Dueling Teahouses - Hokoku-Ji vs. Jomyo-Ji

Sunday was a lovely Fall day, mid 60’s, clouds moving in and out, low humidity … like the leaves on the trees around here, this weather will not last. I offered to take my crew to Kamakura and introduce them to two different Japanese Teahouses, each located within the grounds of their respective temples. Child no. 3 was more than game and didn’t hesitate to say yes, while child no. 1 and 2 took a whole lot more convincing. After promising this would not be an all day affair, they would still have time to come home and chill out in front of technology (truly a major counterbalance to the Zen-like experience they were about to have), my sons decided to come along.

Ground rules: “do not ask me how much longer, do not tell me you don’t like this and for the love of God – please make sure you finish all the matcha.”

I love taking my children places and sharing experiences with them, I know my opportunities, with “2teensandatween,” are becoming few and far between. Some times, when all the hormones (their’s and mine) are in alignment the experience is oooohh, soooo sweet. Others … well let’s just say that the thought has crossed my mind on why some species eat their young. Just like when they were toddlers and I had to set ground rules more for safety than anything else, “don’t leave Mommy, don’t talk to strangers” now the ground rules have more to do with attitude and expectations. You cop an adolescent attitude with me, you no longer meet my expectations.

So with ground rules established, more than enough Yen in my pocket (or so I think) we head out to Kamakura to the Hokoku-ji Temple a.k.a. Bamboo Temple. More than a few times I hear “that’s not fair, you’re getting to see all the cool places in Japan and we’re stuck here on base going to school.” Hokoku-ji is one of those “cool places” … this temple is part of the Rinzai-Shu Buddhist sect and has a lovely bamboo garden and a teahouse where you can sit and enjoy a small waterfall while listening to the bamboo leaves rustle in the wind. This is our first destination in comparing two different styles of Japanese teahouses and I cannot claim originality – this idea came from my friend Kim who shared these two temples with me last Spring.

My children had not experience matcha – a powdered green tea that is whisked briskly until frothy, using a bamboo tea whisk called a chasen. The tea can be bitter and is served with a sweet. In this teahouse it is served with two small sugar pats that have been molded into seasonal shapes. In the Spring when I visited the teahouse the sugar pats were bamboo leaves and a bird. This season it was a beautiful chrysanthemum blossom and an oak leaf. There were three ladies working in the teahouse and one asked if we knew what to do and so I’m sure embarrassing my offspring beyond measure I said “I’ve been here before but please would you explain to my children?” She was very gracious and showed them the tea that is used is powdered (vs. tea bag) and hot water is added to individual teacups and then whisked. You are supposed to place the pat of sugar on your tongue while sipping the tea. We each sat down to enjoy our tea while viewing the bamboo garden and have a quiet moment.

Our next stop was Jomyo-Ji also of the Rinzai-Shu Buddhist sect but the approach to their garden and teahouse is very different. The Kisen-an, tea ceremony house, looks out on a Zen style Japanese rock garden, Karezansui. This style of garden is known as dry-landscape and they are an abstract way to use stones, gravel and moss to represent mountains, boats, islands, seas – the gardens are used for meditation. In this teahouse you may purchase a wagashi, a traditional Japanese treat that has a filling, in this case red bean paste. Like the sugar pats in Hokoku-Ji, the wagashi also change with the season. Everyone was game to try, so while we slipped off our shoes and padded across the tatami mats our hostess disappeared to prepare our tea and treat.

It’s funny how things start to come together and my experience this time around was so much richer, not only because I was sharing it with my children but also because of the knowledge I’ve gained while living here in Japan. In the early Spring, Bossy, Weather, Novice Explorer’s and I (named Artist Explorer by Bossy) all experienced listening to a suikinkutsu, Japanese water chimes, when we stumbled on one in a garden outside of Tokyo. Only because a Japanese lady took a moment out of her day to share and show us what the suikinkutsu was … we could have easily passed it by and never experienced the delightful sound. If you go to the link there is a recording you can listen too http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suikinkutsu.

Now it was my turn to share, the teahouse at Jomyo-JI also has a suikinkutsu and each of my children took a turn listening and having a Japanese moment. In a Zen garden in Japan listening to water chimes … for nothing other than the pure joy of the experience. Sounds sort of Zen to me …

While waiting to be served, I pointed out that there was a tea alcove with a hanging scroll and a chabana arrangement. And so, the lesson continued … I told them how the vase was simple, the arrangement was also simple and that the flowers would be “just picked from the field” flowers. This I learned from the sensei who gave the lecture at the Ikebana International Kamakura’s October program.

