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Travlrsong
2008-04-22, 11:55 PM
This is my first post, but I've been reading yours and learning a few things over the past year and a half. Thank you. I'll try to keep the self-introduction from being too egocentric, but you know how self-intro's can get.

I could never sit still to watch the Sunday sports on TV as a kid, and was a little too clever to believe the old guys at church. As a result, I spent as much time as I could in the desert, which became my playground, church, classroom, and grocery store.

12 ga. 870 Express for birds, and a recurve (Martin Mamba) for mammals. Instinctive shooter with more clean misses than lethal hits, and no bad shots (knock on head).

Sailed Sunfish and Hobie-cats in the Sea of Cortez, but am definitely a novice sailor. I worked refurbishing yachts in boatyards in Perth and Melbourne to gain experience (and travel cash), and can't wait to learn more.

Jesuit prep, state uni, languages, sales and portfolio management, burnt-out on the suburban dream. Liquidated assets, paid off bills and debt, cried as I gave my labrador to a trusted friend, and left with a passport, backpack, and guitar. Spent a few years backpacking SE Asia, Australia, Europe, N. Africa, and wound up here with to a quality japanese cutie I met in Taiwan. 1 1/2 years after we met and started traveling together, we went back there to elope (to escape our families' ideas of "a proper wedding"). Our resident hostel friends and the hostel manager were our witnesses at the Taipei JP ceremony. Now we're back here with a little drooling beauty, and I'm back in the classroom. Luckily, the gig is enjoyable, and we live in a great, small, coastal town.

I grow our luxury vegetables (corn, chilis, basil, tomatoes, parsley, green beans, sweet potatoes, salad greens, & bok choy) along the side of our house, and am determined to catch more than kisu and ishimochi from the surf this summer. No luck on suzuki or ika last year, but not for lack of effort. Same goes for flyfishing in the river and mountain streams. Ayu are great, but they're just not trout. I don't remember the word for steelhead, but have heard that they're in the river too. Would love to catch some!

My old chari (two baskets cool) gets me all around town, and keeps my legs in shape. Getting ready to start an in-home juku. Any suggestions or stories?

I've built a vermiculture bin, and feed our kitchen scraps to it (except the fish bones that go to the neighborhood cats), and a beehive according to the Warre-Abbey specs. Baited the hive with local honey, but nobody's moved in yet. Might try some orchids later, but the swarming season will really get going in May (so I read and hear).

I write songs and play my guitar to keep sane (quit drinking years ago), but no matter how hard I try, it just doesn't come out as J-pop. Hahaha. Guess the wife will have to adjust.

Definitely interested in learning much more about sea kayaking, canoe sailing, building bamboo furniture, permaculture, thin film photovoltaics, wind generators, digging and throwing local clay, and hop-skotching the local hunting laws. I saw a lot of old and new inoshishi tracks down by the river while digging some sweet takenoko last week. Any ideas about the best way to ship a recurve across the Pacific.

Definitely interested in some sort of seed-swapping, as I was lucky enough to get some seeds from a killer tomato to sprout, and the nanohana forest is going to seed as I type. Great leaves, those nanohana. I wonder if anyone is kind enough to offer any seeds for trade. Anything that will grow outdoors. Height's not a problem, nor are hybridization or flavor. I'm open to all offers.

Have a Grateful one, guys, and keep smiling.

KenElwood
2008-04-23, 12:29 PM
This is my first post, but I've been reading yours and learning a few things over the past year and a half. Thank you. I'll try to keep the self-introduction from being too egocentric, but you know how self-intro's can get.

Hey Travlrsong,

Sorry to hear that you quit drinking, but happy to hear about all the rest ! Welcome.

Cheers,

ken

catdude
2008-04-23, 05:58 PM
Welcome Travlrsong. I'm new here too, so all I can really say is welcome, ha ha.. Sounds like you are enjoying yourself here and taking the right approach, especially with your garden.

I will remember the seeds offer for the future.

Cheers
Eric

johnElarue
2008-04-23, 10:50 PM
Hi Travlsong,

You've got the best of both worlds at your doosrstep it seems, coast and mountains. To me looking at a map Wakayama seems like a magical place, the interior heavily forested and mountainous, the coast warm and sunny. I've ashamedly never been there. Would love to see some pics. How do you find it?

KenElwood
2008-04-23, 10:56 PM
Hi Travlsong,

You've got the best of both worlds at your doosrstep it seems, coast and mountains. To me looking at a map Wakayama seems like a magical place, the interior heavily forested and mountainous, the coast warm and sunny. I've ashamedly never been there. Would love to see some pics. How do you find it?

Yeah,

Also, is it true about those mysterious type of green, glow-in-the-dark mushrooms (http://www.pinktentacle.com/2006/05/rainy-season-brings-glow-in-the-dark-mushrooms/)??


ken

Travlrsong
2008-04-23, 11:14 PM
Now that could be damn good reason for a night-hike. Maybe even better on...on...what were we talking about? Hahahahahahahaha. I'll ask around about them, and let you know.

