Park Time

Out by the Okayama airport is a wonderful little park.  It's a fun place to relax with the family, and there are a lot of services the park offers (for older children).  You can borrow unicycles, badminton sets, jump ropes, and so on.  There is a little waterway with a fountain for kids to play in to beat the heat.  There are a multitude of slides, jungle gyms, monkey bars and so on to play on.  And there is a nice little view of the runway, where little families gather to watch the planes take off.  All in all, it's one of our favorite parks to go to as a family.  And the beginning of October was our first time to play on all the park equipment, and we brought Tiggers first pair of shoes to take a little walk on the grass (of course supported by Mommy and Daddy).

Plenty of other boys playing in the fall sunshine.  (Note, this is not my son!)

Teru Teru Bozu to wish for good weather hang from the park center.

So, Mommy, what do you do on this "slide"?

"Monkey Bars" eh?  Why is that?

What's on this side, I wonder...

Planes!!!

Snack time!  I love Bolo!

Looking forward to the next adventure!  The the planes, weather, and excitement of a fun day was enjoyed by all, but soon it would be time for a well deserved nap!  October 6, 2013

Bubbles

As September began to draw to a close, the hot, humid Japanese summer began to give way to fall, possibly the best season to be in Japan, in my opinion.  The temperature is still warm during the day, but cools down appreciably in the evenings.  Gentle breezes accompany the daytimes, and the hillsides are a riot of color as the trees start changing color.  With how comfortable the weather has become, my husband and I decided to take Tigger out to the park and introduce him to the wonders of bubbles.

  Of course, there are still plenty of flowers around!

There are so many other people, it's hard to concentrate!

A boy's first sunflower...

Bubbles!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bubbles as big as your head!

I think I like this!

Let's play together, Mommy!

That was great fun!  But we'd used all our bubbles, so it was time to go home!  We had a wonderful time, Ohmoto Chu-oh Koen, September 23, 2013.

Until next time!        

Say Cheese!

Hello, all!

I have always loved taking photos, but since I moved to Japan, the occasional urge to take a shot or two has blossomed into something more.  I took my camera with me everywhere, to work, to the store, on vacation, wherever I went, my camera went with me.  I took photos of everything!  People, things, events, you name it, I shot it!  I love traveling, and every time I went off on my adventures, my camera was along to document the stories I found.  And after years of waiting, debating, and researching on what models were available, I finally made the big purchase... a DSLR.  And just when my new camera and I were getting acquainted, it happened...

My son was born.

                                                                                                My and my Tigger

Nothing can describe my joy at the birth of my healthy, happy baby.  He was everything I was hoping for... and a whole handful more than that!  And before I knew it, months had gone by, and my camera was doing nothing but collecting dust.  Oh, I was taking photos of Tigger, but mostly with my smart phone, or my husband's compact camera.  The photographer in me began stirring, and as my son and I would take our daily walk, that little voice in the back of my head would say... "Now there's a nice shot."  "If only you had your camera." And so on.

And so, here we are!  Mommy Camerman, that's what I am!  Time to dust off the camera (the good one) and take it with me on our daily walk.  You never know when the perfect shot will come along!

Let's begin with one of our first family outings, at the end of June.  We had decided to go searching for hydrangeas, a very popular early summer flower here in Japan, known in Japanese as "ajisai."  We found ourselves at Matsutaneyama Park in Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture, with a hillside FULL of blooming hydrangea.    Tigger had recently reached 6 months of age, and we decided that we should take advantage of the nice weather before the heat and humidity of Japanese summer set in.

He's not quite sure what to think about them!  (^o^)

So, these come in different colors, huh?

Some butterflies came by to say hello.  They don't stay still for long, so we had to be quick!

Some were just starting to fill out.

Other flowers were also in bloom,

Including some roses!











Thus ended the Great Hydrangea Adventure.  It was a great day! June 6, 2013
On to the next adventure!