When the tea was served, in a very basic way I was able to explain and point out some of the differences between Hokoku-Ji and Jomyo-Ji – how the hostess rotates the cup and when it’s placed in front of you, she will give you a seated bow and you return the bow. You are supposed to view the teacup before picking it up and cradle it with both hands while sipping the tea. This is really basic folks, but it was enough to get two 15 year old boys and my 12 year old daughter started – sort of like going to a formal dinner and knowing which fork you’re supposed to pick up first. Thanks to Yuko who invited me into her home for a tea ceremony lesson, I was able to pass along the bare bones to my children.

Authority on Japanese teahouses I am definitely not … but what occurred to me at the end of the day was that getting outside those gates has taught me things and changed my perspective in ways I hadn’t realized. My experience this time around was so much richer for the knowledge I’d gained … from the stranger who taught us how to listen, to the friend who showed me the way to two teahouses, to the Japanese friend who opened her home to a Westerner and let her experience a part of this country’s culture, to the organization I belong to that helped me become more aware – that’s not just any flower vase sitting there in the tea alcove. All this I would have missed if I’d stayed home. All this I would not have been able to share with my children.

Will they care? I’m not sure … in the moment maybe they were just remembering not to ask how much longer, or to make sure they finish all the tea (even though I know it took an effort for 2 of them). My hope is that one day they will care, it will be an experience they look back on and remember that because they decided to also get outside those gates (even though technology was awfully tempting) they had a chance to experience a part of Japanese culture. For me, that’s inspiring.

Directions:

From Yokosuka take the JR to Kamakura. Exit the train station on the bus terminal side. You can take a 20 minute walk or take any bus from bus stop no. 5. Exit the bus at the Jomyo-ji bus stop. The two temples are about 3 blocks away from each other. I would recommend walking back to the station – on the day we were there, the traffic was so bad going into Kamakura that we actually beat the bus we would have gotten on. You can use your Suica card on the bus. It’s that easy!

Helpful Guidebook:

I cannot recommend this book highly enough: An English Guide to Kamakura’s Temples and Shrines. It is available in the bookstore on the main street in Kamakura – If you walk out of the train station, past the buses and continue straight – you will see the bookstore on the other side of the street.

Fees:

Hokou-Ji Temple entrance fee is 200 yen. You pay for the tea at the entrance to the temple an additional 300 yen.

Jomyo-Ji Temple entrance fee is 100 yen. If you would like to have tea with the wagashi this is an additional 800 yen – you pay at the teahouse. 

Sankeien Garden Chrysanthemum Exhibition

It is Chrysanthemum season here in Japan. There are exhibitions at different gardens and shrines and I'm fortunate enough to live within an easy train ride to Sankeien Garden outside of Yokohama. November 3rd is Culture Day, a National holiday here in Japan where the nation celebrates their artists and scholars - through parades, exhibitions and awards. It was also the day a group of us decided to explore beyond the gates and experience another part of Japan.

Bossy Explorer had the inside scoop on how to get from Negishi train station to the gardens back entrance. Jeff and I had traveled to the gardens during Cherry Blossom season but had followed the Base directions of taking the train to Yokohama and then the city bus to the gardens. I'm pretty sure we could have walked there faster than the bus ... it was not something I wanted to repeat with a dozen or so American ladies and so when Bossy Explorer said "my Japanese friend Reiko took me in the back way" I was game to try the "Japanese Way" ... which of course involved quite a bit of walking. Why didn't I have my step counter on that day? I think I might just have hit the elusive 10,000 mark.


It was a glorious Fall day. THIS is what I'd been waiting for. A slight nip in the air, enough to start out with a light sweater and then shed it later, low humidity and a crystal blue sky. A perfect day for being outside. Thank goodness Bossy Explorer was in the lead, because there are no signs directing you from the Negishi train station to Sankeien. I don't think I would have found this on my own. There is a decided benefit to going with someone who has been places before here in Japan - you get to discover things you might otherwise have missed. As our group approached the back entrance to the garden Weather Explorer and I noticed that there were a couple of festival tents set up on our left and "What's this? Pottery?!" Val (a.k.a Weather Explorer) and I immediately veer off to the left to see just what all the fuss was about. Because none of us are fluent in Japanese I am guessing that this was a student show with some very reasonably priced pottery for sale. I have totally fallen in love with Japanese pottery ... I'm like an addict, I can't get enough. So when I saw the pretty black/blue/white vase that reminded me of Mashiko style pottery I snatched that baby right up before anyone else could put their fingers on it. For Y800 (if 1:1 that would be $8) I could not resist and I didn't even care that I'd be lugging it through the garden for the rest of the day. There was also an exhibition of the students work and with an enthusiastic wave from one of the students she gave us a sheet, explained that we were to vote on our favorite three entries. My favorite from the day was the photo with the 3 white vases (of course).

