Hakkeijima and Sweaty

The camera sat on the kitchen counter all weekend, charging away. She thought it was charging, that is, but nothing happened when she pressed the on button just inside the entrance to Hakkeijima today. The same thing happened the last time she visited a garden with Ishii-san. Push, push, push. Nothing, nothing, nothing. But that was the old camera and today she is carrying the new camera.

Desperate times call for desperate measures so Peevish "borrowed" an image from the Hakkeijima website to illustrate this post. Unfortunately, the only image that halfway illustrates the extent of the hydrangea garden on the island is a map. The hydrangea garden, laced with shady paths, is that dark green area on the right side of the map. If this was a topographical map, you'd see that the hydrangea garden is built around a hill and that those paths take go ever upward to a plateau at the top where a lovely rose garden is ringed with benches.

From the top of the hill most visitors get a panoramic view of the eight scenic views (hakkei) of the island (jima).  One of today's visitors, however, was too busy searching her tote bag for a towel, mopping her forehead and neck with the towel she finally found, and then wringing out the towel before returning it to her bag to gaze placidly at the famous scenic views.

There is an amusement park on the island and an aquarium.  Ishii-san remembers the time she took her parents to the aquarium.  Her mother loved the dolphins.

The doctor says Ishii-san's mother should be completely healed in two more months.  Until then she must wear a stiff corset and is prohibited from carrying anything, including groceries.  So far she has fallen once and snuck off to the grocery store on her own once.  What a pistol.  Maybe Ishii-san should offer to reward her for following the doctor's orders with another visit to the aquarium.

There is an ice cream shop on the island.  This is when a functioning camera would have come in most handy.  The Ancient Mariner might not believe that there is such a thing as an okonomiyaji ice cream cone embellished with tiny shrimp.

Time to solve the camera problem.  There's a quilting bee on tomorrow's docket.