Rain and roses

On to catching up about last weekend…..

We stayed Saturday night at Melissa’s since she lives so close to Hitoyoshi and the IC.  We had plans to go to the beach on Sunday morning.  I guess it was because I was sleeping in different locations, but on both Friday and Saturday nights, I had really vivid dreams.  The first dream was that I was still working at the Parlor.  Occasionally I still have dreams like these, and I guess it’s true that the Parlor will forever own my soul.    Anyway, EVERYTHING in that dream was so real, down to co-workers and the regular customers.  Coffee lady was in it.  She ALWAYS wanted coffee but complained about the temperature and taste.  She wanted a fresh pot made for her regardless of how new the coffee might have been, and she ALWAYS wanted it scalding hot.  We literally had to stick it in the microwave for a bit until it boiled.  THAT’S how hot she wanted it! 

The second dream was about being home.  I dreamed that Ian and I went to Florida to visit his dad during one of the weeks we were home.  While we’d love to do that, we just can’t quite afford the time or money to do so in July.  However, once we move back to the States, it’ll be nice to know that we have a place to stay in Florida!

Since it’s now officially rainy season, we knew that going to the beach on Sunday was a gamble, but we went anyway.  It was actually calling for rain, but we figured that we’d get wet in the water anyway!  When we left Hitoyoshi, the sun was peeking out behind the clouds, and halfway to the beach, it was still doing the same.  However, then the thick gray clouds rolled it, and it started to rain.  By the time we were at Aoshima, it was a steady driving rain.  We parked and weighed our options, agreeing to stay at the beach for a bit and then head back.  Luckily the rain stopped for few hours, and we were able to walk the beach and swim.  The waves were really strong, and all of us enjoyed riding them, but then that silly rain came back.  (At least none of us got burned that day!)  We took shelter at the life guard house and plotted our next move.  Rachel, Melissa, and I wanted to head back, but Ian, Justine, and David wanted to go explore Miyazaki City.  Since we drove two cars, we were able to split up.

By the time our car got back to Kuma-gun, it was partly cloudy, and the sun was even shining a little!  UGH!  Why couldn’t it have been like that at the beach??  Melissa (after MUCH negotiation on my part) agreed to drop me off at Justine’s house so that I could ride my bike home.  She was going to drive all the way to Taragi and drop off Rachel, then backtrack to Justine’s and put my bike in her car, then drive all the way out to Yunomae.  It would have been a ridiculous amount of time and effort on her part, and I wanted to ride my bike home anyway.  I was happy for the exercise….even if I faced a head wind the whole way home!    One good thing about my ride home was that the roses were blooming along the cycling road.  These roses are extremely rare and only grow along the banks of the Kuma River in our area (pictures below).  There were several people strolling along the cycling trail looking at the roses, having picnics by them, or sketching/painting pictures of them on Sunday.  The Japanese are crazy about their flowers…..first the cherry blossoms and now the roses! 

 

When I got back to town, I decided to swing by the swimming hole that Ian and I stumbled upon a few weeks ago since I still had my bathing suit on.  I guess a couple of my elementary girls had the same idea because they were so surprised to see me walking toward them.    At first we splashed each other, trying to get each other wet, but then we started throwing rocks in the river near one another so that it would make a huge splash.  That game died when one of the girls accidentally threw her rock too hard, and it landed on my back.    She had a horrified look on her face and apologized continuously, but it really didn’t even hurt too much. 

I almost regretted not staying in Miyazaki City with Ian, David, and Justine when Ian text me a picture of them at Pizza Hut.  I think I made it evidently clear that I miss Pizza Hut pizza two blogs ago.    However, Ian is a thoughtful husband and brought home some of his pizza for me!  SWEET!  It wasn’t exactly the delicious greasy goodness of American Pizza Hut, but it definitely quenched my hunger for it.

I have MUCH more to write about, but I’m going to stop here to avoid it being too long.