Yesterday the temperature took a dive.  The dry crackling air rushed by as I zipped back from Nishi Kasai to my home in Minami Kasai.  It was cold enough that the weather forecast was calling for snow in the early am hours.

I was following a small creek that runs behind some houses where I came to an amazing aloe bush.  It was near freezing weather and this aloe was blooming with some bright red blossoms.  The aloe was so massive that is snake like branches were hovering only centimeters above the waterline.

Just a little nudge that even when I may be freezing and have wrapped my body from head to toe in winter clothing there is still life that manages to bloom.  There are colors that pop forth out of the gray.

The weather is still in a state of an ever changing mind.  Today is gorgeous out.  The sun is rising high the temperatures are too.  I can sit comfortably on my patio as I write this blog.  All in all it a beautiful day to be resting in Tokyo.

Yesterday the light and the skies were as beautiful.  And all the weather patterns continue to have the plants confused.  I saw this dandelion in full bloom yesterday.  I was a bit surprised since the last time I saw them was back in July.  But who knows?  This crazy weather coupled with the typhoon that roared through 6 weeks ago and nature is dealing with those changes the best they can.

Mentioning change, there will be some upcoming changes to the postings here at Lucid Communication.  I won’t go into detail at the moment, but stay posted and I hope you all will follow and become intrigued by the changes.

Peace from the sunnyside of life!

An interesting phenomenon has been happening this autumn.  Flowering plants have bloomed multiple times and some plants have even been tricked into blooming early.  There have been some cases reported in Japan of cherry blossom trees blooming in October.  This is pretty insane.  Anyone who thinks that there isn’t any climate change should take a peep at the cherry blossoms that traditionally bloom in late March or early April, are now blooming in October.

I have even noticed it on my own little patio garden.  My pomegranate tree has sprouted blossoms three times this year.  The most recent blossoms appeared about two weeks ago.  Even with some golfball sized fruit on its branches the pomegranate tree has been coerced into blooming again.

Also, as I was making my way back to the station on Friday afternoon, I noticed that along the tracks the false dandelion,  have bloomed again.  We are living in some strange times.  However, I am happy to see the lovelies in my wanders.  They are a constant reminder of the fragile state of our ecosystem.  The flowers also help to through some color on some otherwise drab concrete surroundings.

First I must apologize for my absence over the last three weeks.  I had a project that needed finishing that left little time or energy for artistic pursuits.  Now that it has been finished I can happily return to working on my photographic craft.

Been thinking a lot about sunflowers.  These massive beauties that start off from lovely zebra-esque seeds.  They quickly grow reaching higher and higher for the sun.  They are one of the few flowers on the planet that I often have to look up at to enjoy.  I can not quite illustrate what it is about these yellow beauties that I am so attracted too.  Their size is amazing.  The speed in which they grow and bloom seems unreal.  The fact that the seeds make a tasty treat.

They are the new sunshine in my life.  They represent that energy that can renew the spirit.  That light that can uplift the mind and feed the soul.

A new dawn is coming.

This thought crossed my mind today as I was taking some pictures of a tree with funky fresh red blossoms.  I was thinking to myself, I have never seen this flower before.  But, what I started to realize that it wasn’t that I hadn’t seen the flowers before, it is more that I never really took the time to explore, and see the flowers with all my senses.

This is the challenge for artists, and for me especially as a visual artist we are constantly learning to see again.  I just took nature for granted.  It wasn’t that I didn’t appreciate nature, far from it, I love nature.  I love being out in nature.  It is more that I never took the opportunities that presented before me with my camera until I came to face the awesome power of the earth that contrasts with it’s diverse beauty.

I now see nature in my daily commute like I never have before.  The colors, the shapes, the varieties, the phases from bud to bloom, to shedding of the petals.  And now I am beginning to witness the flowers that are becoming the fruits of summer and fall.

I will continue to challenge myself through my art.  I must grow as an artist or what is the point.  I can never be truly satisfied.

Strive for that beauty out there in the world.  Let it envelope us in those kodachrome colors.

The hydrangeas are in full bloom.  All the various varieties have been soaking up the rainy seasons waterings.  Picking up the full spectrum hues depending on what nutrients that the roots find in the soil.  They might not seem as dramatic this year in Tokyo, and I would guess that we haven’t had the continuing downpours that we usually get in June.

These are just a few from around my neighborhood.  One bunch were just peeking over a 2 meter wall.  And the other ones were across the street in a neighborhood’s garden.

Summer is creeping in quickly over the last two days.  The air is still pleasant, but i can feel the heat to come.

The flowers are beginning to change.  Long gone are the first blooms of spring.  As we move into the rainy season the hydrangeas are starting to awaken from their slumber.  They enjoy the rain, so much.  Even mine, on my patio, has opened its first couple of blooms.

Today as I was on my way back from the supermarket, I braked in front of a neighbor’s home.  There was this tall weed-like plant that was covered in large burgundy hued flowers.  Such a sweet color, just like a good bottle of wine should be.

Out with the old, and in with the colors of summer.

sip, sip, click, click.

ah.

For anyone out there that thinks this whole global warming is a joke, should have been in Tokyo today.  The air for, for almost june, was downright chilly.  I had to pull the sweatshirt out again by the time I got back to my home.  I am not complaining.  I am glad that is a bit on the chilly side, because it sure beats it being on the hot and humid side.

