Tenny has been a singing fool lately. He sings all the time and he has a cute little voice. Here is a sampling of some of his greatest hits.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Tenny's Tunes
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Snow Monsters
The Japanese people have no need to fear dehydration at any time. I went on a trip with the scouts this past weekend up to the Hakkoda mountains. These mountains are not terribly high (1350 m) but they are some of the snowiest I have ever seen. One of their defining characteristics are the "Snow Monsters" of the Hakkodas. These are formations made by covering the densely wooded mountainsides with thick, wet Japanese snow and then blowing on it with icy Siberian winds.
The only way to get up to the snow monsters is by snow shoe or cross country skiing. We opted for the snowshoeing. It was not terribly far but it was quite long especially with a couple of short legged decons. Fortunately, the weather going up on the first day was quite nice, right around 2C, sunny (with some clouds at times) and no wind
As you can see, they get a fair amount of snow. This is how they have dug out the parking lot, notice the snow level next to the cars.
This picture I took later but it shows the snow level from another angle.
Everybody gearing up for the long hike.
This is the pathway down to the bathrooms before you leave the onsen area. I would hat to have to shovel this everyday.
Ok, this is the last picture of snow levels. In this picture is a torii gate, which are generally 6-7 ft tall at the top.
The line of snowshoers heading up the side of the mountain. Going up was slow and I really didn't appreciate how steep it was until we came back down. If I had realized that going up, I might not have made it.
Jumping of the 15 ft cliffs is much funner with 4 ft of powder below.
Me and the snow.
We are almost to the top and the monsters are coming out.
A good view from the top of some of the formations below.
Some of the other formations going up to the summit.
Actually, the hike back down was quite enjoyable too. The foot of new snow and icicles forming instantly on your face made it feel like you were blazing new trails through the wilderness. I took this last picture I took as we got back to the car (I didn't stop to take many pictures on the way down). I wanted to capture how cold and snowy it was but it is not well represented on the film.
A good view from the top of some of the formations below.
Some of the other formations going up to the summit.
This is the cabin we stayed in (note it is 2 stories). Really quite nice cabin available to anyone crazy enough to hike up there. It was well stocked with furnaces and some kerosene, blankets, matts, some basic tools and other odds and ends. It had 3 large triple decker bunk beds that could fit about 27 hikers (or 40 Japanese hikers....they are very tiny)
Also, there were lines strung all over with hooks and hangers, great for drying out clothes.
The next day was much colder, around -10C and very windy. By the time we started hiking, the wind and snow had completely covered any tracks. The visibility for the first bit was about 5 ft. If it wasn't for St. Garmin, the patron saint of lost hikers, we might still be there.
Also, there were lines strung all over with hooks and hangers, great for drying out clothes.The next day was much colder, around -10C and very windy. By the time we started hiking, the wind and snow had completely covered any tracks. The visibility for the first bit was about 5 ft. If it wasn't for St. Garmin, the patron saint of lost hikers, we might still be there.
Actually, the hike back down was quite enjoyable too. The foot of new snow and icicles forming instantly on your face made it feel like you were blazing new trails through the wilderness. I took this last picture I took as we got back to the car (I didn't stop to take many pictures on the way down). I wanted to capture how cold and snowy it was but it is not well represented on the film. Sunday, January 18, 2009
Pinewood Demolition Derby
Tally participated in the Pinewood Derby for the Scout Pack this weekend. We had a really good time building the car and watching it come in the very middle of every race. It was still a good lookin little car.
The Japanese Alps
Well, it is a new year and we have a slightly new blog. The snow has been coming down fairly regularly so we decided to go take advantage of it. About 40 km west of Misawa is a little town called Shichinohe. It has a small ski hill with a ton of snow.
The two best things about boarding in Japan: First, you can buy the lift ticket in increments so a two hour pass for the kids is $3 and $6 for me (this is very bizarre since the snowboarding simulator at the mall is $2 every time you play it) After it was all done, the entire day of boarding was less than $25. Second, the big day to go skiing/boarding in Japan is Sunday. We were up there on a Saturday with about 12 other people and 4 of those people came with us.
So, here are some pics of the trip.
Ready to hit the slopes
Makin it down the mountain...slowly but surely
Playing in the snow at the bottom
At the end of the day in the lodge...
...reflecting on a day in the snow
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Misawa 雪 - Day
Of course 雪 is kanji for snow (pronounce yu-ki). It started snowing coming down on Sunday about 1100 and kept on going until Monday at 0600. The 20 hours of perpetual precipitation brought over 14 inches on the ground. We were out at a fireside on Sunday night and coming home was quite an adventure. We are sure glad we got the 4x4 A-Team Memorial Van when we got here. That thing ran like a champ while others were sitting on the side.
They really don't plow any of the streets here which is just baffeling to me. On base they get to it eventually, off base they just figure you can wait until April
We all had a good time playing in the snow and doing a lot of shoveling. It was fun to see all the neighbors out helping each other dig out cars and clear the sidewalk. It will be interesting to see how long the neighborhood goodwill lasts.
We made a snowman and a snow dog even though it is kind of washed out in the sea of white.
Once mom announced that there was hot chocolate in the house the snow constructed crew was down to one.
Here are some videos from our Christmas Concert last week:
Truman decided one day that he wanted to play the piano, he never had a lesson. He just sits down and plays what he hears.
