. . . So Far . . .

ai間da

2011-04-23T03:00:00.000-07:00

+n e g a t i v e space

00 - the end - thank you for looking at my photos

2011-04-19T07:00:00.000-07:00

some images from my birthday walk

01

2011-04-19T05:30:00.000-07:00

my first AARP-approved breakfast

the rain has stopped but still looks a bit threathening out the back window toward the mountains. and speaking of mountains, that is where i am heading for my birthday walk. i will begin on the takimichi (waterfall trail) and from there, who knows. for sure i will be taking a snack to eat on a break in front of the waterfall. i hope to find some katakuri up in the mountains . . . you will know if i do . . . there will be a photograph or two later.

02

2011-04-17T23:00:00.000-07:00

another monday, another walk, more sakura, more tanpopo, more tulips, more nanohana, some renge, a cat and a lady bug . . .

03

2011-04-17T07:00:00.005-07:00

sunday from Minoo to Shinsaibashi with a stop at Umeda, from folk/blue grass/country to J-Pop and colorful neon lights.

Dotonbori

ズタンズ (the Zutanzu)

yes, i stood in line. yes, it is cheesecake. and yes, it was delicious.

the new JR Osaka station

still not sure about the string

Minoo 81.6 monthly concert

田中Ｙｕｍｉ

Sakurdori, new green leaves, some cherry blossoms still hanging on

04

2011-04-16T06:55:00.001-07:00

a little bit of my saturday

05

2011-04-15T07:00:00.005-07:00

if you look at my blog from exactly one year ago, these photos will look similar except today tony had his photo taken with a nice Yamabushi-san. and still no Takechi-san. but, i did meet Pierre again. soon, i will add the photo of him and his wife whom i met yesterday at their bakery/cake shop.

06

2011-04-14T00:00:00.002-07:00

another beautiful day. here are s o m e phtoos from this morning/afternoon and evening

07-2

2011-04-13T07:00:00.000-07:00

a few more images from my wednesday. starting with my ohanami bento (cherry blossom viewing lunch) and then iroiro (this and that) from the rest of the day.

07

2011-04-12T17:00:00.004-07:00

in case you have forgotten where i am . . . i am living in the blue tiled house . . . the one on the left. Yoshimoto-san lives in the blue tiled house on the right. below are some photos before my walk this morning. most are in the front garden. some are down the lane which leads to the house. soon i will be going for a little walk up the hill to sit under some nice cherry blossoms and have some lunch.

before 8 am, s a k u r a

08-2

2011-04-12T07:55:00.004-07:00

today Part 1: Minoo to Arashiyama (starting at the bottom as the photo right below is from Arashiyama)

tony sitting on fallen cherry blossom petals

Sakuradori in full bloom

Onishi-san and Whiskey and Chizu (Cheezu). this is the 3rd year in a row i have met them on or near the Sakuradori here in Minoo.

08

2011-04-11T16:00:00.003-07:00

this is from a few days ago on Sakuradori (Cherry Blossom Street) here in Minoo. i hope to get a few more photos today on my way to . . . 決めてない

basically the same view ths morning as last night out the back window looking toward the moutains (see photo below this one)

09-2

2011-04-11T07:00:00.004-07:00

photos from t o d a y

09

2011-04-11T01:00:00.008-07:00

sunday osanpo Part 2

(don't forget to double click on the photos to enlarge)

10

2011-04-10T06:00:00.001-07:00

sunday walks Part 1

11

2011-04-09T07:59:00.004-07:00

some images from a rainy then sunny then cloudy saturday morning/afternoon and night including my first PAL Street Live at Senri-chuo.

in case you cannot read the katakana. this wonderful singer is Sasaki Honami. i first saw here on March 30, 2010 (according to my blog from . . . March 30, 2010).

