fog, sun, moon, sunset and a nap

gym. walk. garden. lunch. nap (finally). walk. moonrise. sunset. bed.

7:15am heading north on Hawthorne Blvd.

rotemboro?

24

no, not the tv show which incidentally i've never seen one episode of (oh, recently i heard that you could end a sentence with a preposition). twenty-four is the number of hours left until i start my next little adventure.  so, i am out of "tomorrows" until i am home again as far as getting organized, going back to the gym, practicing my sanshin, and a few other things i have put off doing.  now it is time to bus/walk a few errands.  more later.

later is now.  here are a some images from today's walk. 

this shoe was made for gawking

not as cold as it looks but it sure doesn't look like summer

omoshiroi, ne

coincidence, i had a fried egg sandwich today for lunch

coincidence, 8 x 3 = 24

88 (this flower is actually called Matilija poppy)

  s'imaginer                         imagine                               想像する

alone but not lonely

Tony in the ajisai (hydrangea) 

doctor, my eyes

finally i will go see the doctor today about my right foot (sounds like a movie sequel). i will walk to the doctor's office and hopefully find out what the problem is.  i am sure it is nothing too serious and since it looks like a seriously beautiful day, i will try to walk to the beach again.  here is some local color.

 

   purple blooms

so a funny thing happened on my walk home from the doctor's office . . . i found a trail with waterfalls.  

______________________________________________________________

too nice of a day to rest my foot so i walked to the beach and stayed thru sunset.

more local color

my Georgia O'Keeffe

Torrance Beach cliffs x two

fishing not phishing

i get easily sidetracked

the sun is on it's way to Japan

see ya tomorrow

waiting for the "walk" sign

PCH at night

'til it's gone

on the television, the weatherman said to be prepared for a "winter storm" this weekend.  it is cooler and grayer.  and it is wee bit windy and misty, but it is a beautiful morning.  more on the reason for today's blog title later. maybe. "thank God for the kind of happiness you can't explain."  if i had posted a blog yesterday, it might have also been called 'til it's gone or possibly "again".  more on that later too.

 

 again

i did talk with my little sister again (different "again") yesterday afternoon just after returning from my walk to the beach...i mean my walk to Del Amo Shopping Mall and back. i think her and her husband are off to chop down a Christmas tree this weekend. i did buy a couple of gifts for the end-of-the-year-gift-giving season which coincidently coincides with Christmas.  and although Christmas isn't like it used to be for me due to iroiro, i still enjoy this time of year.  in fact i would say i enjoy winter almost as much as . . . spring, summer and fall.  i guess living in southern California for almost 20 years where the difference in clothing for me is in summer i wear shorts, t-shirt and flip flops.  in winter, i wear shorts, t-shirt and flip flops but i may also put on a sweatshirt over my t-shirt if it is really reallycold.

well, that gray sky to the east is now blue so i will go for a little walk to the beach

before the big winter storm hits.  and i need to buy some hot chocolate for when the big winter storm arrives.  the wind seems to have just picked up so i will put on my Canada (Roots) sweatshirt and try and brave the winter storm.

just got back from my walk to the beach.  walk along the beach.  many photos of this and that.  i did not plan to be gone for over 5 hours but . . . that is my life.

and speaking of my life, the title of today's blog has a third meaning.  and it too has a happy ending.  i do not know who he or she was but "thank you".  i am such a lucky person.  and coincidently there was a story about a similar "good deed" on today's Vinyl Cafe this morning which i had just listened to again while walking at the beach. more on all that later.  time for a late lunch/early dinner.  oh, it is already 615pm.  time for dinner.

Winter Storm casaulty #1

Winter Storm casualty #2

yes, he is connected to something . . . a big kite.  there were about 20 kiteboarders out surfing these "winter storm" waves.

now you can see the surfer and his kite

same day, same time, same place as the photos above but looking south instead of north

looks like a nice day for a swim . . . but it was cold because of the strong wind coming from the ocean.  big churning waves.  good for the kiteboarders.  very few people out walking on the beach.

i try to leave and they pull me back in.  the "they" is something interesting to take a photo of.  as i was leaving the beach, i saw these interesting lines in the sand.  it was while taking photos and videos of the these sand lines that i . . . dropped my camera.  it was very windy and i am really not sure how i dropped it but it fell lens first into the sand.  let's just say, it doesn't work the same as before dropping it.  this is the same camera that was submerged underwater while taking photos of the waves but kept working.  i may be looking for a new one tomorrow or for sure on monday before leaving for Philadelphia on tuesday afternoon.

snow globe with sunlight

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

weekend update/blister update

things you see on a walk to the beach

extra security

autumn on my  sunday walk

Hawaii on my sunday walk

the Old Man goes to the Sea

Condor II and Surfer Boy

second bloom
to be honest, when is it not my weekend.  and my 5 mile walk this morning up and over the hill, to the beach, up and down the aisles of Ralph's and back home again in time for sunday morning football could have been better if i could figure out how to get rid of the blister on my heel.  it has been two weeks since that long 12 mile walk where i think the blister made it's appearance.  oh well.  it was a good walk. time for breakfast and some football.  

as for saturday, i enjoyed the Arthur Awards on the Vinyl Cafe. this is why one person won an Arthur.  walked down the street to watch Taylor play soccer. borrowed Steve's car to run a few errands. that was a treat to drive a car even if i only drove no more than 15 miles.  i did pick up some new storage containers...the kind you need to put together yourself.  i will do that during today's games.  i also drove to Mitsuwa Market for some tofu and takoyaki.  and checked on any special fares to Japan.  none.

what else?  i bought some new headphones for my iPod.  they are by JVC and called . . . marshmallows.  they fit snugly in your ear and keep out outside noises.

i dropped Steve's car back at his home with a "thank you" card.  and walked home in time to watch a very exciting Game 2.  i think that was my saturday.  and i finally received episodes 11 (poor Stringer Bell) and 12 of season 3 of The Wire from Netflix.  i think someone else in my apartment complex received it by mistake, watched it, and then returned it.  i was able to check my Netflix account online.  according to them, they sent it, i received it and then i returned it earlier this week. not so. i will watch it during and after the games.

here is a photo from Taylor's game.

"be the ball" (Taylor is the one concentrating on the ball).