Wrapping up with a few final pics from my five-day camping trip with Anthony two months ago, the shot above is from the Ocean At 6:05 AM point of the morning walk on our first full day.

The rain on Day 5 wasn't very fun, but all in all it was a great trip, and unless the weather forecast doesn't bode well, we'll likely do it again next year.

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Anthony was really stoked on Friday afternoon when we all went shopping, and he ended up with new shoes. These had shiny leather... gleaming whites... cool blue... that all added up to shoes that he felt made him run faster. He was tickled pink.

He was excited to show them to Gen when we went to his place on Saturday, and to show them to Fumie's mom on Sunday, and, well, to anyone and everyone we met.

So today, he comes back from kindergarten, and here's what was left near the door...

You couldn't help but laugh (unless you cried, [...]

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Yesterday's post – Water Play at Gen's House – reminded me of two years ago while we were in Cupertino for the summer (before selling our house).

Anthony was three and a half years old at the time. Having a yard with hoses, there was lots of water play, especially because it was such a hot summer that year...

My favorite shots where of him playing in the lawn sprinklers that I posted at the time, but I'm so enamored with the series that I'll post a few more today...

One shot was way overexposed such that it came out [...]

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The other day when Anthony and I did some local hiking that ended up at the back entrance to the Kiyomizu Temple, we got to watch a helicopter take off from the helipad at Shogunzuka, the top of one of Kyoto's "Eastern Mountains".

Besides a helipad and hiking trails, Shogunzuka offers some nice views of Kyoto, but unless you're at the overlook, it feels like you're in the middle of nowhere...

This helipad is just a few minutes' drive from the Kyoto Westin Miyako Hotel, generally considered to be the best hotel in Kyoto. Until the government's Kyoto State Guest [...]

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Putting five-year-old Anthony down for the night, we were lying in bed and chatting, and out of the blue he says...

" When I get big, if you're not dead, I'll become a spaceship person and go up to the stars and check how much big they are, how much round, how much heavy.... "

I sort of chuckled at the "if you're not dead" part, but didn't comment. Since his great-grandmother died recently, and the ensuing funeral and such, we've had some matter-of-fact talks about death, and he seems to understand things well, and be at peace with the [...]
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