STAY this beautiful day and more images from my recent wanderings

Stay, the newest single from Kobukuro. sending がんばって wishes to my Family in Japan.

during my little morning walk this morning i was treated to a sunflower and a blue blue sky and then i treated myself to some hotcakes from Makudo (no more after my leave-of-absence starts). still taking it easy after returning home yesterday. my big plans for today . . . walk to the beach, swim in the ocean, lay on the sand, stop by Trader Joe's, listen to music taped in Lisbon and Dublin, watch the Men's FInal from Wimbledon (yes, i know who won... thanks, Gina but i do not know how he won) and a new Netflix dvd (not sure what it is yet). and then possibly lesser important things like laundry, bills, unpacking suitcase, preparing for my next trip and so on and so off.

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big band jazz in St. Stephen's Green park on a slightly rainy sunday

more sunday jazz at the Purty Kitchen in the Temple Bar area of Dublin. traditional and excellent.

Gina and tony. cheese burger and a pint for 10 euro. how many delicious things can you count in this photo?

don't try this at home . . . and probably not advised on the streets of Dublin either

Gandhi 像 or it is 増 ("zou" as in statue not "zou" as in elephant) in San Francisco last last friday near the Ferry Building. i still remember the line from the movie about Gandhi when asked by a reporter "do you have a message for your people?" . . . "my Life is my message". don't quote me on that yet. i still need to do some fact-checking when i return from the beach.

the number 28 trolley in Lisbon (two sundays ago). i rode it to the Botanical Jardin.

a view of a park, Central Park, that is. now multiply this view by a thousand.

hanging hana (flowers) just off Grafton Street in Dublin on sunday (the one yesterday).

that incredible one-legged cellist somewhere in Rome? no, Central Park in Manhattan last tuesday. actually he did have both legs but if he only had one, he would be the one to ask directions from . . . thanks Dave Attell.

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this is what was waiting for me after my 30 minute walk. a car commercial was being filmed in front of the Life Guard station on the right.

and this is where tony and i took a break before going for a swim

tadaima again

LAX-PHL-SFO-PHL-LIS-PHL-LGA-PHL-DUB-PHL-DUB-PHL-LAX and home again.

here are a few highlights from while i was away. . .

can Paul David Hewson come out and play (music)?

just got in to the Days Inn again but this time from Dublin. tomorrow i will be flying back to Dublin again. if i weren't going to Ireland, i may be on a plane to San Antonio for my high school's 30th reunion . . . you do the math. maybe i will make it to the 40th. yesterday i enjoyed an Irish Dixieland jazz band at Saint Stephens Green in Dublin at their lunch in the park series. and then a nice LA-commuting co-worker and i had a fun little adventure to Dalkey by train and then by foot to the home of Bono. more later when i get home which should still be next monday or tuesday.

thanks John, for the reunion photos.

Howth and the Hilltop of Heavenly Heather

it's a rainy saturday morning here in Dublin but i will go for a little walk to St. Stephen's Green to try and take a colorful umbrella photo or two and to check on the cygnets.
now yesterday that was a brilliant day. i took the DART train from Dublin's Pearce station to Howth which is a "charming little fishing village" to the north of Dublin. it was nice but the highlight for me (besides the fish and chips) (and the seals)(and the houses with the colorful gardens) was the hilltop full of purple and yellow flowers. i think one of the purple flowers was heather. more with photos when i return to LA. more on how i almost could not get down from the hilltop full of heather. more on the walk with the "dangerous cliffs" also when i have more time. i may be in LA tomorrow (sunday) or on my way back to Scotland.

Photos from friday in Ireland:

Howth railway station and The Bloody Scream restuarant

Howth harbour

Howth Harbour Seals

Harvest Reaper

Tony in the village of Howth

the ruins of St. Mary's church (14th-15th century)

the good die young

and the young like ice cream

looking for the path up the hill

Howth horse

Howth house

hidden path to . . .

that purple hill in Howth

Irish Ferry on it's way to Dublin

a flower's view of a hillside of flowers

if it looks like a golf course . . .

and this is where my real adventure began