saying to myself "square him up" while clenching my fists.  I've guess I've watched too many Seattle Seahawks football games.  Yes, braced for impact yet totally defenseless.  For unknown reasons, within a foot of my shin, the dog pulled up, lingered for a few seconds beneath me, and then backed away, all the time snarling and never taking his eyes off me.  As the dog backed away, I slowly took a step or two backwards as well and resumed a palm's up posture.  

Again, at about 15 feet apart, the dog crouched, as if coiling his muscles for his next launch.  One second...two...three..... then another foray and consequent fighting posture.  Once more, inches from inflicting serious damage, the dog abruptly aborted his mission.

The cycle continued.  Four, maybe five, times.  Finally, the dog must have decided that he had driven me from his "territory" and with that, he casually turned and trotted towards home.  Seemingly, quite proud of himself.

Believe me, I did not pursue the fight.  Thirty seconds, at most a minute, was more than enough of this excitement for one morning.  I have never experienced such hostile intensity from neither man nor beast.  Continuing the walk for a bit and taking inventory, I found nary a hair out of place. However, soon my pounding heart would not be ignored and my shirt was found to be soaking wet.  It's good to know that the old adrenal, eccrine, and apocrine glands still work but some body parts just shouldn't be exercised at 74 years of age.  Heading for home, the residents of that RV, both human and canine, were given a wide berth.  

The suddenness and ferocity of yesterday's incident has left me....shaken.  Not physically but certainly emotionally and even spiritually.  Time heals all wounds.  This too will pass.  But in this moment I am washed with a sense of helplessness and haunted by a constant replay of "What-if's?" - a stumble, a flinch, even a blink at the wrong millisecond and the outcome might have been very different.  

But I am sure of one thing, my God was there as well.  I view the whole incident as somewhat of a miracle especially in light of that first fly-by.  I'm not exactly some sort of lightning quick Brazilian Jui-Jitsu athlete who was able to out-reflex his opponent.   

Yes.  I believe in guardian angels and in that frenetic minute of yesterday morning I believe that God sent a guardian spirit to intervene between tooth and flesh.

Still, if that is true, it begs the question, "Why did God allow any of it happen in the first place?"    

For an answer to that one, I turned to my resident therapist (yes, to say it plainly, I am somewhat traumatized) and theologian, Jamie.  True to form, she had an answer: "God isn't trying to teach you anything.  You are like Job and God is using you to teach Satan...."

 Then the Lord said to Satan,

"Have you considered My servant Job, ....?"

                           Job 1:8 (NKJV)

                             Job 2:3 (NKJV)  

Well, those were her words, not mine.  I fear that previous paragraph sounds like total hubris on my part.  Regardless, her answer does resonate for me to a more common question, "Why do bad things happen to good people?"  I surely do not know but I do believe that there are spiritual battles, albeit invisible, taking place in the here and now, and sometimes we are drawn into those battles for a greater purpose, God's purpose.  I take comfort with the thought that maybe, just maybe, the Lord said to Satan, "Have you considered My servant Doug, ....?"

            

Postscript:

On the day of the incident, when I got home, Jamie affirmed for me that the incident should be reported to the police department.  So, I called and they forwarded me to Animal Control.  The two dogs and the owners in the RV had previously been reported by others but there was nothing that the authorities could do as the RV was on private property and the dogs were inside the RV when Animal Control had visited.  Unless someone was physically injured, their hands were tied.  However, the officer promised that another visit to the RV would be made in the near future.

Finally, Jamie, in her capacity as therapist, suggested that I write this.  "The writing will help you process."  Again, she is a blessing.  Thanks for reading.

God is good.  God's will be done.

My Daily Walk (Psalms and Prayers)

Somewhere in my college years I found that I needed to jog on a regular basis in order to maintain some semblance of health.  Routine was hard to come by back then and with a certain lack of follow-through, discouragement soon followed.  So, I resorted to mind games and soon my motto became: "Aim for five jogs a week.  Be happy with four.  Accept three."  That mantra kept me jogging pretty much throughout my adult life.

A knee injury a few years back devolved those jogs into walks.  But now I'm pleased to simply say, "the most common is six".  These are their stories:

What gifts are these?

These moments fleeting midst the timeless.

Keepsakes inscribed by the very finger of God. 1

Brief encounters made mindful by a body full with age.

Each giving witness unto His glory.

The route is rutted by routine.

The pathway forever untouched and fresh.

With passing days, the seasons change, then revolve.

But vision fades, the heartbeat slows, rest ensues.

Members worn by the journey speak in protest.

Weary they cry while the mind basks in the past.

Recall to run, to sprint......then again, glide.

Reflections linger, then with purpose served, escape.

Often alone but never lonely.

Solitude patiently waits somewhere just ahead.

