The Island of Olive Trees

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It’s in the middle of winter and we have more cloudy and rainy days in Seattle. The sky is gray and it makes me miss my favorite island in my home country, Japan. Shodoshima is an island where the weather is mild and there are many olive trees.

My husband and I had a chance to visit Shodoshima before pandemic. It was November but the temperature was high 60’s and mostly sunny days. We drove around the island to see a beautiful ocean view from the mountain and visited a local cafe for homemade cheesecake. There was a very old house which was remodeled as a restaurant. This popular restaurant was always full of customers around lunch time. We waited about one hour and finally were able to sit in a table set in the pretty outside garden. The food was excellent using local fresh vegetable, seafood, and beef. Although we had to wait, it was worth it. Another popular place was an olive park where there are many of olive trees and a gift shop we can buy products made from olive. They even had green ice cream made from olive.

Shodoshima has many cute popular spots for tourists but I love most in Shodoshima was the beauty of the nature and the simple quiet life there, a wild boar footprints I found in the beach early morning, a small chat with an owner of a cafe we had coffee, the morning glories by the sidewalk, and beautiful ocean.

I hope I will have a chance to live there someday. The view is gray from my window but it’s always sunny, blue sky, and olive trees in my heart when I think of Shodoshima.

今年のシアトルの冬はいつにも増して曇りや雨の日が多いよう。青空が見れない日が続くとさすがに少し滅入ります。そんな時は日本の小豆島に行った時の事を思い出すようにしてます。コロナが始まるちょっと前に幸運にも小豆島に初めて行く機会がありました。

小豆島は瀬戸内海に位置する島々の一つで自然に囲まれた綺麗な所です。温暖な気候のせいかオリーブの木がたくさんあります。オリーブ公園では沢山のオリーブの木だけではなく、オリーブで作られた様々な物をお土産として買えるギフトショップもあります。オリーブで作られたアイスクリームも！山の中には古民家をレストランにした人気のお店がありランチ時は長蛇の列になります。旦那と私も1時間ほど待ってようやくかわいい庭に置かれたテーブルにつくことができました。料理は地元の野菜、魚、肉などが使われていてかなり待ったけど大満足でした。

小豆島には色々な観光スポットがあります。どれも綺麗で素敵な所ばかりだけど、私が小豆島で一番好きなところは自然に囲まれてのんびりとしたところです。早朝海岸を散歩していて見つけたイノシシの足跡。海辺のカフェでおしゃべりに付き合ってくれた親切なオーナー。歩道の脇に咲いていた色鮮やかな朝顔の花たち。そして青空と青い海とオリーブの木々。

いつか小豆島で暮らせる時が来るといいなと思います。窓の外はまだどんよりとした曇り空。でも私の心の中は小豆島の青い海と空、そして太陽の光りに輝くオリーブの木々が揺れてます。

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Weekend Breakfast with Theo

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Theo is my daughter’s golden doodle puppy. As all puppies are, Theo is super cute and sweet. I love his fluffy soft fur and he is just like a teddy bear. My daughter and her boyfriend sometimes come with Theo and we have meals together. My husband and I love that they come over but there is one problem, our dogs, Cocoa and Haru. Cocoa is almost 14 years old and Haru is seven. When Theo comes over, it’s always quite a chaos in my house.

Cocoa and Haru are miniature dachshund. Cocoa is Black and Tan male dog and Haru is shaded cream long hair female dog. They are very sweet but very protective and they are not interested in a puppy.

My daughter, her boyfriend, and Theo who is now 6 month old and getting big came over for breakfast on Saturday morning. Cocoa and Haru love their big sister (my daughter) and her boyfriend but are not sure about Theo. He is a puppy who is super excited with other dogs. He wants to play, play and play. He explored every corner of my house and found Cocoa and Haru’s toy basket. He took each toy out of the basket and played with all toys. Although he was chased off by Cocoa and Haru, he never gave up and tried to play with Cocoa and Haru in his way. I feel sorry for Theo but I guess the age gap is too far between a puppy and a senior dog.

Dogs were barking and people were talking around the table enjoying my husband’s homemade breakfast. The squeaky toys were everywhere. I sometimes have a headache after they left. It was quite noisy but happy time with my family. A small happiness in one Saturday morning.

