How Japan Made Me a Better Person and Designer.
A personal journey through aesthetic growth.
While I was in grad school, I pushed really hard to have an excuse to travel the world and see what was out there that wasn’t NY. I especially wanted to experience traveling and living in Japan. It was...
Imperfect is Perfect
Imperfections are what make the world beautiful.
Being perfect isn’t what makes something beautiful — it is the imperfections that make these “perfect” moments and “perfect” places more special and, yes, more beautiful.
This gorgeous world we live in is absolutely “perfect” for us —...
Ubuntu
“I am because you are”.
The term “ubuntu” is a term that originated in South Africa (some say it is Xhosa, others say it is a Nguni Bantu term) that is loosely translated to “I am because you are.” In other words, my humanity is...
Out of Time
Places to go to travel through time
Time is kept similarly in big cities around the world — the same technology and similarly large mega-structures are built, bright lights, and congestion of traffic are similar. From New York to Sydney, Paris to Auckland, and Cape...
8 Reasons Why You Should Visit Museums
The story was originally published here
Bode Museum, Berlin
Museums are one of those places where one can experience the incredible magic of the past. How people lived, how we came into being, what happened to our ancestors, how humans built the great empires, who...
Five Hacks to Survival - Hiking the Appalachian Trail
Bays Mountain Park, Kingsport TN — John Dabbs
The hemlock boughs hung low, as the shadowy trail snaked beneath their towering trunks. Yes, it was right out of a horror movie. Before long we could hear the loud, repetitive noise of the wild. Barking with...
Travel Back In Time
We sat in a semi-circle. The humid afternoon was warm and wet after an early dawn rain. The air began to chill as the daylight waned. There were at least 80 people under the large tent. We sat captivated by the tale of a young...
A Hillbilly's Guide: Toronto on the Cheap
Canva.com — John M DabbsMy family of four, two adult sons, and my wife made the trek to Toronto. It was a daunting task with our finances as they were. That said, we made it.
It began with our need for a getaway. The boys...
The Mystery of Memphis
Memphis. A bright city with flavor, color, and imagination that beckons me from the Mississippi delta. It isn’t my favorite place to visit, but it sure is definitely a place worth of travel.
A few facts
Many people don’t know, but it is the 26th...
Washington D.C. - It's More Than a Swamp
Image by David Mark from Pixabay
The sights, sounds, and traffic congestion that live within the beltway of the United States Capital. The morning rush hour is nothing to trifle with, as it is not for the faint of heart. With several of my family...
10 Travel Hacks to Hollywood
My family and I made the trek to Hollywood, by way of Las Vegas, the Grand Canyon, and Sedona Arizona a few years back. We learned quite a bit while we were there. The weather was as pristine as it appears in the movies and...
Let The Trails Lead You To The Wild West
The cowboys of yesteryear may have been busy rough men. Riding on horseback and braving the elements as they scratched out a living for themselves and their families, they had many spectacular views.
In canyon-land, some 100 miles south of Grand Canyon National Park, Sedona,...
New York City - Travel On A Budget
Planning, research, and laying the groundwork are fundamental chores. We managed to travel with a family to one of the greatest cities on earth.
I was intimidated by even the thought of going to New York City before I had been there. A small fire...
The Maine Attraction
Our trek began after saying farewell to the family during a short visit to New York. Our excursion into the Northeastern U.S. left us wanting more. As you can see from this brief article on Maine, you should also include it in your bucket list...
Space, Time, and Tranquility
Hectic — that sums up my life for the last couple of years. Work, home, and family obligations came to be non-stop action sequences filling my life. My body was beginning to complain and my mind was screaming for a break. I needed a vacation....
5 Keys to Survival at Bonnaroo
We had embarked on a four-day camping trip in the middle of a 700+ acre farm in Manchester, Tennessee (about half-way between Chattanooga and Nashville). It is a town of about 10,000 people.
The summer of 2019 started with a lot of rain in Tennessee....
Fishing On Holiday
Growing up, my dad would take us fishing. He wasn’t especially good at it, but he enjoyed it. I suppose that I’m a chip right off the old block. We are fortunate enough to live amid excellent trout fishing in the mountains of East Tennessee....
How I Became A Backpacking Guru
It was the best of times, yet it was the worst of times… no, wait — that’s not what I’m trying to say. We had a great time, but there were lessons to be learned.
Scouts
When my sons were in grade school, they joined...
Over The Rainbow
When I was but a young man, with young children who shared my love of the outdoors, I came upon a pot-o-gold near the Great Smokey Mountains National Park. Ober Gatlinburg, overlooking the Tennessee town of Gatlinburg, is home to a winter wonderland with some...
What I Learned At The Ritz-Carlton
Recently I stayed at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in St. Louis. A luxury hotel in an upscale part of the city, the hotel blends in quite nicely without standing out in any regard. I was welcomed and shown the front desk where I checked in without...