12

2011-04-07T19:00:00.008-07:00

for some unknown reason when using Noriko's laptop, i cannot get the text to line up correctly with the photos . . . so i have stopped trying. and this is the beautiful little flower blooming in our yard. note to self, find out the name of this flower. and this is the tsubaki (camellia) under the cherry blossom tree in the neighbor's yard (which is why we have put a net up on our side to catch the falling flowers and petals)(not because we want to collect them but . . . it makes it easier to clean up). as forecasted, it has begun to rain. this is the sakura i can see from my window. it is actually the in the next door neighbor's yard. this morning's breakfast. delicious as always and as always right after Noriko's Father breakfast. i may have to have a new blog on all my delicious meals. it is just past 10am and already Noriko is preparing tonite's dinner . . . ahhh, curry. another rare night photo. the cherry blossoms in nearby Bonoshima Park are almost at full bloom. (and yes, that is me, another rare photo in my blog. and yes, i did sit still for about 10 seconds while taking the was the self-timer on my camera. this was last night after a nice day which included delicious food as always and a train trip to Kurakuen which is as i found out basically Shukugawa. i have many more photos from yesterday as well as from the Sakuradori (Cherry Blossom street) here in Minoo, as well as more from Daigo-ji in Kyoto, as well as more from Takarazuka, as well as . . .

13

2011-04-07T06:00:00.012-07:00

S h u k u g a w a

14

2011-04-06T02:00:00.003-07:00

wednesday is just about over for me. here is a little of what i saw on my walk. and then as i was closing the shutters i saw this thin moon heading for the mountains.

15

2011-04-05T07:00:00.003-07:00

a few photos from my little ohanami-ing to Daigo-ji.　more tomorrow. it was a beautiful day for my day (actually only 8 hours away from home) trip to the east side of Kyoto in search of a new place to see sakura. Noriko read in the paper that they were at 70% in bloom at Daigo-ji (temple). Daigo-ji is a World Heritage Cultural Sight. i have been here once a few years ago just before autumn and climbed the mountain behind Daigo-ji in search of . . . Daigo-ji. but, that is another story.

16

2011-04-04T07:00:00.001-07:00

a few images from my little train trip to Takarazuka

17

2011-04-02T23:00:00.010-07:00

rare night photos - tomorrow's melon pan (bread) above is the story of meeting Uoo-chan at the Visola Market Place shopping mall. below are some sakura finally blooming in nearby Bonoshima Koen (park)

18

2011-04-02T00:00:00.009-07:00

19

2011-03-31T19:10:00.005-07:00

20

2011-03-31T04:00:00.005-07:00

おめでとう！　ありがとう　ございます！

Happy Birthday Nori-chan

and so a busy (somebody's birthday) day begins

21

2011-03-30T07:11:00.003-07:00

22

2011-03-29T07:01:00.011-07:00

this is the first sakura (cherry blossom) i found blooming this ohanami (flower viewing season). it was at Kasuga Jinja (shrine) somewhere near the border of Minoo and Toyonaka during my afternoon walk yesterday from the Minoo City Hospital to the monorail station at Shibahara. looking at last year's blog, the cherry blossoms started on the 20th in Minoo.

23

2011-03-28T07:50:00.009-07:00

some photos from today's late afternoon walk

24

2011-03-27T08:53:00.006-07:00

25

2011-03-26T06:30:00.007-07:00

same trees as below with a . . . spin

when i woke up this morning there was a big blue sky, no clouds and lots of sunshine. within 15 minutes, it started snowing cute little snowflakes. and then off and on for the rest of the day, we had sunshine and snowflakes. it was one week ago i arrived back in Minoo . . . it was like i never left . . . and if you know what i mean, you know what i mean. i am still waiting on the first sakura to bloom.

genzai chi ( you are here)(actually i was there)

a real grass hopper

one, i liked the color. two, i liked the license plate number . . . it means more the 1188.

big tree and sunstar

i saw my first saru-chan (baby monkey) this morning

tony, sunstar and the forrest

sunstar in the forrest

this morning's snow flurries

last night's sunset

26

2011-03-24T23:00:00.001-07:00

and finally some images from the day they were taken (this morning)

this way to the Yamamoto . . .

. . . barbershop

fresh oranges stand/truck

not sure why this small red torii gate is here.

on the back of his jacket . . . School of Hard Knocks. and yes, that is a Circle K.

and yes, that is the Circle K in the background

neighborhood O-jizo-san

one of our favorite bakeries near Aino Hospital called Chardon. the above photo is from the front of the bakery. the photo below is from inside.

in Japan, sun-dried clothes is thought to be more healthy

Tom, the almost 3 month old Shiba

and do you remember what these bottles of water are for?

