Other than tying my shoes and a necktie, I don't often come across a situation where I need to tie a knot, but when I do, I usually feel stupid trying to come up with something appropriate. The one exception is when I want to cinch something tight (a clothesline, a tent guy string) and keep it tight, because I happen to know how to tie the-most excellent tautline hitch.

But mostly I feel stupid when it comes to knots, and I'd like to not pass that on to nine-year-old Anthony, so I'd like to teach him (and myself) a [...]
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I got a call today that the nearby Eikando Temple was bathed in some gorgeous late-afternoon peeking-through-some-storm-clouds sun, so I thought I'd go and take a look. It's always absolutely amazing during the fall-foliage season, even in the rain, so I knew I couldn't lose, but it became all the better when Anthony said he wanted to join me. Normally he couldn't care less about anything like that, but for some reason wanted to try taking pretty pictures.

So, I grabbed my Nikon D700 for me and a point-n-shoot compact for him, and we rode our bikes over.

He took [...]

As I mentioned the other day, we paid a visit to 大久野島 (Okunoshima), also known as "Bunny Island" because it's populated by "wild" rabbits that have no hesitation to appear in great numbers at the slightest suggestion of food.

You can get a cup of bunny-food pellets for 100 yen (US$1.25), and even borrow gloves if you want (though they're not really needed). You can also rent bicycles and enjoy rides on paths all around. The island is small -- a bit more than half a square mile -- but mountainous, and bunnies are pretty much everywhere, though less in [...]

Thanks to all who responded to my request the other day on something to do near Rt77 between Cleveland and Charlotte. I followed up on one of the suggestions and ended up stopping by Cantrell Ultimate Rafting in Hinton, West Virgina, for a two-man "duckie" (inflatable canoe) trip...

Then we headed a bit south to the Pipestem Resort State Park for the evening...

We'll continue on tomorrow to visit my brother Alan and his family (Aunt Natalie and Titi)....

So the other day I cooked dinner, a stir-fry with various separate ingredients that I intended to bind together by simmering in tomato sauce. However, I hadn't paid enough attention to what I had on hand, and the can of tomato sauce turned out to be a can of cut tomatoes in water. The result was a fairly bland soppy mess.

Each ingredient (wieners, broccoli, bacon, tofu, eringi mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, the tomatoes, etc.) tasted okay on its own, but it felt disconnected and haphazard, and overall was a disappointment. As we ate I explained to 8½-year-old Anthony what my [...]
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