Thursday, April 15, 2010

cool and rainy, busy and lazy kind of last friday

yes, i took these while driving Noriko`s Mother and Aunt to the hospital (nothing serious, i hope). another cool and rainy day. already the Helper-san has come and gone as did the friday visiting O-isha-san and Kangoshi-san (doctor and nurse). still to come is the O-furo-san (bath helper) and another Helper-san.

i have never tried riding with an umbrella but it is fairly common here


riding past one of my landmarks, B-Flat Okonomiyaki-ya-san


i know from personal experience that those grates are slippery. if you remember the story from a few years ago while riding to Shikoku via Akashi to Awaji by ferry and then back to Akashi (because i found out i could not ride my bicycle on the bridge from Awaji to Shikoku at Naruto) and then back to Kobe to catch the ferry at midnite to Tokushima in Shikoku, i fell turning a corner in the rain near Mosiac. you can`t tell exactly what happened in this photo but it happened right in front of me. actually a bicylce crossed in front of me and in front of this red scooter as he was turning left in front of another scooter. no one was hurt . . . just wet.


that is how i would have to carry an umbrella while riding. i think i still prefer just getting wet.
a few more from yesterday with the Yamabushi-san
any guesses as to what he is doing?

a good day








it is a good day when you get to walk on the takimichi (trail to the waterfall), meet Takechi-san and his dogs and meet another Shiba-wanchan (puppy), get to see Yamabushi-san and have takoyaki. and by the way, the mountain is now officially open.


Takechi-san, Danny, Look (or was it Luke) and Popo . . . and Tony












Wednesday, April 14, 2010

along the way



i didn`t make it all the way to the waterfall but i had a nice 5 hour walk. i did make it the waterfall trail as well as up and down a few side streets here in Minoo. around 5pm, i met Noriko around the ekimae (front of the train station). she had a few more errands to run and then we drove to Japan for my gogo tea. on the way home we stopped by Makudo (McDonald`s) for a McFlurry. Noriko used the coupon that came directly to her keitai (cell phone). it was delicious and we saved the last few spoonfuls for Noriko`s Mother who was waiting for our return home. dinner was delicious as usual but not so usual was the entree... pasta. oh, i will return to the ekimae and waterfall trail tomorrow for something very interesting. i hope to make it to the waterfall which may be my last time before returning home (my Los Angeles home).



































Tuesday, April 13, 2010

more of this and that, some of that, and finally more music


and which room of this house is this new ikebana?


today and tomorrow


the day after a day of rain




and you thought i had forgotten about one of my favorites, the tanpopo (with hanabira, fallen cherry blossom petals)




hananeko


Top Batter


Kanno Sakura


he likes pink (not that there is anything wrong with that)


my kind of girl . . . taking a photo with a camera and a keitai (cell phone) at the same time while listening to live music.


Wakayama Love Song


for Tamami-san`s husband


#20