Nikon D200 + Nikkor 17-55mm f/2.8 @ 40 mm — 1/40 sec, f/2.8, ISO 800 — full exif
Heading Out
( Out of focus again, sorry. I was rushing to catch him before he left )
Very Full Flight
We're heading to Ohio to visit my folks for the summer, just like we did last year. Fumie headed to the airport yesterday with Anthony, and stayed at the on-site hotel, allowing me to pack and such at home. I'm heading out to the airport now.
The flight is full. There were only a few seats left the other day, and looking yesterday, it seems they've all gone. Ugh.
We normally take Untied Airlines, but the Kansai - San Francisco - Chicago - Cleveland route is really unfun – too many segments – so this time I'm trying Kansai - Detroit - Cleveland on Northwest. This itinerary shaves something like five hours off the travel time.
The last time I flew Northwest, in 1990, my luggage got mistakenly put onto a later flight, one that – also mistakenly – crashed, killing seven passengers and one crew member.
Hopefully, this time is, uh, less eventful.
As I wrote in my story about my visit to a Japanese High School, part of the visit was a group discussion with students about a wide variety of issues, including what they want to become later in life. The girls that hoped to raise a family said so somewhat sheepishly, as if being a mother wasn't “real” work.
I corrected them, pointing out that motherhood is an unsung, unappreciated, demanding job that society gives little credit for, but should. After Anthony was born, I called my mom and said “thanks, and sorry”, because you really don't get it until you have kids of your own.
Nevertheless, I encouraged all of them to try to understand how much work their parents do for them, and perhaps actually express thanks for that sometime.
Fast-forward to this week. Ninomiya-sensei (my host for the visit) passed along papers that the students wrote about their impressions from our discussions. Kindly (and well beyond my own writing abilities), they wrote everything in two languages.
Here's an excerpt from one student's paper....
Nikon D200 + Nikkor 17-55mm f/2.8 @ 28 mm — 1/160 sec, f/4, ISO 400 — full exif
Fruits of the Harvest
Today was harvest day, time to reap the crop of cherry tomatoes Anthony has been “tending” (by which I mean, letting us tend) for the last few weeks.
Nikon D200 + Nikkor 17-55mm f/2.8 @ 55 mm — 1/160 sec, f/4, ISO 400 — full exif
The Crop
two are ready for harvest
Nikon D200 + Nikkor 17-55mm f/2.8 @ 18 mm — 1/40 sec, f/4, ISO 400 — full exif
Deciding Who Picks First
Japanese style, with rock-paper-scissors
Nikon D200 + Nikkor 17-55mm f/2.8 @ 40 mm — 1/60 sec, f/2.8, ISO 400 — full exif
Careful Inspection
( one can't be too careful with produce these days )
Nikon D200 + Nikkor 17-55mm f/2.8 @ 55 mm — 1/90 sec, f/2.8, ISO 400 — full exif
First Delicious Taste!
Nikon D200 + Nikkor 17-55mm f/2.8 @ 55 mm — 1/60 sec, f/2.8, ISO 400 — full exif
NOT!
( it turns out to be horribly sour )
Nikon D200 + Nikkor 17-55mm f/2.8 @ 55 mm — 1/100 sec, f/2.8, ISO 400 — full exif
Answer to “How Is It?”
Nikon D200 + Nikkor 17-55mm f/2.8 @ 40 mm — 1/200 sec, f/4, ISO 320 — map & image data — nearby photos
Water Play
in the river near the Yase Hiezanguchi station of the Eizan Railway in north-east Kyoto.
Last week, Nils invited us to play at the river near the end of the train line that runs by his house, so Anthony and I scootered up there. It would be the first time for us to see Greg in ages...
Nikon D200 + Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 — 1/125 sec, f/4.5, ISO 400 — map & image data — nearby photos
Four and a half year old
Greg Ferry
Sorry about the focus on the shot of Greg, but four-year-old boys pretend to not understand “hold still so I can focus.” The shot reminds me of this hunky picture of Anthony when he was three and a half.
Anyway, I think the last time we saw Greg was in the fall, when the kids went chasing around tiered rice paddies, and before that, a year ago checking out some big mushrooms.
For today's play, I didn't really know what to expect. I guess I had previous water play scenarios in mind (such as at Gen's house, or impromptu river play with Akiko-chan, or river play with Gen), and I ended up bringing all the wrong stuff. It was shaded, so I didn't need the sunscreen and hats I did bring, but it was really inviting, so I wish I would have brought along my own bathing suit.