数年前に巣立った娘は今もたまにボーイフレンドを連れだって朝ごはんを食べにやって来る。普段はスムージーと簡単に朝食を済ます旦那と私だが、娘たちが来る時はフルーツを添えたパンケーキやフレンチトーストにハッシュやスクランブルエッグとちょっと私には重い朝食を旦那が作ってくれる。愛犬のミニチュアダックスフンドのココとハルも久しぶりに会える娘やボーイフレンドに大喜びでいつも楽しい時間を過ごしていた。スィオがやって来るまでは。

スィオは娘たちが迎え入れたゴールデンドゥードゥルのパピー。パピーは皆んなそうだがとにかくかわいい。柔らかくてクルクルの茶色の毛でまさにぬいぐるみのテディベアーみたいだ。パピーはかわいいが、とにかく落ち着きが無い。遊びたいの一心なのだがシニア犬のココや7歳のハルには少し鬱陶しい存在なのだ。そしてある土曜日の朝、スィオも一緒に娘たちがやって来た。

スィオは家中をチェックしながらココとハルのトイバスケットを見つけた。全てのおもちゃを一つずつ出して遊んでは、ココとハルにちょっかいを出しに行く。当然、ココとハルは面白くない。ココはただほかっておいてもらいたいだけ。ハルはとにかく気に入らないよう。年がちょっと離れすぎてるから仕方ないね。

犬は犬たちで大騒ぎ。私達は私達で色々な話をして朝ごはんを楽しんだ。とにかく賑やかでちょっとうるさいぐらいの朝ごはん。最近は娘たちが帰った後に頭痛に見舞われる事もあるがそれでも家族が一緒に、新しいメンバーも加わって時間を過ごせるのはとても幸せなこと。小さな幸せを大切に。

What’s for Dinner Tonight?

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It’s Chinese for today’s dinner! When we buy ground pork, my husband usually cooks gyoza and mapo tofu. I made rice with green peas and there is miso soup with pork and vegetables leftover from yesterday.

Since pandemic started, we cook more homemade meals and eat at home. I am not good at cooking so it’s mostly my husband cooks. Lucky for me! He tried a few different ways to fry gyoza making it golden and crispy. we used to use a prepackaged mapo tofu sauce from the store but my husband started to use a few different Chinese sauce to make mapo tofu from scratch. How good it is compared to mapo tofu made from a prepackaged sauce! Rice with green peas is my favorite and remind me of a school lunch when I was an elementary student in Japan.

We used to go to a restaurant every Friday to enjoy food and Friday night, but we have more time at home. We still go to a restaurant for takeout and I miss to enjoy meals with my friends at the restaurant. However, it’s also good we cook healthier food at home and spend more time with family together. Cooking and eating dinner together with my family is something in everyday life. It’s very precious and small happiness in it!

今日の夕飯は中華です。コロナが始まってからうちではますますおうちご飯を作るようになりました。私が料理があまり得意でないため主に作ってくれるのは旦那なのですが、彼はちゃんとレシピに沿って美味しく作ってくれます。餃子の焼き方もしっかり焼き色をつけてカリッと焼けるようになるまで試行錯誤を重ねて写真のような餃子の出来上がりになりました。以前私が料理してた時はパックになってる麻婆豆腐の素を使ってましたが、旦那は何種類かのソースを使い一から麻婆豆腐を作りました。麻婆豆腐の素を使ったものと比べると一から作った麻婆豆腐の何て美味しいこと。残り物の豚汁と私が作った豆ご飯も一緒に。豆ご飯は子供の頃の学校給食で好物だったもの。

コロナの前は金曜の夜によくレストランへ食事に出かけてました。今はたまにテイクアウトをするぐらいで、もっと家でおうちご飯を作って楽しんでいます。また前のように自由にレストランで家族や友達と食事を楽しめるようになってほしいと思います。でも家でもっと体に優しいものを家族と一緒に料理したり食事を楽しんだり。毎日の普通の事だけどとても大切なもの。小さな幸せがここにもあったんですね。

Cold and Sunny Saturday Morning

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The air is cold, crisp, and foggy, but the weather forecast is sunny. My husband and I added extra layers in the clothes and headed to Fremont, a popular area for shopping , dining, walking, and jogging. When the sun comes out in winter Seattle, many people go out for sunshine and fresh air. We are one of them.

We love walking around the city as well as nature. There are cute small shops, restaurants, and cafes in Fremont. There is a beautiful ship canal and people enjoy jogging, biking, and walking by the canal. We started our walk from a local chocolate factory where we can also buy some chocolate in a small shop there. We took some pictures of bikers, joggers, and kayaks over the bridge. We went to our favorite bakery where we usually need to wait about 15 minutes to get the best croissant but that is worth it.

