Silk tree

Silk trees like water. They grow near streams and bloom at the end of the rainy season. This year the rainy season ended about two weeks earlier than usual; the trees looked really dry. In a sudden rain shower these silk tree blossoms looked as if smiling. This picture was taken about 10 days ago. Now most blossoms are gone, but those that fell on the ground are still beautiful.

Good Wishes

Last Sabbath was the last time for us to see Niki. She went back to Jamaica on the 20th. So we had a farewell lunch for her after worship service. Everyone gave her a short message of farewell and she made a speech. When she decided to come to Japan as an English teacher who was going to teach in public high schools, other people preferred big cities. But she prayed that she would be placed somewhere she can find a church in her town. Her prayer was listened and she came to Shunan City, where one of only two SDA churches were located in the whole Yamaguchi Prefecture.

She should be at home in Jamaica by now. On August 17th she is going to marry a man who will become a pastor soon, so she will be a pastor's wife. It's going to be a hard job, but we are sure she will be successful no matter what she does because of her strong faith. (She said she would try to be a journalist.)

We respect you and love you as a sister in Christ. So long, and best wishes, Niki.

Beetles

Now all the beetles have hatched. Males are so aggressive that three out of five males died already. I should have released some of them before they died. Four females should be still alive.

Fledging out

A pair of red-rumped swallow build a nest at the entrance of our apartment on the fifth floor every year. But usually a crow comes and breaks the nest to eat eggs. We have never seen babies fledging out successfully. For some reason the crow didin't show up this year, so the babies are growing. I guess the crow died and the new generation doesn't know about this nest.




When the parents call somewhere outside the nest, a young bird (I don't know how many) answers back and push himself forward halfway out of the nest.




A parent came back to feed the young bird. Young birds will fledge out very soon. I hope a crow won't come to kill them.

Little landlocked salmon

This is my favorite trout stream. It's hard to get down to the bank, but once you are down there nobody can disturb you. It's a little scary though, since there are lots of wild boar tracks near the bank. This is also a bear country, so if you are lucky (or unlucky, depending on how you think), you might see one.




"Yamame" is a landlocked type of the cherry salmon or "masu salmon". They don't get as big as rainbow trout or brown trout, but are beautiful.