Posts

Dreams Can Come True!

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  Please see below for the Japanese translation! I hope you enjoy these photos! They are from two dreams that came true! The photos with the gorgeous green statue were taken at the Toko-ji Temple. The cool river shot is of the Tama River. Details below! I think I may have mentioned that I have been doing Sunday morning bike rides with a wonderful group from The American School in Japan. Our rides have always taken us past the Toko-ji Temple. For several years, I have dreamed of going by myself and then taking the time to photograph that amazing place. Today I made it happen!   It was a gorgeous 10 mile ride through peaceful farmland. Not only was the temple a dream come true, I did not see a single soul. I had the place to myself! I have probably ridden past that Tama River shot several hundred times. Again, I told myself that one day, I would stop and photograph that lovely scene from the bridge. Dream come true number two! I continue to be so impressed with the photogra...

The Ups and Downs of Life!

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  Please see below for the Japanese translation! I hope you enjoy these additional photos from the Kashima trip that Setsuko and I did. What a beautiful place on the coast of Japan! Life is not always a bowl of cherries. Life can be tough. How many times have we heard these phrases??!! I would like to chime in and say I wholeheartedly agree with these sentiments. Sometimes life just kicks us in the butt.  The first kick to my rear has to do with rejection. I applied for eight teaching/teaching assistant positions, all of which I am well qualified for. Much to my dismay, not a single interview! However, never fear, this presented me with the opportunity to fulfill a dream: to start my own tutoring company. My web site is now live: tutorinspiration.com Yes, I am really into inspiration as the address of this blog is inspirationlongevity.com I wanted to mention that I started a new document that lists the most inspirational videos I have seen and listened to. If you go to the "Re...

Cool Kashima!

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  Please see below for the Japanese translation! All of these pictures are from the trip Setsuko and I just took to Kashima. We had a great time! As always, thanks to Setsuko for her excellent work! I felt like such a fool! Despite the fact that I used a travel list, I managed to forget the batteries for my pro gear camera. Darn! Despite that, I think I got some good shots with the iPhone 15 Pro Max.  This was my first time photographing surfers. So much fun, but next time, I want to have that big pro gear lens! The big blue boat is the Sunflower Kamuy, the 1st LNG-fueled ferry on the Oarai-Tomakomai route. It is without a doubt one of the coolest boats I have every seen!  On a different topic, I have been striking out in the job department. Not one to feel sorry for myself, I have decided to start my own tutoring business. I am excited about this as it will give me a chance to take advantage of all my experiences, knowledge, and training. My plan is to offer support and ...

Kawaguchiko #2

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d       Please see below for the Japanese translation! I hope you enjoy my recording of Burt Bacharach's classic hit, Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head. This is dedicated to my friend Nari, who has been fighting a bad case of food poisoning. I hope you recover quickly! I am very pleased with these additional photos from the trip to Lake Kawaguchiko with my friend Stuart. I still cannot believe the quality of the camera in the iPhone 15 Pro Max. I did not take a single picture with my professional gear because the quality of the iPhone camera is so high, the iPhone is lighter and is easier to use and it is easier to switch to different zoom levels. Quite amazing! The weather has turned to hot and humid in our area west of Tokyo. To help me with this ongoing challenge, I purchased a cooling vest. I had never seen these before. It is a vest with a couple of fans that can be attached to the vest. Those fans are charged by a rechargeable battery. The fans have four speeds. I t...