Weekend memories!!

                                 
                              This last weekend was simply superb!! As it was Liberty's birthday, we went to Olive Garden's and ordered the Never ending Pasta bowl and gorged ourselves with noodles! Then off to Starbucks for a green tea frappucino and some sugary froth.

 

     Also gave her a set of SLUG earrings that she loved!!! Here they are "installed" on the model.

                                  These are in addition to the earrings I got her on Etsy last month.

                                                  So she is happy with the new additions!!

   Then later on we all got together and had some tea and coffee to enjoy Powell's Books!!!

                                       Here is a photo of Ann and her sweetheart, Donna!!

       
                       So a wonderful weekend filled with activity and celebrations!!!

  Was also able to fit in some shakuhachi practice. All I managed was some blowing Ro time but nonetheless, it was time spent playing. I need to spend REAL time in practicing and I hope to do that starting the next few weeks when school starts and things settle down. At least a structured practice system.

   And some good news...
So after researching my hamstring issues and the knee pain that seems to go with it, I have it under good authority that my sciatica is the culprit, NOT a hamstring injury. It also depends on how I sit whether in a car for long periods of time or in a chair. My PT friends and doctor agree with this too. So I put it to the test and went for a run, albeit much slower than normal. Sure enough, a 7 miler with no tightness nor pain in the hamstring. My hip arthritis had flared earlier but disappeared at noon, affording me a chance to run. Feels good to get out! I will be running again but taking it SLOW, at 10:15/mi this time, watching how I sit and how my back is aligned. Nerves are wonderful but don't pinch them. :-) ( I could never understand how I injured my hamstring either so KNEW something was not right).

                                                               Yay!! Back to running!!!!

A new shakuhachi group: Pacific NW edition!

Back when I started to learn and love the shakuhachi flute, my resources took me so many places. One was a delightful forum called Mujitsu and Tairaku's Shakuhachi BBQ. Talk about a great place to learn!! In addition to my studies with sensei Tyrrell and the wonderful journey of mindfulness,awareness and melodies on the flute,many things also changed in my life. Alas, the forum stopped being that and is now an archive for reading only. This resource is still valuable and can be found here:  http://www.shakuhachiforum.com/

   So, then from the ashes of that forum came another: the European Shakuhachi Society on Facebook.  Although a superb site and filled with great players,it is based in Europe.

                                   https://www.facebook.com/groups/156126251071128/


There are also a few others on Facebook that allow us to indulge in our hobby and play.

                             https://www.facebook.com/groups/2346832465/
                             https://www.facebook.com/groups/112692755413877/

 But...there are very few regional shakuhachi groups outside of Europe and Japan.
 So I have decided to start one specifically for the Pacific Northwest part of the US.
  With a rich background in Japanese culture and history over the last 200 years, what an appropriate
place to start a group. I've met very few shakuhachi players from the west coast yet know they are out there! In the Portland metro area, where I reside, I knew of only two or three. Now with the start of this group on Facebook, I have added two more to the group. It has only been a few days since I started this but we are up to six members and I hope to see this grow soon. Perhaps even a meetup to play! Here is the link to Facebook if interested in joining or simply reading the information:

                                   https://www.facebook.com/groups/463348363763668/

           What I would love to see is a place for those of us in the pacific northwest and west coast to chat and discuss shakuhachi.  The California region, especially the San Francisco area, is rich in shakuhachi teachers and players. Now let's get some interest going in the northwest!!!

  As for my own playing, well it has become better and practice more often. It will take a few months to get back to where I was before I veered from the path. But...I shall make it back. Also started to learn a bit of flute related Japanese for music study. Almost essential in this are of learning.

                           

                            Some eye candy for the shakuhachi!!!How is THIS for a collection?!

                                                                  And these beauties....
 

     

                                      Some stunning eye candy for the shakuhachi player!

                                          Enough shakuhachi "stuff" for this blog post.

Shakuhachi and ink.

                                                             Our interests come and go every day as we fit in the things we call special or interesting. One day it is this, the next it is that. As noticed from this blog all year, I have many interests and never enough time to excel at simply one. And I won't give up 90% to concentrate at just one or two things. My interest will wane and I want to experience and try something new.

                                                            So I change my ways and switch things around,sometimes going back to the fun and educational things I did before and then going on to something else new. This week...back to my shakuhachi and a wee bit of practice to keep my embouchure steady after a few months. As noted previously, I own three of these delicious and wonderful instruments: a standard root end 1.8 earth model shak from Perry Yung.

   Then a Yuu shakuhachi 1.8, which is a poly made version that is very durable and great for practice

  And finally, my deeper and more resonant 2.2 Chikusing model shakuhachi, also from Perry Yung

                                                            And a pic of all three together...

                                     With very different responses and sounds, they give me some options when playing and even recording, which I have only done a few times.  Fortunately, in the climate of the pacific NW, I've not had issues with cracking of the bamboo and they still remain the same as the day they were made.

                                     So now I will play with these a few weeks and get back into that. No, I'm not sure what I will do later into autumn as it rapidly approaches (THANKFULLY). The shakuhachi will always be a part of my life along with many other things Japanese.

                                     My grandfather spent many years of his life in Japan
after the war and settled down there finally in the late 50's. So I have a connection of sorts in addition to the music and culture.  Add that I have Japanese tattoos and...well, you get the picture.


