Breakfast at Denny's

A friend and I went to Denny's for a breakfast. I found a new holiday menu. It was pancakes with pumpkin sauce. I had to try it. I am a pumpkin lover. That was good. 

A breakfast in Japan,,,,,

It was the breakfast Sunday this morning. We had three people who came to the cafe where we had the breakfast. We had great time together talking about our recent trip to Japan.

Healthy dody and mind

11/3/2017/Fri.

At last I am out of a miserable condition of jet-lag  and cold. I was active all day.I finished a lot of things I couldn't do before. Even I started painting.

I am in Japn

It was a long flight from LAX. But I am here alive in Japan. Thank you. I was so tired yesterday as soon as I checked in the hotel I went bed. I feel better now. I am fresh as new.

Departure

I am going to leave this morning. Where?  To Japan.
My artist friend and I will do two men art exhibition. 

Out of the blue

The garage door was broken. A repair man will come early tomorrow morning. Until then the garage door remains open.

Watercolor Class

I did watercolor demonstration at my class. I have only two classes for this month because I am going to do two men art show in Japan on this month.

Count Down

  There is little time left till I go to Japan. Today I did laundry for the clothes I use for Japan trip. I don't use a dryer, so the inside of the house is full of laundry.

  I ordered the Jr pass to the travel agency whitch I always use.

The passes is for two weeks. I'm going to pick it up tomorrow.

A Little Change

Oct 1 /2017/Sun.

   Finally, I bought an airline ticket to Japan. Because it is a bargain ticket, there is a little inconvenience, too. I could not get the date I wanted to leave to Japan and come back to LA. As a result, I am going to stay in Japan longer than I planed. I guess that's a good thing. I can enjoy three more days in Japan.

Watercolor Class

   It was watercolor class day. I was there before student come. Soon after that student showed up one by one. I might have a lot of student today. That what I expected.   

   I had only five students.

   I tried to cheer up the students. So, I said "I have a good news. A lady called yesterday and she said that she want to come to see our class. She might join our class."

   She didn't show up.

Masahiro Arai & Osamu saito Art Exhibition 2017.
When: 10/13- 10/19/2017
Where: at Gallary Obje
            370-3523 Gunma prefecture
            Takasaki fukushima-cho742-6 in Japan

My artist friend and I will art exhibition in Japan. It starts October 13th. This is the seventh year since we started the exhibition together. I finished painting. Now I have to create titles. It's hard job to do. It takes more time than painting. At least I feel that way.

My painting watercolor days is over. Now I have to select the paintings which I take them to Japan exhibition. And it is hard to decide which one I take because they are all good. I want take all of them.

9/24/2017/Sun.

   It's Sunday morning. This is the morning we enjoyed breakfast together. Recently one more friend joined the breakfast so we are now three people. So now we have a lot of subjects to talk about and we stay at the restaurant longer.

   We are going to Japan soon. But we are not going there together.

Because, each of us goes to Japan for a completely different purpose. It was just a coincidence that we are going to Japan at the same time. It just happened that way.  But I'm looking forward to talking about the experiences that each of us will have in Japan. And we will stay at the restaurant even longer than before.  We should leave a big tip for our waitress. 

Breakfast Sunday

９／２４／２０１７／日
　I stayed my friend's house last night and this morning I went to J-town to have breakfast with my friends. Such a busy way to start the Sunday morning. Noe I am home. I have a lot of things to do today. I want one more watercolor painting for the exhibition in Japan. This will be last painting I do for the exhibition. Did I say something like that before?  If so, this time I mean it.

   It was the last watercolor class in Yosemite. We decided to paint at the small space in front of art center. Our painting subject was art center building. This building is going to be demolished this year. That's what I heard. So before it happened it's good idea to paint this building. Anyway that what we did. And my Yosemite watercolor class was over. 

 

   Good bye until next year.

   Today is the fifth day of Yosemite Watercolor Class. Every morning I look for a location to do the class today. I found a very nice location this morning. This is it.

   It worked pretty good. We had nice class. Also, it was the first time to paint half dome. Until this time smoky air hide the half dome we didn't have a chance. 

   We returned to the art center half an hour before the class ended. It was a critique time for the students.

   Tomorrow is the last class in Yosemite.

