i'm going to need a few more days, Bob.....

See....that's the bad thing about a long-ish holiday...you almost need a few more days after the holiday to get ready to get back into the swing of things.  I've got so much that should be done, but.....

Damn.

Today is the last day of our Golden Week ...today is こどもの日, Kodomo no hi, also customarily known as Boys' Day 端午の節句, Tango no sekku.   My boys say that we will call it Boys' Day as the girls have their own day in April and it's not really fair (zuruii!!) that the girls get this day, too.  I have to agree.

These were taken for Issei's first Boys' Day...the decorations we had displayed were from when the K-Man was little.  In many houses, families will display these items (which all have a particular meaning....mainly to make sure the boys grow up strong!)....but here at Kamp Kuroiwa?  We tend to forget we have them and never seem to get them displayed.  Though...we do have the carp to hang outside...we just can't remember where we put them.

(The carp are a strong fish....swimming upstream...the carp windsox are a symbol that we want our boys to grow up strong and able to handle any hardship.  I like this.)

We have been on holiday all week...the weather has been absolutely wonderful and we have been doing a lot of things that we don't usually have the time for.  Car drives, picnics, festivals, hiking, and onsens (hot springs)....we've been pretty busy enjoying the time together....well, one day we didn't...due to the cranky-surliness factor of one 12-year-old, yesterday the Kuroiwa group was minus-1.  Yeah, maybe not a good idea to leave a 'tween on his own, but....it was either that or put up with his "'tween-ness" all day long and that my friends, did not even seem like a good idea, at all.

In the end, everything was fine...everyone was happy.... arguments and whining were almost non-existent.

And that....is a good thing.

***

There are many places around here that, even though I've been here for almost 20 years, I've yet to visit.

One of those places was Fuji Yama Jinja   (Wisteria Mountain Shrine).

It is one of the most beautiful places I've yet to see....up on a mountain is an old shrine...and this time of year the wisteria is in bloom.  It is absolutely beautiful....and the smell is...divine.

Definitely worth the drive just to stand under all that wisteria.  It was almost magical.

So today....our last day...is being spent getting homework done that wasn't finished on Friday...doing laundry (taking advantage of the 78 degree, relatively dry weather) and working on getting the turtlenecks and sweaters into boxes while bringing out the t-shirts and shorts.

And yes, I know....putting away the winter stuff pretty much means we'll have a day or two of cold, but...that's okay.  I figure that I can layer t-shirts and put a scarf around my neck.  Good to go.

*****

I hope that, if you are in Japan, you are enjoying your last day of Golden Week, too...and if you are elsewhere, that your Wednesday is a good one.

Oh...and remember....the giveaway I'm having...go ahead, click the link, read and leave a comment.

What have you got to lose? (^-^)/*

And FYI...I found a few more little goodies on Monday to add to the bounty.

Sunshine and warm thoughts to you all!!!