Travel

Seven months ago I removed my self-imposed ban on traveling. Since then, I've visited DC eleven times, LA four times, and the following cities one time each: Carlisle, Chicago, Kyoto, London, Monterey, Philadelphia, Richmond, and Tokyo.

Agreeable Disagreement

After seeing Roger Scruton give a talk and answer questions last week in London, I've been thinking a lot about what it takes to be able to openly disagree with someone but do so in a way that they don't find off-putting. I think the key might be that you've got to make it clear that you're not trying to convince them that they're wrong: i.e., if you make it clear that your motivation in speaking and disagreeing with them is NOT to change their mind--that you're just saying what you're saying because it's what you think--then they're much more likely not to be put off by your disagreement with them.

Verge Escapement

"[P]erhaps the greatest single human invention since that of the wheel."

Image and quotation from Donald Cardwell's "Wheels, Clocks, and Rockets"

Plato's Alarm Clock

From Jo Ellen Barnett's "Time's Pendulum"

HRH Moses

The King of Cuteness is in the house.

Venice Garden

It was two years ago that I completed this garden. I don't think I ever managed to take any photos that really represent what it was like to sit in it. The top photo shows what it looked like from the front entrance; the bottom is the view from the back. It could comfortably seat five people and I had at least five colorful plants that hung above and around the seating area.