Purchases made we were off to find the Chrysanthemum Exhibition. There were a number of exhibition tents set up throughout the garden and the photos in the slide show were my favorites. These mums are huge – some the size of a dinner plate. The care and nurturing it must have taken to get them to this stage, after what was what some say the worst summer on record here, is inspiring. We meandered our way through the garden looking at the different displays, I was particularly taken with the bonzai tents. These tiny, miniaturized versions of chrysanthemums, shaped not into jurassic sized mums but delicately sculpted art forms were delightful to behold. The photo with the vermillion bridge and pond is a recreation of Sankeien Gardens. Bossy Explorer stated the display was not to the level that she saw last year, but without anything to compare it to, I was duly impressed.

Living here in Japan, I've received many gifts ... one of them is the reminder that time here is finite. It would have been easy to stay home last week and take care of laundry, errands, the day-to-day stuff of a family. But all of that can wait. I have places to see, a culture to experience, and each day here is a gentle nudge that time is short – I will not have these chances again. The Chrysanthemum Exhibition only comes around once a year ... there is no putting it off and waiting till next time. That was the gift, don't wait, grab these experiences while you can both here and when you eventually get back to the U.S. – be more present and live in the moment and for me that's inspiring.

Recycled Kimono Sale

Twice a year in Yokohama there is a Recycled Kimono Sale, where Kimono's, Obi's and all sorts of things that would accompany wearing a traditional Japanese Kimono are on sale. This event has been on my calendar for months and I eagerly awaited the opportunity to immerse myself in a room full of Kimono's at bargain basement prices.

This outing was a combined trip for two of the spouse groups here on base, add to the "Friends and Family" invitation and we had a group of 20 U.S. women standing in line an hour before the sale was to start. We'd gotten the skinny ... get there early as the sale is fast and furious. The deal is you arrive early, get a numbered ticket and then await your admission time. If you get there early enough you can be in the first group of 100 and have the opportunity to get first dibs on the items for sale. This was our goal.

Managing a large number of females, drooling for the opportunity to get their hands on Kimonos and Obi's is not for the faint of heart. Our friendly yet firm "handler" was the Japanese gentleman seen in the photo. I felt for him, really I did. He must have started out his day thinking "o.k. it'll be a busy day but we're organized, I can handle this" ... I think he was in a state of shock when our group waltzed in. He tried his best to organize us 4 abreast. That's 5 rows of excited, noisy American ladies chatting away. And while we're all military spouses and know how to follow directions/rules, we're not the active duty members ... we weren't standing in formation as the Japanese ladies surrounding us were. Numerous times he came down off of his perch to try and straighten us up and in the end I think gave up. We were a respectful but rather unruly bunch. There's one thing that is apparent here in Japan, everywhere you go ... bus stops, train platforms, Kimono sales ... they like order. Everyone lines up in an orderly fashion, patiently waiting their turn. No pushing to get through the train door (they save the pushing for the professional people pushers), no group surrounding the bus door – everyone is in line and waiting their turn. Quietly.

The rope went down and the first group was admitted and it was a free-for-all. There were beautiful Kimonos and Obi's everywhere. Some for as little as 500 Yen (in better days that would be $5), some more expensive (I think the most I paid for a Kimono was roughly $20). It was frenzied fun, if you even thought you might want it you'd better put it in your bag because someone else was apt to snatch from right under your nose. I have no idea what I'll do with my purchases (5 Kimono's, 12 Obi's) but the ideas were running rampant. Purses. Art Quilts. Really, I don't know. What I do know is that I came away feeling like I'd won the lottery, excited by my finds. I reorganized our linen closet to make room for my purchases and as I stepped back to look at the beautiful Obi's all stacked up I thought yet again how very lucky I am to have this experience of living in Japan and to come away with another chance to be ... inspired.

