odds & ends

It is the end of the month, and I'm cleaning out some photos.

Kaldi's "canned" coffee....a little too sweet for me.

They also have a boxed tea, I didn't buy it because they didn't sell it in singles but I have a feeling that one might have been sweetened too.

Cioccolato Andrea Pansa (Amalfi, Italy).

A souvenir from one of Satoshi's co-workers (thank you!) Delicious dried fruit dipped in dark chocolate.

Bodegas Norton Extra Brut, an Argentina sparkling wine. Very very dry but delicious, loved that it came with a straw too.

Muji's Baci di Dama.

Tiny cookies stuck together with chocolate.

I think in Italian they mean "kiss of a lady" or something like that. These were very tasty.

As I took this photo of a Mini, a woman (in the background) came running after me to find out what I was doing.

I thought maybe it was her mini, but it wasn't. She lives in the condo complex where the Mini was parked and wondered what I was doing.

We ended up having a nice chat on the way to the train station, though I think we scared the "beep" out of each other.

I made some "kahlua milk" with some of my homemade coffee liqueur, a little sugar & milk. I also added some ice.

The liqueur was quite strong but delicious.

Spring soba at Irifune.

This soba was topped with bamboo shoots (which are in season now), some chicken & wakame (kelp). Very light and delicious.

The Ippudo near our place has discontinued my favorite ramen, Karaka-men.

So I was pleasantly surprised that they teamed up with Nissin and came up with an instant version.

I tried it one rainy day for lunch, it was really spicy and tasted just like the one I've had at Ippudo.

Some sakura (cherry blossoms) on our walk in Ikeda.

Some sakura (cherry blossoms) on our walk in Hotarugaike.

I thought I had seen all kinds of instruments travelling on the trains....this big bass drum tops it.

I bought the Easytone shoes by Reebok.

They aren't for playing sports in, but if you do a lot of walking they are worth it.

For me, I think they work especially going up and down hills or stairs.

Ciao Wine's Prosecco and Rosato sparkling wines.

I liked the one cup servings. They are dry and a little fruity.

We had a delicious April and are in the midst of Golden Week here though Satoshi unfortunately has to work here and there.

Have a nice weekend!