ReSUNdance

So, yes, more photos of the sun----two sundowns over the Selkirks; one sunrise over the Cabinets. 

These photos seem appropriate this morning, since our Annie is now in the "Land of the Rising Sun."  

Only problem with that is that when she arrived in Tokyo about 10:30 our time last night, it was mid-afternoon and pouring rain.

She was glad to have her umbrella, which she hasn't needed in Seattle much lately.   

Now it's nearly midnight in Tokyo, and it could be that Annie is snoozing by now after a 10-hour flight and some touring.  

I see she has already gone geocaching, and I added some information below from a National Geographic article about Mt. Fuji, for my own knowledge and for anyone else not familiar with Japan's tallest mountain.

Climbing Mt. Fuji later this week serves as the centerpiece for Annie's visit, so it will be interesting to follow along when that happens. 

Here in North Idaho, smoky air is taking an added toll on activities.  Seems the enclosed Kibbie Dome in Moscow is in demand these days for high school and college football games.  

Kellogg High School modified its home game plans this weekend in favor of taking the team to Moscow, and I just read that the Cougs may move the eight miles over to the Dome if smoke is still lingering when they have their season opener next week. 

My sisters and their friend Maryann were planning to compete in an Arabian Horse Show in Wenatchee this weekend.  They learned last night of its cancellation and rescheduling for 2016.  

All these adjustments are minor, of course, to the devastation and loss that so many others are suffering at the hands of area wildfires, so it's all relative.

Not a lot else on my mind this morning, except trying to achieve some progress in a couple of writing assignments and changing sprinklers in my yard.

I've decided that it's time to give the yard a drink since it crunches with every step. Maybe it and all the other lawns and fields will get a big drink this weekend which is supposed to be the next chance for rain.  

Til then, the sprinkler will be moving from dry patch to dry patch. 

Happy Wednesday.  Enjoy the photos and the Fuji facts below. 

Mount Fuji is a symbol of Japan. The mountain contributes to Japan's physical, cultural, and spiritual geography.Mount Fuji is the tallest mountain in Japan, standing at 3,776 meters (12,380 feet).

It is an active volcano, sitting on a "triple junction" of tectonic activity: the Amurian plate (associated with the Eurasian tectonic plate), the Okhotsk plate (associated with the North American plate) and the Filipino plate all converge in the region beneath Mount Fuji. It is only 100 kilometers (62 miles) from Tokyo, Japan's capital and largest city (13 million-plus). 

In fact, the last time Mount Fuji erupted, in 1707, volcanic ash fell on Tokyo. Mount Fuji is the single most popular tourist site in Japan, for both Japanese and foreign tourists. More than 200,000 people climb to the summit every year, mostly during the warmer summer months.

"Huts" on the route up the mountain cater to climbers, providing refreshments, basic medical supplies, and room to rest. Many people start climbing Mount Fuji at night, as better to experience sunrise from the summit—Japan, after all, is nicknamed "the Land of the Rising Sun." The sunrise from Mount Fuji has a special name Goraiko.

Mount Fuji has been a sacred site for practicers of Shinto since at least the 7th century. Shinto is the indigenous faith or spirituality of Japan. many Shinto shrines dot the base and ascent of Mount Fuji. Shinto shrines honor kami, the supernatural deities of the Shinto faith. 

The kami of Mount Fuji is Princess Konohanasakuya, whose symbol is the cherry blossom. Konohanasakuya has an entire series of shrines, called Segen shrines. The main Segen shrines are at the base and summit of Mount Fuji, but there are more than 1,000 across all of Japan.