Chabana - Tea Flowers

Recently, I had another opportunity to get outside those gates and experience a part of Japanese culture. I am a member of Ikebana International and the October program was held in KitaKamakura at the Engaku-ji Temple. For those of you who follow my blog this was the temple our family went to in August to see the archery demonstration.

This event afforded me yet another chance to experience the life of a temple beyond the sightseeing areas and to learn about Chabana, a simple free-style form of flower arranging used for the Japanese tea ceremony. Temples and flowers? Count me in!

My friends and I thought we were being ooohhhh, soooo, smart by driving there - but as usual it was another reminder on why the Japanese take the trains ... everywhere. We got stuck in traffic, for no readily apparent reason other than too many people trying to get into Kamakura at the same time. We arrived right as the program was about to start – which is not a good thing in Japan. You don't just "scoot in" at the last minute here. If the program says it will start at 10:30 (and believe me it will – their adherence to schedule is uber efficient), everyone is checked in and seated by 10.  For someone who is always trying to cram in one more thing before an appointment or arrival time – if my "deadline" is 10:30, in the States I'd be walking through the door at 10:29 and 59 seconds – Japan has forced me to let go of that bad habit. But traffic is an unpredictable variable here, we should have known better. Our friend, Bossy Explorer, meets us at the gate and says the program is about to start and they've had the largest turn out ... ever. With name tags picked up, shoes off and socks on, we round the corner to the large tatami mat room to see it is packed, really packed, and the only "seats" available are the cushions on the floor in front. My back, neck, knees and hips give a groan and a crack as they desperately try to find a way to be comfortable. I am truly in awe of the Japanese ladies who fold their legs up under themselves and appear to sit quite comfortably for hours. I was like a little kid, shifting one way, then another as various limbs proceeded to fall asleep and my neck and back felt like someone had stretched them in an odd way. Comfort aside, there was a distinct benefit to all this ... we were basically front and center – I could get in some photos unobstructed and could hear the soft spoken Chabana sensei.

So what is Chabana or tea flowers? It is the simple yet artful arrangement of flowers for the Japanese tea ceremony. The flowers are arranged in their natural state, meaning they are not fussed with, no wiring, no tape, no kenzan (frog) - once they are placed in their vase you leave them alone. The flowers are only used for the tea ceremony and once the ceremony is over they are discarded. The flowers or greenery matches the season – "it is as it was in the fields" and they are supposed to match the atmosphere, the tranquility of the tea ceremony. Nothing flashy here folks, no speciality flowers. The Chabana master explained a bit about the tea ceremony and how it is like a theatre performance. Act I you are served a thick green tea and a small meal. There is a traditional hanging scroll in the tea alcove with perhaps a poem about the season. There is a break and then Act II begins where the scroll is changed and the tea flowers are brought out and placed in the alcove with the scroll. We learned about the importance of odd numbers - you would have 3 or 5 different types of flowers/foliage for good balance; in the warm seasons you would use a bamboo basket for it's lightness and movement of air; in the cold season a simple vase of unglazed pottery or bronze. The flowers should have different size, shape and colors. The leaves on the flowers should have different patterns. If you are going to place a single flower in the vase, like a camelia, there should be an odd number of leaves on the stem. The flowers are lightly arranged in your hand and then placed in the vase. A gentle spray of water over the arrangement gives the impression of early morning dew.

It was a miserable day, pouring down rain, but with all the attendees the tatami room had become stuffy during the lecture and they had opened the sliding doors to let in some air. Our group found our lunch boxes with our names on them (note the pretty box in the photo), opened them up and enjoyed a boxed lunch, Japanese style, while taking in the view of the small garden at our feet and the Engaku-ji grounds beyond.

Aside from shifting constantly, trying in vain to find a comfortable place on the floor, I enjoyed the program. I continue to be amazed at the "Japanese Way" – this interconnectedness of patience, tranquility, the attention to detail, the quest for essence. I'm trying to take it all in, I'm trying to lose some of my Western ways and focus on the lessons I'm learning while here ... like patience. The traffic (patience), the sitting on the floor (patience and tranquility), the flower arrangement (essence) ... all these lessons ... now that's inspiring.

