update update...

David just called and as I said before all is fine with his family, extending family and friends.
If your on Twitter ( I am not ) he has been twetting ? since the quake hit. Also keep checking his blog on my sidebar he will be posting. I also think he will put up the NHK feed but it will be in Japanese.

He was teaching at school at the time the earthquake hit.

The earthquake was not like the quakes we were so use to when we lived in California. It was a rolling one that last about 30 + seconds. In California you usually get a sharp jolt and then shaking.

He said his main concern was to make sure all the Junior High School students were outside and the Senior Class was very good at getting out of the building. The whole school was evacuated and everyone is doing fine.

The trains are running in Osaka and Tokyo

As I write this it is 2 am in Japan and he said that the news tomorrow morning will break his heart. Mine too !

Thanks you all... Gayle

Earthquake...

update.... Good News !

David, Yuko and Mia are fine ! So far from what I can tell on my map of Japan Extended Family are OK too.

Most of you know about the earthquake and tsunami that has hit Japan. My son and his family live near Osaka which is south on the main Island of Honshu. The center of the earthquake hit Sandai which is northeast of Tokyo.

The news coverage is heartbreaking.

Please check my sons blog on my side bar "sleepytako" for an update.

This was the first morning I slept in to 6:30 am and I awoke to such news... I can't get a phone call through but the e-mail is working .

Thank You all for thinking of my family, Gayle

before...

before..., originally uploaded by angryparsnip.

Tuesday Morning before the Harlows Nursery people started to work on
the trees.

after...

after..., originally uploaded by angryparsnip.

This is so weird... I have never seen any citrus tree with out leaves.
They have beautiful green leaves all year, sweet blooms perfume the
air in spring, the fruit grows in summer and we can't wait to start
eating in fall/winter.
The good news is we have found new green shoots already !

The Harlows Nursery people will be back in April to see how the trees
are doing, what branches need to be cut, and re-treatment of the fungus.
From left to right, Tangelo, Sweet Orange and behind the Birdhouse is
the Lemon.
The Grapefruit trees and Kumquat are out of photo to the right.

Life goes on. . .

astounded. . . parsnip
music. . . Suddenly The Trees are Giving Way, Ulrich Schnauss

parlay view parsnip ?

parlay view parsnip ?, originally uploaded by angryparsnip.

Today is my Monday post about what is happening around my home.

This charming Gila Woodpecker is having a snack before the tree
surgeons arrive today.

One of my favorite birds, I think they are a spectacular stylish from
the warm gray body, horizontal black and white barring on the back,
wings and tail. They also have a beautiful red "cap" and the top of
the head, quite jaunty like a beret or a tam maybe ?

I really like the graphic bars of black and white that cover all the
back and down the tail and the bright red dot on his head is perfect.
Sadly the lady bird does not have the red cap. Bummer !

chirping. . . parsnip
music. . . The Wind Forest, Mari Fujware

p.s. Thank you again Eryl for the fabulous name.

a perfect photo

IMG 6261, originally uploaded by sleepytako.

"jeanette from everton terrace" has in her post today a wonderful photo with a bike leaning against a wall.

This got me thinking about a photo Japanese son "sleepytako" took a few years ago in Osaka.

This photo always strikes me as a perfect photo for me.
The composition is wonderful. The different angles of walls playing off each other, the bright red wall and white numbers draw you in with bikes parked in front for that extra interest. The green bus playing off the red wall give this photo that accent pop that you would miss if it wasn't there.

Do you have a photo that stays in your mind long after you have seen it ? One that you just remember and cant forget ?

happy. . . parsnip
music. . . From The Morning, Nick Drake

Burning in the sun...

Burning in the sun..., originally uploaded by angryparsnip.

A few evenings ago the sky was just so pink. I love the way the bottom
of some of the clouds were highlighted so it almost looked like a
white line was drawn across the sky.
Of course this only lasted for a minute before the colors changed as
the sun set further.

I am still having trouble with some of my color settings on my new
camera. Most of the time the color is pretty true but on shots like
this when I was in a hurry and I didn't have time to change the
setting the camera zoomed in on the sun and the highlights which I
thought was very interesting.
In fact I really was impressed by the sky that was more of a rosy deep
pink with purple streaks as the sun dropped down below the horizon.

rosy. . . parsnip
music. . . Burning In The Sun, Blue Merle