It felt rather odd, to see some of the hydrangeas about to bloom and be zipped up in a windbreaker, trying to stay warm.  The flowers are there.  I have begun to spot some fruit starting to ripen on the trees and bushes.  All this in weather that I thought we left behind four weeks ago.  Enjoy it why you can.

…this psalm has been on my mind today…

55 verse 6 If I had the wings of a dove, I would fly away, and be at rest.

stay upfull world!

The odd weather just continues.  The skies have slowly grayed over the course of the day. By the time I was making my way home the gray completely covered the Tokyo skies.

I found a little garden that a household owner had set up on the street across from their house.  The brilliant purple and yellow flows were just there and singing under the gray skies.  They without a doubt but a happy end to a long day.  I am so thankful for all the variety of colors, flowers in the Fathers kingdom.

After quite a number of small aftershocks last night, I was ready to have a peaceful day.  The weather was gorgeous at least.  I could rock a short sleeve shirt and be totally comfortable.

There was, as far as I could tell, only one smallish aftershock that happened between 9 and 10 a.m.  I was the only one who noticed that the ground was moving and the lights were swaying.  I guess my internal sense of balance is just ultra sensitive to the movement.  I don’t think I will ever get use to them, but I will, hopefully, learn to live with the aftershocks in some sort of harmony.

The walk back though my neighborhood was exceptionally pleasant today.  The air was cool and dry as the sun was quickly dropping to the horizon.  I could take pleasure in watching the light change its hues as it continued to race towards other worlds.  It was a great day, to look closely and let the bokeh (that beauty of having part of an image out of focus) come out and play.

It has been a little over 2 months since the March 11th earthquake that turned Tohoku area upside down and disrupted the quiet life of the suburb across the river from me of Shin Urayasu.  Still everywhere I go I see signs of reconstruction.  New sidewalk bricks are being laid.  The gutters and sewers are being dredged, and today I noticed these seemingly random patches of pink flowers.  There were just there growing in the green median strips of land between the sidewalk and the streets.  Hundreds of little pink wonders, against the little dust devils that are swirling around in the air.

The truly made my heart smile.

Why am I exploring the world of flowers?  It is possible that it is a reaction to the fact that there is so much our shared lived that is out of our hands, and I find comfort in the colored petals.  I am definitely walking down an unexplored path with regards to making images of flowers and fauna.  And without trying to over intellectualizing the fact, I need to be in the moment and explore the flowers as a way of making peace with the natural world.

It doesn’t matter to me where I find the pieces of the natural world.  They can be in a potted plant sitting outside a little izakaya (pub)  in Ichikawa, or when I get the chance to really venture into nature.  The goal is to start a communication with the nature I encounter.  I feel like the conversation has only just begun.  We have a lot to learn from each other, and the only way we can go further down the road together is to continue this conversation.  This lucid communication with nature.

Long after the building all crumble into dust, the flowers, and trees will still be here.  Their roots will find their way between the cracks in the pavement and slowly tear down this civilization.

The jasmine will continue to bloom.  The trees will bud, and then shed their cherry blossoms.

I must in the meantime continue the discussion with the natural world.  I must add to the natural world around me.  I must breathe in deeply to smell those first droplets of rain.

Sunday was a little taste of the summer to come.  The weather was very warm with a little of a cool breeze.  It felt good to be out and about with only a short sleeved t-shirt.

I love just to wander around my neighborhood on bicycle.  Even though I may have been down some of the same roads before, there is always something interesting to see.  There is always something I have never quite come across before.

A street side garden that flows out onto the asphalt.  A tiny flower growing between the edge of a wall and a chain link fence and a bunch of flowers jutting out from the side of a wall.  All there in plain sight.  Sometimes they seem like they are just waiting to be noticed by me.

click

click

click

Another week has come to a close here in Tokyo.  The week that was filled with dust, dirt, and pollen.  The air was playing hell with my allergies.  I tried to do the Japanese way of wearing a surgical mask, but that helped just a bit.

I am thankful for making it to another shabbat.  The time that has been set aside for reflection and rest.  To look back on the week, and be thankful for what we have.  And I am truly thankful.  I am thankful for my friends and family being safe and in good health.  I am thankful for all the beauty that surrounds my lens.  The flowers are a constant reminder of the change that is brewing here in japan.  The change that needs to happen for this society to overcome all of their difficulties.  I hope that they too will stop to take heed of this beauty, and let the colors inspire them to reach higher than they have ever before.

It is time to put away petty differences.  It is time to see the good in the world and time to put away childish selfish ways.  The glory bubble times are long gone.  It is time to sober up and put forth conversation, and real inclusive unity rather than just for show.

So to all of you, I ask that you in your works, take time to pause, and reflect.  Stop and look up high into the sky and watch the clouds dance across.  Stop, and look at your feet and see the little blooms that are scattered at your feet.

The earth will shake, the rain will fall, and we will be here, being thankful for the life that we are given.

Peace from Tokyo.

Making my way back to Ichikawa station today, something caught my eye on a stretch of road that never did before.  My eyes were filled with beautiful purpler drapery.  The majestic wisteria was flowing over the gates of a home on top of the hill.

The sun shone through the leaves and illuminated the violet petals.  I have always been drawn to the color purple.  I am not sure why, but I think I find that the hue soothes my troubled soul.

After a few bumpy small aftershocks right before I shut my eyes caused me to get a bit of restless sleep. I welcomed this hue into my lens and let the healing begin.

Lets allow those gleams of color to flood into our lives, and begin the healing process.