The Francis 4

Since Christmas....

2010-02-01T19:08:00.000-08:00

Ok, I was in a hurry and uploaded these backwards
as far as time sequence, so you'll have to forgive me ;)

(2/2/10) This is a picture of the boys out in our BIG snow!
I think it was almost 2 whole inches and that was before
it had started melting.

These pictures are us at park just a couple weeks
ago (1/23/10)

Eli waiting in line for the big slide.

Tony waiting for Eli at the bottom.

Climbing down the mountain.

Dad and Mom had fun too!

I thought this was kind of neat - I think the sign
is for stations throughout the park but I liked it
because Eli is 5 headed to being 6 :)

This is where the sequence would have been
cool if it were correct. This is Tony bumming,
because his moment of peace is over....

Eli had an idea what Tony can do!

Com'on Dad

Eli ending Tony's moment of peace (there's a pic

below of him enjoying that moment..)

Poor Dakota....

Where'd everybody go???

Here we are!

Tony enjoying some peace..

Say CHEESE

Oh...here...let me help.... LOL!

King of the Mountain or Fatherly Love????

My cute boys :)

All my handsome men!
(I love you guys!)

He's not my little boy anymore...well...he is, but
he's just getting taller, oh yeah, and facial hair!

Caught in a spider's web

Always in character (and always playing a game)

Santa ate the (red cake) cupcakes we left for him
(I liked the candle burning so the Santa plate had to
take a "backseat".

Our Christmas tree.
In 1997, Mom and Dad came out to
N.D. to visit us. Mom and Dakota made
a reindeer ornament by tracing their
hands on brown felt. Every year we put it
on the tree - well you can clearly see it in
the middle of our tree and it was hilarous
because I could not figure out why the tree
could not get focused until I downloaded the pics
and saw that the camera had that reindeer ornament
in complete focus!!! Pretty cool....

Beatlemania (10/16/09)

2009-11-26T20:25:00.000-08:00

We attended 'Beatlemania' in Tokyo at a hotel contracted out to the American government.
The boys came with us so we could spend the night, swim, and just enjoy being downtown.
Each of the tables were decorated with black and/or white plastic hats, reflective sunglasses with the peace symbol on them, neon bracelets/necklaces, balloons and plastic records with a Beatle hit on it. There was a full buffet line with soups, bread, cheeses, salads, seafood, prime rib, various potatoes, rices, and veggies and of course, desserts. We sat with our friends from base and a couple that they knew.
There's a video so you can here the band. We were told that we were lucky this year b/c this band spoke English beyond the words of the songs and would talk in between some of the songs. Last year, the band spoke no English beyond knowing how to sing the songs.
(The video upload is really bad, but you'll get the idea.)
Oh, and the hotel we stayed at each of the suites have a state's name. The OHIO one was across the hall from us and we could not resist taking the picture. (yes, it would have been really cool if that had been suite but it was the first time we had seen so it was still fun).

The next day before we headed home we went and checked out the park by the hotel.

Our Homeschool Field Trip

2009-11-26T19:48:00.001-08:00

We were fortunate enough to get to see one of the helicopters as a field trip.

E's School Zoo Field Trip (11/10/09)

2009-11-26T19:32:00.001-08:00

E's teacher

"Do you need help....I can get my mom."

The name tags they wore around their neck.

My group reading the map and "leading the way"!

View from the Lion Bus

E did not care for the smell!

Time to go home!

Our New View

2009-11-26T19:01:00.000-08:00

They are working on a new Child Development Center in the field outside our "backyard" where the kids use to have a playground and Nerf wars. I know I have more pics of this and will be adding to this post when I came across them. I know they are probably not very entertaining pics but they are significant to us for a couple of reasons. 1) we REALLY miss "our" field and 2) the NOISE!! for instance even during Thanksgiving dinner (on Thanksgiving Day) Enya was accompanied by the subtle beat jackhammering, pipe clanging, drilling, and the ra-tat-tat of nail hammering.

Let's try this....

