When I asked my kid what he wanted to be for Halloween this year, he spontaneously yelled out “Venus flytrap!” I was surprised, especially since he had become reluctant to wear homemade costumes since starting elementary school. Neither of us could pinpoint where that idea came from. We hadn’t seen or done anything with Venus …
Make your own giant Venus flytrap costume and stuffy Read More »
For Halloween this year, my kid wants to be a Venus flytrap. So, I decided to be a house fly using materials at home to make the costume. I wanted the wings and eyes to look something like the real thing, so I researched house fly anatomy and sketched out the shape and patterns of …
Late summer and fall is the perfect time to save tomato seeds to grow on your own. I find that the seeds from locally or home-grown tomatoes have nearly a 100% sprout rate. They are primed to grow well where you live. Enjoy! The details: Heirloom tomatoes are easy to grow at home and evolved …
Saving seeds to grow tomatoes at home: super easy and fun Read More »
In this post I cover Taroko National Park’s Shakadang Trail, a bit on Truku history, millet, weaving and Taroko trip planning. My day trip from Hualien to Taroko Gorge was epic. I went solo and on public transportation. I took 6 buses and hiked on 5 trails. By far my favorite hike was the Shakadang …
Unexpected Delights in Taroko, Taiwan: mountain millet mochi and more Read More »
A couple days after my family joined me in Taiwan, we went swimming in the rural mountains of Miaoli County, where my mom grew up. In the 15 minutes between emerging from the water and putting on insect repellent, my 10-year-old kid racked up over 100 intensely itchy insect bites. “We didn’t see any mosquitoes!” …
This super pod of pantropical spotted dolphins (熱帶點斑原海豚) showed off their acrobatic swimming and played with our boat when we went out with the Jin Ling whale and dolphin watching company in Chenggong Harbor (晉領 賞鯨 台東成功 ) on a rainy morning on June 28, 2023. The captain expertly navigated the turbulent waters to find …
A few days ago I decided to go to Yangmingshan National Park, northeast of Taipei and Beitou, where I was staying. It is a beautiful and lush subtropical volcanic mountain ecosystem with geothermal activity. I visited many years ago as a young adult and wanted to return with my new interest in birds and ecology, …
Unambitious travel: learning how to stop when things are “good enough” Read More »
I arrived in Beitou early on a drizzly Wednesday morning, exhausted and achy from a cramped and sleepless 14-hour flight. Fortunately, the apartment I booked had a hot springs tub and piped the jade green “magical waters” right from the source, flowing from the volcanic Thermal Valley. Hoo boy, was I looking forward to that! …
During the Covid pandemic I built up a many-layered shell. Like the deep sea “volcano snail,” I formed multiple types of protection against my own version of a high pressured, high temperature acidic hellscape. I am a physician specializing in viral illnesses. The pandemic was my war, and at times it was a psychological hell. …
Breaking through my pandemic shell to travel abroad again Read More »
Shibori combines two of my craft loves: origami and fabric dyeing. You fold and press fabric like origami, create resist patterns with boards, clamps, string and/or rubber bands, and then dye the package. When you unfold and release the fabric, you get interesting patterns unique to each dye job. Shibori (しぼり) is the Japanese term …
Shibori: awesome and easy home dyeing techniques Read More »
