Inspiration For Longevity

 Please see the Japanese translation below!  The lake pictures are from Lake Chuzenji, very close to Nikko. The stream pictures are from Kawagoe, a very popular location to see the cherry blossoms. Very stunning at both locations! I never cease to be amazed at Japan's never-ending beauty! On the opposite end of the spectrum has been a real pain in the neck! When I got back from our Oshima Island trip two months ago, I noticed that it was painful to turn to my left while riding my bike. I also noticed that some of the day to day neck movements were strained and a bit painful.  I assumed that this would go away in a short period of time. Not only did the discomfort not go away, but I started to have some tingling in my left hand and soreness running down my left arm. A sure sign of a pinched nerve. Darn! I finally went to a local physical therapist  recommended by a friend. That person did some electro-therapy and manual massage. While the treatment felt great immediat...

New approach! I am now going to do my best to include Japanese translations for all of our Japanese-speaking guests who do not speak English. I hope those translations work well! I do not think my command of the English language is sufficient to describe the resplendence of the shrines and temples at Tosho-gu in Nikko.  There were so many times when no matter what direction I turned, there was a scene of exquisite beauty.  I just cannot imagine the hours and days and months and dedication it took to construct object after object of such immense aesthetic quality! We left our home early Friday morning and were home by 4:15 on Saturday. It was a day of unbelievable photography! We stayed at the Nikko Kanaya Hotel, which is amazing in and of itself. Their list of prior guests include Frank Lloyd Wright and Albert Einstein. I guess we traveled in good company! In future posts, I will include additional photos and details from that trip. Believe it or not, there were other scenes t...

  These are all photos from my recent trip with Stuart to Oshima Island. It really could have been more gorgeous! I continually remind myself how important it is to have a sense of humor! When I am struggling, I love to ask myself, "Am I having fun yet"? Last night gave me plenty of opportunities to apply these lessons!  The evening started innocently enough as I was thoroughly enjoying the bike ride home on my new bike. Despite the very strong headwind, I was making good time using the electric assist. That was until I felt the dreaded feel of a tire going flat. Sure enough, in no time at all, I came to an abrupt stop with no air in the back tire. Well, no problem! I had a spare tube and I have changed plenty of flat tires. I proceeded to remove the back wheel and then spent 30 minutes pulling my hair out as I tried to remove the damn tire! Unfortunately, the tire was so tight up against the rim that I was not able to remove that tire, no matter what I tried to do. OK, round...