Inspiration For Longevity

  The top two photos were again taken at the Tamacho Cemetery. I experimented with taking some close-up shots. I am pleased with the results! The statue is the same shot I took before at the Jokyu-ji Temple. I love that statue! I have continued to struggle with all the bad news related to our environment. It does not make it any easier that there is a certain amount of discord and controversy related to this issue. In addition, the details can be incredibly confusing and hard to understand! With this in mind, I did a search today for environmental organizations. I am not one to spend much time feeling sorry for myself! In the process, I discovered an extensive site titled Feedspot: feedspot.com   I paid the $5 per month cost and dove in! On the left hand side, under "Following," the site has a link for "Environmental Forums." I clicked on that and was taken to an extensive list of environmental articles and posts. As I scrolled down I found a fascinating article tit

  Sorry to be out of touch. We have been very busy! I am back shooting with my professional gear! These two pictures were both taken with that gear at the Jokyu-ji Temple. Yeah! Although I enjoy the ability to customize the shot and the versatility of the equipment, I am still blown away by the quality of the pictures taken by the iPhone 14 Pro.  I have started the process of re-entering the work world as a paid employee or as a volunteer. I contacted the American School, an English speaking private school that is very close to where we live. They have a half-time position available for a special education assistant working with a 10th grade student in math. Right up my alley! I applied for that position and completed the substitute teacher application. I also contacted an English-speaking tennis organization that provides lessons at sites around Tokyo, including the American School. A friend suggested that I contact St. Mary's, another local prominent English speaking school. The

  Sorry, it's been a few days since I updated this blog. We have been busy organizing our new house and we took a short trip to Nasu, a beautiful area about 2.5 hours north of Tokyo.  The modern looking train is the Shinkansen Bullet train, the train we took from Tokyo to Nasu. We made the 106 mile trip in an hour! Some of these bullet trains can actually do up to 200 miles per hour! How I wish we could match this kind of versatility in the US! The cool looking modern building is the Nasushiobara Station, the Bullet train station in Nasu. Once again, the Japanese have a way of designing very attractive buildings! The temple pictured is just a five minute walk from the Nasu train station. Beauty and proximity! The house amongst the trees is a resort house in Nasu that we are thinking about buying. Lots of trees and lots of solitude! Another plus is that the house is about 1.5 miles from Nasunogahara Park, an amazing park with 12 tennis courts, four pools, lots of trails, and plenty

  These are more temple and cemetery shots. I have not been able to take new photos these past few days because of our work to get our house organized. This unpacking process has prompted me to reflect on my past. So many memories tied to all these objects! I have a wonderful shot of my sister with a couple of kids from Senegal. That picture was taken during her stint in the Peace Corps. The picture was so well liked by her supervisors that they used that picture for a Peace Corps stamp. How cool is that! I have been fortunate enough to have won some awards related to tennis and competitive running. I won the 1989 Crater Lake 6.7 Rim race. What a gorgeous setting! In 2005, I was given the international Star Award for tennis community service. That was particularly memorable as Setsuko was able to join me for the awards ceremony in Miami, Florida. That was the start of our courtship! Far more important than the awards are the gratifying experiences I have had as a serious competitor, co

  Given that our things from the US have arrived, I now have access to my professional photography gear. However, when I consider the quality of these photos and the simplicity of the process, I am not super motivated to complicate matters! "Some men see things as they are and ask why; I see things as they could be, and ask why not." Robert F. Kennedy "Don't believe what your eyes are telling you. All they show is limitation." Richard Bach, Jonathan Livingston Seagull I talked recently about dealing with close-minded people. I should probably correct myself and say people who are. at times, close minded. In truth, I think that very few people are always close-minded. I think it depends on the circumstances and the timing.  I also think this idea of being close-minded is closely related to the above two quotes. My all-time favorite song is "The Impossible Dream." I love the idea of considering the impossible. What are the possibilities? If we listen to

  One of the things that keeps me going with the temples and cemeteries is the uniqueness of these locations. It seems like there is a new shape or color or design around every corner! Our stuff arrived today. I am now swimming in that stuff! As much as I tried to really reduce before we left the United States, I am afraid I failed miserably! Well, I will be back at it! I am overjoyed that my Yamaha P515 keyboard arrived safely. I played for a few minutes tonight. What a thrill to be playing again after a 5 month break!

  These are more of my favorite cemetery shots. It truly is a treat to have such beauty and tranquility so close to our house! One of the things I have struggled with is how to deal with people who think they are right when I am pretty sure they are wrong. The following article by Arturo Guillen has some great advice! https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/7-steps-deal-closed-minded-people-arturo-guillen Recommended Steps 1.     Listen. When dealing with closed-minded people, you must not take things personally. Instead, listen; this becomes more important when having a conversation with someone that is edgy and seems irrational. If we do not pay attention to what someone says in a peak of transitory anger, our oversight will only increase their anger. 2.    Keep calm and stay positive. When we find ourselves in a situation with a high emotional load,. it is difficult not to get carried away by the heat of the moment. Do not fall victim of the situation; use control breathing with slo

  These are photos of a calligraphy display at the fitness center I have been using. The translations from "Google Translate" did not make much sense. I think the purpose of these is to advertise an upcoming class on writing calligraphy. These prints sure are gorgeous! I continued my exploration efforts this morning by doing a nice ride along the Nagawa River. However, the path is narrow and there are a lot of cross streets, so it was hard to build up and maintain much speed. I returned to our house on the main roads. One of those roads went parallel to the Chofu Airport. I was also able to cut through the Musashino-no-Mori Park. I want to explore that route again as it had some nice cycling space!

  The last of these six pictures is a shot taken at the top of the hill in Sengenyama Park, the closest park to our house. So cool to get a great workout and then finish at that display! The other pictures were taken at the Tamacho Cemetery. The Japanese sure know how to make their cemeteries look good! If you have looked at many of my pictures, you may have noticed that I rarely put the subject right in the middle of the picture. Generally speaking, our eyes prefer to see the subject just to the left or to the right of center. More specifically, if we divide the photo into thirds, the eye wants to see the subject on one of those lines that divides the photo in thirds.  In addition, many photos are more interesting when taken from an angle rather than being taken from a position standing directly in front of the object or person.  I always appreciate feedback, so please let me know what you think! All the best, Bob

  Round 3 of photos for the beautiful Takahatafudo site. I can hardly wait to go back there when the sun is shining! I am sure, like me, you have never made the mistake of lecturing someone when they are down and out. I only wish that were true! Live and learn! I found the following site with some excellent advice in this regard. https://howtoliveameaningfullife.com/honesty-is-the-best-policy-not-always-here-are-11-reasons-why/ I love the title of this web site by Robert Carr, "How To Live A Meaningful life." Here are some highlights. People may not want to hear the truth. The timing may be better for a believable lie. What does the other person want at this time? Timing is everything. Does the other person really want my honest opinion at this time? Am I invading that person's personal space by giving my opinion? We need to find a balance between being genuine and not hurting the feelings of the other person. Again, timing is critical. It can also be helpful to ask the o

 These are more photos from the Takahatafudo Site. What a treat! Thank you Setsuko! The combination of greenery, landscapes, buildings, shapes, colors, history, tradition, and tranquility made this visit an amazing experience! We were also fortunate that there were hardly any people there! Today, I had my first bike ride in Nogawa Park, a huge park just a mile from where we live. I had a wonderful ride and was in lighthearted hysterics the last 20 minutes as Siri took me in circles. I think she decided to make the most of my ignorance of Japanese navigating! All the best, Bob