Summer Days

It's full blast summer on the island now. If you want to get anything done outside, it is best to do it before 6 AM or after 6 PM. Those 12 hours between are sweltering humidity that makes you feel as if you are melting. Today, I bought a manual kakigori (shaved ice) maker, my very favorite treat in the summer time.

We actually just returned from our first island matsuri (festival). It was just a little street festival with junk food and kiddie games like goldfish catching but it was a lot of fun. The boys and I got dressed up in jinbei and yukata but Jason's jinbei somehow didn't make it into his luggage.

The view from the bridge. Our house is in the neighborhood on the right of the river. I walk next to this river everyday on my way to work.

Here's us in front on the sneak preview of the big October matsuri.

And here is Sebastian, thoroughly enjoying himself with his shaved ice and goldfish. We almost didn't go due to a horrible meltdown while we were getting ready. After many minutes of crying and a few minutes of exhausted rest, Sebastian woke, cheerful and saying "Maybe we can try again, Mama, now that I've learned something" completely unprompted and unexpected. So I re-did my obi and off we went.