Guess who's moving?
Yes, our wonderful three years in Iwakuni have come to an
end. We've loved every minute of it, but the lifestyle of Marine families
dictates that it's time to move on.
I've really enjoyed visiting sites and being enriched by
this proud, ancient culture. And I've been lucky enough to bring back some souvenirs
along the way. I brought down a branch of cedar from near the top of Mount
Misen on Miya Jima, a UNESCO World Heritage site. It's an ancient, holy island
with much to see and do, including one of the oldest eternal flames in the
world.
I also brought back a small piece wood from Mount Shosha, another site
literally covered with temples and statues and 1,000-year-old holy places. They filmed part of The Last Samurai here, and little wonder because it's one of the most beautiful and most intrinsically Japanese places we were honored to visit.
We've visited many places and done many things and I've
always tried to bring back a small piece of wood to work into a pen to
commemorate the visit. I've even been lucky enough to have a friend give me a piece of the actual Kintai Bridge, another national treasure, from the 1953 renovation.
So the movers have come and gone with most of our things. The
express shipment folks come in a few days. We have a week here in a hotel
before we fly out, but I'm trying very hard to keep my Etsy and Articents stores open
until the last minute because who knows when I'll be able to open them again?
But to reduce the cost of mailing all my 100+ items home, I
hoped to reduce inventory a little by offering 20% off anything in the stores.
If you're an Etsy
shopper, use the code "MARINESMUSTMOVE" when you place your order to
get the discount. Of course, I prefer the no-fee Articents store and if
you'd like to shop there, simply contact me by e-mail, telling me what you'd
like to order, and I'll happily take off the 20% for you. And if you have any other offers or codes
(like any provided through this blog or other sites), I'll be happy to honor
them in conjunction with this one.
This offer will be available until I have to put the stores
in "vacation" mode about June 26, so if you've been thinking of
placing an order, now's the time!
Thanks to everyone who's stuck with us through our journey
and I hope to see you again on the other side!
