no worries

thanks to a new friend for adding this new (to me) singer to my so far life . . .

Nightminds by Missy Higgins

_________________________________3pm

where has the day gone?⌛ well, my broken Canon camera is on it's way back to Virginia (the state not a person). my un-used airline tickets to and/or from Japan are on their way back to Phoenix for a refund. my laundry and dishes have been done. ok, but not put away completely. i called Casio about my broken point-and-shoot camera but i think it is not under warranty. i went thru one box of maps and "stuff" from Japan and found where the Neko-dera (Cat Temple) is in Kyoto. and as i was organizing some cds . . . mainly looking for one specific one . . . there was suddenly a knock at the door. my oldest (longest-known) friend sent me the new Sam Baker cd "Cotton". a big thank you to her.

and as you can see the cosmos ☼ are still growing and there was another tsuyukusa bloom. two presents in one day, three if i include learning about the singer Missy Higgins. four if i count my good health. five if i count the nap i am about to take while listening to Sam. ♪

this is the original photo from yesterday taken with the old Polaroid digital using the "negative" application. it does look a little different than the one below ↓

pretty invisible world & misty friday

thru the mist i walked at the beach i stopped and with my shoes off i sat for awhile by the ocean.

pretty world (i was listening to Sam Baker this morning on my walk)

white agapanthus

Miramar Park in Torrance overlooking Redondo Beach (or is it Torrance Beach) and Santa Monica Bay/Pacific Ocean.  and in the distance, the Palos Verdes peninsula wearing a gray overcoat

mistdrops with a touch of lavender

bouganvilea tree

two fridays ago, 6000 miles away

catnapping neko

walking to Ryuan-ji (under a green sky and umbrella covered in blue tulips)

Japan has the beautiful green i like

home again again again

i took the long way home but i am here and it is a nice and sunny day.  i flew to San Francisco on my airline and then i was able to catch a flight on Southwest Airlines down to Los Angeles.  luckily their flight was a little late as my 5 and half flight to San Francisco was a little late.  i sat beside a nice couple from Houston, Texas who were returning from a wonderful Hawaiian vacation.  and on my flight to SFO, i had the whole row.  it was a short night last night due to trying to do some research on the hotel's computer on how to get home from Philadelphia.  all the flights today (sunday) to LAX, LAS, PHX, and SAN were full but the early morning flight to SFO had 60 open seats.  tonikaku, all went as planned and now i am on "vacation" again until  . . .

Tony sees Fuji-san on the flight to SFO

and speaking of long way home, "congratulations" to my little sister and her husband on running the Big Sur Marathon.  although i do not know how they did, i am sure they did well.

my condolences

upon checking up on Sam Baker this afternoon, i found about the passing of his father Ollie Lee Baker at the age of 89.  

coming home baby

not sure why i thought of this song today.  perhaps it was something on the Tom Morton Show this morning.  he has a segment on fridays in which he calls someone who has written in to his show about a song that is important to them for one reason or another.  today's wee story was about hearing Roger McGuinn's of The Byrds' 12-string guitar on the radio way back when.  it got me to thinking about songs i liked with guitars and perhaps that lead me to Zachary Breaux's Coming Home Baby.  i put a few photos together from this year (no particular rhyme or reason, until the end).  i remember the first time i heard this song.  i was driving to the Greek Theatre to buy tickets for an upcoming Basia concert when this song came on 94.7 The Wave (smooth jazz).  it was like the perfect summer driving song.

also on my walk this morning i was listening to Sam Baker's "Broken Fingers" and that might have be a tangential reason for remembering this song.

"Adventure Accomplished" . . . Austin, Peggy, Sam . . . and The Handsome Trout.

16 hours in Austin . . . sounds like a good title for an album or movie. Sam, feel free to use it.  well, two flights, one bus, a Gold and a Silver Dillo trolley car ride, a long walk in almost 100F heat (and wearing blue jeans! "i know", me in pants when i am not working...i should have but didn't find the time or location to change into my shorts)(and i forgot my Tiger's baseball hat)(and sunblock)(but i didn't forget Tony)(later you will find out another thing i forgot but this sentence is getting very long with meandering information) thru a big park (someone did not do proper research on the location of the Japanese Garden inside the Zilker Botanical Garden inside the huge Zilker Park) and a 1 minute van ride and there i was at the Mean-Eyed Cat in south Austin.  my oldest friend (longest known, not oldest in years) Peggy met me at the El Arroyo for some Mexican food around 530p.  she had to drive and sit in traffic on the MoPac (the name of an Expressway in Austin...i had to ask also) and then a short drive across the street to the Mean-Eyed Cat to see Sam Baker.  Peggy probably spent more on gas than it cost me to fly to Phoenix and then to Austin. the bus fare from the airport into the city cost... 50 cents, cash only, correct change, please.  i guess it is a good time to mention the only problem on my little adventure.  i left my nice almost new digital camera on the flight from LAX to PHX but did not realize it until AUS.  it still has not been turned in to "lost and found".  i can get over that but i really missed having it at the Mean-Eyed Cat and later at The Elephant Room.  more about that later. here is a little video that i took with my older digital camera (sound and video not as good as the one i lost) of Sam Baker and Friends.  this was the first song i heard by Sam Baker last year in Glasgow, Scotland.  and the first time i heard of Sam Baker.  by chance, i met Sam before the concert last night . . . in the men's room at the The Cat.  luckily, i had just finished taken a photo before he walked in. . . that might have been a little awkward (more awkward) trying to explain taking a photo in a restroom.  the last photo before the video starts is that photo. this little video is for remembering the concert only which means...sorry, it is not so high quality....refer back a few sentences about me losing and trying to get over leaving my nice digital camera on the airplane. here is a "live" video from Sam's webpage.

this is the video taken with my little Polaroid digital camera...yes, Polaroid does make digital cameras.  the photos were taken with the same camera.  and yes, i still have a "regular" Polaroid camera.  but no, i do not still have my old 8-tracks or 8-track tape player.

after the very enjoyable outdoor concert, 3/4 of a Stella Artois (it was good but i am not much of a drinker...except for Dr. Pepper) and after saying goodbye to Sam, Peggy dropped me off on Congress Avenue near 3rd Street around 915p. Peggy still does not know what i did after that but she does know i am home. i will write more about all that tomorrow.  Peggy was so impressed by Sam that she ordered his two cds Pretty World and Mercy when she got home last night.  and for some reason, that makes me happy.  having Peggy meet me for dinner and sharing the memory of seeing Sam Baker live made my 16 hours in Austin even more special.

Sam Baker

 signing Pretty World 

and Mercy during the break...sitting at our table in front of the stage

 Peggy and Sam on stage after the concert...what happens at The Cat stays at The Cat