mission semi-accomplished

finally i caught the 715am bus to the gym. it took me a week to get back on schedule. it was 7c/44f when i left my apartment this morning. kind of cool as i was wearing shorts along with my Canada sweatshirt. after a few hours at the gym, i walked to Fedex to check on sending a package with my airline discount. and then a short walk to catch the #3 bus to Mitsuwa Marketplace. no Fugestudo "year of the Tiger" Gaufre tins but i did get some omiso, otofu, furikake, and a special treat a 16 ounce Gogo tea (kind of like sweet lemon tea). i passed on the melon pan which was labeled a Japanese favorite (and a kevin's favorite too). and unfortunately no tora no nengajo (new year's post card with a tiger on them). yes, i too am wondering why i didn't buy them in . . . Japan. two buses and a short walk and i was back home.

waiting for the bus under a big banana tree (plant?). can you see the moon?

sansazanka. ok, it is really 3 Camillia sasanqua or sazanka in Japanese. also known as a christmas camellia. although it looks similar to the beautiful tsubaki (camellia), it is a sasanka.

i learned a good way to tell one from the other is to look on the ground below the flower. sasanka lose their leaves one at a time while the tsubaki loses the whole flower at the same time. does that make sense? check it out if you have one in your neighborhood. this sasanka is near the entry way in my apartment complex and indeed there are single petals lying on the ground. we have tsubaki too and i will check those out tomorrow.

christmas tree shadow in the gym parking lot.

but where are the chocolate chips?

a Kobe Fugestudo gift set for only $48 (plus tax) . . . only 4128 yen (plus tax)

Hinamatsuri Day Walk

seems like only a year ago . . .

this kind blogger who lives in Kyoto took the time to explain the meaning Hinamatsuri Day. more about my walk later.  time for tonkatsu obento which i bought at Mitsuwa Market.  and the i will try my "hishi yokan" for dessert.  i also bought a special Hinamatsuri tin of my favorite Fugetsudo Gaufre from Kobe.  i will save that for a late night snack.

Fugetsudo Gaufre Hello Kitty 

today's walk was about 7 miles.  first i stopped by Best Buy to check on their digital SLR cameras.  and then a few miles later i was at the Torrance farmer's market. there was some steel drummer's drums set up near the food court area but no steel drum drummer.  i had a fish taco for lunch.  not bad, not great. from there i walked to Old Torrance and then finally arrived at Mitsuwa Market.  i checked on my EVA flight to KIX and on the cost of a Japan Rail Pass.  unfortunately the yen rate is about 95 yen to the dollar.  not good but しがたがない。 i found the Hinamatsuri display and took a few photos before buying some groceries in the market.  i checked at the video/dvd store for Okuribito but it will not be arriving for about 2 weeks.  hopefully i can see it in Osaka.  here are some photos from my walk.  the sun was shining but it was a little cool in the shade.

Oshogatsu, Ne'er Day and the first sunrise of 2009

well, so much for actually seeing the first sunrise.  here is the view from my window when the morning sun should have been shining in 

 初日が見えへん

 walking down my street towards the ocean

 south bay snowflake

 first walk self-portrait

 modern sea art  (you either get it or you don't)

 similar weather to yesterday but about 40 miles difference

 first surfer and that color green i like

 exactly!  who is driving?

 i didn't get to see the Shishimai Lion dance.  maybe tomorrow as they will have a repeat  performance.  but, i did get to see my first concert event of the new year . . .

 koto at Mitsuwa Market's New Year's Festival

 書道の先生 shodo sensei (teacher).  she was very kind and gave me two of her calligraphy. and also drew (wrote) a special one by request.

mission(s) accomplished . . . long walk, ticket bought, live music, sunshine, dolphins, squirrels and one lady bug

morning sunshine

EVA Air will be taking me to Osaka on sunday arriving there monday afternoon.  thanks to Kyoko-san at the JTB office in Mitsuwa Market place for the good discount (not as good as my normal airline discount but shikata ga nai).  before buying my ticket i passed thru the Torrance farmer's market and heard some interesting music.  before that i watched a family of squirrels

playing in and on some trees along my walk . . . what an exciting life i lead.  before that i watched a lady bug crawl around on my hand.  to be honest, i wasn't sure what to do about it. of course, i wanted to carry it with me but i thought (and the thought did pass thru my head) what if it can't find it's way back home.  so, i stopped walking and let it make it's own decision.  it stayed awhile and then flew away. and i walked on

.

live from the Torrance farmer's market

i c e  c r e a m 

and what do you think this means?

Anna Laube live at the Manhattan Beach farmer's market

voice like an angel singing "i found love"

Anna can also be found on Woodsongs.

(podcast #483)

time to walk/bathe the dog

Manhattan Beach pier

ManCatan Beach

autumn/seaside reflections

peace be with you

cosmos at the beach

spiders in Hermosa Beach

sunset in Redondo Beach

15 minutes into and 4 hours later

somewhere on my way to the Torrance farmer's market i lost another Hello Kitty towel.  i noticed it somewhere in the first mile but didn't have time to retrace my steps and couldn't be completely sure if i had indeed brought two towels.  one i hold in my left hand along with my camera.  the other is for wiping sweat off my brow.  but never mind about that.  i wanted to get to the farmer's market before it closed in case Anna, the singer from tuesday, was there.  she wasn't but there was an interesting harp player.  i bought a few plums and persimmons at the market and headed for Mitsuwa Market to check on a flight to Osaka.  EVA Airlines has a good deal if you leave before the 6th of november and return before the 7th of december.  i made a reservation with Kyoko at the JTB (Japan Travel Bureau) office inside the Mitsuwa marketplace. i did a little grocery shopping before heading to the Teriyaki Inn for some chicken teriyaki to go. i thought i had it timed perfect with the bus but i was wrong and/or the bus was late.  and being late caused me to miss my connecting bus by 30 seconds.  so, i decided just to walk home.  about 15 minutes from home (4 hours after having lost the towel), i happen to look across Hawthorne Boulevard ( major street) and i think i see something . . . i took this photo in between hundreds of cars racing in both directions.  you don't want to know how i crossed the street.

can you see it?

my lost Hello Kitty towel (from Saitama.  Hello Kitty is standing on a soccer ball so this was probably for the World Cup in 2002 held at Saitama Stadium).

images from saturday morning thru my walk to Mitsuwa Market

almost the same colors as the next photo

perhaps driven by an Irishman?

and what are these?

live from the Torrance farmer's market

not that there is anything wrong with this  . . . puppy in the pouch of one guy while his longtime companion talks to the harpist

make your own caption

and you thought we didn't have our own Horseshoe Pitching Club in Torrance

i am still checking online to see if this hearse was for real

Kevin, Keith, Kirk, Ken ?

you would not believe who the guy in the blue t-shirt is.  (in case you can't see the arrows). i have seen him regularly on the 232 bus which runs up and down PCH from LAX to Long Beach.  about a week ago another passenger told me to look his name up online.  unbelievable.