Feeling better.

Mike Monroe, "Bubble Man"
Northern Exposure

Venturing outside.

Mike Monroe, a character in the TV series Northern Exposure, moved to the fictional town of Cicely Alaska to find clean air. Even there, he lived in a climate controlled dome and could only be coaxed outside with the aid of a used NASA-issue space suit. Over time, his sensitivities diminished to the point where he was finally able to venture out without the suit. Of course Mike's case was fictional and "any resemblance to real persons is purely coincidental", as the disclaimer usually goes. But there's always some fact behind the fiction and, as we know, many people are very sensitive to air quality and their environment.

Ben rang from the Bay of Fires on Friday. He'd been fishing and waves could be heard crashing onto nearby rocks. One of the highlights of the past few days was a ride on a Triumph 1200 touring bike. Its owner wanted to ride the Ducati and it was only fair to reciprocate. Another highlight was meeting a German stonemason who lived in a van at Jeanneret beach and baked his own bread in a home-made bush oven. He was an impressive character by all accounts. The final highlight (for me) was Ben saying that he's feeling better lately.