Here too, the Father's secret place. 2

My soul enters His presence and is renewed.

Always at peace but seldom bored.

Lessons, many heavy, well-up from a youth long past.

Reminders all of how this man came to be.

Contentment and thanksgiving wash over.

Constantly seeking but completely content.

Oh, to fathom His invisible attributes,

Being understood by the things that are made. 3

 All creation, great and small, testify unto His Glory.

What blessings are these?

1  Exodus 31:18 (NKJV).                          

2  Matthew 6:6 (NKJV)                             

3  Romans 1:20 (NKJV)                           

A few humble pieces of creation captured this Spring:

Wild rose next to the trail.

Salmon berries.  A taste from my youth.

Robin's nest.  I think it had blown out of a tree
and someone placed it next to the trail.

Apple blossoms of a "heritage" tree.
The apples in the Fall are small, but equally profuse.
The homestead itself has long since disappeared into the brush.

Camass (purple) with Star-lily (white). 

The Perpetual Motion Machine Diaries

April 10, 2026

The first part that I attempted to make was a ratchet made of 1/2 inch oak and 4.5 inches in diameter.  There's nothing magic about those numbers.  They just felt right.  As the center-hole-drilling was being attempted, it became obvious that my desire for making this contraption totally out of wood and fashioned entirely by my own two hands was simply not going to work.  A compromise with myself was required - some parts would need to be non-wooden and the majority of those would need to purchased.

To that end, that great modern-day behemoth, fondly referred to as Amazon, became my "go to".  Waa laa!  Soon, parts appeared at our front door as if by magic and at a price point that a generation back would have found unfathomable.  I know, I know.....stuff batched up by the bazillions provides economies of scale but still, that in itself is a near miracle.  In all, Corporate America has made it real easy to spend money at our leisure if for no other reason than it's "almost free".  Maybe that's a blessing.  Maybe that's a curse.  But that's a subject for another time.  I digress.

Yes.  I am in possession of some actual parts.  There's no turning back now.

Now, the rods, collars, and bearings are steel, the connectors (the blue gizmos) are aluminum, and those white washers/spacers are nylon.  All to 8mm specs. The tolerances of them all are amazingly tight.  Especially when compared up close with the ratchet wheel which is all mine.  

Not only is the ratchet wheel the first part but it will also be front and center on the machine.  I laugh.  I imagine that a real mechanical engineer would never consider putting sharp, moving teeth in harms way of small, inquisitive fingers.  Something about an "attractive nuisance".  But safety is not the goal and aesthetics are an after-thought.  No, it's all about the motion.  We're doin' it now!

OK.  Not to worry.  A buzz saw this is not.

All other wooden parts will be sized off the ratchet wheel.  Design from inside (center) to out.  For better or worse, from here on out, everything will be very much trial and error.

   

April 15, 2026

Time to draw the machine in some greater detail and get a feel for how big this thing will be.  Yup, here you go.

These dimensions are all approximations at best:  18" H x 15" W x 7" D.  That 7" depth (not pictured) is the hard part because it contains four levels of moving parts.  Moreover, the sizings are approximations because I've found from painful experience that my final cut seldom matches up exactly with with any given pre-measurement.  Scrap heap material is my specialty.  So for this project, the pieces at each level will be cut and pieced together before determining how they will connect to their counterparts at the next level, and therefore, the sizes required further along.  The drawing has provided a clearer vision of what needs to be done while raising an area of concern as well - how are fat fingers going to assemble the inner-levels where space is tight?  Fatal flaws, obvious and otherwise, are lurking.

Items of Work

1 Ratchet Wheel

1 Pendulum

1 Main Gear

4 Drive Gears

12 Levers

4 Tri Spokes

1 Frame

2 Supports

Items to Purchase

23 Connectors

44 Bearings 

A wise man once told me that "simpler is better".  My sense is that adage holds particular relevance for those of us seduced by the siren that is perpetual motion.  Those 44 bearings are flashing red.  44 points of friction.  

What are the odds?  I think we all know.

Speaking of friction, next up, the five primary gears.

May 23, 2026

Well, this is embarrassing.  The project has ground to a complete halt and has been mired in the proverbial mud for weeks now.  Not for lack of effort, mind you.  Three different jigs of my own making.  A half dozen different tools tried and failed.  Untold brain cycles (limited as they may be) invested.  But sometimes intensity is no substitute for insight and indeed, the harder one struggles, the tighter the stuck.

At this point I had hoped to show my five gears laying flat on a table, each perfectly meshed with the next, and all zipping around in a blur as the slightest rotation is applied to the one.  Reality requested Plan B.  Simple still pictures of my gears merely laying next to one another, but those truly are embarrassing.  Suffice to say the teeth lack uniformity which results in a complete lack of connection, much less motion.  The agony!  