2009-11-26T18:56:00.000-08:00

Since I have been so bad about updating our blog, I have decided to try something new. I am going to start posting, but working our way BACK instead of forward. Trying to get caught up is too overwhelming for me (:~) so maybe this "new" approach will work better. If not, I am going to have a very hard time finding a new excuse (LOL)! At this point though, I think y'all are just ready to see some new pics (:~). Shall we begin.....
Lots of love,
The Francis 4

Weekend trip to see Gundam Robot

2009-08-25T07:35:00.000-07:00

The "glass" facing the sidewalk (the outdoor tables)
is actually open - this is a bad picture, it looked
a lot cooler in person

The "Japanese" Hummer

S.W.A.T. vans

This is a gas station - full serve and the gas lines
are hanging down from the ceiling. The yellow square
behind the car, is the car wash. I should have taken
a picture of the surrounding bldgs so you could
understand just how packed in this was!

S.W.A.T. vans

An entire showroom of them!

Sign on the train

SURE, you were scratching your nose....

Eli's always got to get an ear (he was wore out!)

My growing boy - I love his smile :~)

The train being passed by a car carrier truck

59ft Gundam Robot - it was very cool

Dakota picking up the 59ft robot :~)

We haven't seen the real one, but this was cool to
see in Japan!

America Camp '09

2009-08-16T14:23:00.000-07:00

Every August our good friends at BEC school have "America Camp" and it is where the children from the school stay at some kind of campsite and the Americans are invited. We play games and cook out and such. This was the first year they actually stayed in tents and it was our first year participating. We participated in the activites, but spent the night in the lodge beside the camping grounds - we don't mind the heat, but when it comes to sleep we need cool!
(Glad to see our homestays again!)

another homestay!

the owner of BEC school is on the right

after the kids did their balloon toss, the adults
had one...Tony and our friend were the furthest
apart and did not drop it!

someone hung a make shift rope swing for the kids
with 2 loops on the end for their feet

playing frisbee

the men v/s the kids

Eli reading "Green Eggs and Ham" to us at
breakfast the next morning

Homestays '09

2009-08-16T13:49:00.001-07:00

This summer we had some Japanese children stay with us. There were 3 groups (2 groups of girls and 1 group of boys). The Japanese call this a "homestay" and it is something quite common between the schools and the bases. They were loads of fun for all of us. These are pictures from all 3 groups.
The first group was the largest (3 girls) and I had put them in Eli's room. My thinking was that 1 could sleep on the bed and the other 2 on the air bed we have...however, they all slept on the air bed in fear of falling out of the "big" bed. It is only a twin but it sits so high off the ground in their eyes. So, I quicky learned my first lesson in having them stay with us!

The parents come and visit for an hour or so before leaving their children in your care. So, they all posed for their parents with Tony's guitar...after playing a few...ummm...notes (?) through the computer (Tony has something hooked up and it sounds like you're playing through an amp so it was really loud and they just thought that was very cool :~)

This young lady has actually lived in the states
longer than she had in Japan because of her father's
job.

This was the sister of one the girls. The girl was too shy
to get her picture taken and this sister was too shy to
stay with us :~)

Tony playing for them. As you can tell, I wasn't
planning on having everyone in my room or I would
have found somewhere else to store the laundry
baskets - thank goodness they were empty :~)

PIZZA!!!!

She was cold!

So, I asked them...are all of you cold??? Yessss, they
said, so Dakota had to lend them all a sweatshirt!! And
yes, we did turn down the air.

Making heart-shaped biscuits for breakfast....

to go with the pancakes being made on the other
counter!

The pancakes are almost done.

Everyone's ready to eat!

Time for group 1 to say good-bye and go home
with their parents.

Group 2 like having a "nob" fire and making
s'mores...actually they just liked burning the
marshmallows and catching their sticks on fire.

Our charcoal writings...they wrote their names
in Kanji under their English spellings

This is Dakota on the high dive!!
ALL the groups LOVED going swimming in the
the "huge" pool. I don't think uncrowed, big
public pools are common in Japan.

Our last group was boys and Dakota couldn't have
been happier :~) Games, games and more games -
the universal boy langauge!

We went bowling too!

"Volcanic Ash" Day

2009-07-21T06:16:00.000-07:00

They closed the schools when Mt. Asama erupted.

We had to wear masks for the day because the ash
can be very dangerous to breathe in. However, while it is true
the ash is/can be dangerous there was definitely a debate
as to whether or not the schools were closed because
of the ash or because everyone wanted to be able to watch the
SuperBowl we was that day :~)

We did not know school was closed, so Tony and
I were out so I could take him to work. The ash
looked like gray snow.

