feverish

 Our son sleeps in our bed with a bit of a fever...

Meanwhile, our daughter stirs as she gradually awakes from her long nap.

Métis dance

I attended a luncheon where there was some dancing performed by kids from the local Métis community...

care package

The box of goodies I sent from Nagoya, including snacks and toys for the kids as well as a variety of furikake and other trinkets arrived quite a bit faster than I had expected... in just over a week.

Among them is a recent book of illustrated diary entries by 94 year old Masazo Takenami, who has diligently kept a continuous "enikki (picture diary)" for over 56 years. (This TV show segment talks about him getting published.)

I am deeply and profoundly humbled...

YVR on the way home

Exhausted, waiting for the plane in Vancouver for the final leg of my journey home...

Hoshigaoka, Nagoya

A view from Hoshigaoka Terrace, a stylish urban commercial development in suburban Nagoya, looking towards a winding side street that leads up a hill.

Rokkoyo Coffee Shop, take 3

My favourite coffee shop yet again...

(older views here and here.)

Meito-ku streetscapes

Three streetscapes in Meito Ward, Nagoya...

1. A typical street in Tsutsujigaoka, near an older suburban,  predominantly residential area.

2. Atop what used to be a wooded hill (but is now a residential neighbourhood) in Bunkyodai. Inokoshi Baptist Church, where I worshipped during my stay in Nagoya, looks out north towards Moriyama Ward.

3. A denser streetscape by the Fujigaoka subway station, on my way to an onsen in the neighbouring city of Nagakute.

eateries, part 2

One of the eateries I`ve found close by the apartment is a place called "Machikado-ya", which serves Japanese "Teishoku" meals at a very reasonable price. Although the clientele remains the same (i.e. working class men who come alone for a quick meal), this chain has a much cleaner and contemporary feel than the typical family run, hole-in-the-wall teishoku establishment. The location I visited (twice) features a series of tables located at the centre of the space, incorporating some subtle design considerations that address this particular customer base...

eateries... part 1

 A late lunch at a small noodle place, run by a family from Taiwan...the food was good, cheap, and came quickly.

packing boxes

A pile of boxes full of stuff, stuff, and more stuff in a room at the apartment...

Narita Express

Travelling on the Narita Express from the airport to connect to another train... it`s too bad I was travelling at night as there was practically no view outside, but the train was empty and allowed for a moment of self reflection.

siblings

A rare opportunity to get both kids into the same sketch as they nap together on a Saturday afternoon...

Missions Fest 2012

Two sketches from the Saturday morning assembly at Missions Fest 2012, here in Edmonton, where a speaker from the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association of Canada spoke. Once again, our family was involved with TLM Canada, and as I do every year, touched base with some of the folks at eMiC.

Family Day outing

The Art Gallery of Alberta is free admission on Family Day... which gives me the incentive to finally visit the building for the first time since its re-opening several years ago. Today it is full of people, including our two kids, making it difficult to really appreciate the artwork at a leisurely pace, but the kids enjoyed the children's activities in the lobby while I sketched away.

Meanwhile just outside on Churchill Square, the Metropolis winter festival continues under the brilliant sunny blue sky. The temporary pavilions are huge structures framed with scaffolding and shrink-wrapped in white plastic, creating a wonderful event setup befitting the snowy landscape.

Churchill Square

industrial building, 98th Street

A large steel shack with what appear to be monstrous overhead doors at both ends. The building is connected to the CN rail yards and allows a train car to pass through, linking directly into the CESSCO plant and presumambly serving some heavy duty industries in Alberta and the rest of Canada.