Ah, the psychology of attempting the impossible ..... and the gears were to be the easy part.  I know I could make it work if I had that stainless steel, laser guided drill-press that I saw on the internet.  How's that for counterfactual rumination?  With it the proverb resonates - "Only a poor craftsman blames his tools".  But let me tell ya, my tools are lousy.

Discouragement disables.  No doubt.  Then, as if lying in wait, life itself rises up and gets in the way.  Death as well.  All have conspired against me.

Hopefully, this final entry in this "diary" will bring closure to this chapter.  No, I'm not giving up.  Just trying to reset.  A fourth jig is being conjured in my brain even as I write this and a simpler overall design of the machine itself darts across the synapses begging to be put down on paper.

Someday, soon I hope, the stuck will break loose and you'll be reading "The Perpetual Motion Machine Dairies II".     

High Tech / High Touch

When it comes to technology, looking back is always easier than looking forward.  The glowing "jellyfish" effect captured at twilight in the photo below makes the point.  Just as the contrails of a Falcon 9 rocket give us a rough estimate of the past trajectory it is hard to fathom the soon to be consequence of that "shot" - the birthing of twenty-five Starlink satellites in low-earth orbits.  Taking their place within the communication constellation, each is capable of bouncing unimaginable volumes of data via laser between their peers before ultimately delivering said "cargo" to the end user back on earth.  25 of some 10,000 .... and counting.

Photo courtesy of my friend Jim
Oceanside, California,  April 6, 2026
Mission:  Starlink 17-35

As Falcon 9 was finding it's way through Southern California sky, another space project was proceeding with a different mission.  The Artemis 2 lunar flyby with it's four person crew reached it's closest point to the moon.  Also happening on April 6, 2026.  The mission marks the first time humans have left low earth orbit since the end of the Apollo program in 1972 and is the precursor to Artemis 3 which aims to land astronauts on the lunar South Pole in mid 2027.  All with the ultimate goal of establishing a long-term human presence on the moon and beyond.  

It was a hot day in Spokane, Washington on July 20, 1969.  A small group of us where huddled in a side room to our church sanctuary and intently focused on a television with grainy black and white images.  It was a big deal and the anticipation had been building for about a week.  Not to be disappointed, soon Neil Armstrong kinda bopped off the ladder of the lunar module Eagle and voiced those immortal words: "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."  And in that moment, Moore's Law of smaller, lighter, more efficient, and cheaper seemed to get a kick start.  Our world would never be the same. 

Yes, for better or worse, the world has changed in those some odd 56 years.  Medicine, transportation, communication, energy, agriculture, education, manufacturing, finance, construction, commerce, etc. all look very different today than they did back in the "good ol' days".  But our humanness has stayed the same.

Somewhere in 1980's the book Megatrends by John Naisbitt came into my possession.  In it, Naisbitt identified ten megatrends that he believed would reshape the world.  With hindsight, I must say that most if not all of John's suppositions seem to have transpired.  Although, only one left a mark - High Tech/High Touch.  Here, John theorized that as we become more high tech (e.g. computers, robotics), the more we will crave high touch (e.g. natural and soft materials, human connection, outdoor activities).  Indeed, if a new technology is to survive once introduced into society, it must trigger a counter-balancing human response.

Two examples.  That Starlink constellation employs "stealth" technologies which make the satellites invisible to the human eye.  From the beginning of the creation man has gazed into the heavens at nightfall and wondered.  Some have worshipped.  More than a few people might be a bit peeved to look up and see a mesh of manmade satellites zipping around.  Business might suffer.  Technology upon technology so as to make the whole palatable.  

The second example resides much closer to home.  In fact, it's sitting on our countertop and has turned Yours Truly into a "coffee snob".  This thing (I dare not call it a coffee pot) grinds the beans, heats the water, dispenses a variety of coffee drinks each to a desired serving size, and ejects the used grounds into a waste bin, all with the touch of a single button.  Yes, it has made our morning routine easier but in truth this thingamajig wouldn't be in the house if it first and foremost didn't make a really good tasting cup of coffee.  Actually, it had me sold before the first sip with the aroma of the ground beans, followed by the warmth of the cup on my cold-morning fingers. 

     

I'm getting to my point although it seems anticlimactic after all thats been said.  Maybe its my age or maybe just the age in which we live but Naisbitt was right, I do find a very real need for high touch.  To that end, I've decided to start another wood working project.  Something simple yet challenging (the easy part considering my skill level).  Something of my own design.  Something that connects me to events and people in my past.  Something whereby I can smell the oak and join with the feel.

 I present you with the conception, the back-of-the-napkin design:

 

Obviously....it's a perpetual motion machine.  How long will it take to build?  Anyone's guess.  How many times will the pendulum swing?  Again, anyone's guess but the smart money is on zero.  How many matches will it take to light the bonfire in the event of complete failure?  That's another story.

