It's 8:25pm and Max just went up to bed (to read his bike parts magazine).
We went out in the rain, thinking to go into the mountains but the rain and wind picked up. So we veered away and rode back through his town, thinking to go home for the day. Then the rain let up so we headed away from the ominous black clouds over the mountains and worked our way toward the sea.
It was a great ride to and along the seaside. Of course we talked about the earthquake and tsunami as we rode. Resting on a hill by the sea we wondered where we would go if a tsunami hit this side of the country. We realized that there would be no escape and the best we could do would be to say goodbye to each other. These kinds of thoughts NEVER occurred to us in the past while looking out over the beautiful sea. Everything changes...
The ride took us to our favourite seaside coffee shop, but having planned to be in the mountains neither of us brought any cash. Umibozu let us put our coffees on a tab! How nice of him. I guess it pays to keep coming back, even all the way from Tokyo. He remembers us and we always have a great chat.
The ride back turned very nasty; the wind picked up to a howl and the rain came pounding down in sheets so heavy we could barely see. But what could we do other than to ride back the hour it took to get home? So we rode.
The shower was hot and felt so good on my cold body. The body soap and shampoo fragrances brought back memories of visiting here regularly. The food Max' mom made was great (though I could eat more meat if they had it which they don't).
Overall a great day, in spite of doing our drowned rat impersonations.
And Max has gone to bed...
I love you!
Cam
PS Four hugs given to shy Max so mission accomplished.
Sounds like a good day.
ReplyDeleteAnd as for the beach, you go "up" even if that is to learn a new skill... like rock climbing!
I remember Max and his family and how sweet and kind they were, sharing some tea with them etc. And the little cookies with faces on them. The colorful rooftops around their workshop, the workshops organized clutter. As I type this I am looking at my little pig holding two pumpkins, the gift they gave to me so generously. They are wonderful people. Enjoy your friends Cam, and the time there.
And thanks for relaying the hug. A kiss might have put him right over the top! LOL
where's the 'drowned rat impersonation' video ??
ReplyDeletethat would be funny to see ;)
Wow... so many memories.. the woodstove.. the chill in the air.. the tour... the trees. (remember the 1300 year old trees?)....
ReplyDeleteI miss your mountain.
Stefnee - I do, too. That's why I'm here. The next time you scrape enough cash together to make a Japan trip our base will be Tokyo and we can make a weekend trip into the mountainous Shangri-la. Deal?
ReplyDeleteP.S. His house is cold! My apt in Tokyo is 22C now but this house probably doesn't go above 15C. It's warmer outside, even in the night because the sun never shines in here.
ReplyDelete