A Thin Line My mind shuffles thru endless possibilities of life, liberty, and the retreat of death in this COVID […]
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Greg Vessar
I love music, I love to travel, and I love to write. My blog "A Thousand Miles from Kansas" combines all three. I am a Kansas boy and an educator on sabbatical. I have lived in many places around the globe and I currently live in northern Japan. Journey with me as I combine my loves of music, travel, and the written word as I navigate through life.
Tendai-ji 天台寺
As we wandered around the Tohoku region of northern Japan, we came across Tendai-ji Temple. Tendai-ji is the oldest temple in the Tohoku region.
Noheji Wandering
Roaming around the Tohoku region of northern Japan is great medicine for cabin fever! We actually became a little lost and ended up on a road or two that were impassable due to a good amount of snow. We chose a different route and came upon this barn by itself in what seemed to be the middle of nowhere. As Robert Frost opined, “I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference”.
Kinkaku-ji
One of my favorite shots of The Golden Kinkaku-ji Temple in Kyoto, Japan. I took this during our summer travels in 2019. I love how Kinkaku-ji dominates your attention, even though it is blurred in the background.
Haiku #124
Spring is right around the corner and soon Japan will turn pink with cherry blossoms! I, for one, am ready for warmer weather!
A Scottish Loch
I stand mesmerized by a Scottish loch in Cairngorms National Park. Another favorite memory from our trip to Scotland. Hard to believe that it is closing in on two years since that fantastic trip…Melissa and I can’t wait to return!
Nihon Snoopy
The Japanese love Snoopy and the Peanuts Gang almost as much as I do! The Japanese love for all things Snoopy is one of the things I love about Japan. I came across this display in a Tokyo department store in the summer of 2019. Hail Snoopy!
Misawa Sand Dollars
We have endured record snow fall in the northern Japanese city of Misawa this year with over 140 inches of snow blanketing us in a “big chill”. I, for one, am ready for the snow to end! I long to stroll the sands of my favorite beaches (Sand Dollar and Ship Wreck) and explore more of Mutsu Bay. Tomorrow is March 1st and while I know to expect snow to fall well into April, I still hope this last snowfall was it for 2021! And I wish upon my lucky sand dollars!
Haiku #123
A 7.1 earthquake on Feb. 13, 2021. We were in Sendai for the weekend. Scary feeling to have the Earth shake you up like that!
The Road of Trying Times
I penned this poem back in the spring of 2020 while COVID-19 and the Pandemic invaded the world. I was in Salina, Kansas and a simple trip for food was a life-risking mission of necessity.
A Thousand Miles from Kansas 