Hot Summer

It's been very hot around 100 F degrees for several days.   Now is the time for lavenders.  I pick them in the midday when the fragrance is at best and make lavender wands for my friends.

A couple of  White-crowned Sparrows are frequent visitors this summer.  They come in the morning to feed and in the afternoon to take a bath.

"Splash!  Stay out of my way."

"We found a nice and safe place to hang around."

A Little One

The other day the temperature climbed up to 80's all of a sudden.   More flowers in the backyard began to bloom.  

A Chestnut-backed Chickadee mom was busy feeding her little one.  

"I want more.  (The wing flipping means.)

"Here is more of your favorite (suet)."

The Reservoir Scene

Many wildflowers are in bloom.

A 2nd year Bald Eagle came to greet me as soon as I arrived and began walking around the reservoir. 

Does he know me?

Canada Geese have a one young one in tow.

In the bush, I saw one Cedar Waxwing, but later on the computer screen I found another one.

Many birds have finished raising their first butch of offspring.   The temperature here is fluctuating too much.  For a week, it's been cold like the end of March.  I am looking forward to the arrival of the real summer.

Japanese Castles

The bullet train took us to Nagoya.   Today, three types of bullet trains are in operation.  The fastest is Hikari meaning "light "(1 1/2 hours from Tokyo to Nagoya).  The second is Nozomi, "hope" (2 hours).  and the last and oldest, Kodama, "echo" (3 hours).

The next day we took a local train (30 minutes) to arrive at Inuyama.  The Inuyama Castle is small but rare, still preserved in the original condition.  We climbed the narrow and steep wooden stairs to the top.

Next in the afternoon, we took a subway to reach Nagoya Castle with the extensive inside renovation. A volunteer guide took us to the top floor by elevator and then we came down seeing the museum like exhibits in each floor.

Against the sky, two crows stood as sentinels on top of the golden fishes to guard the castle as we left.

Mt. Fuji, etc.

On the way to Nagoya, we saw Mt. Fuji clear and majestic.

During the Tokyo Summer Sumo season, we watched the matches everyday.  This is the last heated match for the season.

Doves are everywhere.  This one was watching me as I strolled around a park.

"This is my park.  You have to be nice to me."

Japan

Two weeks in Japan passed very fast.  The weather near Tokyo is warmer and more humid.   With the humidity, vegetation grows and so with butterflies and bugs.

At Korakuen Park right in the middle of  Tokyo, many turtles were up on the rock for suntan.

Great Blue Heron:  "I don't need to dry up my shell, but I 

need to clean my feathers."