Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/2.8, 1/1250 sec, ISO200 “Kids at the Game” Arlington, 2016
こんばんは！
Today we drove up to watch the Texas Rangers play the Oakland A’s in Arlington. It’s a bit of a drive to get up there from Austin but it was fun because all six of us (my family plus our friends Matt and Kumiko) drove up in my mini-van. 🚐
The weather was blazing at the park ☀, and the seats that I had bought were in full sun… it was way too hot and we only sat there for an inning before relocating to a shadier part of the park. In fact, the women didn’t even venture down to the seats in the sun! I don’t blame them. 😩
Must remember to only buy covered seats for the day games!
We then found some other seats in the shade, and watched the rest of the ballgame. Too bad the Rangers lost, but it was still fun!
After the game, it was time to head over to Kula Sushi for dinner. That was a great experience! Kula Sushi is a kaiten-zushi, or conveyor belt serving style. But Kula takes it even further, because you can order anything on the menu via a tablet, and it will be prepared and sent to the table via another conveyor belt which is above the main belt. It’s very hi-tech! Loved it!
Anyways, that is all for today. It was a long drive back home, and now it’s late. In fact, I need to cheat a little and set the posting time an hour back so that I can have a Sunday post. 😜
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/2.8, 1/80 sec, ISO3200 “You can’t see me, right?” Cedar Park, 2016
こんばんは!
Today’s post title are two unrelated things, but whatever… I don’t really care.
First, the cats! 🐱🐱 My goodness they are crazy. Although they are sisters, they have definitely got their own personalities. I’d have to say that Anko, the tuxedo cat, is the stranger of the two.. she has a goofy way about her. As you can see in the photo above, she loves to hide and act silly. And her favorite position to nap in is on her back. Bizarre!
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/2.8, 1/70 sec, ISO3200 “Comfy Space” Cedar Park, 2016
The calico, Yuzu, acts more like a big sister, taking care of Anko and grooming her. But she also has a little bit of a mean streak, and is super-sneaky. And she uses her teeth and claws to great effect. If you are relaxing with a blanket over you, watch out for your toes!
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/2.8, 1/100 sec, ISO2000 “After the Race” Cedar Park, 2016
And the other subject of this post is that Koa has had his first Cross-country meet!
There were four middle schools competing today and his school came in second overall, with Koa placing 55th. He said he had a lot of fun and enjoys running. 🏃 I love that.
I think it’s pretty cool that he is in cross-country, since both my brother and I ran cross-country in high school. I really never expected either of my kids to run in school, so this is a pleasant surprise!
I didn’t see this first meet, so this photo was taken when I picked him up back at his school. I wanted to get him in his cross-country uniform, but he had already changed. 😞 Anyways, the photo is not that great, with that distracting tire on the left side, the tree sticking out of the top of Koa’s head, and the car hitting him from behind, but I like his smile and that the photo marks a little bit of history. 😊
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/3.2, 1/100 sec, ISO1000 “Spaghetti Time” Cedar Park, 2016
こんばんは！How’s it going?
Here in Texas it’s still very warm out. Today reached a high of 90° F (32° C) so it still feels like summer. But it’s a perfect temperature for me! I love it. 🌞
This afternoon my fifteen-year-old son Bay prepared his first meal for the family! It’s a simple but delicious spaghetti recipe that we’ve had in the family for years so it was a perfect introduction to cooking. 🍝 He’ll be going off to college in a couple of years so we thought it would be good for him to get some experience in the kitchen.
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/3.2, 1/100 sec, ISO1250 “Making Meatballs” Cedar Park, 2016
I helped Bay dice the onions and garlic, then saute those in olive oil. He measured out all the spices and opened all the cans of tomatoes. The recipe calls for meatballs, so he ground the beef in the Kitchen Aid grinder using a 2 lb. cut of chuck roast, then combined with all the other ingredients and formed the meatballs. Next, he browned them in the skillet and added them to the sauce.
He also cooked some hot Italian sausages and added those to the sauce. Part of making the recipe his own was slicing the sausages in a different way, and making the meatballs a smaller size than I usually do. There were a couple other “safe” deviations from the standard recipe, for instance, adding more egg to the meatballs, going without breadcrumbs, etc. It was a chance for Bay to make this spaghetti his own.
