So my husband and I made a once-in-a-lifetime trip to the Galápagos Islands last December. We had a truly magical week seeing blue-footed boobies, Galápagos penguins, land tortoises and sea lions, all unafraid of the gawking humans.

We kayaked through a lagoon with sea turtles, marine iguanas and rays. We snorkeled through lava tunnels with whitetip reef sharks and schools of brilliant tropical fish. And we hiked around a volcano crater, meeting a land iguana in the wild. I now understand why the place that Charles Darwin made famous is known as the Enchanted Islands.

As soon as we returned to mainland Ecuador, I came down with a nasty case of Covid. I had to spend the next week alone in a hotel room while my husband traveled around with our son, who spent fall semester there. (Fortunately for me, Uber Eats operates in Quito!)

Despite getting sick, I’m thankful that I got to the Galápagos, and am still processing the trip. Today I am sharing a recently published haiku sequence from that time. I hope this gives you a sense of the experience—without the cooties!

Galápagos 

Enchanted Islands
a sea turtle glides
along our kayak 

through the waves
without a narrator
marine iguana 

local character
a sea lion snoozes
on a park bench 

cumulus clouds 
flowing over the rim
cooled lava

luggage piled
on the boat taxi’s roof
frigate birds 

my breath
into thin air . . .
volcano fog

I would love to know hear what places are on your bucket list!

Publication credit: Frogpond, 46:2, Spring/Summer 2023

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Makino Studios News

Hello summer: Cards, notecard sets, books, prints—take 15% off everything in the store with your order of $15 or more thru 11:59 p.m. this Sunday, July 2. Enter code SUMMER15 at checkout. One code per order.

Sunkist Festival: This small and delightful fair, cancelled due to rain in May, has been rescheduled for Sunday, August 6, from 11 to 5. Besides arts and crafts booths, the festival will feature wood-fired pizzas and other goodies plus live music. 135 Sunkist Lane, off Glendale near the Blue Lake Murphy’s Market in McKinleyville, CA.

Obon Festival: Organized by Humboldt Asian Pacific Islanders in Solidarity (HAPI), the Obon Festival will take place on Sunday, August 13 at the Creamery District in Arcata, CA. There will be taiko drumming, bon odori dancing, bento boxes, games for kids and vendors like me. (I’ve decided not to do the North Country Fair in September, so these two fairs are your best shot at catching my Makino Studios booth in the coming months!)

Studio visits: If you can’t make it to the fairs, I am also happy to schedule a visit to my home studio located between Arcata and Blue Lake, CA.

Meanwhile: I’ve been working away on my art, experimenting with a new technique (oil and cold wax medium, as in the sea turtle piece above), and playing with more mixed media in my collages. In the coming months these will find their way into cards, calendars and eventually another book like Water and Stone!