A Few Notes Before I Go

I’m in my final hours before another stretch at sea.
By the time you read this, the R/V Atlantis will be cruising north toward the Labrador Sea and the coastal waters of Greenland, in search of famous shipwrecks (Shackleton, perhaps?), while I’m in the galley creating all the grub. These months away always change the rhythm of my work. The pace picks up and the time for carving significantly shrinks, but I know my hands will stay busy regardless.

A few updates before I go.
I was recently featured in the Spring 2026 edition of Sea History Magazine, in a piece about life as a sea cook that offers a glimpse into the work that fills so much of my year. If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like, it’s a good place to start.

Looking ahead, fall workshops at Morikami are now open for registration. We’ll be carving chopsticks, ramen spoons, and rice paddles… oh my! It’s an exciting expansion of my land-life carving world with more classes, more projects, and more carving fun. I’ll be teaching three different projects, each covering process and safety while helping participants get comfortable working with knives and blades. If you’ve been waiting to join a class, I’d love to see you there.

Big hugs and fair winds!

Chopstick Carving Workshop

Most of us are hesitant to try new things.

Not because we don’t want to but because we’ve gotten used to lingering in what’s familiar. Same routines, same habits, same ways of moving through our days. Anything foreign, even something simple, starts to feel like friction.

So, we skip it.

Typically that’s where people stop, right at the point where the feeling is unfamiliar. This class leans into that sensitivity instead of avoiding it. You’ll start with a piece of wood and slowly work it down into a pair of chopsticks. It’s not fast. It takes attention, small adjustments, and a willingness to stay with something longer than you’d expect.

Somewhere along the way, something shifts. What initially felt awkward begins to feel natural and you forgo that effort of force and start feeling your way through the process. We don’t spend much time working through things like this anymore. We’ve lost the value of slowness when it comes to our own journey in learning. We’ve forgotten what it means to know how to practice. So for a few hours, we trade clicks for carving. An instant for eventually. Uncomfortable for connection…

If this feels like a memory or sensation you’ve been craving, this class is a good place to start. Join me at Morikami Museum and Japanese Garden for this new workshop. We’ll take the time to make something functional, beautiful, and entirely your own. I hope you’ll join me!

Similar but never the same

There are only a few spots left.

Date: Saturday, May 9th, 2026

Time: 1:00 - 4:00pm

Location: Oki Education Center at 4000 Morikami Park Road, Delray Beach, FL 33446

Sign-up: The Art of Carving- Chopsticks

Sometimes that’s all it takes to feel a little more yourself.