I plan on chronicling my progress in a sub-entry to this writing.  That too an effort to grasp a bit of high touch.    

Wish me luck.

 

Mediterranean Europe (Kid Stuff)

Not long before we left on this trip, Ryan asked me, "What's your favorite thing about the cruise?"  

I hesitated for a second before answering, "The coffee.  It's pretty nice to have a pot of hot coffee waiting for us at the table when we sit down for breakfast."  Talk about a lame answer.  We both chortled. 

In retrospect, I'm not sure if that's my favorite thing or not.  Not that the coffee is bad.  To the contrary.  But there are so many little things that make up the overall experience.  It's hard to pick a favorite. 

So it is with all that follows.  What words will take form?  What pictures to post?  What experiences to share?  What needs to be said? 

Even as these words begin to appear on the computer screen, your guess is as good as mine in regards as to what comes next.  Let's find out.

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We're home now and spent last night with my side of the family at my nephew Matt's, right on the heels of Christmas dinner at our place the previous day with Jamie's parents.  Looking back to last month, we were equally blessed to share Thanksgiving at my niece Amy's.  In between we spent 21 December days in Mediterranean Europe - five days in Rome on our own, then embarking the Viking Star for a sail down the western Italian coast, out to Malta, then east to Greece with the termination in Athens.  

Yes, life is full and I find another blessing in the writing of this.  It's good to let the mind wander the past and harken back to some really good days.

Laughter, Humor, and Abstract Absurdities

St. Peter's Basilica and the Vatican

More Small Pieces of Italy

Malta

Greece

St. Peter's Basilica and the Vatican (Kid Stuff)

The view from Ponte Sant'Angelo across the River Tiber.

This was our second trip to Rome.  Our first stay had been in 2009 and at that time we had tried to do all the "must see's" - the Colosseum, Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon, etc.  This time not so much.  In fact, as we were planning this stay, we made a conscious effort to just walk, enjoy some food along the way, and focus on the lesser knowns.  With one exception.  

Jamie and I have been privileged to visit a few of the great churches of the world and in our recent history that has included climbing closer to where angels reside.  To date there had been three such conquests.  Duomo di Milano, Milan, Italy.  St. Pauls Cathedral, London, England.  Sacré-Cœur de Montmartre, Paris, France.  The steps of St. Peters had been neglected on that first visit.  An oversight that needed correcting.

Words really don't do justice to any of the churches we've entered.  Some are calming, peaceful.  Others are gorgeous.  Many are amazing.  A few are simply holy.  The word for St. Peters has to be enormous.  It's extraordinary BIG.  In fact, if words don't do the place justice, pictures definitely don't.  There is no way to get the entirety of the structure in one frame. 

At the bottom of the frame is St. Peter's Baldachin.
A ten story canopy of bronze standing over the high altar
and the tomb of St. Peter buried deep beneath.

Our goal, the inner ring above and then the outer ring overhead.

And so it was with slight trepidation that we began our ascent.

The lower spiral staircase was maybe 12 feet wide. 
With each stair, the walls synched-in imperceptibly and then ejected us onto a rooftop
with panoramic views of the city.

Next stop, back inside for more stairs and the lower ring known as the Inner Gallery of the Drum.

Looking down from the Inner Gallery.
The lettering across the way is 6 feet high.
The letters along with all other depictions on the ceiling 
are done in mosaic, not paint.

We're doin' it now!  Onward to the external gallery - the Lantern Gallery.

St. Peter's is actually a double-shell dome.  Designed by Michelangelo, the dome is composed of two distinct layers with a hollow space between them.  Our route coiled through this void.

Looking up.

A real life carnival tilt house.  The sensory conflict
gave a whole new meaning to the term "the walls started closing in".

Then, without warning, out we popped.  The 360° views were stunning but this was definitely one of those experiences where the path held more magic than the peak.

Vaticano di Piazza San Pietro

Then, the descent to terra firma for some other sights. 

Pietà - (Our Lady of) Pity.
Sculpted by Michelangelo at the age of 24.

St. Peter's facade with Christ the Redeemer in the center,
flanked by St. John the Baptist (immediately left),
then 9 of the 12 Apostles (two cropped out on the edges, St. Peter's statue below in the courtyard). 

Vatican Museum, Gallery of Maps

A small section of the Sistine Chapel ceiling.
The entirety depicts the history of the world before the coming of Christ. 
Painted by Michelangelo over the span of four years.

While walking back to our hotel, we stopped at one of the 3,000 Roman eating establishments that offer outdoor seating after making sure there was no English printed on the posted menu.  Fat, dumb, and happy, that brutal bed at the inn beckoned. 

The view from Piazza Pia
looking down Via della Conciliazione
lined with historical edifices.