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.
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Misawa 雪 - Day
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.
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.
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
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.
The split weekend - Kid style
Last week, Mom was just about ready to go crazy so we put here on a train to Tokyo for a little R&R. The rest of here decided to make a weekend of it so we went to Osorezan. This is the mountain of Hell, I don't know if there was a subliminal message in all this but it was actually a really good time. 
The terrain around the lush mountain is what gives rise to the myths and legends that this is the gates of hell. Every year itakos, women who have given up there sight to see the spirits, will communicate with the dead at these spots.
Both the terrain and the stench coming from it is evidence that something is dead
It is rather beautiful though
After Osorezan, we went to Yagen Valley, a magnificent gorge through the mountains on the other side of the lake. I am not sure but I think Tally is peeing in the background.
Good times with all the kids
Truman and Tenny have become very good friends through out this summer. They have really started to pal around in the neighborhood and with other friends.
Truman is the boy who gets tired easily, but he tries hard.
Tenny would have thrown every rock in that valley into the stream if I would have let him. He was very disappointed when we had to leave. Tally puts the Player in Baseball Player
A couple of days ago we got Tally baseball pictures back. They all look like fine upstanding young boys. Then you examine it closer...scroll down
It always has to be my kid doesn't it. It can't be the coaches kid or our neighbors, no it has to be mine.
Talmage apparently thought some ladies might get a hold of these photos so he was prepared. This is classic Tally, the boy would rather eat glass than take a picture with a normal expression on his face. Now we have it for all posterity.