27

2011-03-23T17:00:00.001-07:00

nanohana

a few more images from the last few days here in Japan

along the takimichi

the next door neighbor's tsubaki (with many blossoms) and sakura (no blossoms)

that blue again.

28

2011-03-23T01:00:00.004-07:00

finally a few images from leaving LAX on the 17th thru yesterday the 22nd.

i like this blue color. you will see this blue again soon. in the distance is where the waterfall is that i walk(ed) to in the Minoo National Park.

yesterday after Noriko's Father went to his Day-Care, i walked to the Minoo Waterfall. as i mentioned in 37, it was not as green as the last time i was here.

;

"Thanks to Minoo" Sunday concert

my favorite takoyaki from Takozo at Senri-chuo for my first lunch back in Japan

at the self-check at the grocery store

no, they are not cherry blossoms but these were at the Visola Market Place shopping mall.

Uekiya-san (gardener) working on the front garden of Noriko's home

Noriko's Father welcoming me with a big smile

tony waiting eagerly for Noriko to come and pick us up from in front of the new and still improving Minoo train station. the guy in the red is a big fan of the buses at Minoo

the Minoo Koban (like a mini-police station) in front of the Minoo train station

after changing trains at Ishibashi, after taking the train from Hotarugaike Station, after taking the monorail from Itami Airport, after taking the one hour flight from Tokyo Haneda, after taking the almost 11 hour flight from LAX, i arrived in Minoo around 845a on the 19th.

wasuremono (forgotten thing, dropped) at Ishibashi Station

view from the monorail just after leaving Osaka Itami International Airport around 830a on the 19th. i am heading for Minoo which is in front of the mountains in the distance.

lanterns in front of the shopping/cafe area in Haneda airport

Haneda blue around 515a on the 19th (possibly but hopefully not evacuees getting a little extra sleep before catching a flight to anywhere but higashi Nihon (east Japan).

sleeping beautifully on the long flight from LAX to Tokyo

LAX around 11pm on the 17th

29

2011-03-22T05:55:00.002-07:00

Day-Care. Minoo Taki. delicious breakfast and dinner again. (lunch was by the waterfalls).

30

2011-03-20T17:45:00.002-07:00

rain, rain and more rain. no rain, no rainbows but the people of higashi Nihon (east Japan) do not need any more inclement weather, no more earthquakes, no more tsunami, no more snow. a 80 year woman and her 16 year old grandson were rescued yesterday after being trapped for 9 days. there is still hope, still miracles out there.

31

2011-03-19T15:00:00.001-07:00

and so starts my first full day in Minoo.

some errands to Server, Japan and Aeon.
and of course helping to care for Noriko's Father.

i did make it to the monthly Thanks 2 Minoo concert put on by the local Minoo radio station.
on the way to. during and from the concert, i took a few photos which i will add eventually including some nice ume (plum) blossoms.

as promised it started to rain in the afternoon. thanks to Noriko reminding me to take an umbrella i only got a little wet.

32

2011-03-18T17:58:00.000-07:00

no problems getting on the 1am flight to Tokyo and then the 7am flight to Osaka. not sure what day it is/was when i did make it to Itami but i made it. from there i took the monorail to
Hotarugaike and then the train to Minoo changing in Ishibashi. since it was only 8am when i arrived at Itami (Osaka International Airport), i decided not to call Noriko. i did call from Minoo
train station. i told her to take her time as she was just finishing her Father's breakfast and hadn't had hers yet. it was a beautiful morning and there is always something for me to see and photograph. the Minoo station and area is under construction so that was new to me. more later about everything. Noriko's Mother was happy to see me. and her Father seemed to remember me with a big smile on his face.

33

2011-03-18T01:00:00.000-07:00

LAX to HND. thanks Christine for the ride to the airport. fortunately no problems with the "sobriety" check point in El Segundo.

