Holidays
September 13, 2024
Episode Notes
two one. Good morning, Les. How you doing?
I'm doing very well, thank you very much. How are you?
I'm just fine. So, uh, Les, tell me about your summer vacation.
Well, my summer vacation was pretty short in a sense, and I went to the farm in Shimanet. My wife's parents live in Shimane, and they have a farm out there.
We go there every summer if we can.
Oh, very nice. What uh what kind of farm?
Well, actually, it's it's a rice farm. And they have a great garden that produces vegetables like you wouldn't believe.
And you help them out with the uh the rice fields.
No, sadly enough, um whenever I go to help, I I think I I I'm too uh uh I try too hard and they feel bad. So when I go there, they say, "Les, sit down. Sit down. Sit down." And they don't want me to help.
Right. Right. Right. All right. Fair enough. You for a short time.
Yep. What was your special holiday thing?
Uh not really anything that special. Uh my younger son took swimming lessons for 10 days during summer which which he enjoyed very much.
Okay.
Um he swam uh 400 meters on the final day which he was quite proud of.
Was he swimming in the lake?
No, this was in a pool.
Okay.
Uh you know like city offers uh summer swimming lessons. in the the municipal pool.
That's nice
for for school age children. And uh we did go swimming in the lake as well. We always do. We went once in June and once in August,
right?
Um northern area of Lake Biwa.
Okay.
Other than that, just uh I went hiking one day with some friends. Um that's about it.
Hey, tell me, I never actually asked you, do you have a car?
We do not have a car. No. How did you get up to the north end of the lake?
Uh, take the train. Trains are very convenient.
The west side of the lake where all the good swimming beaches are has an elevated rail.
Okay.
And unfortunately, anytime there's any solid wind, it gets shut down or delayed. But, um,
but it it it's it's wonderful. It's very countryside and quiet. Few people on the train and, uh, everyone's going to have a good time at the beach. So, it's quite a nice nice train ride.
Okay. Yes.
Yeah. Yeah. And that's Yeah. Hiking. Hiking as well by train.
Oh, where'd you go hiking?
Same area up the west side of the lake.
Okay.
Um hiked up uh
and because of uh the road being washed out in the last storm, there were no bus services at that time.
Okay. Yes,
there was no bus service. So, it added an hour hike each way.
Walking on a road, no doubt.
Uh roads, paths, little country roads. Yeah. Little trails and things. We didn't go the road would be, you know, around. We just went straight up. Oh,
okay. Okay.
Yeah. So, cut cut through a couple neighborhoods and through some fields and through the woods.
Freewheeling.
Yeah. Yeah.
Yeah. Right on.
Good.
It was uh it was not as hot this summer as I thought it was going to be.
Disagree completely. Why do you Why do you think it was not so hot.
Well, okay. Now, I I can't say that it wasn't that hot. I've been training every summer. I train myself for the heat.
Okay.
I lock I lock myself in a hot box for 15 minutes at a time and I meditate.
Okay.
I come out, I drink water. It's totally safe. I'm I'm fine. But, uh I find that I sweat less and the heat doesn't feel as bad.
All right.
In other words, it works. From my end of things, we rarely use air conditioning in our house in summer.
Okay.
Uh but this summer was an exception. We used air conditioning probably at least 15 or 20 days.
Oh.
Um whereas in the past we would use it only three or four days in the whole summer maybe if guests came over. Otherwise, we just keep the windows open and the fans on. So,
right.
But if you uh Yeah, your training sounds interesting. I'll try that next summer maybe. Yeah. I if if if you try it, number one, don't start too late. Start in June.
Okay. So, build up, build up, build up.
That's right. That's right.
Yeah. Right. Excellent.
Um but right now it seems really hot.
Yeah, it's it's pushed into September and it's surprisingly midepptember. It's still in the mid30s, but
yeah,
what can you do anyway?
Yep. Thanks.
Okay, that was that was really cool. I'm glad to hear about your summer. Yeah, yours too. Nice training.
Thanks a lot. Take care.
