first impressions

"i have been in china for 3 days, so jet-lagged and worn out from the summer project. I am sick with an ear ache and sore throat, it's starting to go away, and i can feel my energy coming back. Joy said that i have a deer in the headlights look, and small wonder. china is outrageous. I feel so unprepared, but there is no way to prepare for this...."

stripped down. tenacious. unrelenting. hard scrabble. utilitarian. lush. watery. fishing ponds. rice fields. new trees. so green. efficient. corn fields against lotus ponds. so much meat. piles of broken down abandoned things everywhere. vegetable gardens in front of houses. agrarian mind. coastal plains. many white cranes. few animals. everyone piles onto scooters. horns blowing. loud talking. square-on. forthright. staring. saying hello. black milk tea in the morning. incredible museums in xuzhou, night markets. darkness. haggling with a calculator. hand made nation. smiling elders. so cute. mangoes. good friends. stories to discover and tell.

i can't decide if i love it or hate it, but so happy to be here.

foundry kitchen

lunch

grocery store rice bins

mung beans

foundry broom

shoes

japan is an island

I have been spending the last week or so in the southern part of Honshu, in Osaka and Wakayama. I am finally at the edges, and on the Seto sea, on ferries, and beaches. I am so happy to be near rivers and oceans during this heat wave. I joined this group of friends for a couple of days, sharing yoga and meals together. They made Osaka for me. (l-r) Momoe, Emi, and Nanako.