Motoring

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"Motorized Fun" Cedar Park, 2017
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/5.6, 1/280 sec, ISO200
 “Motorized Fun” Cedar Park, 2017

こんばんは。How’s it going?

Today I was rearranging things in the garage in order to get the Christmas decorations out and I had my motorcycle “Kiki” parked where we usually have the Prius. It looked so nice and the weather was perfect, so of course, I had to go out for a ride. It felt so great to be out in the warm Texas breeze (it was in the high 70s today) flying along.

These days I enjoy driving the Crosstrek, which is so much more fun than the Odyssey was, but the motorcycle is light years ahead of both. The acceleration, view, contact with the elements, and lean angle are amazing sensations that a car just cannot give. I know there are many cars that are faster than my motorbike (which is not that quick compared to a sport bike), but a quick 0-60 while strapped into a chair that is enclosed in a cage just can’t be the same as sitting on top of a hot engine, zooming in mid-air, while the world leans to the side. For adrenaline and fun, a motorcycle is the way to go. For comfort, convenience, and practicality? A car for sure. I love them both!

If you are interested in reading some of my motorbiking posts, please check out my other blog, Motofuji.net.

I hope you had a fun Saturday!

またね～

Sunset

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"Colorful Sky" Austin, 2017
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/2.8, 1/100 sec, ISO500
 “Colorful Sky” Austin, 2017

こんばんは。How’s it going?

It’s the day after Thanksgiving, which means recovery day. 😄 So, the kids and I put all the furniture back to its normal position, folded up the craft table and put it away, and stored all of the Thanksgiving cooking pans.

In the evening we met Mariko near her work for happy hour eats and drinks. 🍻 It was nice to try a new place, but the food was really salty and greasy. 🍕🌮 It tasted okay, but wow, it must have been so unhealthy! In fact, later on none of us was feeling too great. And of course we were all thirsty because of the salt. We later watched a show where the host was in Tokushima having some Japanese food, and we were craving it! The miso soup looked so tasty and refreshing. 🥣

Anyways, today’s photos are of the amazing sunset that we had in Austin. Bay took the photos since I was driving. Although the camera and post-processing are exaggerating the vibrance of the colors, it really did look spectacular and the photo captures the feeling.

"Sunset Driving" Austin, 2017
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/2.8, 1/100 sec, ISO1250
 “Sunset Driving” Austin, 2017

I hope you had a nice day!

おやすみ

Happy Thanksgiving!

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"Pie Time" Cedar Park, 2017
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/2.8, 1/100 sec, ISO3200
 “Pie Time” Cedar Park, 2017

Happy Thanksgiving! We enjoyed a traditional get-together with friends coming over to our house this year. It was a large group of 20 hungry people, ranging in age from 13 to 49 (I think I was the oldest). There was so much good food, with plenty of delicious side dishes which really could be considered entrees at any other meal. However, at Thanksgiving, the turkey is always the entree. 😀

Instead of roasting one large turkey, I prepared two smaller (11 lbs each) birds, and I think they turned out okay. I tried dry brining this time and while everyone said the turkeys turned out great, I honestly would rate them at a 7 out of 10. That being said, almost all of the turkey was gone, with the turkey legs being left. I think because half of the guests were native Japanese, they aren’t used to eating the drumsticks. Speaking of cultural differences, a traditional Thanksgiving dinner is a rare occasion for Japanese. Consequently, when I was carving the turkeys, many photos of me were taken. 😱

"Food and Selfie" Cedar Park, 2017
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/2.8, 1/100 sec, ISO1250
 “Food and Selfie” Cedar Park, 2017

Anyways, besides the turkey, I also made our family tradition oyster stuffing. It’s my favorite, and I am glad that Koa really loves it too! There was also cranberry sauce, roast beef, sticky rice, shrimp cocktail, Maui-style poké, mashed potatoes, bacon-wrapped asparagus, deviled eggs, sweet potato casserole, sausage stuffing,, and fresh muffins. And for dessert, there was pumpkin pie (homemade by Mariko), matcha cheesecake, custard pie, and mango cheesecake. As you can imagine, we were all stuffed!

It was fun to have everyone over this year, and while hosting a lot of people can be stressful, I have to say that having foodie friends who bring over a ton of amazing side-dishes makes it a lot easier.

I hope you had a nice day!

またね～

Game Time

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"Game Time" Cedar Park, 2017
“Game Time” Cedar Park, 2017

こんばんは。How’s it going?

Today I was back at work (from home) before another two days off for Thanksgiving break. but the big news was that Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp was released on smartphones! My whole family is into it and we were up late playing. I’ve loved the Animal Crossing (どうぶつの森) series and have played each version, starting with the GameCube version. It’s so fun!

If you are playing and want to be friends, here’s my code:

Happy camping!

またね～