Home grown tomatoes

Yes, more about food. I love this time of year because I love tomatoes. Kudos to my friend John Eichelberger who gifted me with the bounty of his garden yesterday - grape tomatoes and big cucumbers. Some okra from Alan's parent's garden in Oakway to boil and to cook in tomato gumbo. I used Yoko's recipe to make a refreshing Cuke drink. Yum Yum. I'm all about tomatoes and other fresh veggies.

Welcome home Hopson! We finally retrieved our pet from Kathryn's farm yesterday. I am happy to have him home. A few new treats from PetSmart and an appointment on Wednesday for grooming. We'll see how he likes "city living."

Two bike rides this weekend - a short four miles around the neighborhood Saturday morning on my new mtn bike - a Rocky Mountain frame Alan traded for and set up just for me. 15 miles on the tandem today - again around the neighborhood, but a bit further afield. In Converse Heights, but also around the lake at Duncan Park, and twice up and down the HubCity Connector trail. It's HOT out there. July in SC!

Guacamole Tableside

Who would have thought MY BLOG would have been about food? I want to report on my new favorite Mexican restaurant - Mexico Lindo East on Fernwood Glendale Drive in Spartanburg, near the bike shop, of course. Been there three times already - last night for dinner with Emily, the night before and once last week. The food is fresh, fast and above average for a Mexican place, but the best dish by far is Guacamole Tableside. Yep, they bring the ingredients out to the table and make this appetizer to your specs right there. It is DELICIOUS!

American Food

Tonight's menu at the Burkett's in Oakway, SC: salsa meatloaf, corn (freshly frozen last weekend), okra (fried of course), rolls, tomato and okra soup (fresh from the garden), and Grandma's contribution to this meal, in absentia, squash casserole. Tea and lemonade. Nectarines and blueberries for dessert. Alan had a peanut butter cookie. YUM YUM

Vacation - The End

Here it is! Alan's new vehicle. The Tacoma is no more. Strangely, I feel sad about that. I think I always had conflicted feelings about that truck. I do like his bicycling tag on the orange Element. We are having a great time watching (and following closely on various websites) the Tour de France. Thankfully tomorrow is a rest day for them, so I can get back to work without the distraction of the bike race.

Home Sweet Home Sweet Home

Today was two days long. I left Yoko's house at 7:20 am on Thursday morning, took the bus to the station, caught a bus for a 2 hour ride to the airport, and left Tokyo about 12:15. Eleven hours later, I arrived in Dallas at 9:40am on Thursday morning, the same day I left. Alan picked me up at GSP at 5pm. Thankfully I got a LOT of sleep over the Pacific, so I'm feeling pretty good tonight. We'll see what the jetlag is like in the morning.

Scenic Biking in Colorado

Various pics taken along the Colorado Trail around Tennessee Pass and Camp Hale. A big thanks to Devin Lenz for loaning me a bike for the weekend. Soon there will be one in SC.

Doo Doo Doo looking out my tent door

Yes, my tent was about 25 yards from the river and I got to see this every morning. This is the east fork of the Eagle river. The water was about 42 degrees so waders were a mandatory thing. I only caught two brown trout all weekend, but the brook trout were hungry so I saw a lot of them. Fly de jour was a parachute adams or a royal wolf. Occasionally I would catch one on a pheasant tail nymph. Here is a picture of Wayne with his catch of the day. Keep practicing, you've got a great place to fish.

