KWC at Heian Shrine, Kyoto

A small group of ladies from KWC went to Kyoto to visit the Heian Jingu shrine. Although it was raining, we had a nice day.I hope to go back when it isn't raining. The garden was very beautiful. After the shrine and lunch, we went to the Kyoto handicrafts center.

Dog and Blossoms

Gil enjoys his daily walks, but even more so in cherry blossom season. Here the cemetary is made even more beautiful with loads of cherry trees. I thought Gil was enjoying this photo shoot, but when we got home he threw up. I guess nerves got the better of him. It seems he's not yet ready for the Cat Walk!

Cherry Blossoms

Cherry Blossom viewing parties along the river in Shukogawa. The trees are beautiful and the parties are lively.

Hanami at Himeji Castle

Went to a hanami party this weekend. The weather was beautiful and as you can see from the photos the setting was exquisite. We had a lunch of Italian and Japanese cuisine served with champagne. We were served by young ladies in kimono while two musicians played japanese flutes. It was a great day out.

April Fool's Prank

I made these delightful cupcakes for April Fool's Day. They look like some sweet delight, but were really meatloaf with a mashed potato topping. Gotcha!!

Sumo Basho

Last Saturday, we went to Osaka to the spring Sumo tournament. It was very exciting. There was one controversial bout where the main judge couldn't tell who hit the ground first, so they made them have a do-over! My 2 favorites fought each other in the next to last bout of the day. Asashoryu has been the reigning champ for quite a while, so even though he was behind in the tournament, I never thought he'd lose to Kotooshu--but he did. Here are some stills of the match. When Kotooshu pushed him out of the ring, the audience began to yell and throw their seat pillows towards the ring. The tournament winner was Hakuho, who never lost a single match throughout the 15 day basho. (As usual, the photos are in reverse order)

Island Safari Eco Adventure

Well, this will be the last installment of the trip to Phuket. On this day, we went to the Island Safari Eco Adventure/tour A. A driver picked us up at the hotel and drove us about 40 min. to the site. First we had an oxcart ride. Then got off and sat on a water buffalo (picture not available). Then we learned about how they traditionally grew and harvested rice and how they get rubber from the rubber trees. After that we took a ride on an elephant! This was a little scary, but not half as bad as a horse ride we once took in Gatlinburg! We also watched an elephant show, in which the elephants danced, played basketball & soccer, played harmonicas and gave people a massage. After this was a monkey show. We met 3 monkeys who showed how they collect coconuts as well as how to ride a tricycle, walk a tight rope and play basketball. The photos are of a guy getting a massage. Note the elephant's trunk up his shorts (they had stuck a banana up there!) An elephant sitting up, me holding the hand of a monkey (it was extremely soft and delicate), the boy and I on the back of an elephant (our umbrella had dropped and the elephant picked it up and handed it to the guy) and finally an oxcart. We had a great time in Phuket. Hope you have enjoyed the photos.