Lastly, he boiled the water, cooked, and drained the noodles. Then it was time to eat! 🍴
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/5.6, 1/75 sec, ISO3200 “Spaghetti Dinner” Cedar Park, 2016
I was pleased that Bay wanted to cook and was enthusiastic throughout the entire process, And Koa (his 12-year-old brother) said that the spaghetti was delicious. I think that made Bay feel pretty good! 😄
This dish is a perfect one for him to know because it is easy and delicious, plus it would be easy to adjust the amount depending on how many people will be eating.
Bay’s first meal was a huge success and I’m confident that my mom’s spaghetti recipe will be passed on to the next generation. 😊
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/8, 1/55 sec, ISO6400 “Browsing” Cedar Park, 2016
こんばんは！How’s it going?
This evening after dinner I took my two sons to the library to get some books. 📚 Koa borrowed a couple volumes of his favorite manga, “One Piece”, while Bay picked up several travel books. Next summer we are planning on taking a trip ✈ 🚄 to Morocco, Spain, France, and England so we’re doing research on things to see and places to stay. The planning stages are getting exciting!
The most up-to-date information is online, but it’s fun to borrow the travel books to look at maps and get ideas from more reputable sources, like good old Frommer’s and Lonely Planet. It’s also nice to curl up in bed and leaf through a paper book, especially a travel guide, where you can let your wanderlust take hold. 🗺
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/8, 1/30 sec, ISO6400 “On the Way Out” Cedar Park, 2016
When we left the library, nature surprised us with a lovely magenta sunset. 🌇 Love it!
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/8, 1/75 sec, ISO3200 “Sunset” Cedar Park, 2016
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/5.6, 1/125 sec, ISO1600 “Morning Light” Cedar Park, 2016
こんばんは！How’s it going?
This morning Koa and I went out fishing at a couple locations nearby our house. The first location was a small lake that has a lot of bank fishing, but not very much action. When we started, we were one of the only people fishing but after just a few minutes people started arriving and joined us.
Koa and I both had bass setups on our poles, and I knew our chances were pretty low of catching anything, but it was fun anyways, and Koa really improved his casting skills. It is maybe two years since he has gone fishing, so he has grown quite a bit and his motor skills have definitely grown! He has a lot more control and power too, casting out consistently farther than before.
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/9, 1/340 sec, ISO400 “Morning at the Lake” Cedar Park, 2016
One of the people who arrived was having a terrible morning… After he got situated, his first cast went into the tree and he started cursing and swearing. Not loudly, but still it wasn’t very good to hear, especially since there were others around… and Koa is still a kid! Then, this person tried again, but got stuck in another branch! 😯Ugh…
He finally got his line out, and I chatted with him for a bit about fishing. He had a few tips about the kinds of fish in the lake we were fishing at, and I filed that information away for safe-keeping. After that, I chatted with another couple who had their lines out and were enjoying a couple of sandwiches. They were more laid-back and friendly, and when I asked them what they were trying to catch, they just said, “Anything that wants to bite our line is welcome!” 😄
Koa and I fished that spot for maybe 45 minutes, and then headed to another small pond that is in our neighborhood. It’s kind of a run-off reservoir with a fountain – the kind that you see at the entrances to neighborhoods around here. When I used to run more regularly, I saw people fishing the pond and I talked to a couple of them. They said that they’ve caught small bass, bluegill, and even catfish in the pond. It surprised me! The man said that he’d just stop by the pond on his way back from work and fish for a few minutes. I liked that plan. 🎣
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/9, 1/600 sec, ISO400 “Nearby Pond” Cedar Park, 2016
Anyways, the water level was kind of low in the pond today and we didn’t get any nibbles. As I mentioned earlier, our setups were for bass, and we probably should have switched over to some kind of bait and went for bluegill. But, it was fun anyways. After about 15 minutes we decided to just go home and get some breakfast.
It was a good morning!!!
Speaking of morning, the picture at the top of the post is of the morning light coming into our kitchen. We keep salt and sugar on the small window ledge which is very convenient for cooking. Plus I think it looks great because you have instant bokeh when looking at the items there!
Hope you had a great day!
おやすみなさい！
– B
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