Hotel Ueda

I am "living it up at the Hotel" Ueda. Yoko is a FABULOUS host. Staying here is like being at a resort. The house is brand new and beautiful. It is FULL of interesting and useful gadgets. The bathroom is like a spa, with laundry service. I LOVE Yoko's food - simple, fresh, colorful, healthy and delicious - and also how it appears "magically" on the table three times a day without any effort from me. So far I have eaten every bite of every meal. On the whole trip I've eaten rice only once and sushi not at all. I have taken over vacuuming this week; the vacuum cleaner is tiny and light and fun to use on the hardwood floors. My room here is so comfortable.
Yoko is paying my expenses and running me a tab. Tomorrow (my last day here) we are going to the bank to get cash so I can repay her.
We stayed close to home yesterday, just a quick walk to the local grocery last night about 8pm. Today our adventure was to visit Shotaro's school.
On our walk home we met a mom from Shotaro's class who spent 7 years in LA. Hitomi's English is great! After we talked a few minutes, we decided to eat lunch together at Macaroni Market, a bakery and cafe in the neighborhood. Then Yoko and I did a little shopping in a store that was a Japanese version of Pier One. After school Shotaro and I enjoyed some time at the park and playing ball in the yard until dark. I feel very peaceful and relaxed here. This "daily life" vacation was a great idea.

Ginza Scramble

One of the most amazing experiences I had in Toyko yesterday was at an intersection in Ginza, the shopping district. The big picture below is of a street that is closed to traffic and reserved for pedestrians during the day on weekends. But on another street, at the intersection, we crossed diagonally. It was a HUGE intersection. The traffic stopped both ways, the cross walk lights came on at every corner, and people moved in every direction all at the same time. Yoko called it a "scramble" and that was exactly the way it felt. A picture wouldn't have done it justice.

Personal safety is a radically different concept here. I was most aware of this cultural difference at the bazaar in Asakusa. Japan is a VERY safe country. There is little crime. Few people can own a gun. The peer pressure to conform your behavior to the group norm is so great that few people act out. No one asserts individuality (except in fashion, which is a whole other topic). So Japanese people do not live with the fear of violence and crime that has become so much a part of American life. In the bazaar, which was busy but not crowded (see pic below bottom right), I was constantly aware of my purse and the belongings I was carrying - not to drop anything, to be aware of my money and keep my purse zipped. I felt tense, not relaxed and carefree, like Rie and Yoko. On the train home, it was very crowded (to me; Yoko says it wasn't). Bodies were touching, arms overhead holding on. I was thankful I am tall and also that personal cleanliness is a high priority in Japan. Once I was back to back with a girl whose butt fit right under mine like a puzzle. At least the platform attendants didn't have to PUSH as they do during rush hour to fill the trains.

Today I learned what the police do in Japan, since it is so safe here. On Saturday Shotaro left an umbrella (one of Hitoshi/Eddie's favorites, a classic style with American football players on it) on the bus at the stop just behind the house. Today I wanted Yoko to call the bus company to check lost and found. I thought it would be an adventure to find the lost umbrella. Yoko found this ridiculous. Of course the bus company would have the umbrella, organized and catalogued in their lost and found. And if unclaimed after 3 days, turned over to the police for storage. Yes, the job of police in Japan is to protect lost and found items. I couldn't believe it. Sure enough, she called, they had the umbrella and tomorrow it goes to the police unless we claim it. However, it would cost more in bus fare to retrieve the umbrella that it would to buy a new one, so the football umbrella is lost to us forever.

Big City

Wow! Me - in Toyko, the most populous city in the world. On Sunday Yoko, Shotaro, Rie and I toured Toyko Tower (for the view), the Imperial Palace Garden, the Buddist temple and bazaar at Asakusa and the famous shopping district - Ginza.


We had dinner at a shabu-shabu restaurant (think of The Melting Pot), a VERY Japanese experience for me. The Toyko train system was a MAZE that I doubt I could ever master on my own. Thank goodness Rie was an excellent guide.

Daily Life

Drizzly rain today. Yoko, Shotaro and I walked through a local storefront bakery and a 100-yen store (think Dollar Tree) on our way to the closest fishing store. I am looking for this item. Then we had lunch at an IHOP style place in the fifth floor "food court" at Tama Plaza shopping center. I wish I had taken a picture of our food. We each had an omelet style egg filled with rice (and mine with mushrooms), each with a different, delicious sauce. Shotaro got a haircut in a GreatClips style barber shop. Yoko and I bought some groceries in the same market we visited my first night here. Now we are home for dinner and a movie, either Finding Nemo or Spirit. Tomorrow we are taking a bus tour of Toyko.