LIKE A ROLLING STONE, CONNIE GATHERS NO MOSS. As soon as she wakes up, she’s out of bed and soon on her way — unlike a certain slug-a-bed who will remain nameless. She is pretty religious about her morning walks as her iPhone app can attest — over 13million steps or 5700 miles since 2016.
Hirosake Castle (by Connie) Warrior (by Connie)
If she isn’t searching for birds, she listens to her podcasts on her iPod (we’re addicted to Mac products) and often does both simultaneously. This morning she unleashed her inner Ansel Adams with some photos of the Hirosaki Castle and grounds, again with her outdated iPhone.
Five Storey Pagoda and not a nail in sight
I joined her this afternoon at the Saishoin Buddhist Temple complex, which she also stumbled upon. The five-storey pagoda stands 100 feet high and was built completely without nails. The temple commemorates the warriors who died during the reunification of the district. Fittingly, no dragons guard the temple, only a pair of rabbit statues.
Dragon Fountain Pagoda in Black&White
It was a nice break from plotting and planning our next couple of weeks — trains schedules, hotel reservations and flights. Hotels are the most problematic. Hokkaido, where we are going next is considered the “rural remote.” Towns are small, hotels are few and those have even fewer non-smoking rooms. Imagine! We are covered up until mid-September when we fly to Okinawa. So stick around and see how we make out.
