Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Wordless Wednesday

Wednesday so this is supposed to be wordless but I'm hardly ever wordless...

My life consists of small spaces. I don't get too far from anywhere. Every morning I stand at the crosswalk. What can be at the crosswalk that is different from any other morning? It seems that I always find something.

The Japanese sweet shop is taking advantage of the cold weather and has put out persimmons to dry. Persimmons do best in dry, icy air and all over northern Japan the farmers hang strings and strings of persimmons that have been peeled. In about a month these will be soft and sweet and ready to eat.

Another shot just in front of the school (next to the persimmons). On this day the school was having a marathon. This is an annual event (every elementary school that I have ever heard of has a marathon but maybe that is only in the countryside. I would suppose Tokyo kids can't do marathons). For a month or so the kids practice running laps and sometimes I have found children and parents running around the rice fields on the weekend training for the big day. For all that I have a feeling that most kids don't like this event. The kids run by class, shorter distances for the younger classes. Parents will attend to cheer the kids on.

The white lines there are written in powdered chalk and they extend around the school grounds, out into the neighborhood area and around more rice fields. Even though the teachers stand at the corners, they don't want any kids to get lost! And right at the school gate someone had written "FIGHT!" as a last push for the goal.

*****

Yes, in yesterday's picture Tetsu was wearing a hand made vest. That has also been a tradition that got started in our early years of marriage. Knit Tetsu a sweater or vest every Christmas. Beware of traditions! You can't stop even if you want to!


Here we are again when Takumi was one year old. Same park. We were spending more time at the play area! And yes, that year's sweater that Tetsu was wearing was another off of Tanya's needles.

A lot of words for a wordless Wednesday!

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