Hawkish Moon

The waning moon makes her appearance at the same time the sun arises to bath us in her life-giving warmth.

If I lived in this area, I would love to wake up early every morning to go for a jog along the coast or down on the beach!

If I were on the other side of this island, and if it were clear enough in the sky, I might be able to catch a glimpse of a reddish Mt. Fuji!

It is at times like this that I wish I could fly like a bird and just coast on the warm air currents rising up from the ocean!

One of my favorite shots! Took more than a hundred shots of the hawks until finally got just the right one I was looking for! Thank heavens for the digital era!!

As she flys off and away, I am reminded of the time, and that I too must head back to my real life of humdrum toiling in a square enclosure of stel and cement we call offices.

So lucky to have visited here on such a clear morning!

Pix4Japan by R.D.S. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Enoshima Sunrise

Every year in June, I visit Enoshima Island to watch the sunrise.

On the eastern side of the island, we can see a boat harbor, a small lighthouse, the other side of Tokyo Bay, and the Pacific Ocean.

Hawks can be seen flying from their nests over the bay looking for food and making their unique screeching sound.

So far, I have been lucky in that the skies have been clear or partly cloudy.

We can see fishermen heading out to sea for their daily catch and we can see other fishermen returning to port with their catch.

And behold, the sun doth riseth.

I was a little surprised to see construction cranes on top of the hill on the other side of the bay.

Morning has arrived, and I'm looking forward to another wonderful day in the Land of the Rising Sun.

Pix4Japan by R.D.S. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Kasuga

In front of every single shrine there is an offertory box where you throw cash usually, a five in coin, prior to making your wish or ptaying to the God inside the shine. The rope are connected to bells that are rung to catch the attention of the God. 

This particular shrine is quite small, and typically receives only tens of visitors on a daily basis. During The New Year's holidays, several hundreds of thousands of people will visit this shrine to make their offering and to pray for a happy new year and to offer thanks for the previous year.

I like to visit this shrine at night when there is solitude.

Tombstone

Took Dale for a walk tonight through the local cemetery. It was really hard to get a decent shot in the pitch-black darkness!

It's a lot cooler at night for the both of us! Am glad we're the only ones here at this time!

Pix4Japan by R.D.S. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

River Table

Took the puppy to a park that also serves as a natural reserve for some of the native wildlife that used to live and barely continues to survive in the urban jungle of Yokohama.

She loves to jump onto chairs, desks, and picnic tables. 

She is not so hesitant these days when it comes to jumping down from high places. 

As always, her favorite place to play is in any brook, creek, stream, river, or pond. 

Pix4Japan by R.D.S. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Rest Area

At the top of the hill in the park, there is a rest area where we can enjoy a beautiful view looking west and southwest.

It was really hard to make sure the puppy would stand still long enough to catch this photo. She is so full of energy and very rambunctious.

Even when man tries to modify nature and cut a tree, life makes its glorious effort to survive and live regardless of man.

It was an overcast day today, but for a brief moment, the sunshine broke through the clouds and shined on this tree.

The Fujii blossoms at the top of the hill have a slightly different tone, almost purpleish.

Pix4Japan by R.D.S. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Cave Border

At the top of the park, there is a small lake that is very dark and very deep. I let the puppy swim in the lake for a little while. It was her first time to ever actually swim in water where she couldn't touch the bottom.

The lake is fed by these small streams that run through soft limestone forming caves that would seem adventurous to me if I were much much younger. These days, I would be more afraid of slipping and breaking a bone!

I wonder why there are so many steps leading down into the streams and creeks that feed the lake.

If I were alone, and was wearing the right type of shoes, I might be bold enough to go inside this cave to find out what's inside.

Pix4Japan by R.D.S. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.