Help Wanted: No Irish Need Apply

Friends and family wonder what base life is like, how is it different from living in a small town or neighborhood. In many ways I suppose it is not so different – you cannot as the expression goes “swing a cat without bumping into someone you know.” Commissary (i.e. grocery store), Exchange (i.e. company store), gym, post office, bowling alley, Main Street (i.e. fast-food-Nation), movie theatre – all of these you are pretty much guaranteed to run into someone you know. It is a bit like living in a fish bowl. It’s something I’m still trying to get used to – I sort of liked my anonymity of living in the civilian world. Here that’s a bit more difficult to pull off, especially as a wife of a pediatrician. If you have kidos here on base you probably know him, and there’s the trickle down effect. “Ooooooooooohhhhhh your Dr. Cleary’s wife!” mmmm, well yes. I not complaining really, I’m glad he is so well liked. But it is an adjustment transitioning from the civilian world to the military lifestyle.

There are something’s though that are very unique to living on base – and I’m reminded of this each time I go to the movie theatre (we stand for the National Anthem before the movie begins) or in the early morning when Jeff and I are out on our own PT and the different commands are out drilling. There is nothing quite like listening to a group of military members jog by chanting their cadence at 5:30 in the morning to get you to pick up your pace. This is one in particular that makes me crack up, especially when it’s delivered with the deep resonant voice that sounds like James Earl Jones is out there calling it out:

My Grandma

Left Left Lefty right-o left

Left Left keep it in step

When my grand mama was 91

She did PT just for fun

When my grand mama was 92

She did PT better than you

When my grand mama was 93

She did PT better than me

Hoo-rah grand mama

Whatcha doin grand mama

She loves to double time

She does it all the time

Left Left Lefty right-o left right

Left Left keep it in step now

We also have morning colors here on base each morning at 8 a.m. – there is nothing quite like a daily reminder that you are an American as watching everything around you come to a complete halt as pedestrians and joggers stop, active duty members salute, cars all stop and pause to pay respect to the raising of our flag while the National Anthem is being played throughout the base. Since we are also here in Japan, the Japanese flag is raised following the U.S. while their National Anthem is played. There is the bugle call of “Carry On” and then it’s business as usual … everyone picks up where they left off and move on. In the evening, if I’m lucky enough to have the doors or windows open I can hear the sound of “Retreat” being played at sunset as they retire the colors for the night. I don’t know that I ever really considered myself an extreme patriot – don’t get me wrong, I love my country even for all it’s difficulties, and I’d defend it to the end – but I don’t think I realized just how deeply American I am until I moved here to Japan and lived on base. I love hearing morning and evening colors – it stirs my soul. It’s a way to remind me daily that we are a military family and we have made many sacrifices (12 moves, 5 school systems, loss of friends, missing family events are just a few things that come to mind) and yes, it’s worth it.

So yesterday morning as Jeff and I were out for our morning dog walk, we were out much later than usual and morning colors sounded. We stopped, as did the jogger going past, paused and faced towards the flag (THE base flag that we are supposed to turn to face is on Command Hill – we can’t actually see it but you know which way to face). It was 9/11. I couldn’t help reflect just how much my country has changed in the last 9 years. For my generation 9/11 is the Pearl Harbor equivalent. And then as my thoughts tend to do, they kept streaming … and I thought if I’m standing here in Japan facing towards the U.S. and the Japanese flag, paying them both respect, then I have hope. I remembered that we have a sign dated 1918 from Boston that says “Help Wanted: No Irish Need Apply” (just to remind my husband that he needs to keep it real) – things change, people change, prejudices can be overcome. My family and I watch with astonishment and horror at the divisiveness that has seeped into our country, how those with fear and prejudice have spread an infection in the name of God and country. I’m looking for an antibiotic. Yesterday and everyday I get to have a booster shot – I get to listen to our National Anthem and take pride and have hope. That thing’s will change, that people can change, that personal prejudices will fine a cure. I have to go now, colors are about to sound and I need my daily dose of inspiration.

Enabler vs. Supportive Friend

In the Spring I went to the Tokyo Hobby Show and had my fill of interesting eye-candy. Some things spoke to me more than others, but the one thing I thought was really interesting were some multicolored purses I saw at a booth – the hoards of Japanese ladies surrounding the booth would be my big clue that something very cool was there that I had to see. With very little English, and even less Japanese (on my part) I was able to purchase the supplies that came with an instruction sheet ... that was of course in Japanese. I seem to be accumulating multiple sewing projects, and it would appear that for our time here in Japan I have acquired a taste for Japanese handbags. I have collected numerous patterns, which are all naturally in Japanese. I keep buying, and stuffing the patterns in my craft drawer (please note the word drawer, not room, not closet, but drawer - in a years time I have gone from a studio space to a drawer!) with the hope that one day I would be able to pull them out and spend hours sewing away, making really chic bags out of Japanese obis (the beautiful sashes they wear around their kimonos).