The icy fog was disappeared and the sky was blue and some white cloud like cotton candy floated. The air was still cold but I felt the warmth of the sunshine on my face. My husband found some hummingbirds chirping on the trees. It’s Saturday and sunny! There is a fresh croissant and coffee in my hands. I felt free and happy walking by the canal with my husband. I love this moment, small happiness in sunny Saturday morning.

土曜日の天気予報は晴れ！雨やグレーの曇り空が多いシアトルの冬。家にこもってる理由はありません。旦那と一緒にカメラを持ってシアトルの中心部に近いフリーモントへ朝散歩。

フリーモントはオシャレなレストランやカフェなどの小さなお店が立ち並び、ユニオン湖に続く運河沿いはジョギングや散歩を楽しむ人々で賑わってます。シアトルの晴れの日は雨の日よりもぐっと気温が下がります。でも空は澄み切った青空で所々で白い雲がポカポカ浮かんでます。

私達は地元のお店も一緒になってるチョコレート工場から歩き始め、お気に入りのパン屋さんへ。朝からたくさんの人が並んでるけど、ここのクロワッサンは最高に美味しい。少し並んで待ってもこのクロワッサンのためなら苦になりません。運河にかかる橋の上でサイクリストやジョガー、かやっくを楽しむのも人々の写真を撮ったり、旦那が教えてくれるハチドリの鳴き声に耳を傾けたり。

空気は透き通り冷たいけど、私の頬には陽の温かさが。今日は土曜日でしかも晴れ！コーヒーとまだ暖かいクロワッサンを楽しみながら運河沿いを旦那と一緒に朝散歩。何でもない普通の週末の朝だけど、この瞬間が大好きでここにも小さな幸せがありました。

Weekend Trip to Vashon Island

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It takes 20 minutes from Seattle to Vashon Island by ferry. It’s a small quiet town with lots of nature and this is a perfect place if you want to relax in the weekend. The sky was gray and the wind was cold, but that is Seattle weather in winter. My husband and I took a small bag and our two dogs in our car and headed to the ferry terminal.
we enjoyed watching snowy Olympic National Park mountains, a famous light house, cute small shops and a cafe in the island.

The lodge we stayed was a simple modern interior and very cozy and comfortable place. I immediately switched on a fire place and relax in a warm living area. We enjoyed dinner from a Mexican restaurant and watched a football game. Our dogs were as usual, Cocoa explored every corner of the lodge and found his favorite place to sleep. Haru was nervous being in unfamiliar place and kept walking. We took a walk around the lodge to take some pictures. I read my favorite book and did yoga.
This is not like Disneyland but you can relax, be calm and enjoy nature.

シアトルからフェリーで20分ぐらいのところにバション島があります。小さな静かな島だけど自然と海に囲まれたとても綺麗な所です。旦那と二匹の愛犬ココとハルと一泊旅行へ行ってきました。

何が特別ではないけれど、小さな町のカフェや雑貨屋さん。赤い屋根の灯台、雪帽子をかぶったオリンピック国立公園の山々の景色。どれものんびりとした気持ちにさせるものたち。

私達が泊まったロッジはモダンなスッキリとしたインテリアに暖炉や地元アーティストのクラフトがデコレーションに置かれていました。いこごちの良い空間で本を読んだり、ヨガをしたり、フットボールを観ながら夕食を楽しんだり。

シアトルの冬はグレーで寒いけど、ちょっと場所を変えてのんびりと普通の事を楽しむのもとても良いものです。旦那と愛犬と一緒の小さな週末旅行。ここにも幸せがいっぱい詰まってます。

My Favorite Things on My Birthday

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No matter how old I turned, flowers from family or friends make me happy. I am not so interested in the present anymore. I value more how I spend time on my birthday. Yet I still want have flowers and a cake, a very good one.

My husband and I started making a cake for a special occasion like my daughter’s graduation, Mother’s Day, or birthday. It’s always same cake, a simple sponge cake with berries and whipped cream, but it’s super delicious just like a cake sold in my home country, Japan. My husband baked a sponge cake and I helped the decorations for my birthday cake.