34

2011-03-17T10:00:00.000-07:00

20 minutes later, i couldn't resist taking one more photo with the tripod.

just after i packed my Canon away, i saw the moon. too lazy to find the tripod. hopefully the next time i see the moon, it will be over 箕面 (Minoh, Minoo, Mino). but it may be awhile . . .

on a short walk around the neighborhood is where i found this flower, some kind of lily but the name escapes me.

the parade was last weekend but i think today is St. Patrick's Day

35

2011-03-16T09:00:00.000-07:00

HB to CL

a few more images as the day ends, as the night begins. things were accomplished. things were not. tomorrow, one last tomorrow.

s l o w start to a b u s y day

36

2011-03-15T16:00:00.000-07:00

all koi are carp but not all carp are koi. i took this photo last week at the Sunken Gardens in San Antonio. and i "tweaked" it a little in photoshop while taking a little break from my busy day. i finally got thru to ANA. and that's a good thing. no problem getting my International Driver's Permit. my teeth are very clean after this afternoon's visit to my dentist. i do have one small problem but it can wait until i return. tomorrow will be another semi-busy day since i will need to go to LAX to buy my airline tickets. errands seem to take much longer when one has to walk or take a bus. wow, it has been almost 5 years without a car. and one more thing about koi . . . sometimes, koi 恋 is not koi コイ。

and more sunshine

tsutsuji, momiji and sunshine

a foggy cool start to tuesday

37

2011-03-14T18:00:00.000-07:00

my first bike adventure was my "big bike ride north" in 1992. if you remember i rode for about one month up to Hokkaido and back to where i was staying in Ibaraki-ken. i believe the above photo was on the last day of my trip which means this might have been somewhere along the now devastated east coast of Japan in Fukushima prefecture. i don't talk much about that trip anymore but i do remember it as one of my best trips for many reasons. and one of the biggest reasons was that i could have written each day about the kindness i received on every day of my ride from the people of Japan.

i didn't stray far from my front door today but i will be about 5700 miles (9200 kilometers) away soon. i did find some images from last September as i was "clearing" "freeing up" some SD cards in preparation for my return to 箕面。these images were along the takimichi (path to the waterfall) to the Minoo Taki (Minoh waterfall). it won't be as green when i return but i hope to be sitting in front of this waterfall within the week eating some takoyaki and drinking some Gogo tea while counting my blessings and saying a prayer for those in need.

38

2011-03-13T18:00:00.000-07:00

i m a g e s from my s u n d a y walk

still h o p e

39

2011-03-12T08:00:00.000-08:00

please look closely at the water drops (not T e x a s)

Garfield (T e x a s)

Kerr Community Center. this is where we saw Sam Baker last friday (T e x a s)

orange poppy near the beach yesterday (not T e x a s)

blue/purple lupine/bluebonnet still life in my studio yesterday (not T e x a s)

lifeguard sunstar a couple of sunsets ago (not T e x a s)

down by the water (T e x a s)

(T e x a s )

tsuyukusa on the way to the gym this morning (not T e x a s)

almost hidden purple flower on my walk to the beach yesterday morning (not T e x a s)

Medina River Nature Area reflection (T e x a s)

man on laptop outside LAX three days ago (not T e x a s)

sweet tea at Maxine's-on-Main (T e x a s)

freesia sunstar on my walk to the beach for sunset two days ago (not T e x a s)

Bastrop Christian Church (T e x a s)

40

2011-03-11T14:00:00.000-08:00

i have more photos from today, more from yesterday, more from the day and days before but they can wait.

with a strong faith and

a bright smile

there is the power of a miracle

waiting watching for the tsunami, and saying a prayer for those who felt it's devastation across the Pacific.

41

2011-03-10T16:00:00.000-08:00

images from my last minute/5 day trip to T e x a s

B e a u

red bud tree and loblolly pines near Bastrop, Tx

Sunken Gardens

do not trust those three ducks!

raindrops on Lake Bastrop

red and black on purple and green

yes, this photo is from T e x a s

beautiful colors on this butterfly and flowering tree

weather permitting : )

palms (and sunstar) at the Sunken Gardens in San Antonio

mountain laurel flowers and buds (and sunstar)

old tree along the Medina River

did i mention i went to Texas again for about 5 days? it was a spur of the moment trip which came together last thursday afternoon after a couple of emails to and from one of my favorite singers, Sam Baker. and also a couple of emails with John Doughty who was in charge of the Grey Ghost Music Series in Bastrop, Texas. Sam's concert was on friday night. i flew to San Antonio friday morning and was met by my Father at the airport. he then drove me to his home where my Mother and Beau were waiting (Beau her dog, not Beau her beau). unfortunately we had to leave Beau at my Father's home but fortunately he was willing and able to take care of Beau as we were planning on returning the next day. thanks to him and his wife Tina for taking care of Beau and also for the delicious Chinese dinner the night before i left San Antonio. and for the Purple Martin's show.

here are some photos with more to follow. the first three "sunstar tree" photos are from my Mother's front yard. the rest have their own descriptions.

not sure what kind of butterfly it is but it is beautiful. the purple flowers are on a Texas Mountain Laurel at the entrance to the Medina River Natural Area.

