Spring Has Sprung

The weather is starting to warm up a bit.  With that again comes the opportunity to do apartment checks.  These Elders and Sister do such a great job in being joyfully obedient.

It is better to obey than to sacrifice!

With the weather warming up a bit, I had the opportunity to go fishing with my friend Yoshi.  We didn't catch much of anything, but it was nice spending time together.

Even when the fish aren't biting, there is an opportunity to collect some fresh seaweed, which if properly prepared can be tasty and nutritious.

After fishing, Yoshi treated me to dinner at his apartment and instructed me on how to prepare strawberry jam.  Both were quite tasty.  That's me adding honey to the strawberries I just reduced.

With the end of March and the first of April comes the Sakura Season (cherry blossoms).  You forget how truly amazing they are!  Here is a small example of the beginning of the season.

The first blossoms seen on base.

On the way back from  Hiroshima apartment checks we discovered this little park at the Miyajima rest stop on the Sanyo Expressway.  This was a very nice surprise!

 Miyajima Island in the background across the Onoseto Strait.

Just some random pictures from the week:

THE ELDERS OF THE IWAKUNI DISTRICT

Elder Struempler, Elder Weaver & Elder Hepworth (seated)

 A happy Sister with her new bicycle!

 The Iwakuni "Gang"!

This is a typical Japanese cemetery.  One stone marker usually represents several generations of family members.  Not much space used because of the practice of cremation.