Special notes for everybody
We pretty much missed the cherry blossoms in Japan (aside from the few trees at the Hakone Open Air Museum) but were lucky enough to see my mom’s peonies in perfect bloom. It stormed the day after I took these pictures and the flowers were destroyed. Ah, such is the transitory nature of all things – but these things of beauty will live on in my memory.
Also, my uncanny knack of capturing blossoms with a bug attached astounds me.
On day two or three of our Japan sojourn, we went to the Hakone Open Air Museum and had a little tail end bit of Hanami. Even a bit of the kind where the petals fall off in the breeze, like gentle snow cascading through the air.
They had a great area with something like a knitted jungle gym.
The child had a great time, even though he was maybe too small to fully experience the wonders of this net/web.
They also have a totally ’80s Picasso permanent exhibition. So ’80s. So Japanese.
They also had some classic Japanese bronze sculptures from the ’60s.
With classically Japanese translations of title.
All in all, it was a good day, and that meant lights out for everyone on the car ride home.
We went to eat kushiage which is all kinds of fried stuff on sticks in Ginza, Tokyo. It was delicious. This was the scene in the street.
The Carp flag is for Boy’s Day. John-John loved getting dirt everywhere and then sweeping it up. Well, around, in any case.