daily slice-of-life photo blog of a Gen-X dad
I needed a bit of an extra boost of caffeine today, so in addition to my regular cup of coffee, I made use of the cup I got in Barcelona and had a nice strong espresso. Yummy!
Hi! Today’s photo is of Mariko teaching a bagel class. As you may know, she’s an amazing cook. But I wanted to share that she has started a new Instagram account, PopoTXKitchen, with quick and easy recipes in English and Japanese.
Please check it out and share! おねがいします！
Here are a few photos from a farewell dinner we had at Asia Cafe. My favorite dish “Spicy Fish” is the last photo. We got a double-order! 😀
When washing rice, it’s a good idea to keep the “dirty” water to use in the garden or houseplants. That said, I have to remind myself to do it. This spring, we have a lot of new plants and herbs in our garden so I am putting extra effort to remember to save the nutrient-rich rice water.
I wonder if it would be beneficial to use in the compost bin as well? That’s worth researching.
Mariko made a big batch of kimchee yesterday. We enjoy eating it, (with yakiniku, nabe, okonomiyaki, etc) but we don’t have it often enough so these jars should last us a good long time, even though I suspect she is giving away a bottle or two to friends.
When Koa saw the kimchee, he said “Oh no”. He really doesn’t like the smell. I asked him what happens if his spouse loves kimchee, and he said, “Divorce!”.
Luckily for him, he will be leaving the house in May to tour with his DCI team so he won’t have to smell kimchee all summer!
Last night we went to a farewell party for one of our friends. He will be returning to Japan after studying for 6 months at the University of Texas at Austin. We’ll miss him (I was really fond of him!) but hopefully we can meet him someday in Japan, or when he visits the States again.
Bon voyage!
Today was book-ended by two of Maui’s classic landmarks: ʻIao Valley and Haleakalā Crater. First up was ʻIao Valley, which is just a few minutes away from our house. I’ve been here several times but I always enjoy visiting and reading about the history of the valley, especially the battle that was fought here between Kamehameha I and Kalanikūpule.
Later that morning, we visited my grandparents’ and great-grandparents’ graves. We laid flowers down and noticed that someone (probably my brother or nephew) had left a golf ball for my grandpa, who was an avid golfer. The place where they are laid to rest has a nice view of ‘Iao Valley and their old house on the hill. 💜
For lunch, we headed over to Paia Fishmarket in Pā’ia. It’s a popular restaurant with a few locations in the islands, but it wasn’t too busy today and we got a nice table to enjoy our lunch. We’re eating so good on this trip!
Next, we headed upcountry to Haleakalā Crater. The park has a truly otherworldly feel to it. What a fun place for photographers! Someday I’d like to hike into the crater and even stay at one of cabins or campsites there. Wouldn’t that be awesome?
On the way down from the park, we stopped at Mahalo Aleworks in Makawao for a beer and a bite. The sun was setting and the view was really cool because you could see the ocean on both the north and south sides of the island. Very neat!
We got home in the early evening in order to get ready to fly back to the mainland the next day. I did take some time to set up my tripod to take a photo of Kahului and the airport with planes taking off and landing. I think it turned out pretty good!