Tally's first piano recital, he did very well.
Chlöe's version of "O Christmas Tree"
This was really cool, Rose learned "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day" because it is my favorite Christmas Song. I didn't know she was planning to do this at all, she was very sneaky. That was really a great Christmas present
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Fishin - Shimoda Style
Up here in northern Japan, come the end of fall, the salmon start a-runnin. Once they start running, there are salmon everywhere. There is a small town just southeast of here called Shimoda. They have a salmon festival every year where they block off a part of the river ever year and let the people come in an catch the salmon. The catch is this is pole-free fishing. Chlöe, Tally, & I had to give this a shot. Check out some of the video and pictures below.
Right as the gun fires, everyone makes a mad dash for the fish. There are some small but mostly, 18 - 24 inches and at least a couple of pounds.
After the catch they make sure they are not just faking being caught. I don' t know how many fish each year jump off the butcher table and safely navigate thier way back to the river but this probably prevents that from happening.
More blood and guts than a Quentin Tarantino movie.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Rocky Mountain High
I have done a lot of hiking in the Rocky Mountains but I have never gone to Rocky Mountain National Park. Since I was in Colorado Springs for a few weeks I thought I would make the trip 100 miles north to see the sights.
On a side note, it is kind of sad that you can't go camping like in the good ol' days. When I was young I remember just pulling off to the side of the road or in a field to set up camp for the night. I did this outside of the city of Estes Park this weekend and got evicted twice by cops. I ended up sleeping in an apartment parking lot. Nothing makes you feel more like a homeless person than waking up next to a dumpster. Oh well
One of the neatest things happened right outside of town. I was getting ready to drive up in the mountains, when I almost ran into a couple of elk. I thought, "Wow, that is so cool there are elk 5 feet away from me. Sorry the pictures are dark.
Then, less than 1/2 mile up the road I saw the rest of the congregation. There had to be 50+ elk in this field off to the side of the road. It made me think of the time that Savannah and I slept up in the car up in S. Dakota only to wake up in the middle of a herd of buffalo.
The next morning I went into the park even though it was cold and cloudy, right around 40F. As I drove into the park, I realized the area was right in the middle of the leaves changing. Some had already fallen but there were some in patches that were just amazing. It is hard to capture the autumnal euphoria on film.
I decided to go hike despite the frigid climate. Luckily, I had brought enough cold weather gear to make it bearable but I wasn't warm. 
The clouds moved in even more and a few flakes fell but the scenery was so amazing. I was planning on going to the falls below, Alberta Falls, but I decided to keep pressing up the mountain.
As I came around the bend before the last hill the sun started to burn through some of the clouds. As it did, the brightness was magnified further by the reflection off all the frost covered trees.
I finally made it to the lake named "The Loch" and I was well rewarded. Not since seeing Sylvan Lake for the first time have I seen an area that is so magnificent. I was really blown away.
One aspect of being there at the lake that made it even more magical is that there was nobody else up there, most likely because sane people don't go out hiking when it is cold and snowy. In the solitude up there, I felt like it was my little lake. (You have to click on the pictures to see them full screen to get the full effect.)
I stayed up there by the lake for about 1/2 hour, I was able to walk all around the lake in about 10 minutes.
I have become fairly good at self photography, I think I will put out a coffee table book titled "Self Portrait."
Then the clouds came back in. I thought these pictures were so fitting because the location was called "The Loch" and it looks like a scene from Scotland...except it's at 10500 Ft. I don't think Scotland gets that high.
On the way down, there was some great views of wildlife. A large beaver dam on the river.
...and another large elk in a meadow. Pictures of elk are much more serene than seeing them in real life. He was very focused on eating his lunch so I was able to move a bit closer to get this shot but it was plenty close for me...especially when I saw how big the rack was.
One aspect of being there at the lake that made it even more magical is that there was nobody else up there, most likely because sane people don't go out hiking when it is cold and snowy. In the solitude up there, I felt like it was my little lake. (You have to click on the pictures to see them full screen to get the full effect.)
I stayed up there by the lake for about 1/2 hour, I was able to walk all around the lake in about 10 minutes.
I have become fairly good at self photography, I think I will put out a coffee table book titled "Self Portrait."
Then the clouds came back in. I thought these pictures were so fitting because the location was called "The Loch" and it looks like a scene from Scotland...except it's at 10500 Ft. I don't think Scotland gets that high.
On the way down, there was some great views of wildlife. A large beaver dam on the river.
...and another large elk in a meadow. Pictures of elk are much more serene than seeing them in real life. He was very focused on eating his lunch so I was able to move a bit closer to get this shot but it was plenty close for me...especially when I saw how big the rack was.
Friday, September 26, 2008
The split weekend - Mom style
To ensure Mom stayed sane for a few more months, we put here on a train down to Tokyo. She got to go to the temple and immerse herself in the energy of a big, BIG city. I don't have to commentary to go with each of these picture and video but it looked like she had a great time. Take a look.
The Fish Market
Rose brought this fish home and mounted it on our wall
Tokyo has been referred to as the Paris of Asia, I am sure the copycat tower adds to that description.
Rose got to see several traditional wedding processions in the park on Saturday morning
Shibuya station is an experience that your really have to see but this video does a pretty good job.
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