It seems that's a common effect, because people walking by would often pause, think for a bit, then throw caution to the wind and kick their shoes....
Nikon D200 + Nikkor 17-55mm f/2.8 @ 55 mm — 1/250 sec, f/4, ISO 320 — map & image data — nearby photos
Unplanned but Enjoyable
This gentleman, who beamed “kindliness”, opted to watch from dry land...
Anyway, Nils did come prepared, and so Anthony could enjoy his time much more....
Nikon D200 + Nikkor 17-55mm f/2.8 @ 17 mm — 1/320 sec, f/4, ISO 320 — map & image data — nearby photos
Magical Underwater World
of wet rocks
Nikon D200 + Nikkor 17-55mm f/2.8 @ 55 mm — 1/90 sec, f/4, ISO 320 — map & image data — nearby photos
Wet Rocks
( shoulda' brought my polarization filter )
There were actually little fish in there, so that made for fun as well.
Nikon D200 + Nikkor 17-55mm f/2.8 @ 55 mm — 1/160 sec, f/4, ISO 320 — map & image data — nearby photos
“Sea Friend”
The little water float was a big hit. Anthony loved being led around in it by Greg, who loved leading Anthony around in it.
Nikon D200 + Nikkor 17-55mm f/2.8 @ 55 mm — 1/160 sec, f/5, ISO 320 — map & image data — nearby photos
Nikon D200 + Nikkor 17-55mm f/2.8 @ 55 mm — 1/180 sec, f/4, ISO 320 — map & image data — nearby photos
Nikon D200 + Nikkor 17-55mm f/2.8 @ 50 mm — 1/125 sec, f/4, ISO 320 — map & image data — nearby photos
Nikon D200 + Nikkor 17-55mm f/2.8 @ 55 mm — 1/250 sec, f/4, ISO 320 — map & image data — nearby photos
Riding the Rapids
The river area was well sculpted to create all kinds of different play zones, with the “rapids” being at the bottom of a short but steep chute at one side of the river.
Upstream just a bit is a footbridge that leads to Hiezan Cable Car that goes up to the top of Mt. Hiezan. It makes for somewhat of a picturesque scene...
Nikon D200 + Nikkor 17-55mm f/2.8 @ 30 mm — 1/160 sec, f/4, ISO 320 — map & image data — nearby photos
Shark!
Nikon D200 + Nikkor 17-55mm f/2.8 @ 55 mm — 1/125 sec, f/4, ISO 320 — map & image data — nearby photos
At one point the sun came out and positively lit up some grass on the opposite bank, leading to some wonderful reflections...
Nikon D200 + Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 — 1/250 sec, f/4.5, ISO 400 — map & image data — nearby photos
Swimming in Green Slime
or, uh, in green reflections...
Of course, before we left, stones had to be thrown...
Nikon D200 + Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 — 1/125 sec, f/4.5, ISO 320 — map & image data — nearby photos
(somehow, this picture just seems to sum up the whole wonderful experience)
Nikon D200 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 200 mm — 1/320 sec, f/5, ISO 400 — full exif
Lazy Dayz in Kyoto
It was fairly warm in Kyoto today – 36°C (98°F) in the shade – but the humidity was uncharacteristically low, so it was fairly pleasant if you were in the shade. At least, I think so... I never left the air-conditioning of the house! 🙂
I did notice from the living-room window a guy fishing in the little river. He was there for hours.
I also noticed the cherry tomatoes that Anthony and Mommy planted in a pot on the veranda were moving along...
Nikon D200 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 200 mm — 1/100 sec, f/4.5, ISO 400 — full exif
Little Farmer Anthony's First Crop
Someone found a cool way to walk the dog...
We took the opportunity to enjoy a melon we received as a gift from our chef neighbor (the same one who gave us the amazing matsutake mushrooms last year).
I'm not sure where these melons fit into the culture, but for some reason, the best ones can run into the thousands of dollars each. I hope this wasn't one because such extravagance would be wasted on us, but it was delicious, and clearly better than melon I'd ever had. Ever. I'm not a big fan of melons – the sweetness usually gets to me after just a few bites – but this one was just amazing. Pure heaven. Tasty with a capital 't'.
As I was about to prepare it, I asked Anthony to set up the plates. I thought the way he did it was cute, so I thought I'd take a picture. As I was about to snap the shot, he moved himself into position to watch....
