Japanese School VIsit

Bethany was invited to enjoy a fun day with a 5th grade class at a local Japanese School. On the bleachers are her peers who take either Piano classes or Japanese Language classes from our dear Shimako sensei.



The English speaking kids are trying to find words in Japanese on cards on the floor. They have to enlist their new Japanese speaking friends for help. Then vise versa. It was a great opportunity for all of us to use what little language skills we have. Laughter is universal and that is what we did most of all. I had to be careful and not loose site of my Bethany among all those Japanese faces.

Summer time is HERE!

Let the WATER fun begin. No matter small, medium or large amounts of water, just bring on the water to keep these kiddos cool for the summer.
Official Water Balloon Fight with our friend Elizabeth to celebrate the boys last day of school

YIPPEE!!! Our last bus ride for this school year....
YEAHHHHHHH! Summer time is HEREEEEEE!
WHATTTTTT! I have to do laundry as a summer job. What is up with that! I'm Prince Charming, certainly there is a clause in the contract we can take a closer look at!
Let me get my glasses to take a closer look at that contract. Hey wait is that Bethany I see with an armband that shows she passed the swimming test and can swim in the deep end alone....WAY TO GO BETHANY.....
PROUD wrist band wearing Bethany to show she was brave this year and took the swim test to swim on her on anywhere in the pool. The independence of a 10 year old is priceless.



Don't forget about us little people in the shallow end. Come back occasionally and play with us.
Juda has utmost trust in those little puffs of air in his arm floats to save his little skinny body from drowning....we do too.....
In between trips to the BIG pool on base we have a LITTLE pool on the back porch to keep cool and amused.

Views from inside the van

These are some of the views inside the van we saw while traveling from Iwakuni to Kyoto by Expressway. On Okinawa road trips do not exist as we can get from one end of the island to the other in 2+ hours and that is going an equivelent of maybe 50 mph. That is why we LOVE going to the north end of the island to Okuma when we get a chance. It is a 2 hour trip, woohoo. It took us 5+ hours on this trip and we really enjoyed the ride. Especially since Tom had rented us a luxury van. Juda and Bethany's seats were recliners. Yes, reclining seats not so unusual you might say but how about with a pop up foot rest, "A Recliner". Wow, what a way to travel.






After driving for 5 hours, not being used to it, the mind begins to play tricks.....
This is the view I had.....and Tom I suppose too....

Iwakuni and Kentai Bridge

Swans in the pond on the grounds of the Kentai Bridge Park. Andy, these did not approach Bethany so she did not have to wack them out of her face....
Before crossing the famous arched Kentai Bridge. Juda pondering how many steps that will be and thinking maybe he should have went with Dad to move the van closer. We were stationed at Iwakuni Air Station from 1988 to 1991. Seems ages ago, because it was.....It was enjoyable for us to take Bethany there and share with her our first Japanese house in town, base housing, where Andy's went to 1st grade. It was like going back home. Some things have changed as you'd expect after 20+ years. What a great visit we had. While stationed on Iwakuni God gave us a heart for the Japanese but we had no clue why or what to do with it until He brought us to Okinawa in 1999 and then back again in 2005.

One change was the new to us 50M Indoor Pool that furnished WONDERFUL life vests for the non swimmers in your group. Tomo and Juda LOVED having the freedom to be on their own in the water and for the most part have the pool to ourselves and not to worry about sunburn for us or Tsubasa was GREAT.
Our oldest and youngest tourist in our group, he he he he....


We walked alot around the base as it is so small and most convenient. Bethany found some flowers to add to her hair making her shirt most fitting.
Bethany had gotten bit by a mosquito and was having an alergic reaction which needed meds, so she was a bit uncomfortable on our trip to the Kentai bridge but was a trooper. Once we got her some meds the swelling went down on her hand and leg....Just as we'd expect, no one else got bit, just sweet Bessy.

Hiroshima Visit

View from the 17th floor of our hotel in Hiroshima..
While in Hiroshima we rode a "Trolly Car" or "Cable Car", bus on an electric cable. Our goal was to ride every mode of transportation for Juda's sake as he loves to travel and is quite an easy traveler. He would always ask us in sign what was next....plane, bus, train, boat...he stayed ready.

From the looks of these guys you would have thought they used their own wings to fly to the mainland. Think how I must have felt, he hehe.
This picture of Tomo is an optical illusion. He is NOT that tall, growing yes, but not THAT tall.....Tomo was delighted to rest his weary body after the flight from Okinawa to Hiroshima. This was his traveling attire due to him socking his pull up and shorts just moments before boarding the plane with no time to do anything other than get him out of wet into dry bottoms. I'm sure we looked liked a bunch of raga muffins boarding and deboarding. Ol' American Woman with 4 Japanese kiddos, 2 of which have Down Syndrome and 1 strapped to the front of her....HHHmmmmm....Not a chance...this culture doesn't even see outside of their blinders or think outside their own box...especially when traveling. Tunnell vision at it's best...Yeah for me....
We enjoyed Indian Curry in this outdoor shopping plaza downtown. It was delicious "oishi".


Sadako Memorial. The young girl who died after the war from Leukemia. Bethany read her book "Sadako and the 1000 paper cranes". She believed she would live if she folded 1000 paper cranes. This is a memorial for her and since her death, school children all over Japan come to Hiroshima and place their 1000 paper cranes here for safe keeping.
The Bomb Dome. One of the only structures in Hiroshima that survived the Atomic Bomb.
More 1000 paper crane demonstrations.

Chicken Shack

l...The Chicken Shack in the hills above Iwakuni was decorated for the Tanabata -The Star Festival...It was BEAUTIFUL and such a treat to come at this time of year....




It was even prettier at night once the lights went on. While we were leaving it began to rain, I mean RAIN and Juda was so shocked by the sudden downpour than he ran for shelter in such a funny way that we couldn't run for laughing so hard at him. We were in the hills behind the Chicken Shack and he was just about to cross a very narrow bridge that had no rails when the rain started. We are thankful he was not on the bridge. I believe he would have fallen in the water otherwise. He is such a funny guy.




We ate outside under the stars...it was so nice. Years ago, some 20+ year ago, Tom and I came here for our Anniv in the winter time and at outside while it was snow lightly. The tables had heaters and blankets to keep us warm. Memoriessssss.




Note the white Koi in the pond....

Tsubasa seems to be thinking he wishes his teeth were in and he'd could roll around and gnaw on that chicken. This is what the Chicken Shack is famous for. And oh by the way...the American's named it the Chicken Shack...not sure what the Japanese name is....