Inspiration For Longevity

  Please see the Japanese translation below! These are some of the best pictures from my October trips. The sunset shot is from the Kashima Jingu Torii. I did that trip on my bike.  The water shots are from the Oritsu and Oarai beaches. Those beaches are gorgeous! I feel so fortunate to have the opportunity to explore, digest, and appreciate the literary gifts that just keep on coming. The latest treasures include Untamed, by Glennon Doyle, and Supercommunicators, by Charles Duhigg. Good stuff!  Untamed is one of three autobiographical books written by Glennon Doyle.  Her story is fascinating! She talks about her journey from food, alcohol, and drug addictions to her current state of contentment and happiness.   Her life changed dramatically in 2016. I will let her tell the story. In the following scene, Glennon has just shown up for a book launch event in Chicago. She is there to promote the second book in her three part autobiography, Love Warrior.  ...

  Please see the Japanese translation below! This was my second water lilly adventure at the Jindai Botanical Garden.   Amazingly enough, these photos were taken with my iPhone 15 Pro Max.  That camera allows me to zoom in well beyond the camera's maximum zoom 5x setting. I love the effects I was able to get!   For the most part, life has been great in Kashima.  Setsuko has come for several visits. We have been able to do some exploring, as well several trips to our favorite store, Costco! I also took two trips to Fuchu, which gave me a good opportunity to catch up with some of my friends.    The weather has truly been something else! Kashima normally gets around 8.5 inches of rain for the month of September. However, this year was quite the exception, as it rained virtually every day, for a total of close to 25 inches for the month! In addition, several typhoons hit. I thought I was going to end up in the land of Oz!  One of my greatest joys...

  Please see the Japanese translation below! These are some of my favorite shots from my first photography session at Lake Kitaura,  It is a beautiful lake! What a joy it was to enjoy my bike while enjoying the scenery. This ride was faster than my previous rides due to the fact that there was no wind. I was cruising!  The amazing red figure is the Kashima Jingu Torii.  It is Japan’s largest water torii gate! Unfortunately, they are currently doing some construction, so it was difficult to get good photos, but I managed a few. More to come!   I am slowly but surely discovering the photo gems in the area. The good news is that I will share those with you as the adventures unfold! A quick update on the reading front. I am currently reading "Supercommunicators", by Charles Duhigg. A fascinating book that looks at the types of conversations we have. #1: What's This Really About? Problem solving and rational (hopefully!) discussion. #2: How Do We Feel? Emotions,...

          Please see the Japanese translation below! Welcome to Kashima!  Here is photo information, moving from top to bottom. ‎⁨Okunitama-jinja Shrine⁩, ⁨Fuchu⁩, ⁨Tokyo⁩, ⁨Japan⁩ ‎⁨Honshu⁩, ⁨Hokota⁩, ⁨Ibaraki⁩, ⁨Japan⁩ ‎⁨Kashima-jingu Shrine⁩, ⁨Suigo-Tsukuba Quasi-National Park⁩, ⁨Kashima⁩, ⁨Ibaraki⁩, ⁨Japan⁩  Okunitama-jinja Shrine⁩, ⁨Fuchu⁩, ⁨Tokyo⁩, ⁨Japan⁩ Okunitama-jinja Shrine⁩, ⁨Fuchu⁩, ⁨Tokyo⁩, ⁨Japan⁩ ‎⁨Mercari stadium⁩, ⁨Kashima⁩, ⁨Ibaraki⁩, ⁨Japan⁩  ‎⁨Honshu⁩, ⁨Hokota⁩, ⁨Ibaraki⁩, ⁨Japan⁩  Mercari stadium⁩, ⁨Kashima⁩, ⁨Ibaraki⁩, ⁨Japan⁩  ‎⁨Onoshiosai Hamanasu Park⁩, ⁨Kashima⁩, ⁨Ibaraki⁩, ⁨Japan⁩  Kashima-jingu Shrine⁩, ⁨Suigo-Tsukuba Quasi-National Park⁩, ⁨Kashima⁩, ⁨Ibaraki⁩, ⁨Japan⁩ Kashima-jingu Shrine⁩, ⁨Suigo-Tsukuba Quasi-National Park⁩, ⁨Kashima⁩, ⁨Ibaraki⁩, ⁨Japan⁩  Life is great in Kashima!  With that said, it has certainly be an adjustment! First and foremost, I miss living with Setsuko: the companio...

  Please see below for the Japanese translation! These pictures are some of my favorites from trips I have taken over the last year or so. Given that I have not done much photography during these past three months, this is the next best thing! The month of June was truly life-changing for me. I will do my best to capture some of the highlights.  Intimate relationships, such as marriage, have never been easy for me. For a variety of reasons, it seems at times like my mistakes have outnumbered my successes. This realization caused me to look at my Kindle book listing for help. Lo and behold, I rediscovered an amazing book, "This is How Your Marriage Ends," by Matthew Fray.  Please understand that the impetus for this was not the end of my marriage. Rather, it was my way of addressing some of my shortcomings. The good news? The book succeeded big time! I had previously read this gem of a book. However, I do not think that at that time, I was truly ready to fully appreciate t...