Stone soul who wonderingly gazes down on a tide of falsehoods, unfeeling stone who does not feel the deep winter’s cold that destroys the flesh, and sears the eyes.
She sees the lights and the bustle of the city that never dies; yet not living herself; she only knows of dust and ashes rising from the Seine, and the blowing snow.
-EJH
On my visit to the Louvre last February; I saw this marvelous statue in person. Something about this broken figure is striking to nearly everyone who sees it. I don’t know what it is, maybe the way the wings and the folds of fabric suggest movement, or perhaps it is the mystery of the missing pieces. If they were present, perhaps this would not be such a moving piece of art.
Whatever the reason; it is truly marvelous to see. Age and history, and the timelessness of beauty made an impression on me. If can, I will go back to the Louvre next week, and see it again. This statue is the primary reason I want to return. I don’t think I saw enough of it last time.
-EJH
I bought this Midori MD Paper Cotton letter pad from Jetpens a few weeks ago, and have been using it regularly ever since. I am quite impressed by the quality and feel of the paper, it has some tooth, but just enough to notice, not enough to be annoying when using a sharp nib.
It is very resistant to bleed through, and the color balance of the paper (somewhat off-white, but not quite ivory) shows off the brighter inks very well. The paper is thin, not quite Tomoe river thin, but still a thinner paper than you might expect given it’s wonderful performance.
The lines are more widely spaced than I would prefer, but they are grey which I like, and have good margin width, which makes the letter seem more substantial.
Which brings me to the size… This isn’t a standard size, it is about the height of an A5 paper, but has a width which is about the same as a B5 paper, so it is closer to a square than a tall rectangle. The size is pleasant, and I see why it was chosen, but it presents a problem: envelopes have to either be made to size (Which I have done), or the matching envelopes have to be purchased. (Which is very expensive), you can also use a regular long envelope and do a tri-fold, but I much much prefer a single fold, and so I have to use the matching envelopes despite their cost. I think that is an area that Midori can improve, the envelopes cost about $1 each!
The paper can take a light watercolor wash with no complaints, there is some ghosting and a bit of wrinkling, but no bleed-through and no sign of the paper weakening.
Overall; I really enjoy using this paper, and I will keep it on hand as long as Midori continues to produce it.
-Ezra Hilyer
I think time is the greatest luxury of all. I took this weekend and took off for Ocala National Forest. I loaded up my bike and spent the second half of Friday out riding the back roads, and today (Saturday) I am still out here riding and exploring. 
In the morning, I woke up as the sun was coming up, I re-started the fire, and then slowly got breakfast ready, and some coffee going. There is a luxury in taking the time to do these small routines with no rush. To sit in my comfortable chair (Thank you Kermit Chair Company!!) and just stare into the fire as I make my coffee feels like the greatest of rewards.
Later in my life, I will sail around the world by sea, and either ride, or pedal, or walk around it again on land. That will be my retirement. Slow travel to see every continent. I anticipate many such slow mornings. Watching the sun rise slowly and savoring each moment.
-EJH
Think about a place that you remember. A place that you would like to go see again. Right now that place is as real as the place you are currently in right now. It is vibrant and people are there, or the wind is rustling in the trees at this moment. The small little section of the world that you inhabit is only a temporary frame, and can be changed easily for another.
I have some places that I found enchanting, and interesting, and I often think about what is going on there right now. Are there other people absorbing the moment and the feel of the place like I did when I was there? Are they then years later thinking about that small place in the wide world?
No matter where you go, there you are, but that also means that where you aren’t, the world still is.
-EH
Life has marched onward in the 2 year interim between my last post and now. I won’t go into all the changes and struggles, but since I can not remain fixed while the currents of time rush forward; I must change with the times.
Travel, adventure, exploration. These are my goals.
My daughters are now old enough to begin to experience some of these things also; so I can take them with me and we can explore together. One of the things I am most grateful about my own childhood, is that I was able to travel and see things, and meet people. I didn’t live a small life even as a child, I lived in a number of places, and met new and interesting people. There was adventure to be had. I want to take my kids on those same kinds of adventures.
