Hey there! Today was just Koa and I, but it was a busy busy day. Here it is in list form:
Finished my China travel visa application and dropped it off at the post office, along with a couple other packages
Took Koa to get his haircut before dropping him off at the mall to hang out with his friends
Got my own haircut
Picked up Koa from the mall and went to another store to buy him some nice pants and tie for his band camp
Dinner at a Mexican restaurant
Laundry and helping Koa pack for band camp
Evening sketching
Tonight’s sketch is from a photo from 1996 when I first met Mariko. It was a fun sketch to create!
To see all the sketches I’ve been working on, you can check out the Flickr album “My Sketching Journey”, or my Instagram account barron.sketches which I created just for posting sketches, watercolors, and stationery items.
I hope you had a nice Saturday!
またね～
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/4, 1/60 sec, ISO6400 “Sangria Margarita” Cedar Park, 2018“1996” 2018
Photo info: SONY NEX-6, 16mm, f/22, 1/60 sec, ISO100 “Stormy Days” Cedar Park, 2018
こんばんは。How’s it going?
It’s been a crazy week schedule-wise for me, with Mariko being away on vacation and the kids being out of school. Lot’s of appointments and working from home, but the week is almost over!
Today, I dropped off Bay at the airport to travel to California. He’s starting a summer-school program and will be gone for four weeks! I was a tiny bit nervous about him flying along (actually the whole security thing), but he made it to Long Beach as planned and is spending the night with my brother’s family. Of course the travel was pretty easy since he just has carry-ons and took his pre-printed boarding pass straight to security, but still, as a parent, I worry! 😄
I took today’s photo while on the way to pick up dinner. The clouds lately have been really awesome! I guess there are some storms coming, so the weather is a little unpredictable. But it makes for some interesting skies.
So, continuing with the music theme that has dominated the family news lately, Koa has started taking piano lessons. His first class was tonight and he said it was fun but tough to remember all the fingering for the scales. I’m excited to hear his progress, though! And it was fun to dig up Bay’s old piano books for Koa to use. 懐かしい！
In other news, Bay is getting ready to head off to a summer architecture camp. He’ll be gone for four whole weeks! It’s at USC, though, so it’s nice that my family in California can take care of him. I hope he learns a lot and enjoys living in the dorms. I know I had a great time during my university years! They grow up so fast, don’t they?
Photo info: FUJIFILM X-T10, 18mm, f/2.8, 1/9 sec, ISO500 “Vibes” Cedar Park, 2018
This afternoon Koa and I brought home a vibraphone from the high school so he could practice over the summer. This instrument is a beast! The tech at the school helped disassemble the vibraphone and load it into the car, and then at home, Koa and I reassembled it. It was actually pretty easy.
Now we have yet another large instrument in our living room… and the vibraphone is LOUD! Really need those earplugs soon. 😄
What a day! So, Bay finally got braces on his teeth, but just the lower ones. He’s going to do Invisalign on top, and then also on the bottom after the braces come off. The appointment went smoothly and I met his orthodontist for the first time. He’s great, and we like him a lot. He even has a child who is the same grade as Koa and will be going to the same high school next year! The orthodontist office is really nice too, with a great, open design that looks out towards nice oak trees. A really nice setting!
Later in the morning, I took my other son to get fitted for some custom earplugs. He’s starting high school band and it is recommended to get some high-quality earplugs for the percussion section. The earplugs are expensive, but I think it’s a good investment to make sure your hearing isn’t damaged. The process for making the mold was pretty interesting, with some gel being squeezed into Koa’s ears. Then after it hardened, the mold was removed. It turns out that Koa’s ear canal curves upwards, which isn’t uncommon, but was surprising to us.
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/5, 1/80 sec, ISO6400 “Ukulele Music” Cedar Park, 2017
こんばんは。Today’s photo is of my ukulele and some sheet music. I’ve been practicing “Remember Me” from Coco using the video below and it’s been a lot of fun! I realize that 6 strings is too complex for my brain, but 4 strings is just fine, so I love playing the ukulele.
It’s cool that Bay and Koa play music, but sometimes we have a conflict because when one of them is playing piano, I can’t hear my ukulele. 😄 I’m saying that light-heartedly since I can just wait a bit, but if they both need to practice their piano and percussion, there can be some time conflicts. I suppose it’s mostly because they wait until the last minute to practice… if they just got their practices taken care of earlier, everyone would have plenty of time.
Oh well… I am just happy they are musically inclined. It’s really cool to hear their music filling the house.
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/4, 1/125 sec, ISO1000 “Oyster Appetizer” Cedar Park, 2018
So Father’s Day is actually next Sunday, but Mariko will be in Europe, Bay will be in Los Angeles, and I am taking Koa up to Baylor for Band Camp. Which means I’ll be alone that evening so… we decided to celebrate Father’s Day today. And of course, that means I get to choose the dinner (or brunch). 😀
So after much thinking (I am so indecisive), I decided on a local casual restaurant, CR Surf & Turf. This place is neither fancy, nor expensive, but it’s popular and they have some delicious seafood. It’s a lot of Southern-style food, which means plenty of fried goodies, but what Koa and I like to get is the surf & turf: a meat choice and a seafood choice. I opted for the flat-iron steak and grilled scallops, while Koa got the steak kabobs and bacon-wrapped shrimp. Meanwhile, Bay decided on the shrimp brochette. Mariko didn’t order anything but shared what we had. In addition to the entrees, we ordered a basket of fried oysters, six oysters on the half-shell, and jalapeño shrimp. It was all delicious, but so much fried food leaves you feeling a little uncomfortable later.
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/4, 1/125 sec, ISO1250 “Scallops and Steak” Cedar Park, 2018Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/4, 1/125 sec, ISO2000 “Beef and Shrimp” Cedar Park, 2018Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/4, 1/125 sec, ISO1250 “Shrimp Brochette” Cedar Park, 2018
I really like CR Surf & Turf and so do lots of other people. We arrived shortly after they opened at 4:30 pm and the place was already half filled up! The prices are reasonable, the food is good, and the service is solid. Plus it’s close to our house so it’s very convenient. If you’re in the mood for some Southern-style seafood like crawfish, po-boys, oysters, and even frog legs, give CR Surf & Turf a try.
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/4, 1/125 sec, ISO640 “Appetizers” Cedar Park, 2018
I hope you had a nice Sunday!
またね～
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