Photoquest 2/19/06

On my way home from work I pass this old abandonded (I think) train. Every time I pass it I think of how I'd enjoy taking some photos of it. Not sure why, as there are plenty of photos of trains. But I wondered what I could do with the colors. Well, I found out what I could do - not much. It's a rusting peice of metal. Nothing really interesting about it. No bold colors. No cool view points. But the sky was very blue, and I was already there, so...














It did give me some opportunities to learn about what doesn't work... like the blown-out (too bright) sky in the picture below.














I know I could spice up that picture with Photoshop. Enhance the colors. Sharpen the contrast. But I'm really interested in photographing things for what they are.















Just like yesterday, I was getting cold. I decided to head home... with one stop. I have always seen this bridge over 94 that seems to have been forgotten. Both ends dead end at either a steel or concrete wall. It has this time warp look, like a transition point between two worlds. I had to find it.

It took some investigating to find - trying to determining where I was at with respect to the bridge. But here it is. A symbol of what progress can mean. Obsolescence.

It's cold 2/18/06

So today I decided to take a walk from our house to the river with my camera. It was -15 C outside... so I didn't have any intention of being gone long. Just looking for some cool sights. The first one I saw was our neighbor's tree "decorated" with toilet paper. Not an unusual sight. Most likely it was directed at a teenage child in the house by some of their friends. Either a playful or mean gesture. Obviously, it's difficult to discern from the end result whether the "t-p'ers" intention's were positive or not. Nevertheless, what impressed me is that this was likely done last night when it was -25 C outside. Very determined artists.



















I had hoped to take some shots of steam coming up from the river, as I had seen yesterday. The steam makes the mississippi look like a giant flowing hot spring. Almost inviting. I guess I hadn't counted on the river actually freezing over. I should have taken the shots yesterday.

However, I did hike along this trail on a bluff above the river.



















I passed a few determined joggers, who stepped lightly over the occasional ice. In general the air was very crisp. It felt great to breath it, but it seemed to sting my lungs if I breathed too hard. I learned this while climbing around trying to find a good picture. We learned it again when we went for a walk and the Gnocchi got free of his leash. Three blocks of chasing the dog left Hiroe and I coughing a bit from the frigid air.

Lastly I saw this ice creation and thought, "Hmmm, something you'll never see in Phoenix."

Valentine's Day 2/14/06

Valentines day was a lovely day at our house. Me, I had purchased a 1 meter wide and tall baloon for H. When I left the store with the balloon, it hit some guy in the head. He laughed. I think. I also gave flowers and chocolate... and two new tea cups.




















Hiroe made me EXTREMELY delicious bailey's truffles. And bought fantastic flowers that make me really want spring. And a lovely chain of hearts.

































A very nice day. :-)

Motorcycle show 2/5/06

On Sunday we met some friends for breakfast then went to the motorcysle show at the convention center. It was a nice morning as we were able to see some new bikes, and check out some old ones too. They had a Ural there - a russian motorcycle with a side car. They still make them and one model comes with a spot to mount your machine gun. There were modified bikes there that were pretty funny and not practical at all. But for Hiroe, she was happy on a Honda. I think she's narrowed it down to two models. Me, I'd be happy with a Yamaha Vmax. But they tell me I'm not enough of a bad boy for that bike. Maybe I need a tattoo first.

MOA entertainment and surprises 2/4/06

A winter pass time that we enjoy is walking at Mall of America. It's desirable for many reasons, most importantly because it is warm in there. But once in a while you find some entertainment. Like this couple. Neither of them seemed happy about having to sit there. Maybe posing for a drawing is an obligation early in the relationship. Maybe one or the other plans on ending the relationship soon. Regardless, the funny part was that the artist had drawn smiles on their faces. Hiroe enjoyed the scene because the boy and the girl looked identical, except one had long hair and one did not.

I guess you had to be there.
















Another reason to walk the mall is that you occasionally find a gem at a bargain price. Like these Lindt's chocolate Santas. 87 cents each. So far we've bought 11. The salesperson suggested cutting the heads off and filling them with Kahlua. We like him. He gives free samples. No, not with Kahlua.

By the way, Soba is in the picture too. :-)

Setsubun 2-3-06

We celebrated Setsubun for the second time in our house. It must work pretty well as there was much good fortune this year and no scary things.

The celebration includes eating a sushi roll whole. Quite enjoyable. I wish this was a weekly celebration.

Sushi 1/12/06

My friend Victor and I went out for sushi at Fuji Ya. As some AMericans do, we asked for a roll. Something with tuna, unagi, suzuki, and salmon roe. Something creative. Something crunchy. Something spicy.

With that, we let him work. And this was his creation. The flower was edible.



















Sadly, it wasn't very good.

Soba & Gnocchi 1/9/06

Two days later and they're still good friends...

By this time, the name Gnocchi had stuck. It's a pasta theme. Not that were pasta freaks or anything. We just needed a two-syllable (more or less) name that didn't sound stupid. Soba (noodles) was what we had to compliment. Pronouncing Gnocchi has proven difficult for some. Most say "Noki." Others try to pronounce his name correctly from the start but can't get past the first few letters. "Na, Nu, Gna, Gnu,..." We just finish the name for them. That's o.k. Mary, Soba's instructor still calls Soba "Sobie."

Gnocchi! 1/7/06

For a while we've been thinking about a friend for Soba. As a she is a very active dog - she's bored a lot of the time since we're so busy. Soba's obedience instructor Mary has been trying to interest us in one of her American Eskimo puppies as a playmate. Soba first met the puppies when they were too young and small. Since then, they seemed like they might be a better match for Soba.

So on Saturday night, Mary stopped by with "Monkey." She let him play alone in our backyard, then we let out Soba. They played and played. So far so good.



















They appeared to share things nicely... no arguments.




















So we decided to try it for a few days. Mary went home. Monkey was sukoshi sad.