  This tattoo on my left arm is of Hiroshige's "Little brown owl on a pine tree", a woodcut from 1832 along with the poem in Japanese. The other tattoo is shakuhachi in Japanese kanji .

  Yes, as you can tell, I also love tattoos!!! Hope to get the remainder of my forearms filled in soon to complete both and call them done. For now ;-)

                                                        Onward toward Autumn!!!!!

Cosmos,pedals and parting shots.

Week two has now arrived without running. Until yesterday! I just could not take it anymore and decided to give a short run a try and ascertain how the hamstring feels. Then, if it felt good and there was no pain, I'd walk the What event this week on Wednesday night. If it DID, another two weeks of resting it and back to the biking. So after running a two miler I felt great even though the tightness of the muscle was there...no pain!!! I then rode the bike for seven miles when I came back due to a broken pedal on the Giant Iguana. Time for a new set. But how happy I am that the running proved to me I'm on the mend. Will still take it easy though and run slower with fewer miles.

     On Saturday the Cosmos 7k race was held by Brian and his Energy Events group. While I don't sanction gender only races at all and refuse to run them, I DO support the right of the girls to do them and was there to shoot photos of my family and friends. Some don't understand why I dislike gender only races but what is not to understand? People should not be selected to race due to gender,race,religion,sexual orientation nor any other invalid reason. Sure, Special Olympics and races for the disabled are exceptions that don't need explanation. If they DO, there is something wrong with that person's brain. A regular event for the masses though should be open to all without the discouraging of any one group. Just my thoughts and feelings.  That said, the girls had a great time and I shot a few hundred photos and loved doing it. Here are some from the race:

                                                    The lovely girls before the race!!!

                                                 
                                                          Decided to wear the kilt that day!

                                                                Sweethearts indeed!!!!

                                      And as a parting shot from the ladies I love so much.....

                                 Ann and Liberty walked it coming in 811th and 812th out of 851!!
                                 So proud of both of them for the effort and great race.


     A busy weekend was over with fine weather on a Sunday evening, giving me yet another opportunity to pause and reflect on how fortunate a man I truly am. I'm almost a half century old but living the best years of my life for sure!!! The forties are the new 30's, or maybe the 20's. n :-)


    



                  

                                             

Biking journeys and coming out??

Last week's decision to get out on the bike a bit more proved wonderful as I headed to downtown Portland from home. Navigating the streets from downtown Vancouver to just past Delta Park can be a bit hazardous but in a city like PDX, all is well.  This area is Bike Central in the USA and we have some of the best biking paths,lanes and trails in the country. So I rode a 30 mile route there and back, stopping for some photos along the way. My new/used Nexus S phone has a great camera so I tested it out on this ride. Here is the Giant Iguana bike I bought last year from my friend Dan. Love this bike!! No frills, not fancy,built like a rock and fun to ride.

                                              At the Paul Bunyan statue in North Portland!

                                              Near the Burnside Bridge in PDX

    I want to plan out more rides like this but admit I prefer to just go and see where my legs take me.
Until I can get back to running, this is my exercise for now. One month of no running. Ugh :-(
  The hamstring is feeling better and the urge to go run strong for sure. But...I have been strong and am going to do my best to keep from damaging it further.


       It has been a busy last few weeks and the month of August will hopefully be a bit quieter. Last weekend Ann and I got together with our best friends and loves, enjoying Portland and some of the wonderful places to shop and visit. I posted this pic last week but love it so much I will do it again!!

                                                    
                                                            And a few more of the girls!!

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                                           On a different and exciting note,two of my long time closest and best friends in the world have just come out on Facebook! These two ladies are dear to my heart and world!! Fortunately, in this day and age, it is easier to do than ever before with social media and more acceptance playing a role. Still, it is never easy for anyone to do and I heartily applaud them both for this and for being what THEY want to be and not what OTHERS tell them they HAVE to be.

                                               Women have it a bit better in this department as the stigma attached to the girls is lessened for many reasons. It has taken many years of struggles and heartache to get to this point in America when a man or woman can come out as gay,lesbian,bisexual or transsexual and be safe. But...we are not there yet.  It is easier for some yes and I'm so glad that those of us who have come out and taken steps to do so are not persecuted for it as in years past. For a woman to come out and tell the world "I love this other woman and am very happy" is pure love and nobody has a right to ever tell them it is wrong. Never. It does not matter whether they are in a monogamous or polyamorous relationship...LOVE IS LOVE. One cannot be told they HAVE to only love one person more than they HAVE to love only one flavour of ice cream or soda.

                                               For this couple, there will be some "friends" who simply don't agree with it and will leave or no longer want to be friends. That is their loss which is sad and pathetic. On the other hand, many will not judge, wish them happiness (that is why we live, right? Happiness?) and love as well as being there for support against the jerks of the world who tell them they cannot.

  Eventually they will tell everyone how they feel about each other,when the time is right for it. When that happens, my hope is that they be happy and not let the naysayers and negatives ever interrupt their love for each other!! 

These are the people I love and respect. Fortunately I have many friends like this and am truly blessed in my life right now. So very much!!!! 


  On this happy note of the love we humans share for each other, I end this post with photos and images of said warmth!!    <3 <3 <3 <3