which highlight first?

i just got home.  it is around 11pm so it is still the last day of May.  and what a last day it was.  if i start at the end, Pretzel Logic was the last highlight of the Palos Verdes Street Fair and Music Festival.  as they said they are "our Steely Dan tribute band".  they actually shut down the first day of the festival and would have kept playing if they and their fans had their way.  i saw them last year at this festival and more recently on my birthday at Polliwog Park.  if i start at the beginning of the day, the Vinyl Cafe would be the first highlight.  it was a repeat show from Rosebud, Alberta but a good show.  in between that and Pretzel Logic was the Top Dogs Show ("best darn dog show in the west") at the festival under the Big Tent.  i missed the first 125 dogs as i was taking the bus down to the PV Inn to pick up Chris car.  i arrived at the festival around 1030a and the contest had started at 10am. after taking many photos of some very cute dogs i walked thru the arts and crafts booths to the Main Stage for the PV Symphonic Band.  i think i heard the last song and a half. the next highlight was meeting a fellow lover of music and travel named Wayne. perhaps, we will attend another music event someday.  he joked that he would like to join me in Kyoto in September for the Arashiyama Music Festival.  he recently returned from a big trip to China.  more about Wayne and his secret to long life later...oh, didn't i mention...he is 90 years old.  a wonderful Latin jazz band was next.  i saw and enjoyed them last year at this same festival.  they are One World.  aren't we all.  i need to upload some photos.  i will add that the day down here in Walteria started out a little cool and cloudy but i may have gotten too much some up on the mountain.  after getting a little sunburn, i had to go to Chris' car to get my sweat pants for the last Pretzel Logic set as it became quite cool once the sun went down.  brrrr, i am still just a little cold but it was a wonderful last day of May. the first day of June will be just as entertaining.

 Boomer and Paulie

wondering why

images from 8am, 4pm and 8pm

a beautiful ending to another beautiful day.  it took me awhile to leave my apartment and i didn't get down to the beach until around 4pm but then things started to pick up.  i strapped on my rollerskates at the south end of Redondo Beach and skated north to the north end of Manhattan Beach.  here are a few photos from along the way.  i also listened to some jazz music at the Lighthouse Cafe on Pier Avenue while watching the Lakers and Spurs.  and then just before sunset i enjoyed the dolphin show back at Redondo Beach.  the photos at the bottom of this post were posted this morning when i was still being lazy.  i will end the day being lazy by not putting these last 8 photos in what would seem to be the more logical position, below the morning photos.  tonikaku, it was a beautiful day.

it is already a fine early summer's day.  what to do, what to do?  hopefully i will get down to the beach and enjoy the day.

a beautiful today

after a smooth no-drama flight from Philly to LA, i borrowed a friend's car for a nice drive around the Palos Verdes penisula.  these sunflowers are across the street from where i live.

the fountain and view of Catalina Island are from the Wayfarer's Church which i usually just refer to as the Glass Church.  the beach photos are at the southern end of Redondo Beach which is actually called RAT Beach.  RAT does not stand for rat but stands for the beach that is "Right After Torrance".  the purple jacaranda tree was somewhere along the drive along the coast near the Trump golf course.  and the purple agapanthus also called the Lily of the Nile or African Lily is on the grounds of my apartment complex, The Carioca Gardens.  incidently the word Carioca is Brazilian (Portuguese?) for... a native person of Rio de Janeiro.  perhaps the original owners of the apartments was from Brazil.  perhaps, perhaps, perhaps.

Memorial Day Weekend_Saturday

more from May in Japan

Japan in May

if you say "tadaima" and no one hears . . .

things went as scheduled and Steve was waiting out front of the Tom Bradley International Terminal at LAX. the flight was just under 9 hours and smooth after leaving the Tokyo area.  along with Steve, June gloom was waiting but it seems to be burning off now in the early afternoon.  time for a nap.  more later (with photos) about the excitement and entertainment at the Narita International Airport (NRT).

Singapore Airlines new A380 arrived with 394 passengers and 28 crew members on it's inaugural flight from Singapore to Tokyo.  in a side note that i just learned, it had to divert to Nagoya briefly because of the bad weather in Tokyo.  

it was the 30 anniversary of the opening of Narita International Airport and various celebrations were going on thru out the airport (and maybe a protest or two outside).  there was a live broadcast from BayFM who had a few musical guests live from their "sky gate".  one was a singer named Hanako Oku that i like and just happened to see at a festival last year on the island of Shikoku. she performed a few songs before i had to rush off to go thru security. it is a small world. no photos allowed at the Shikoku concert and none at this airport live performance. and no, i did not take one. i was also treated to some beautiful music by these two opera singers and classical pianist after the arrival of the the world's largest commercial airplane.  i think i heard and/or read that the wingspan is the size of a football field (American football).

saying goodbye, Taifu # 4 and NH 6

it seems the rain has stopped here in Tokyo. and i was able to get an aisle seat on ANA flight 6 to Los Angeles. so all is well. now what to do for the next 6 hours before my 9 hour flight home.

if all goes as scheduled, i should be home this afternoon (tuesday the 20th). Steve may or may not pick me up. i think he said Taylor would be in some kind of after pre-school program. Chris' car may or may not be able to be borrowed. but, i will be home somehow this afternoon. i hope. i had a wonderful time in Minoo, Kyoto, Kobe for the second time this year. thanks again to the Maekawa Family. more posts with photos when i get home. . .

”また　きます”

Shoji and Kimiko Maekawa