This morning I left the house at about 5:30 a.m. and as I cross the bridge over the river the scene was quite beautiful. This picture does not really do it justice, but you can probably get some idea from it. My apartment is in the large buildings on the top left. The lights in the stairs are still on because the sun has not yet risen. This was the coldest day so far, about 6 degrees Celsius, but is was clear and bright once the sun got up a ways.
About an hour later, 6:30ish, we were entering Shinrin Koen (Forest-Woods Park) when we noticed the clouds over the mountains to the west of Sendai. Again the colors were beautiful.

We have added a third person to our Wednesday walks and he is a watercolor artist, actually teaching some classes. He constantly points out places where the colors, especially in the morning sunlight, are particularly interesting. And, of course, with him pointing out colors, I have started paying more attention to them myself. Also I am now much stronger so the physical aspects of the walks are not as tiring and brain numbing as before, meaning I can pay attention to things other than putting one foot in front of the other.

A Busy Weekend

This is Tomone (nickname: Tomo-Chan) sleeping in the car on the way to Sendai Station where she and her mother took the Shinkansen (Bullet train) to Tokyo. They were met there by Tomo-Chan's father and they returned to Kawasaki where they will live from now on. They have moved out of our house completely although they will come to visit accasionally. It is really quiet around here without them, but Masayo and I are gradually getting back to our old routines which makes life easier if not so interesting.

Sendai Station was having an exhibit of decorations for the Tanabata Matsuri, the Sendai summer festival, so it looked quite festive. It was almost like it was special for Tomo-Chan. In any case she seemed to appreciate them. At least she smiled and stared at them.The Shinkansen wickets are under the green sign. During Tanabata, these colorful, paper objects hang inside the shopping arcades that begin just outside the station.

Last Friday, Naomi left Tomo-Chan with us and she went to Kawasaki where she got their apartment ready for Tomo-Chan to move in. On Saturday morning I had art class and Masayo was babysitting. After my class I met one of my all-time favorite students and, after lunch, brought her back to our home. She was supposed to come with her husband, but he had a cold so he stayed at home. The student was in the first class that entered Miyagi U when it opened 12 years ago. She went to Australia with us and gradually became a family friend. We have not seen her for a few years because she is in San Francisco studying nursing for cancer patients in a graduate program. She has passed the American nursing license test so she can work there. I wonder if she will stay after she finishes school. Anyway Naomi returned late in the afternoon. Then on Sunday afternoon we all went to Sendai Station and separated there.

However, before we left Masayo made brunch: waffles with maple syrup, sausages, bacon, and pots of coffee. It was really good.

In the morning before brunch Ian and I walked as usual. On the way we found on stretch of sidewalk that reminded me of the yellow brick road in the Wizard of Oz.

Outlet Mall

This is part of a new Outlet Mall that open about 6 km west of my apartment. In the part that you can see there are six separate buildings, linked by walkways, which house a large number of well know stores, mostly fashion related. Out of the picture on the left is a single large building containing many stores, including an imported food store and lots of restaurants. The whole place is crowded but I am not sure how much money people are spending. The economy is really bad and shows no signs of improving.
This is another view from farther down the road. The tallest towers in the background are the Royal Park Hotel, which was ranked as the 60th best hotel in Japan by President magazine. We like to go there for dinner; the Chinese, European, Japanese, and Teppanyaki restaurants are all excellent.
A kiost selling slippers
I was quite surprised to find a Brooks Brothers outlet. I now longer have to dress up for work. When I was a university professor, I frequently wore a suit or at least a jacket. But now that I am retired, I seldom wear a jacket and usually settle for a sweater. I have not worn a necktie in years.

A Sunday walk in the woods

On Sunday Ian and I met Ken at a train station eight stops west of Sendai. We walked a few kilometers south and entered a beautiful park containing two lakes and a pond. The above picture shows the two of them walking along the lakeside path.
This is a man who was fishing (or maybe sleeping) in the pond. We walked along the opposite shore and I stopped to take the picture. During that entire time, I never saw him move.
The leaves were at their best, but it was a cloudy day so the colors were not quite as brilliant as they could have been. Still, they were beautiful and reminded me of New England. I have read that only New England and Japan have a wide range of fall colors. Other countries apparently have a far more restricted range of colors.
I took this standing on a little bridge that allowed us to cross this little stream that brought rain water down from the surrounding hills.
At one point on the path, they had made a tunnel, apparently because the point that sticks out into the lake is solid rock and impassible.