thuRsd'ay and l'aRt d' etRe heuReux

something about this simple moment in the summer sunshine made me feel gelukkig, heureux, しあわせ。

i think it is thursday. still reLAXing after yesterday's long day. more later or tomorrow which i think is friday. there is a concert on the Santa Monica Pier tonite i but don't think i feel like taking the two buses it will take to get there. hopefully tomorrow i will find the motivation to go to the Friday Night Jazz at LACMA (3 buses each way).

little by little i will be adding some more photos from my recent travels. this one is from a couple of days ago in Holland.

your caption goes here -> ____________________

Scheveningen Beach, The Netherlands

tony and i got soaking wet from a summer rainstorm while riding this bike.

actually we got rained on in the rose garden which is on the other side of this pond in Westbroekpark.

after the rain

view from the crew bus on the way to the hotel in Den Haag

self-portrait of Holland Hollyhock

meanwhile back in Oslo . . .

not sure if this is pro-dog or anti-dog

Norway? no way, yes way.

Oslo Opera House. "they" say from this side it looks like an iceberg.

tony in Oslo. New York has its South Street Seaport, San Francisco has its Fisherman's Wharf and Oslo has Aker Brygge. (i think i read that on the Visit Olso website).

Osloan street jazz

from the North Sea to the South Bay

home again. from Amsterdam to Philadelphia to Los Angeles to Torrance to the living room floor. more later with photos from Oslo and Den Haag. and maybe a little hotaru video from Chester. thanks to Gina for the nice surprise which i am just about to. . . open.

tuesday on the beach at Scheveningen, Den Haag, Holland

North Sea boy

i didn't take many photos in Oslo with my "new" camera but this is one of my favorites from last saturday.

Norwegian cat

Oslo, i say Os-no

just got in from my first trip to Norway or shall i say to the Norwegian city of Oslo. don't think i will be in any hurry to go back. more later on that. i think i am setting my expectations too high for the cities in Europe. and we all know about expectations: expectations cause problems. tomorrow i will be flying to Amsterdam and then hopefully home on wednesday evening.

chchchchanges

change of plans. change of weather. change of destination. on my way back east today. more when i get to Chchchchester.

Lisboa y moa and lessa

the above photos are from sunday July 5th in Lisbon, Portugal.

9pm__________________________________________________________

i didn't wander too far from home today but i did find some signs of late spring and early autumn on this beautiful summer day . . .

th e mus ic i sb y Moby

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.

back to today___________________________________

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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. . .