I took a day off and enjoyed a photo walk with my favorite camera. Later my husband and my dogs joined and we had a good time at the park in warm sunny winter afternoon. There was no present because I didn’t want anything. However, I was so happy spending my special day with my husband, my dogs, flowers, a cake, and my camera. My favorite things. 🙂

いくつになっても誕生日にお花をもらうのは嬉しいものです。年を重ねたせいか最近はあまりプレゼントを欲しいと思わなくなりました。と言うより欲しい物が無いと言った方が正解かも。花とケーキと好きな物や人に囲まれてその日を過ごせればそれでとても幸せだと。

ケーキは数年前から旦那と私でシンプルな苺と生クリームのケーキを作るようになりました。日本で売ってるような本当に美味しいケーキを娘の卒業祝いの時や誕生日、母の日などに作りました。今回も旦那がスポンジ生地を焼いて私が飾り付けを担当。

休暇を取ってその日はお気に入りのカメラを持って街へphotowalk 。後で旦那と愛犬のココとハルも加わり公園で晴れた冬の午後を過ごしました。

花とケーキとカメラ。そして家族と一緒に過ごせた特別な日は幸せな時間でした。

Breakfast in the woods

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I haven’t gone camping since I was a kid. It was a school camping trip and I remember I didn’t like it because it was raining and I got sick there. However, I decided to go camping again. Why? I wanted to take a picture of stars. I needed to go to a place where has a very dark sky.

My husband and I took our two wiener dogs, Cocoa and Haru to Lake Wenatchee located northeast of Seattle about 2 hours drive. We relaxed by the lake, enjoyed paddle boarding, and headed to our camp site. Our tent was big enough for us with two dogs and very comfortable. Unfortunately it got cloudy at night and we were not able to see stars. However, it was really nice to spend a relaxing time in the tent with my husband and dogs listening the wind at night.

I think Haru doesn’t like a camping. When she was eating her meal, a bee flew around her. She immediately lost her interest to her meal and she escaped to the tent. After that she rushed to our car crying. I think she was saying “Let’s go home!”.

Haru and Cocoa

Next morning my husband cooked the breakfast. He usually makes pancakes, omelettes, baked potatoes on the weekend at home. The breakfast he made was a typical one with pancakes, sausages, and sunny side up eggs. I added berries on the plates and prepared coffee. It was one of the most delicious breakfast I’ve ever had. I think that’s because we enjoyed our breakfast in clear air surrounded by the trees with a partial lake view with chipmunks saying hello.

This camping was a completely different experience from the one I had long time ago. We enjoyed being in the outdoor and appreciated the beauty of the nature.

前回キャンピングに行ったのは中学生の頃、学校からのキャンプトリップ。雨は降るし、テントや毛布もきれいじゃないし、おまけに体調も壊していい思い出は無かった。そんな私がキャンプに行こうと思ったのは綺麗な星空を見たかったから。そしてその星空をカメラに収めたかったから。

旦那と我が家の愛犬、二匹のミニダックスフンド、ココとハルを連れだってシアトルから車で2時間ほど東にあるウエナッチー湖にあるキャンプ場へ向かった。山に囲まれた湖でたくさんの人が思い思いに楽しんでいた。私たちもパドルボーディングをしたりビーチでのんびり過ごした。

キャンプサイトは私達には十分広すぎるぐらいだった。テントは大人二人と犬二匹と荷物でちょうどいい大きさ。寝袋以外にも枕や毛布、マットなど持って来たので快適だった。夜は残念ながら雲が出てきて星空は見えなかった。でもみんなで風の音を聞きながらテントで過ごした夜は不思議なほど楽しかった。

ハルは少し敏感な犬で周りの環境が変わるとちょっと難しい。外でご飯を食べてると虫が飛んできて、ハルは食べ終わってもいないのにテントへ逃げ込んんだ。その後、車までキュンキュン泣きながら走っていった。きっと「早く家に帰ろう。」って言ってたのかな。

翌朝、旦那が朝食を作ってくれた。普段から週末はパンケーキやオムレツなど作ってくれるのだが、今回も普通の朝ごはん、パンケーキとソーセージ、目玉焼きを作ってくれた。私は苺とブルーベリーをそのお皿に足し、コーヒーを淹れた。普通の朝ごはんだけどなんだか今まで食べた中で一番美味しく感じた。きっと外で澄み切った空気と木々の緑、少し見える湖、そして人懐こいシマリス達と一緒に食べたからだろうか。今年の夏もそろそろ終わりを迎え始めてるそんな森の中で食べた美味しい朝ごはん。今回のキャンプは前回よりもとても楽しいものとなりました。