Stellar Holiday Weekend

This weekend was a long one for me, since the U.S. Federal Government celebrated Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. day today (and the 3rd Monday in January every year) by giving federal employees the day off. Nicki made some plans with some girlfriends of hers, so I spent the day relaxing with Josh. I put away the camera and just focused on having a good daddy and son day, which was quite nice. We ran a couple of quick errands together, then had lunch, then went over to a playground so that Josh could run around and play on the slides, swings and other fun toys. It was the perfectly mellow ending to a rather eventful weekend.

On Saturday, we made plans to head up to Tokyo for an auto show. This was our first Japanese auto show and we didn't really know what to expect. Turns out that there were quite a few makes and models at the show... in both auto and female form. From what we saw, the auto makers did all they could to keep their vehicles looking great - constant cleaning, fresh paint jobs, and human models as hood ornaments! The lighting inside the auto salon wasn't great, which made getting photos a little tough. I also found out that I wasn't the only guy with a camera out there, which made getting photos especially tough especially near all of the best looking models (cars and women). Fortunately, I recently updated my computer with Photoshop, so I've done my best with my limited skills to manually adjust the lighting on the photos I took at the show.

Sunday, we made plans to see our first Mikoshi event in Enoshima. A mikoshi is, for all practical gaijin purposes, a portable shrine that is carried during certain Japanese festivals, parades, or other like-minded events. I won't admit to knowing much more than that, however, because as it turns out we missed the celebration. Nicki and Josh decided not to head out because the weather looked of rain, but I braved the dark clouds and headed over to Enoshima around 11am. Turns out that the train rides took longer than I thought, so I didn't arrive at the beach until about 12:40pm, as people appeared to be packing up what was left of the good time.

It was my first time in Enoshima, so I figured I would stick around and take a few photos. I got some good ones of the surfers and wind surfers on the water and beach, then headed back inland and found a beautiful temple/shrine area where I snapped quite a few photos. As it turns out, I was at Ryukoji Temple, where I got to see my first 5-story pagoda. There was also a shrine on the same (or possibly adjacent) grounds, so I was happy as a clam taking pictures of it all. It was beautiful and tranquil and I'd definitely like to take Nicki and Josh to see that place, too.

Another great thing about Sunday - something that often gets overlooked in my blogs - was the train ride itself. I had to take the Enoden line to get to Enoshima. The Enoden line runs along the coast between Kamakura and Enoshima stations, then heads north I believe. But the stretch between Kamakura and Enoshima is absolutely beautiful. It reminds me a lot of some of the small surf towns along Highway 1 in Southern California. I also found a spot along the way where there was beautiful surf. Long, slow-breaking swells that were shoulder-high to overhead in height. Stupid me, I left my surfboards in storage in San Diego. I do know a couple of guys out here that ride, so I may have to ask them for more info about how to get my hands on an inexpensive board.

Needless to say, it was a very good weekend and I'm worn out. I've put photos up (dated 01/16/2006) in our Gallery.