See you later.
Bye-bye.
I'm doing very well, thank you very much. How are you?
I'm just fine. So, uh, Les, tell me about your summer vacation.
Well, my summer vacation was pretty short in a sense, and I went to the farm in Shimanet. My wife's parents live in Shimane, and they have a farm out there.
We go there every summer if we can.
Oh, very nice. What uh what kind of farm?
Well, actually, it's it's a rice farm. And they have a great garden that produces vegetables like you wouldn't believe.
And you help them out with the uh the rice fields.
No, sadly enough, um whenever I go to help, I I think I I I'm too uh uh I try too hard and they feel bad. So when I go there, they say, "Les, sit down. Sit down. Sit down." And they don't want me to help.
Right. Right. Right. All right. Fair enough. You for a short time.
Yep. What was your special holiday thing?
Uh not really anything that special. Uh my younger son took swimming lessons for 10 days during summer which which he enjoyed very much.
Okay.
Um he swam uh 400 meters on the final day which he was quite proud of.
Was he swimming in the lake?
No, this was in a pool.
Okay.
Uh you know like city offers uh summer swimming lessons. in the the municipal pool.
That's nice
for for school age children. And uh we did go swimming in the lake as well. We always do. We went once in June and once in August,
right?
Um northern area of Lake Biwa.
Okay.
Other than that, just uh I went hiking one day with some friends. Um that's about it.
Hey, tell me, I never actually asked you, do you have a car?
We do not have a car. No. How did you get up to the north end of the lake?
Uh, take the train. Trains are very convenient.
The west side of the lake where all the good swimming beaches are has an elevated rail.
Okay.
And unfortunately, anytime there's any solid wind, it gets shut down or delayed. But, um,
but it it it's it's wonderful. It's very countryside and quiet. Few people on the train and, uh, everyone's going to have a good time at the beach. So, it's quite a nice nice train ride.
Okay. Yes.
Yeah. Yeah. And that's Yeah. Hiking. Hiking as well by train.
Oh, where'd you go hiking?
Same area up the west side of the lake.
Okay.
Um hiked up uh
and because of uh the road being washed out in the last storm, there were no bus services at that time.
Okay. Yes,
there was no bus service. So, it added an hour hike each way.
Walking on a road, no doubt.
Uh roads, paths, little country roads. Yeah. Little trails and things. We didn't go the road would be, you know, around. We just went straight up. Oh,
okay. Okay.
Yeah. So, cut cut through a couple neighborhoods and through some fields and through the woods.
Freewheeling.
Yeah. Yeah.
Yeah. Right on.
Good.
It was uh it was not as hot this summer as I thought it was going to be.
Disagree completely. Why do you Why do you think it was not so hot.
Well, okay. Now, I I can't say that it wasn't that hot. I've been training every summer. I train myself for the heat.
Okay.
I lock I lock myself in a hot box for 15 minutes at a time and I meditate.
Okay.
I come out, I drink water. It's totally safe. I'm I'm fine. But, uh I find that I sweat less and the heat doesn't feel as bad.
All right.
In other words, it works. From my end of things, we rarely use air conditioning in our house in summer.
Okay.
Uh but this summer was an exception. We used air conditioning probably at least 15 or 20 days.
Oh.
Um whereas in the past we would use it only three or four days in the whole summer maybe if guests came over. Otherwise, we just keep the windows open and the fans on. So,
right.
But if you uh Yeah, your training sounds interesting. I'll try that next summer maybe. Yeah. I if if if you try it, number one, don't start too late. Start in June.
Okay. So, build up, build up, build up.
That's right. That's right.
Yeah. Right. Excellent.
Um but right now it seems really hot.
Yeah, it's it's pushed into September and it's surprisingly midepptember. It's still in the mid30s, but
yeah,
what can you do anyway?
Yep. Thanks.
Okay, that was that was really cool. I'm glad to hear about your summer. Yeah, yours too. Nice training.
Thanks a lot. Take care.
See you later.
Bye-bye.