Here's where I am and the fun stuff I'm up to — checking in from the road.
5:30 AM out of Leavenworth — a one-ton truck, then a trailer
Out the door at 5:30 in the morning and over Stevens Pass in the dark. A one-ton truck waiting in Kent at 7:30, then south over the Narrows to Gig Harbor for the trailer — an RV this time, a real bed and a door that shuts, instead of a tent full of playa dust. Hitch it up around ten and point the whole rig south.
Dad turned 80 — and it was great
A run over the Cascades to Tacoma for the big one: Dad's 80th. Cake, stories, the whole family around one table — the kind of evening you drive four hours each way for without thinking twice. It was great. Then the long quiet drive back home through the mountains.
AS 2299 into Pangborn (EAT) — 11:59 pm Mon Jul 20
Fly back across the country — AS 31 out of JFK at 4:29 pm Eastern, a three-hour Seattle layover, then AS 2299 into Pangborn, wheels down 11:59 pm Pacific, Monday night July 20 — and home to the Cascades. Home sweet home. (Pickup crew: look up Alaska 2299 from Seattle.)
Called off — the fire spin with Frank didn't happen
The plan was a fire circle in New York on the 18th: poi, staff, and good people throwing flame after dark, a chance to spin again on the far side of the world. It got canceled. Some nights the schedule wins — the rope dart stays in the bag and the trip rolls on.
Rush tickets, Row F — Rocky Horror at Studio 54
A thirty-dollar rush ticket turned into sixth-row orchestra for Richard O'Brien's The Rocky Horror Show — back on Broadway for the first time in 26 years and worth every one of them. Luke Evans' Frank-N-Furter struts out mustachioed, corseted and in pearls and owns the room from the first note; Amber Gray is an absolutely incredible Riff Raff; Rachel Dratch narrates like she's in on every joke in the building; Stephanie Hsu's Janet — dammit — is perfect. Callbacks flying, popcorn in hand, the whole house on its feet for the Time Warp. It's just a jump to the left, in the room where 1977 never quite ended.
Three weeks in the city — settled in the East Village
Nearly three weeks in New York — the longest stay of the whole trip, longer than the Thailand stretch. Home base: the East Village. Get out and explore the city, and if the right people are around, make some things too.
JAL BKK→JFK, A350 via Tokyo
One last Thai sunset, an easy morning taxi to the airport, then a polar great-circle east — Tokyo, then over the top of the world — and the date line hands the day back: leave Monday morning, land Monday night.
Ferry across the river, a downpour, and a quiet ceremony
Rode the BTS and caught an Orange Flag express ferry across the river. Stepped off the pier into a downpour — even fell in the water, while Thai kids ran and slid through it. Incredible pad thai, then waded over to the temple. Walked most of the grounds alone and quiet, and stumbled onto an actual ceremony. Sat and watched. Incredible.
All-teak hand-carved temple — the story unfolds stage by stage
An enormous temple right on the Gulf, carved entirely from teak — no nails, just wood. Every surface is covered in carving, and the story builds as you move through it: four directions, each drawn from a different tradition — Thai, Khmer, Chinese, and Indian — tracing humanity's place in the cosmos, stage by stage. Walked the whole thing filming with the Insta360.
Working remotely by the sea on Thailand's Gulf coast
About nine days working remotely from Thailand's Gulf coast — laptop open, sea air, palm trees, and warm tropical rain. (An overnight NuCamp teaching workshop on Jun 26.)
Underwater tunnels — sharks swimming overhead
The aquarium at Siam. The best part: walking through the underwater tunnels with sharks gliding right over your head.
Land, recover, taste the city
Touch down in the early afternoon, jet-lagged and grinning. A couple of days to settle in, wander the city, and eat incredible street food.
Qatar SFO→BKK, A380 on the Doha leg
The big leap. A polar great-circle haul over the Arctic to Doha at midnight, then a final double-decker A380 stretch into the heat of Southeast Asia. Two calendar days vanish into the date line.
Night drive south, motel by the airport
Break camp, point the rental south as the light goes gold, and trade a tent for a hot shower and a real bed near the airport before the big flight out.
Ranger Leadership Retreat — camp on a farm
Three days of camp life among the Rangers — bocce, a river to wade in, a fire pit, a potluck, a meal shift. Dust, laughter, and the smell of a Napa evening.
Long hair → the business-card look, next to Six Flags
Woke up in Vallejo, in the shadow of the Six Flags coasters, and walked into a barbershop to trade the long silver hair for the cropped look on the business card. A new chapter deserves a new haircut — then back on the road to the Napa retreat.
Fly out at dawn, land in wine country
A 5:15 AM departure — his grown son riding shotgun in the little blue Prius C for the dark drive down to Wenatchee's airport, then a short hop over the mountains via Seattle and on south to California. The adventure starts before sunrise.
