The Friday Letter
One free letter every other Friday: about 900 words, usually one thing I have been chewing on, and whatever I have been reading. Departures and foundation updates go out to this list before they appear anywhere else.
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Every other Friday morning, Toronto time (ET). One piece of writing that was not ready for the site — a conversation I am still thinking about, a trip that went sideways, a decision the foundation got wrong. Then three or four links, with a sentence each on why.
What does not arrive: round-ups, “10 things” lists, affiliate links, sponsored placements, or a second email chasing you because you did not open the first one.
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On knowing a road so well you stop seeing it, and what that costs. Plus: three pieces on rural depopulation that changed my mind.
What happens when the harvest comes three weeks early and your entire itinerary was built around it.
A build report, honestly told, including the bit where we ordered the wrong lumber.
Every “hidden gem” post has a cost, and it is not paid by the person writing it.
Start with the coffee piece, if you only read one
Three years of roadside stalls, one woman named Hồng, and the case against tasting flights.
Travel →Two departures still have places for November
Seven days on the red roads, capped at twelve people, timed to the coffee harvest.
Foundation →Eleven libraries and a rule about photographs
What we fund, what it costs, and why we publish the accounts in full every year.