Spring!?

We're back from out trip to Okinawa and settling back in to our routines. We had fun in Japan's southernmost prefecture, though the weather didn't exactly cooperate. Lot's of pics and videos coming soon! It was a pleasant surprise to come home to significantly less snow, although some mounds are being stubborn. We did some spring cleaning and are making some plans for the rest of our time here. Only 4 months left!!! There are still so many things we want to see, and there's a week of holidays coming up (I know, it's like we're on a year-long vacation) during which we might drive to the south of Hokkaido to see cherry blossoms. We're also trying to decide what to do about jobs and housing when we get back. On top of that, I have some fun knitting/felting projects going on. I'm planning on making more brooches like the one in the picture, to sell at a flea market in June. And I'm drinking 3 cups of coffee a day.

left: flower brooch I made for my mother; center: cherry branches from an orchard in Mashike; right: Fuji-san (Mount Fuji) peeking out above the clouds on our plane ride back to Hokkaido