Loblolly Pines near Bastrop, Texas

Sam and Jane

Sam and Jane Gillman

Sam Baker

42

2011-03-09T13:50:00.000-08:00

from birdhouses in San Antonio to the sunset in Redondo Beach...

goodbye today, and thank you

things didn't go as planned but i actually made it back to LAX before my planned Southwest non-stop flight from San Antonio to Los Angeles. beautiful sunshine here. time for some lunch. and then maybe a walk to the beach. photos later from my 5 days in Texas.

43

2011-03-08T07:59:00.000-08:00

Makudo to check return flight and hotcakes

44

2011-03-07T07:57:00.000-08:00

Sunken Gardens, Jim's Frontier, natsukashii drive, Okuribito

45

2011-03-06T07:56:00.000-08:00

long walk with tony and beau at MRNA. The King's Speech.

46

2011-03-05T07:54:00.000-08:00

Bastrop State Park, Lake Bastrop, Fisherman's Park, Maxine's on Main, and a little more

47

2011-03-04T06:00:00.000-08:00

if you need me, i will be in Bastrop.

to be continued . . .

11pm update --- all went as planned. the highlight for today was once again seeing Sam Baker live. more when i return home including photos (of course) and possibly some video.

48

2011-03-03T14:00:00.000-08:00

this afternoon's sunshine after last night's rain

h a n g i n g i n t h e r e

walking down a alley this morning, away from my usual street which takes me to the bus stop i found this tree . . .

49

2011-03-02T07:00:00.000-08:00

the first tanpopo (dandelion) of March

today's pink　つつじ

photographing truth and light (Mecklenburg County Courthouse)

Bellagion reflection (that is the tree with the lanterns you have seen a few times today and yesterday)

today's purple

today's black and white

Cosmopolitan crystal

today's cheerful yellow on a cloudy and cool grey day

in the blink of an eye, one's life can change, one's life can end.

i had just returned to my hotel room after a short walk around downtown Charlotte when i heard this terrific crashing sound. i rushed to the window of my 10th floor room and took the above photograph. can you tell what happened? i remember thinking while rushing back to my hotel after taking photos of birds and fountains and buildings that my day was going to be a very long one flying from Charlotte to Cancun and back and then to Atlanta. the people involved in this crash had a much longer day i am sure. the driver of the red van seemed to be ok but she was holding her head. and the driver of the other car was being put into an ambulance as my hotel van passed thru this intersection on the way to the airport.

same fountain, different angle, downtown Charlotte

Portuguese Man o' War, beach, Atlantic Ocean, cruise ship leaving Ft. Lauderdale and me

this and the one yesterday are actually my impression(ist) version of the colorful lanterns hanging in the tree in yesterday's images.

possibly grackels near the beach in Ft. Lauderdale

early as always, but a s l o w start to today. still not feeling 100% so i may or not being going to the gym but there is always something to do around my little home. and perhaps another walk later. perhaps another nap. i need to start checking on my flights to 日本 ending in 箕面。

Year of The Rabbits (#57)

Peabody Palms. not as famous as the Peabody Ducks (two of the ducks are in yesterday's post) but an interesting view. (last week #58)

50

2011-03-01T19:00:00.000-08:00

home (still blooming)

away

home

away

home

some images from home and away. home, today. away, the past 10 days or so. the photos should open up a little larger when clicked upon. so far these away photos were from the Peabody Hotel in Orlando, Las Vegas, Ft. Lauderdale, Chester and the Taylor Arboretum near Chester. oh, and somewhere over the Caribbean.

away

home

away

home

away

home

51

2011-02-28T12:00:00.000-08:00

enjoying the wait

waiting on the 232

closer to home

1032pm update . . . home, finally. i could have been in Japan or even Australia from the time i finished my trip this morning until walking in my front door. shikata ga nai. now i am officially on vacation although i have been told recently my life is a vacation.