It was Sunday morning, This is the morning that J and I enjoyed a breakfast. And today we had an one more person join our breakfast.
He is one of my watercolor students. Coincidentally, three of us are going to Japan around the same time. We are not plane to go there together but it happened that way.  Each of us has different idea that what we do in Japan. So, we talked about the trip to Japan most of the time. We spent one and half hour in the restaurant and talked about Japan.

busy busy

It going to be busy day. 
I go to see my friend N first thing this morning.
Since I came back from Yosemite I have busy days. 
Because of "Two men art exhibition show" in Japan.
I want to paint couple of new watercolors.

9/4/2017/Mon.

Early morning in Yosemite. I took walk. Morning air was somehow clean. 
But we have a lo of smoky air from wild fire noontime to evening. 
It was the first day of Yosemite watercolor class.
I was concerned about the condition of the air.
Because It is pleine air watercolor class.
I had five students at the class.
It was pretty good number, after all trouble we had day before
such as wild fire, highway closing, road congestion. 

9/10/2017/Sun.
I left Yosemite Art Center at 8 am. I was happy to hear that highway 41 was open 5 pm on Saturday. Just in time.  It was smooth drive all the way to Los Angeles. I had a lunch at the rest area of cajon pass. I arrived home as I planed. It was 2:30 pm.

I'm back. It was six hours of drive from 
Yosemite National Park to my LA home.
I unloaded art things from the car. 
I don't want to do any thing any more today. 
I need good rest and good meal.

5th day.

Wi-Fi connection is not good in here Yosemite Art Center.
So, I couldn't write blog.
But I try it anyway.
This is fifth day of watercolor class and I enjoy it very much.
I will write more about Yosemite Watercolor class when I get back my home.

Rats appeared in my house. I had seen something like it before.

However, I thought it was just my imagenation because it moved so fast. But finally,  I saw it in the kitchen yesterday. No doubt about it, it's a mouth. I went to buy a mousetrap today.

 

There was a lot of mousetraps. I didn't know there were so many kinds. There must be a lot of houses where mouth come out. I was a little relieved. Oops, I shouldn't be pleased about that.

This is Sunday morning, I enjoyed breakfast with John as usual. We have been doing this for last 15 years. May be more. The breakfast meeting will continue unless something special happens. Time went by quickly when we are having fun chatting. After that, I came home. I was tired this afternoon and sleepy.
 
I lay down in bed and rested a little. After that, my energy back. So I painted a picture, and wrote a diary. And I spent quiet Sunday afterward.

Ramen restaurant in food court of Japanese market. It's gone.  It was my favorite place. I liked the set of ramen and fried rice there.
It seemed that the restaurant was doing good business. So I don't understand why it's gone.
Well, It is not something I can do about it.

Cold noodles

It was hot and humid, so I cooked cold noodles for supper. The problem is, there is no noodle soup left. I finished all yesterday.
So I tried making soup by myself. It was quite good. There is no difference from the soup I bought. Dinner was a great success. I am satisfied.

A long time ago, I was selling watercolor paintings at Japanese village in J-town of downtown Los Angeles. I sold pictures there for nearly 20 years. However, when the shopping district took over by new owner I had to leave the place. New owner had an other new plan for the area. It was the beginning of 2008. Now it is a good memory.

7/27/2017/Thur.
I cleaned up the painting tools I used in my class yesterday.
And then I noticed that I couldn't find four paintings I painted for demonstration at the class. Then, I remember that I forgot take them down from the exhibition board where I displayed them for the students. 

I left house in a hurry. I have to go to the community center where my watercolor class held. Where I got there I rushed the room. And I saw the four painting still there waiting for me.

7/24/2017/Mon.

I was asked by some people around me that If you lost weight recently. May be I might lost half pound.  My physique has been thin since I was 60 years old. But when my doctor asked me the same question. I got worried. That's why I decided to change my breakfast menu. My breakfast has been oatmeal. My doctor says it is not enough. So I decided to make a traditional Japanese breakfast from now on. I hope my weight increases.

When I was taking a walk in the morning. I saw a white rabbit in the front yard of a house. Is it a pet or a wild one? It must be a pet.
Because the rabbit's hair is white. If it is wild, the rabbit's hair is in brownish protective color. I grown up in the snow country in Japan. I saw wild rabbits many times. They were pure white in snow season and they changed hair color to brownish color in the season without snow.  fortunately, I had camera, I took this photo.

I was planing to try new watercolor paper today. But I changed my mind. Because, I have unfinished painting.  I should finish it before start new paper.

I have been looking for new kind of watercolor paper.
Finally, I found one good art supply store.
And I found watercolor paper I was looking for.

