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There are a number of things to see along the coastal side of the peninsula. A nice day would be to take a 45 minute drive down Route 17 to Henry Cowell State Park. There some easy to navigate trails which will take you through second growth redwoods and along the San Lorenzo River. The park…
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Monta Loma (MLN) in Mountain View, CA is a great neighborhood. We have very little crime, are well connected to transit, and people often get to know their neighbors, e.g. more likely to find some sense of community. Long before nextdoor, the community had a website, mailing list and for a while, a wiki. We…
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Items that I removed from my personal gear list because we have them for the general family. This list is incomplete. See this year’s family gear. Electronics Google WiFi Mesh network access points easily install and just work when you have an area than a single WiFi router isn’t sufficient. There may be faster / more…
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In have an updated list which captures what I am using now. In 2019 am using pretty much the same gear in 2018. This shouldn’t be a surprised. Several years ago Minimalism led me to simplify my stuff, keeping just the items that are regularly used and give me joy. This year I moved a number of items from “my”…
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From 1989 until 2018 this page was a transcript of C.S. Lewis’ sermon Weight of Glory. Lewis’ sermon had a profound impact on my faith and life. I wanted to share it. After 30 years I received a polite “Take Down” notice from the copyright holder. I learned that while the copyright had expired in…
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Jackie says “Weee….”, Mark says “Whatever”. We are different Not a week goes by when Jackie and I don’t have a serious argument…. and I a m so thankful for this because our arguments grow our understanding and character. The root of our arguments is often that we see the world from different perspectives. As we…
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Every Saturday Jackie and I take at least a couple hours to walk in one of the parks in our area or we might be further afield at some state or national park. Within a few minutes of beginning our walk I can feel myself relaxing. I periodically go on solo backpacking trips, my version…
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I tend to prefer mildly spicy food with complex combinations of tastes. Southwest, Mexican, Indian, Thai, Fusion.. especially Pacific Rim. I can enjoy classic French, Californian, and Vietnamese, but the subtlety is sometimes lost on me. Great meals involve more than food. It also is about being with people I love and an atmosphere that…
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Today I was deeply sadden by the news that Doug Goins had succumbed to his three year struggle with cancer. Like many people, and especially Candy, I will miss him, and look forward to seeing him in the next life. As I pedaled my way into work today I couldn’t stop crying and thinking about…
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We live an an era which encourage us to consume ever more products, always looking for what would be better than what we have. I strive to be content with adequate shelter, clothing, and food and grateful for the material possessions which grace my life. One of the ways I fight against the drum beat of…
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Over the last seven years I have tried to answer the question “What is a Healthy Lifestyle?”. The following is a summary of what I have learned with some minor updates in 2025. My conclusions are nearly identical what Stanford Lifestyle Medicine, Dr Peter Attia and Blue Zones advocates. TL;DR Bonus My Progress By applying…
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I have an updated list which captures what I am using now. Minimalism led me to simplify my stuff, keeping just the items that are regularly used and give me joy. I considered taking the 100 Items Challenge, but decided I would be too focused on curating stuff rather living a meaningful life. I am following an organic…
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Francis Schaeffer observed that we live in a world that worships “personal peace and affluence”. Our culture tells us that we should put comfort above all else which leads to a self centered life. Advertisers buy our attention to convince us more stuff will make our lives better. They tell us we should “keep up…
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I am not a sound engineer or music producer. I do consider myself am an audiophile because I really care about the sound qualty of the music I listen to. Unlike some audiophiles, the audio equipment is only a means to an end and not the driver of my “audio” hobby. As a result, I…
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Minor Update: 2022 I define sports watches and wrist worn instruments which collect and display information that grants insight about health, fitness, and/or physical activities. My experience is that in most cases Garmin make the category leading watches. There are also “smart watches” which can be used as sport watches, but they focused on integration…
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ArcTeryx Norvan SL Rain Jacket is one of the lightest, most breathable rain jacket currently available. I originally purchased the jacket in 2016. I have made some updates my original post based on longer term use. The Norvan SL works brilliantly when biking or hiking when it’s cool (say 55F). When running I can go for…
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Updated July 2026 I think most people are best served packing light, and using a carry-on size “travel pack” which is a cross between a backpack and soft-side luggage. Most travel packs are designed for urban use with an emphasis on ease of use, convenient access when at your lodging, fitting efficiently into carry on…
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Minor November 2024 Flashlights and headlamps let you continue your activities once it is too dark to see. The ability to expend the hours that we can do things is invaluable. Today, virtually all flashlights and headlamps use LEDs to produce light. I strongly encourage people to retired any lights which aren’t using LEDs. LEDs…
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Many activities benefits from having some sort of sharp object to cut things. Examples of this include food preparation, opening packaging, trimming material to cover a blister, preparing kindling, or hacking branches to build an emergency shelter. My Choice My every day carry (EDC) knife is a Victorinox Rambler Pocket Knife which is the smallest…
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Next to staying warm, the most important survival and comfort factor is drinking an adequate amount of safe water. Many, but not all cities around the world have safe drinking water. For the urban environments without safe water, and for most back country adventures you need to be prepared to produce safe water, and have…