Walking to the Japanese Garden

A visiting friend and I took a glorious artist's date

Under the Japanese umbrella!

My artist friend Meredith came down from Whidbey Island for a mini writing retreat. But the weather was so enticing we had to put ourselves in the way of beauty. So we headed uphill to the Portland Japanese Garden. This is an homage to a perfect morning.

We’re both gawkers and iPhone snappers, so the walk took a tad longer than usual. Lots of cool architecture en route:

First stop, our world famous Rose Garden, which is winding down, but still exquisite after the rain:

These trees have been here a long time, but somehow this is the first time I noticed.

OK. STOP AND GAWK. This is the Garden’s show-stopper tree. When the colors begin to turn later in October, you have to wait in line to take its picture. Its image is on calendars all over the world. But honestly, I’ve never seen it more beautiful than today, overlooking the pond. The master pruner is a tree sculptor.

Here we are:

The only pure white koi in the pond. Elegant! They don’t swim fast, but still hard to capture. He seems to have caught a leaf in his fin.

An exhibit of kintsugi by artist Naoko Fukumaru — not your mother’s mended pottery

The first red leaves of Autumn— a full-moon maple:

An another peek under the umbrella, just because.

And yes, I am loving the camera in my new iPhone 16 Pro. I credit the iPhone with my learning to seek and notice beauty everywhere. Consequently I’m a pain in the ass to walk with because I keep stopping. I appreciate my walking friends who understand.

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Will and Harper, a must-see documentary, is now on Netflix. It’s the All-American road trip movie, except it’s comedians Will Ferrell and Harper Steele, one of his best friends since their days at Saturday Night Live. Except 61-year-old Harper has just come out as trans, to everyone’s surprise, and she is tiptoeing into a challenging new life as a woman. Will suggests the drive across mostly red America (where Harper is from) to experience being publicly trans in a variety of uncomfortable situations. Will will be his support team.

Will and Harper is by turns hilarious, painful, sweet, and very touching. I fell in love with these very human beings. It’s a great conversation starter, and it could save lives. I don’t know if it will change minds before this fraught election, but it will definitely open your heart and make you laugh.