Thinking About Where to Travel Next

"Heading West" Cedar Park, 2019
Photo info: SONY NEX-6, 50mm, f/7.1, 1/125 sec, ISO100
“Heading West” Cedar Park, 2019

こんばんは。How’s it going?

This morning I saw this amazing contrail from a plane zooming across the sky, and since it is heading west, I am imagining that the passengers are traveling to the west coast of the US, and perhaps connecting to a flight to Asia.

Speaking of traveling, my next trip that is planned is a cruise with my immediate and extended family in July. I’m really looking forward to it, but I am also thinking about a solo trip somewhere. Mariko went on a solo trip to Europe last year, and she is going to Japan next month as well. She said I should go traveling solo sometime, but I’m not sure where I would like to go. I love exploring new places solo, and I would like to take my sketchbook and iPad with me to do some on-location sketching. It seems so fun! So a bit more thinking and research will be needed to figure out a nice destination for that activity.

I’d love to travel to Vietnam, Thailand, or Singapore, so those destinations are high on my list. Honestly, I’m not too interested in other regions at this point in my life, but I know that can change, so we’ll see. But just thinking about the possibilities for solo travel gets me excited!

"Morning Light" Cedar Park, 2019
Photo info: SONY NEX-6, 16mm, f/9, 1/200 sec, ISO100
“Morning Light” Cedar Park, 2019

I hope you had a nice day!

またね~

Two-Dollar Bills are Still Special

"Money" Cedar Park, 2019
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/4, 1/105 sec, ISO6400
“Money” Cedar Park, 2019

こんばんは。How’s it going?

At Saturday’s Lunar New Year celebration, our kids each received a stack of red envelopes from the married people at the party. It’s a tradition that those who are married give red envelopes, which contain money, to the single people, and so our kids, who are still in their teens, still have several years of red envelopes coming up (we hope)!

Anyway, these days our kids prefer to use their debit cards, so they’ll give me all the cash that they collect at the party and I will transfer that amount to their cards. And usually, a couple two-dollar bills are in the stack of cash for exchanging.

So, this is the time of year that I see the two-dollar bill more often, which is cool because these bills are special to me. The two-dollar bill went out of print in 1966, but was re-issued in 1976 which was the bi-centennial year of the United States. According to Wikipedia, the bill reissue wasn’t specifically to celebrate the bi-centennial, but with all the hoopla surrounding the year, it sure seemed like it was part the celebration. Since I was a little kid at the time, it made a big impression on me!

Even today, I still get a small thrill when I see a two-dollar bill out in the wild. Not only that, but I feel a little bad about spending them or depositing them at the bank –.it seems like I should be collecting them, just like when I was a kid! But I realize that one nice, crisp two-dollar bill safe and sound in the drawer is enough. 😊

I hope you had a great day!

またね~

My Mom Visited Us for the Weekend

"Cozy Together" Cedar Park, 2019
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/2.8, 1/20 sec, ISO6400
“Cozy Together” Cedar Park, 2019

こんばんは。How’s it going?

This weekend, my Mom stayed with us and we all enjoyed having her for the visit. Especially Lani (our dog), Yuzu, and Anko (our cats). After only a couple barks, Lani was good friends with my Mom, and of course, the cats loved her.

Tomorrow she returns back to California, and it will be back to work/school for us. But it was great to see her and have a special weekend together.

I hope you had a nice Sunday!

またね〜

Snapshots from Our Lunar New Year Celebration

"Chinese New Years Toys" San Antonio, 2019
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/2.5, 1/125 sec, ISO5000
“Chinese New Years Toys” San Antonio, 2019

We visited my cousin’s house for their annual Lunar New Years celebration. Here are a few snapshots from the celebration. Gung Hay Fat Choy! 新年快乐!

"Wonton Plate" Cedar Park, 2019
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/3.6, 1/125 sec, ISO2000
“Wonton Plate” Cedar Park, 2019
"Red Envelopes" Cedar Park, 2019
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/2.8, 1/125 sec, ISO2000
“Red Envelopes” Cedar Park, 2019
"Chinese Costume" San Antonio, 2019
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/2.5, 1/80 sec, ISO6400
“Chinese Costume” San Antonio, 2019
"Money Time" San Antonio, 2019
Photo info: OLYMPUS E-PL9, 14mm, f/3.5, 1/60 sec, ISO6400
“Money Time” San Antonio, 2019
"Mahjong Time" San Antonio, 2019
Photo info: OLYMPUS E-PL9, 14mm, f/3.5, 1/160 sec, ISO6400
“Mahjong Time” San Antonio, 2019

Freezing Weather and Frozen Yogurt

"Frozen Yogurt Toppings" Cedar Park, 2019
Photo info: motorola moto g(6), 3.95mm, f/1.8, 1/20 sec, ISO435
“Frozen Yogurt Toppings” Cedar Park, 2019

こんばんは。How’s it going?

Today the weather dropped to near freezing temperatures, and we even had some sleet. It wasn’t enough to cause any school closures, but it was still way colder than I like. I could never survive in a place that has a long winter!

Even with the frigid temperature, we went to get frozen yogurt this evening at the local Froyoz. Actually, it was just Koa who got anything. I’m always surprised how many choices there are for toppings at the frozen yogurt shop – there’s the regular items like sprinkles, crushed Oreos, and gummy bears, but also some newish toppings like marshmallow creme, kiwi boba, and cheesecake bits. It’s like a candy store!

We rarely go out for ice cream or frozen yogurt, so I didn’t mind taking Koa this evening. Just hope it doesn’t turn into a habit!

I hope you had a nice day.

またね~