So I have two problems. The first is that I cannot read Japanese. The second is that I do not have my sewing machine (a.k.a my "Ferrari" - Jeff's name for my Bernina, which has to do with how much it cost not how fast I sew, although I can make it go pretty darn fast thank you very much). Not one to let a couple of obstacles like language barriers and lack of essential machines to get in my way of accomplishing a project I figured it would all work itself out ...

First problem solved. I have a neighbor friend, Etsuko, who is Japanese and happened to fall in love with a guy in the Navy and now follows her husband all over the world too. Lucky her, for the first time since they've been married she got to come home to Japan. Lucky me, I asked if she would mind looking at the directions and help walk me through the process and she said yes. As she started looking over the instructions she commented "wow" and I of course wanting to be clued in and asked "what?" It turns out the "fabric" I bought isn't really fabric but tatami matt webbing that's used to cover the edges of the tatami matts. O.K. I think, now that's cool. I'm going to make a purse out of tatami matt webbing. Love it!

Second problem, well sometimes you need your friends to support you in your endeavors - by either standing firm and saying "no" ... like as in "no, you don't need that Mocha Frapp if you plan to fit back into the clothes you arrived here with" or they could be an enabler and respond like my friend Val did with a "sure you can borrow my sewing machine, even though you put yours in storage for 3 years so that you could explore life beyond the machine." Thank you Val for being an Enabler! I had so much fun creating this bag, mmmm, well o.k. I'm sure sewing to most of you wouldn't be on your "fun" list but maybe creating would be ... and so for the first time in quite a while I created something out of flat pieces of webbing and even though I'm sure some of my "winging it" with the instructions wouldn't pass with the Japanese ladies I wiggled my way through to see what they were all looking at, it worked for me and I was ... inspired.

Reflections

Normally, automobiles really don't do much for me, they are a necessity, a tool to get me from one place to another. Just show me where the gas goes, hand me the keys and I'm good. It's just a car. Vintage cars however are a completely different story. My dad loves old cars and for as long as I can remember he has stopped at every vintage car show we happened to pass by, if a vintage car is in a parking lot he will amble over to it - drawn to it like a moth to light. He knows the details ... make, year, etc. And if the owner is around, it will be at least another 10 to 15 minutes before we're on our way - he gathers all the info. Perhaps it was this exposure to vintage cars from a young age that I learned to appreciate their beauty. And I had my dreams, when I was younger I really wanted a 1965 Ford Mustang Convertible ... in red of course. On the weekends my dad and I would stop and look at the cars for sale in the parking lot of a local store and I'd dream ... but it wasn't meant to be. Too much money, not very practical for driving back and forth to college in ... it sure was fun to look though.

This past weekend was Friendship Day here on base. The gates are open and after standing in hours long lines to get through security the Japanese are welcomed on base to various festivities. A couple of ships are open to tour, there are music performances, many organizations selling various kinds of American food - pizza is a HUGE hit here (I actually see the Japanese walking out with luggage carts with 10+ pizza boxes strapped to the luggage carrier with bungee cords - and I wonder why? The pizza I've had out in town beats what we have here on base). I avoided the crowds, it was a beastly hot and humid day, and hunkered down inside our air conditioned townhouse until 4:30 ... when I grabbed my camera, hoped that the afternoon light would be my friend and I headed to the auto show portion of Friendship Day. There I figured I had photo ops galore to continue practicing my photography skills (and I use that term loosely).

There were all kinds of cars there, many newer souped up cars and low-riders (hadn't seen those since we lived in San Diego) but those did not interest me, I passed them with hardly a glance my focus was on something a couple of rows over ... like that moth to the light, there was a 1965 Black Ford Mustang, beautifully restored. There were also some other really cool older cars that I wished I'd had my dad next to me telling me about them - an old yellow pick up truck, a beautiful British sports car. All were great opportunities for me to practice my photography, I learned a lot that day about lighting and reflection, angles and focus. I still have such a long ways to go, but each time I'm out I learn a little bit more. And, I realized I really loved taking pictures of these vintage cars – they are beautiful, and the care their owners have taken to maintain their beauty for others to enjoy is well ... inspiring.