530pm update. the 4 o'clock flight is leaving at 530p so i have decided to go on the 6pm flight

and should be home by 1030p. hopefully.

s t ill here. and here is PHL. decided not to sit on the jumpseat on the very full earlier flight for the long commute home. hopefully the 4pm flight will have an aisle seat with my name on it. if not, i will wait for the 6pm flight. more later with photos when (and if) i return home. and because of not taking an earlier flight i met a co-worker who is actually a professional photographer. i will check out her webpage when i get home.

52

2011-02-27T16:46:00.000-08:00

an early start to sunday but it was worth it . . . toes in the sand on Ft. Lauderdale beach in the afternoon. temperature was a perfect 78f. and it has cooled down to a comfortable 74f at 7pm. time for a little dinner and then bed as it will be a 415am wake-up call and the start to a short work day but possibly a long day getting back home. there will be some good photos from today's beach walk including some of some huge cruise ships heading out to sea and some . . . Portuguese man 'o war.

53

2011-02-26T12:42:00.000-08:00

long day over. short walk in downtown Charlotte, and then to and from Cancun, ending with a short fllight to Atlanta. tomorrow will e easier fr sure.

54

2011-02-25T18:15:00.000-08:00

all was going well until we were leaving Montego Bay . . . now that sounds like a good first sentence for my first novel . . .
8pm and all is back on schedule. time to find something to eat here in downtown Charlotte. hopefully all will go better on the way to and from Cancun ending up in Atlanta tomorrow.

55

2011-02-24T11:00:00.000-08:00

here today (still) but gone tomorrow (very early). for those keeping score . . . CLT-ATL-FLL. if all goes as scheduled, i will be done in PHL around 9am on monday. from there, from then, i am not sure where i am going but i will be off until late in April.

44f degrees at 230p. time to go for a walk.

56

2011-02-23T19:00:00.000-08:00

still here. still winter here in Chester. and winter and i will still be here tomorrow. i did go for a short walk this morning. let's just say i am glad it wasn't windy as 25f would have felt a lot colder.

57

2011-02-22T08:05:00.000-08:00

sunny, clear and a little cool here in Las Vegas. and cool is 4 degrees at 8am . . . 4 degrees celsius, about 40 fahrenheit. time to go for a walk . . . 40 degrees different than yesterday poolside in Orlando.

nice little walk to the Bellagio and to the Miracle Mile Shops before rushing back to Terrible's. tonite back to Philly with yesterday's "interesting" crew. and then to my home away from home in Chester.

58

2011-02-21T07:39:00.000-08:00

looks like it might be a nice day to lay by the pool here in the land of Mickey. lots of sunshine and warm breezes. and then tonite if it is not too late, i may try to find some live music in the land of Lady Luck.

230pm update.
Peabody ducks and orchids. i think i got a few good photos but if i am ever here at 5pm, i woud like to see them waddling on the red carpet to the elevator . . . the ducks not the orchds.
and my first swim of the year. as not expected, a liitle cool but warmer once you swim awhile. time to get ready to leave MCO for CLT and then out to LAS.

59

2011-02-20T08:55:00.001-08:00

i only had time for a short walk this morning but here is one photo before i turn off the computer and get ready to meet my crew down at the PV Inn. thanks Christine for the ride to the hotel.

60

2011-02-19T14:00:00.000-08:00

memories of 1994 . . . Montreal and Paris . . . thanks to Sharon

c a l l a l i l y r a i n s o f t l y f a l l i n g

noon-ish at LAX (and why was the police car parked in the middle lane? and where was the policeman?)

before landing in LA

this morning's moon over PHL

yesterday before the approaching storm and before leaving for the east coast

h o m e a g a i n. rain again. it took almost over 6 hours to return to LA from Philly. we could have been landing in Ireland in the same time it took to get across the USA.

61

2011-02-18T18:00:00.000-08:00

all went as planned today. so if you know what the plan was, you know where i am . . . and where i will be tomorrow. i still haven't figured out how to add photos to my blog from my iPad but if all goes as planned . . . i will be home tomorrow. happy birthday to LUVCO. it was good seeing you last week.

