morning tennis, afternoon nap, sunset walk

Steve and i played tennis again today.  and will hopefully play again tomorrow morning around  7:30am.  tennis was fun and no falls for me this time.  it was the first time to see Steve again since the last time we played tennis back in early february or was it january.  he went from no work (other than being a stay-at-home dad)(which was full-time) to two jobs now... manager of a Starbucks and children's tennis coach.  maybe i should get a job, oh yeah, i have one and will return in mid-april.

here is one of my neighbor's cat.  i think her name is something like. . .

 Mystique Blue (thru the window)

this is where i first saw her

my first pair of Crocs and Tony(2)  too

did i mention i had some takoyaki the other night?  soon i will have the real thing... Takozo, Takozo, Takozo!!!  this isn't the Takozo that i usually go to but maybe i will try to find it.  the one i go to is at Senri-chuo.  this is an interesting takoyakiya-san.  he sang for Tony and i.  i will try to find the photos and video i took of him singing . . . 

 you can see Tony was younger then and still had his whiskers.  and if you listen closely the first word the takoyakiya-san sings is . . . "tonikaku".  Tony's full name is Tony Kaku :  )

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after a little nap, i walked to the beach mainly to try out my new camera.  i made it in time for sunset but there wasn't enough clouds to soak up and reflect the colors.  i did get to try some night photos...

poppies with a touch of sunlight

trying out the old zoom lens on the new camera

downtown Redondo Beach just after sunset

twinkle twinkle きらきら

waiting for the bus

still waiting 

still 

late night coin laundry

welcome to the Driftwood

thoughts as 1:07pm became 1:53pm, as 1987 becomes 2008

this could have been me almost 20 year ago (but no Tony back then)

as i was laying on the beach, early afternoon, mid-week, i thought this is the same thing i was doing 19 year and half years ago when i first moved to the South Bay. Steve and i moved from Pittsburgh to Redondo Beach in late March, 1989.  his life is a little different nowadays (understated for effect) which is why he wasn't on the beach with me (and Tony) this afternoon. my life is almost the same as it was almost 20 years ago. and as i was thinking upon that i realized that we started training in Pittsburgh on the 18th of October (i think), so we actually met on the 17th.  i thought i had the hotel room to myself until Steve knocked on the door and said he was to be my roommate for the duration of training.  little did we know we would live together for the next 6 years and still be friends over 21 years later.  and it was on the 18th where we met our classmates Mike and Jimmy.  Mike (previous blog entries) is still in my life.  his life has greatly changed also. Jimmy is still in Mike's life. so one could say Jimmy is still on the outer edges of my life.  those are a few of my thoughts while trying not to get too much sun on this mid-October summer-like thursday afternoon.  it felt good to fall asleep in the sun listening to the ocean after a short three and half mile walk to get to this part, my favorite part of the beach.  i did "play" in the water enough to get my shorts wet (and my camera wet) (another story for another day).

 

about a size 10 and a half and one sand dollar.  correct change, please.

i thought my footprints reminded me of something.

a two umbrella day for her

that's what i'm talking about

Mike and Steve.  i think the first time the three of us played tennis was about 21 years ago.

temperature around 90F.  blue sky.  no clouds. 

Mike's last PHL-based trip.  Steve's first day of his New Year.

it was a summer's day for the last day of September.  and i am tired.  but, it was a very fun day spending most of the day with Mike after playing tennis with Steve and Mike.  but, i am tired.  it is almost 10pm and i need to find my small fan (senpuki).  the temperature is 82F/28C at almost 10pm.  

more tomorrow.

maybe Jonathan

a wonderful day, a wonderful place for reflection

                                                           

on the beach. (Mia and Chris Rea).