Wacky Weather

Totally out of the blue, the weather changed from spring to winter. We just finished preparing our flower baskets and the tulips, camellias, juneberries, cherry blossoms, etc. opened with the warm weather. All of a sudden…it started snowing!! Well, maybe not all of a sudden, but it was quick and the winds were ferocious. The winds picked up our umbrella, tore it from the metal stand, and launched it across the yard. It’s time to buy a new umbrella. Erika and I scrambled to get the flower baskets into the garage. Batten down the hatches it’s going to be colder tomorrow. 

Look closely and you can see patches of white at the base of the mountain. Those are cherry blossoms. Above the blossoms is a fresh layer of snow.

P.S.  To celebrate the return of winter we baked pizza and had some wine. Cheers!

Oita Agricultural Park

It was such a nice day on Thursday that we decided to go on a drive. We took the doggies to the Oita Agricultural Park in Ajimu. It’s only 30 minutes from Tsukahara. The park is huge. The doggies are allowed to roam anywhere in the park and best of all…it’s free. This was our second visit to the park. On our first visit we went down to the reservoir and crossed a couple of bridges, and walked and walked. We were tired and so were the doggies. We knew we would visit again.

This time we explored the upper part of the park. The early spring weather treated us to some cherry blossoms. Judging from the huge variety of plants, there must be something blooming every month of the year. The park has a vast assortment on azaleas, rhododendrons, roses, fruit trees, bulbs, etc… the list goes on and on. It must be a tremendous undertaking to maintain a park of this size. The park has a “down home” country atmosphere with music (country/ western) playing on the loudspeakers strategically located throughout the park. The music is soft and not distracting at all. The trails are wide and well maintained. Bicycle rentals are available. There are plenty of places to sit and relax. Food and refreshments are also available. I’m sure the park is overflowing with visitors on the weekends, but we seemed to have the park to ourselves on Thursday.

 This is the entrance to the park. 

The trails are wide and well maintained. 

We were treated with some cherry blossoms. 

There are lots of places to explore with views around each corner. 

This area must be gorgeous when the flowers are in bloom. We'll have to come back and check it out. 

Here's one of the loudspeakers providing soft background music. It's a nice touch. 

These greenhouses contain plants that require a warmer climate like aloe, sedum, and cactus. This area must be spectacular when it's in full bloom. 

I can't say enough good things about this place. If you're in the Ajimu area it's definitely worth the effort to see the park at least once. Bring a good pair of walking shoes and allow at least a few hours.

It's Spring (almost)

We’re having a few days of spring-like weather. The warmth of the sun is a welcome relief from the cold, miserable winter we had. Kiley is enjoying the view and the beautiful weather from the comforts of her bed.

Lucky just woke up from taking a long nap on the warm deck. 

It's almost too nice to work inside, but...

...that's what needs to be done. I went ahead and ripped the flooring out where some new pipes needed to be installed. The toilet and sink were removed. The original sink was located on the right hand side as you enter the room. Since there is more room on the left, I decided to have the drain and water moved to the left side. I'll build a cabinet to hide all the plumbing.  

The flooring will be replaced with 27 mm plywood and tile. The tile design will match the bathrooms (master and guest) on the first floor. This is our second "guest" bathroom (first and second floor). The walls will be tiled and I'll have a few more improvements that I'll post later. 

Here's a view looking out to the stairs leading to the third floor. A whole bunch of work will be done to the stairs. 

Speaking of work...this is the new temporary work area for the second floor. Later, this will be one of the guest rooms. The walls have been patched and some of the moulding has been painted. The solid cherry doors will get a clear coat. The logs will be cleaned and clear coated to match the first floor. 

Any gaps will be filled, primed and painted. 

Similar to downstairs, the water stains will be removed and a clear coat applied. 

Last, but not least, the entire second floor flooring will be replaced with either tile or laminate. I'll explain why in a later post. 

Oh and before I close, Erika made this wonderful apple strudel from scratch. All it needs is a scoop of ice cream.

Bubble Nebula (NGC 7635)

I wanted to do something a little different with this image. Using PixInsight, StarTools, and Photoshop, I was able to create an image that looks more like an oil painting rather than a photograph. I’ve always wanted to try something like this and it was fun, time consuming, but fun. I hope you enjoy this image as much as I enjoyed creating it.

The integration time is 22 hours in Ha, OII, and SII. A modified SHO palette was used. Some of the stars were shrunk and even removed to highlight the “bubble” in the nebula. A great interpretation of the Bubble Nebula can be seen here . The Hubble image looks almost unreal. The bubble is being formed by opposing forces. Expanding gases from the inside of the bubble are being opposed by incredibly high stellar winds from the surrounding gases outside the bubble. 

I'll try to post an Ha image of this really cool object. The image will be in monochrome which gives the bubble a different perspective. Stay tuned...

Tsukahara, my "Home Sweet Home" (Repost)

Almost five years ago I posted this on the blog. My feeling towards this magical place has not changed. I'm a bit more connected with the natural surroundings and its people with the passing of each year. It ceases to amaze me at how quickly the time has gone by. Please enjoy the video and thank you for your interest in the blog.    George

Time for baking

Here’s some treats that I’ve been baking for the past few days. Most of these baked goods were given to our friends and neighbors. I wish I could eat all of this stuff, but I’m getting older and…well, you know what I mean. Let’s see, the first picture is an apple tea cake made with Earl Grey tea. Next, are some bagels made with bread flour, all purpose flour, and corn meal.  

This is my first attempt at french baking. It's called," Gateau Invisible". Translated...made with apples. 

Alright, this is something I have been craving for a long time (6 years). Dark chocolate cake with chocolate pudding, cherry filling, and dark chocolate frosting. DELICIOUS!!!! 

I have been wanting to do some imaging, but there has been a software bug going around. I think Microsoft is to blame. Anyway, the bug makes the COM ports unusable. There are a lot of temporary fixes out there, but I'll sit on the sidelines until a permanent fix is available. Stay tuned...