Inspiration For Longevity

     Please see the Japanese translation below! These are more photos from our recent trip to Kawaguchiko. Most of the pictures were taken at the Music Forest Museum, while the others were taken at the Fuji Premium Resort, where we stayed for two nights.  Thanks in large part to the introduction from my sister Sue, I recently finished an incredible memoir, "How To Say Babylon," by Safiya Sinclair. I found it to be a touching and penetrating story of her upbringing, her struggles with a domineering father, and her discovery of writing and poetry. In fact, this book inspired me to write my first serious poem. I hope you enjoy it!   The Life Well Lived   Is this not what life is about? Ups and downs that betray us all.   The pain from the loneliness, The sorrow from being ignored.   The solitary life alone with some despair, The friend appears to offer support.   The sheer beauty of the words and phrases, ...

  Please see the Japanese translation below! These pictures are from a trip Setsuko and I just did to Kawaguchiko, one of the best places to see and photograph Mt. Fuji. What a treat it was!  Another huge vote of thanks to Setsuko for making this fabulous trip happen. She could not have done any better! We started by going to a very peaceful spot on Lake Kawaguchiko. I came prepared as I had all of my professional photo gear. As much as I prefer to take the train, I will admit it was handy to take the car this time as it made it easy to transport all of my gear. That first spot was stunning as it gave us an excellent view of Mt. Fuji. A really good start to this amazing trip! We then headed to the Fuji Premium Resort, a wonderful resort with indoor and outdoor tennis courts and the best kept secret around! I had some time so I took off to explore. My sixth sense said to go in a certain direction, as I was looking for views of Mt. Fuji. Sure enough, I soon saw a sign that said,...