Anthony was sitting on my lap this evening, looking tired and rubbing his eyes, when I suggested that it would be a good time to go to bed because he looked tired. His response...
That's an unexpected phrase for a four year old. He apparently learned “trust me” earlier in the evening when I used it while giving him some not-yucky-tasting medicine for a mild cough he's had. Like most kids, I guess, he has an innate fear of anything remotely medicinal. This fear is cultivated because the infant and kid medicines common in The States have sickenly sweet flavors that are more disgusting than anything else.
Today's medicine, though, had a mild and pleasant orange flavor that I pre-sampled, so I knew that his only objection would be mental. He eventually took it (and indeed, didn't dislike it), but it was tough convincing him that it wouldn't immediately kill him.
Anyway, it's such a joy to see him bloom linguistically like this, and it's fun to hear him use such unexpected phrases. Parenting can be tough at times, but such a joy.
Anthony chased fireflies for the first time the other day. It was wonder and glee incarnate.
He'd been sitting on the veranda with Grandma feeding the birds when they saw the first one at late dusk. They went out onto the lawn, and each time Anthony noticed a firefly, he pointed and ran toward it with unconstrained excitement. Anthony would find that the firefly would go dark before he got there, only to see another one somewhere else, so in this manner he zigzagged, pointing and bursting with excitement, across the lawn.
I watched with considerable enchantment, eventually breaking myself away to fetch my camera and tripod. They came in soon after, so I wasn't really able to get much of a picture (the one above is about the best I could come up with), but it was a wonderful event to witness.
Just because I'm in America doesn't mean that photos from Kyoto's stop, because I've got gazoodles of them waiting in the wings. I'd earlier thought I'd be able to use this trip to catch up on my Kyoto photos, not realizing the family photo opportunities that awaited us here (playing with a toy backhoe, a visit to a farm, a round of kid golf, or even my son wearing a sweater I wore when I was five years old).
Today I dip into my archives to last month's visit to Kyoto's Giouji Temple (祇王寺), to follow up on the post about its wall architecture. Here's a tall wall different from the others; I found its patterns fascinating...
Nikon D200 + Nikkor 17-55 f/2.8 @ 24mm — 1/80 sec, f/3.2, ISO 800 — map & image data — nearby photos
Tall Wall at the Giouji Temple
It looks to be made of the thin bamboo branches that hold the leaves. I love the back and forth wave pattern toward the top.
Nikon D200 + Nikkor 17-55 f/2.8 @ 55mm — 1/80 sec, f/3.2, ISO 800 — map & image data — nearby photos
Close Up
Anthony was wearing a sweater that I used to wear at about his age, but he didn't seem to feel the nostalgia as much as enjoy playing with his toy.
Nikon D200 + Nikkor 17-55 f/2.8 @ 45mm — 1/90 sec, f/2.8, ISO 800 — full exif
“It's not a Plane, it's a Bird”
Nikon D200 + Nikkor 17-55 f/2.8 @ 45mm — 1/40 sec, f/2.8, ISO 800 — full exif
“I Can Adjust it Like This”
Nikon D200 + Nikkor 17-55 f/2.8 @ 28mm — 1/20 sec, f/2.8, ISO 800 — full exif
First Experiences with a Sit 'n Spin™
In the process of turning Grandma and Grandpa's house into a disaster zone, Anthony finds the Sit 'n Spin™ that his Aunt Marci bought for her little Josh when they visit.
Nikon D200 + Nikkor 17-55 f/2.8 @ 26mm — 1/20 sec, f/2.8, ISO 800 — full exif
Pausing to Give Instructions
For whatever reason, amid his joy of discovering this fun toy, he stopped to instruct me to take pictures that we could send to Mommy (who remains in Kyoto for the summer).
