Center of Grace

Our minds are hardly blank slates when traveling to a new destination. We carry stories and images we've seen or heard and arrive anticipating an experience to match what’s stored in our mind. But we never know when these moments will come, if they do at all, and if they'll be what we expect. For some destinations, it’s about scale — the depth of a canyon, the power of a waterfall or the majesty of ancient trees....

Prince Edward Island Our minds are hardly blank slates when traveling to a new destination. We carry stories and images we’ve seen or heard and arrive anticipating an experience to match what’s stored in our mind…

There was a moment before we reached the spectacular views of Yosemite National Park when we found ourselves alone. The only sounds we heard were our footsteps on the path, chipmunks rustling in the brush and birds singing in the trees. Morning light came through the brilliant green pines and there was a sense of peace and tranquility we'll never forget. [ 672 more words ]

Hiking Yosemite and Swimming Lake Tahoe There was a moment before we reached the spectacular views of Yosemite National Park when we found ourselves alone. The only sounds we heard were our footsteps on the path, chipmunks rustling in th…

We landed in San Francisco to start a two-week loop east to Yosemite, north to Lake Tahoe, west to Calistoga and south to Petaluma in Sonoma County and finally to Spirit Rock Meditation Center in Marin County. The next few blogs will cover each leg of the trip and we’ll start with one of our favorite cities: San Francisco. Japantown… [ 502 more words ]

Two Nights in San Francisco We landed in San Francisco to start a two-week loop east to Yosemite, north to Lake Tahoe, west to Calistoga and south to Petaluma in Sonoma County and finally to Spirit Rock Meditation Center in M…

We made a quick trip to the mid-coast of Maine in search of a new site for Two Down Dogs world headquarters (translation: we’re moving). We booked only a few days in advance and flew from Newark to Portland and then made the nearly 2-hour drive up to the Beach Cottage Inn, about 10 minutes north of Camden on Lincolnville Beach. [ 415 more words ]

Looking for Home in Mid-Coast Maine We made a quick trip to the mid-coast of Maine in search of a new site for Two Down Dogs world headquarters (translation: we’re moving). We booked only a few days in advance and flew from Newark to…

From Mr. Koya, we headed south to the Kumano Kodo (Kumano Old Road). This ancient pilgrimage route is a network of wooded trails, some UNESCO-protected, that is steeped in Shintoism, which predated the introduction of Buddhism to Japan in the mid-6th century. We stayed in Hongu, a midway point along the route, for two nights. Heavy rains blanketed the area when we arrived at the… [ 331 more words ]

The Kumano Kodo Pilgrimage Route From Mr. Koya, we headed south to the Kumano Kodo (Kumano Old Road). This ancient pilgrimage route is a network of wooded trails, some UNESCO-protected, that is steeped in Shintoism, which predated…

The secluded temple town of Koyasan has a long history as a sacred place, beginning in the early ninth century when Kobo Daishi wandered Japan in search of a suitable place to build a center for the religion he had founded, Shingon Buddhism. After years of searching, he settled on the wooded top of Mt. Koya and in 826 began construction of the original Garan complex. [ 563 more words ]

Koyasan: Exploring the Sacred Temple Town Atop Mt. Koya The secluded temple town of Koyasan has a long history as a sacred place, beginning in the early ninth century when Kobo Daishi wandered Japan in search of a suitable place to build a center for th…

This is the Yogic Way

An Interview with Maty Ezraty It was a great pleasure to interview Maty. She has the wisdom and compassion bought about by so many years teaching and appreciating our individual uniquenes...

From Magome to Tsumago along the Nakasendo Shimazaki Toson opens his epic novel Before the Dawn with this description: “The Kiso Road lies entirely in the mountains. In some places it cuts across the face of precipice. In others it follows the banks of the Kiso River, far above the stream. Elsewhere it winds around a ridge into another valley. All of it runs through dense forest.” [ 722 more words ]

Walking the Kiso Road From Magome to Tsumago along the Nakasendo Shimazaki Toson opens his epic novel Before the Dawn with this description: “The Kiso Road lies entirely in the mountains. In some places it cuts across t…

A visit to Nara is one of the best day trips from Kyoto. It was the first permanent capital of Japan and home to the Daibutsu (Great Buddha) at Todaiji Temple, as well as other temples and shrines, and the Nara National Museum. Travel Tips: From Kyoto, we took the Kintetsu line to Nara Kintetsu station, which is closer to the Great Buddha than the JR station. [ 386 more words ]

Nara—Day Trip to Home of the Great Buddha A visit to Nara is one of the best day trips from Kyoto. It was the first permanent capital of Japan and home to the Daibutsu (Great Buddha) at Todaiji Temple, as well as other temples and shrines,…

We’ll start at the end of visit to Kyoto. And the best. Mamecha. Set on a beautiful side street in Gion, the family style restaurant was the top recommendation of our hosts at Old Kyoto, and they were right. Here we discovered why Kyoto is famous for its tofu, enjoying a silken tofu dish that melted in our mouths. [ 422 more words ]

The Food of Kyoto – Nishiki Market, Department Store Dining and Mamecha We’ll start at the end of visit to Kyoto. And the best. Mamecha. Set on a beautiful side street in Gion, the family style restaurant was the top recommendation of our hosts at Old Kyoto, and they w…

One of the biggest surprises in Kyoto were the coffee shops, and here are some of the places we found wonderful brewed coffee, espresso, lattes and espresso-matcha latte. We got our first taste when we walked east through Gion along Ninen-zaka and ducked into a side street across from Kodai-j Temple. While the brewing process looked at first like a science experiment, it turned out to be what we would come to know in nearly every coffee shop we experienced—fresh, delicious coffee brewed before us with care. [ 298 more words ]

The Coffee Shops of Kyoto One of the biggest surprises in Kyoto were the coffee shops, and here are some of the places we found wonderful brewed coffee, espresso, lattes and espresso-matcha latte. We got our first taste whe…

With one of us educated in fiber arts and experienced in papermaking, knitting, clothes design, weaving and sewing (hint, it’s not Gary), we’re always on the look-out for local fibers. In Kyoto, that means silk, Washi (handmade paper), ancient dyeing techniques and much more, all of which were on our itinerary. Washi – Handmade Japanese Paper We didn’t waste any time. [ 640 more words ]

Kyoto Fibers – From Kimonos and Nishijin to Sashiko and Handmade Paper With one of us educated in fiber arts and experienced in papermaking, knitting, clothes design, weaving and sewing (hint, it’s not Gary), we’re always on the look-out for local fibers. In Kyoto, th…