Had a wonderful weekend, retreating twice to the hillside of Mt Kimpo. We actually live at the foot of Mt Kimpo, the biggest mountain in the city, the backside of which is home to some of the largest tangerine orchards in Japan. Our first retreat was with some of Lucy's kindergarten friends and their families to an orchard where you can pick and eat tangerines to your heart's content, then eat a barbecue overlooking the Ariake seacoast. It was sunny but refreshingly cool, and so relaxing to chat with friends while the kids played nearby. Our second retreat was last evening, when we visited our friend's pottery kiln just a tangerine toss from this orchard. He advised us to come before sunset and watch the sun set over the sea...and this picture here doesn't do justice to the beautiful bright pink and purple hues that filled up the skies not soon after we arrived. The rest of the evening, I vowed to hit the hills and forests more often. My senses were dancing with the sound of branches and leaves crunching beneath my feet as I walked around. Flashback to summer camp, Georgetown Lake, and hiking with my family. Breathing in the smoke of the kiln and seeing the roar of the flames when they opened the hatch to stoke also brought me back to evenings at camp or the fireplace in my childhood home. Our friend commutes from the heart of the city to his rustic studio and kiln on the hillside of this mountain nearly every day. I have another friend who commutes from a quiet village in Aso to the city just as often. Which is the better deal...if you could do only one or the other...to live or work in the countryside while commuting to or from the city?
No comments:
Post a Comment