On Such Great Heights

Like literally! My Brother and I went to the Grand Canyon this week. At first we attempted to camp out there, but I think we are at the high season mark which made all the nearby campsites unavailable. Instead, we booked a motel, 50 miles away. The last time we were at the Grand Canyon was during a family trip 20 years ago. And who could remember that? This trip was a remarkable one. Standing amongst something that makes you feel so small. The awe that you get from watching nature performing dazzling light shows & moving colors across the sky with total and utter ease. It's... it's just remarkable.

A Starfruit for Wednesday

Over this past weekend, I was startled to find starfruit at the local 99 Ranch Market. What great memories this delicious fruit uprooted. During my childhood, Uncle Johnny had this massive starfruit tree in his side yard. Whenever it was in bloom, he would drop them off because I was very fascinated by it's taste and shape. I'm still not quite sure if it's botanical name is starfruit, but that's what we called it around the Ushiro home. Boy, it's awesome that something so simple would harness so much meaning.

Vanishing via Empiricality

Umm, how do I start this? Well I have been avoiding communication with everyone this week. And if you are one of them I am very sorry. Sometimes, I feel a need to disappear for awhile and selfishly reflect on my life (where it currently resides & where it will go). What lured me out of my shell was a short chat with an Old Mexican Fisherman at the Santa Monica Pier. I didn't speak much Spanish & he didn't speak English, but we shared a few exciting moments (like when we spotted 2 stingrays cruising below us and the time he caught a baby tiger shark). I realized how exciting life can be if I take notice of these tiny miracles that are occurring everywhere.
So now that I am ready to return back to civilization, here are a few silent observations of my surroundings this week. The first one is about line dwellers of the iPhone craze, and the second is a morning sketch of the local swimming dig. Thanks for dropping in!