Saturday, August 19, 2006

Summer bike rides



While I was riding out to Ajigasawa on Tuesday I saw this small field of yellow flowers planted behind a convenience store along the road. I stopped for some water and a couple of shots.

Grief is a unusual thing. Until the flowers I'd had my mind focused on the heat and the mountain in the background. But I couldn't help but think how my dad would've appreciated those flowers, so I stood there for a while and gave them a double dose of appreciation. One for him and one for me.

I've been enjoying this summer a lot, but at the same time hating it. There have been lots of sunny days when I've gone out to the beach and done stuff, but also days when I've had nothing to do but sit in my wretchedly humid apartment waiting to go to work. I can't sleep past 8 o'clock in the morning due to the humidity, even with a fan perched right over me. And I'm not very good with air conditioning either, so the office doesn't exactly give me much respite. Not to worry, September'll be here quick enough and I know some good places where I can overdose on cool fresh air.

Tuesday, August 08, 2006

Starting to look the number?



I turned thirty last week, but I don't think I look it yet. Regardless of what people say, my hip's been giving me trouble and I don't have the energy I used to have.

Here are some shots from the last couple of months:



Banchou on his way to the sofa.



Cris on his way to the floor.



Steady hands.



One of the Aomori climbers who must've turned up way before we all did.



Hikaru, the ever-playful, doing what he does best.

The above shots were from a climber's drink-up in the woods we had a few weeks back. A log cabin set-up. It was nice.

A couple more shots of fungus on the mountain trail. The claw marks were what got me interested.