It was a watercolor class day. It was a hot day outside,but inside the classroom was cold. The air conditioner is working too much.

God Bless the U.S.A.

I went to Alondra park after I had breakfast with John in Japan town, LA. There was the Hawaiian festival was held. When I got there, the Hawaiian dance had just started. There were three dance groups performed on the stage. And at the end of it all the dance group get together front of the stage and danced with the song of Lee Greenwood's "Gad bless the U.S.A." It brought me tears in my eyes. I had a moving experience with the song at the very spacial place.

Today's artwork is Yosemite National Park landscape. 
I painted this more than ten years ago.
It was small painting of  7"x5".
When I see my old work like this it brings back my old.memory.

During my morning walk I saw two rabbits in the residential street. I tried to take photos but I have only cell-phone. So, it wasn't good picture. But at least you can see a rabbit. One rabbit hiding under the car on the street.

It was a watercolor demonstration day at the class. Today's painting subject was landscape. Some students who were absent from the class for while came back. So, my class was nice and busy and I was happy instructor. 

Hot day

It was hot day. I stayed home and paint, watched Japanese anime.

Newsletter

I decided to write a watercolor classroom newsletter. It is not a regular basis but  I write it occasionally when there is news. In the future I would like to post student ideas as well. It is like a wall newspaper in an old school.

6/25/2017 Sat.

This is a day of the breakfast with John. The climate of June in Los Angeles is cloudy in the morning and blue sky during the day.
But this morning, It's clear blue sky already in early morning. I was heading to J-town where we have the breakfast. I felt that this is beginning of the another wonderful day.

Oil change

I took my car to the garage. It's time of oil change. The garage is only two blocks way. I can walk home easily. Three hours late I got call from the garage. He said it's ready. The garage is very convenient. It's very close and owned by Japanese. 

J and I had breakfast in Little Tokyo. In the past, we had five seniors gathered at the restaurant. However, A person who can not come due to health reasons. A parson died.  And one by one friends disappear. As result, Only two of us left.  But we still get together enjoy breakfast and good conversation.  
 

The weather forecast of this morning came true. Los Angeles is hot.
Fortunately, the city where I live is cooler than inland. Because it is close to the sea. However, it's still hot.
 
In the afternoon, I worked on the demonstration piece I did in class day before. I am going to take it to next class and display for my students.

 

I found the text message on Skype from my artist friend in Canada. It says that "I want try video Skype do you have time?"  It was sent eight minutes ago. He might be still there. I quickly reply. And we started a conversation. I haven't use video Skype for long time. So, it was big surprise and I enjoyed it.  

Tomorrow is watercolor class day. I will demonstration there. So, I studied the subject I am going to demonstrate.

6/11/2017/Sun／
 
I went to Japan-town in LA. J and I enjoyed breakfast.  After I got home I was net surfing for while then it was all ready lunch time. I heated up leftover food and cook rice. It was more than enough food for a lunch.
 
After lunch, I did final check up of the small size watercolor painting for two men art exhibition in Japan. I signed them and photographed And put all those images in to the file.  　

6/9/2017/Fri. 

I received mail from a woman who likes to learn watercolor. She want to know about my class. I sent some information immediately. She said that she will come to see the class next Wednesday.     

I went to Forest loan cemetery in city of Glendale. My deceased friend sleep there. I visit his grave every year about this time. He died 2003.  

It was Memorial day today. I forgot all about it and I went to post office. Of course it was closed. However, I finished another errand. That was going to the Home Depot.  I needed paper for printing. The old papers were about run out.

It was reception of SBWS Watercolor painting exhibition. I went to there early. Because I want to come home early. I had some works to do this afternoon. When I got there there were not many people in the gallery. The reception begins at 1 PM. By that time the number of visitors has increased.
 
First, I look around all the works in the gallery. Some people came to me and I had nice conversation with them.
I spent about three hours and came home. It was almost time for my nap. Anyway, I had a fulfilling day.

When I want to eat a hamburger I go to the Norms restaurant.
When I want to eat club sandwich I go to Piper's.
When I want to eat hot turkey breast open sandwich I go to Dupar's restaurant. It is good to have all of them at one place but things do not come as expected.
That's why life is interesting.

Osamu

A friend of mine and I went restaurant called Piper's for dinner.
I love the club sandwich of this place. It's very tasty.
So I had it again and enjoyed it.