Sunrise from Fuji

Got back from my third summit of Mt. Fuji Saturday afternoon.



Sunrise from the peak was incredibly beautiful and humbling, but boring to read about unless you were there. Instead: so I finally got to the summit, was feeling the altitude a bit. Halfway through a circuit of the crater, the sole of my boot fell off. I've had those boots for more than a decade, so I guess their time had come, but it felt like losing an old friend. Fortunately I always hike with a fresh roll of duct tape, so I was able to make it back down the mountain, but it was less fun than coming up.

Also, I brought a Go board to the summit, and found some poor sap to play me there.

More pics are up on my site.

100th Post: Toilet Paper and Buddha

Jessie and I had been driving for two days, returning to Glen Allen from Islesford; Jessie had been with her Grand Aunt Nanette for the prior two weeks, and I had joined them for the previous week. The bliss from vacation was strong and, much to the chagrin of the 100F summer heat, our bodies were still feeling the salted breeze.

We were greeted at the door by three four legged creatures, all meowing and rolling on the floor, each in their own attempt to get our maximum attention. We were also greeted by a gigantic pile of mail, newspapers, catalogs, and advertising junk; this pile was easily four times the normal pile after such a trip. As we sifted through the bills, a large white bag emblazoned with the Japan Post logo and a mix of hiragana, kanji, and Simsbury Public Schools inspired handwriting.

Inside was a wonderful, informative note describing the unique contents and how to use them, plus a bit of historical perspective. Below the note were two masks, one gold, one green-patina, and a roll of toilet paper with printed astronomical information, helpfully in Japanese, which should help me beyond my pre-school Japanese comprehension.

Needless to say, Jessie and I are enjoying our wonderful package from Jeremy. Not only will these masks be fun at parties, and Halloween, but we think they are practical for general around the house use, like cooking!

Thanks, Jeremy. You're a great friend, indeed.