62

2011-02-17T21:00:00.000-08:00

a wee bit of my last day in LA before returning to work tomorrow (or shall i say before returning to the east coast before my trip on saturday)(but)(i return to LA on saturday for the first day of my 4-day trip)

63

2011-02-16T15:00:00.000-08:00

tonite's moon

m o r e (or less) from T E X A S

64

2011-02-15T06:55:00.000-08:00

a few photos from a few days in T e x a s

(from today)

more purple, more raindrops at The Carioca

1pm-ish
home again. flight on time. i had my own row again. nothing like a whole row, dr. pepper and peanuts. the flight was just under three hours. after changing into shorts and a sweatshirt, i walked out to Sepulveda and Century and within 10 minutes, my ride arrived (the #8 bus). a light rain was falling but now it is just cloudy with slices of blue sky. i had a nice surprise waiting for me in my mailbox . . . a Valentine package for Tony and i from N, T and N. there are many photos to add from my trip to Texas but the first (above) one is from today around 2pm.

715am light drizzle. Makudo for last sausage biscuit. flt 2197, SAT to LAX on SWA. hopefully home in the early afternoon. big thanks to my Mother and Beau for all they did for me while visiting my hometown for the first time since 2009.

65

2011-02-14T06:53:00.000-08:00

dog park with Beau. Gnomeo and Juliet. Taco Cabana. Dad's. cats and koi. Sonic.

66

2011-02-13T06:49:00.000-08:00

church (my Mother, not me). Target. Trader Village. big flea market. live music. Nancy and Adolph's for burgers with Adrian, Evan and Dad.

67

2011-02-12T09:07:00.000-08:00

cows and sunflower, llama, Lytle Makudo, Devine, Grandparents ohaka, Hondo old house, Garner State Park. Leakey Feed Lot. deer. armadillo and . . . buffalo.

68

2011-02-11T09:06:00.001-08:00

Austin. Peggy. Magnolia Cafe. Zilker Park. Dairy Queen.

69

2011-02-10T05:19:00.000-08:00

545am leaving home. LAX to SAT . . . i will let you know.

1pm. San Antonio. Mother waiting. Bill Miller's for lunch.
3pm. i am here at my Mother's with Beau in Somerset, Texas. Medina River Natural Area for a walk before sunset. lots and lots of stars out here in the country just outside of San Antonio. i will be here until . . .

70

2011-02-09T16:00:00.000-08:00

another beautiful day for a walk to the beach. it isn't my last but my last for a few days. if all goes well, i will be in my ふるさと(furusato) by tomorrow afternoon. here are some images from today's morning walk.

71

2011-02-08T17:00:00.000-08:00

things you see at Walgreen's (again)

72

2011-02-07T14:00:00.000-08:00

it was blooming when i left for the gym. and then gone when i returned from the gym a few hours later. who is the iris thief?

more drops then flowers this morning on the way to the bus stop

hmmm, monday afternoon . . . long workout at the gym . . . naptime by the pool. for some reason i was thinking (before i fell asleep) about a comedian who when asked about being more motivated, more successful, he said "it would really cut into my sitting around, laying by the pool time". i know that feeling.

perhaps, maybe the last two petunias still blooming from last May. i broke the stem the other day and scotch-taped (right above the rock used to hold up the stem) it together. so far, so good.

Petunia at rest. i stopped by Christine's after the gym. we had not talked much since my return a week ago so it was nice catching up today. Petunia napped thru the whole conversation.

i almost forgot these two photos (yes, there is more than two) from the conservatory gardens at the Bellagio Casino in Las Vegas a couple of weeks ago. if you remember i missed the Chinese New Year's garden last year due to helping out a co-worker and working their flight back to Philly only to have the flight cancel which caused me to miss my trip to Las Vegas. it all worked out but i didn't make it to Las Vegas before they changed the garden. anyways, this the Year of Usagi (Rabbit).

73

2011-02-06T14:00:00.000-08:00

still blooming

images from a pre-Super Bowl walk. first fog, more flowers, then sunshine and a beautiful blue sky.

today is Bob's birthday.

first time to see this flower

the Norwegian and his dog. can you guess how old those legs are?

a favorite photo from the day

the path taken

perhaps a plum blossom

tony poses under a tanpopo

maybe next year

as so the walk begins

74

2011-02-05T18:51:00.000-08:00

things you see in a Walgreen's parking lot

photos from my short morning walk before the gym.

75

2011-02-04T14:00:00.000-08:00

むらさき礼

むらさき涙