Wakayama is a beautiful place. I can pedal ten minutes to the west, and be on the Kumano river, or ten minutes east, and be on the coast. The forests are more like jungles, and remind me of something between The Legend of Kage (old Nintendo game- anyone remember it?) and Degobah. Mosquitos are thick, but the trout streams are like an illustration. Moss, wild jasmine, snails cruising by, unexpected waterfalls, the occasional scent of inoshishi... It's good, and feels like another planet from where I grew up. I have to admit that I'm still a bit of a monkey when it comes to adding links and photos, but will look into it and get some posted soon.


Thanks for the welcome, guys. Have a great one.

KenElwood
2008-05-01, 07:20 AM
Hey travlrsong,

I posted this already over in the main thread, but thought you may never see it as the conversation is moving so quickly over there.

You know, I was inspired to do a photo post about 山菜(sansai) and herb foraging in the woods after reading your words about your home turf in Wakayama.

The forests are more like jungles, and remind me of something between The Legend of Kage (old Nintendo game- anyone remember it?) and Degobah. Mosquitos are thick, but the trout streams are like an illustration. Moss, wild jasmine, snails cruising by, unexpected waterfalls, the occasional scent of inoshishi... It's good, and feels like another planet from where I grew up.

Good writing !

Well, this is a great time of the year to get out in that “Jungle” to gather food !! So a couple days ago I set out to find dinner. Besides experiencing the “jungle”; snakes, inoshishi tramping through the bush just up the ridge, spider webs the size of Hokkaido, frogs, slippery rocks gathered around fresh water springs, spot owls & wood peckers, and random, old Jizo-related stones from our human ancestors…… I gathered wild sansai and herb. Posting some pictures of my favorites below.

http://kenelwood.files.wordpress.com/2008/04/mountainveg.jpg

http://kenelwood.files.wordpress.com/2008/04/yamacha.jpg

http://kenelwood.files.wordpress.com/2008/04/thewoods.jpg

A note about Nigusa. It's an herb, but I don't really know the name. So I just made one up (Nigusa!!). Tastes bitter, but good mixed with rice. Yum !

Cheers,

ken

Travlrsong
2008-05-01, 09:43 PM
They grow within pedaling distance, but at night I might favor a drive (approx. 10k). They tell me the growshrooms should start showing up towards the end of May or so. I'll definitely find out more, and post the info if anyone's up for a trip (plenty of spare bedrooms in this old house). If not, I'll post photos. The "manage attachments" option tells me my photo files (on computer) are too large to attach, and I've already deleted them from my camera. Currently, imageshack.com isn't signing new accounts due to "bug issues." I hope they get everything in order soon.

Ken, Great sansai shots. Thanks for the education. I'll have to go on a hike sometime soon to see what's growing around here. Have picked warabi near where I got the takenoko, but am psyched about the others.

Besides a sunken plate of beer, does anyone have any good anti-slug strategies for the garden? Bear in mind that it rains a lot here, and the namekuji doku pellets get washed away pretty quickly. I've read that iron phosphate is good for the soil, and has the same effect on slugs as salt, but I can't find any at the gardening or home stores. I'd expect it to be reasonably inexpensive if I could find it though.

Marius_JP
2008-05-02, 11:14 AM
This is my first post

Welcome!

* punches Travlrsong in the face *

Sorry, standard procedure

Travlrsong
2008-05-02, 12:00 PM
Hey Marius, Thanks for the welcome. I'll humbly tell you though, that the last punch that was successfully delivered to my face was seventeen years ago in middle school. Let's not fight. Your body and my mood will be better off for it. Hahahaha. Have a great day (gives Marius a wedgy).

Travlrsong

liamoko
2008-05-02, 12:04 PM
Welcome!

* punches Travlrsong in the face *

Sorry, standard procedure

M, another gem... your on a roll.

Marius_JP
2008-05-02, 12:06 PM
Your body and my mood will be better off for it. Hahahaha.

Another internet tough guy, huh? Good, Calipimp just left. We've been missing out on some laughter.

Travlrsong
2008-05-02, 12:42 PM
Hey Marius,

Not an internet tough guy. Just responding to punch to the face welcome. It's easy online, isn't it? To tell the truth, I have had my face marked in the past few years, but only as a result of wrestling with my nephews. Those little monkeys fight dirty!

I've read some of Calipimp's posts, and would prefer not to be grouped with him.

Have a great day, Marius.

Marius_JP
2008-05-02, 12:57 PM
Just responding to punch to the face welcome. It's easy online, isn't it?

It is, and it's all good. Welcome.

Travlrsong
2008-05-02, 01:06 PM
Thanks mate.