The Ball Swing

2009-06-25T08:36:00.000-07:00

Slide video

2009-06-25T08:32:00.000-07:00

Hill Park (1/27/09)

2009-06-25T07:50:00.000-07:00

We don't know the real name of this park,
but we call it Hill Park because it is built up
along and on a couple of hills.

Working his way across the swinging logs

I did it!

My dear friend's daughter

Never at a lost for words....

my dear friend helping Eli, climb the mountain

say "hello"

the slide (be sure to watch the video)

My dear friend's son

How many people does it take to help Eli
do the ball swing

what lovely ladies :~)

Brotherly love!

CHEEZ

Tony's 40!!

2009-06-25T07:47:00.000-07:00

More IKEA trip

2009-06-25T07:20:00.000-07:00

more apartments

Tony took this picture of his side view mirror

YEAH!! WE MADE IT!!

We parked on the roof and took some pics of the view

Dakota got his cowboy hat for Christmas from
G&G Francis and wore it 24/7.....

Eli trying on the "fruit hat" and Dakota
seeing if it is any good - LOL!

Eli LOVED the kitchen area

I am so lucky...

I just love.....

all these men in my life!!

Time to go home.

It's been a long day

This picture is for dad because if we could take all
the stuff he has in his garage to one of these they'd
be rich - LOL! They buy and resale items that you would
find in a garage. They have them for books, CD's/DVD's,
household products, everything!

Trip to IKEA (1/1/09)

2009-06-25T06:49:00.000-07:00

Seeing Fuji on the way there

We started out expecting this trip to take us
about 1.5hrs (even though it is only about 30mi away)
it ended up taking us 3, that's THREE hours to drive
30 miles to go SHOPPING! 3 of the 4 of us were not
very happy.....so lots of pics were taken to try to entertain
themselves.

Apartments on the mountain side

The ferris wheel at the water parkThe happy travelers

Paying the toll

the signal man

Toll booth worker

We were laughing at how confusing these signs were

Seeing this restaurant cracked us up

This says Toy R Us

More traffic signs :~)

Apartments

These are all apartments

Mt. Fuji (12/14/08)

2009-06-25T06:41:00.000-07:00

I took these on my way home from taking Tony to work.

Panoramic view

Eli just got out the chalk and drew this face :~)

Our 1st Thanksgiving in Japan

2009-06-25T06:10:00.000-07:00

Not only was it our 1st Thanksgiving in Japan,
but it was also the 1st Thanksgiving that all
the boys helped mom prepare the meal. It
was a really GREAT Thanksgiving. Mom had
so much to be thankful for - THANKS GUYS!
I love you!
Eli and Daddy were in charge of making the pie.

Dakota was in charge of the Green Bean Casserole.

Mom peeling potatoes.

Daddy "enjoying" being Eli's "assistant".

Time to EAT!

Dessert is ready!

Gyoza Heaven restaurant

2009-06-25T05:56:00.001-07:00

This restaurant is very small, we are sharing our
table with 4 other people that we did not know.

Gyoza - these had different "stuffings" and are
not normally this big, which is the reason of the
name of the restaurant.

Thanksgiving at BEC school

2009-06-25T05:20:00.001-07:00

BEC school is a private Japanese school that teaches
English. We visit them quite a bit throughout the year.
A few us made the "fixin's" for a Thanksgiving dinner
for them. Dakota gets put on the spot at the front of the
class. Notice how short his hair is - this was RIGHT
after a #2 haircut - Uncle J. would be proud :~)
This teacher is from NYC.

Eli doesn't really care who can understand him
when he has a story to tell :~)
This teacher is from Australia.

They were amazed at the turkey - "how do you
cook a chicken that big???"

The teachers are primarily from the U.S. and
Australia.

The man on the right is Mr. Takeno, the owner
of the school.

Mr. Takeno and Dakota

This is the food that Mr. Takeno's wife made
for those of us who brought and served the food.

a Thank You treat for us to take home

but Skip said I could have 10....

2009-06-25T05:13:00.000-07:00

We had our friends over for dinner and as they
were getting ready to leave (around 10p) Eli asked
if he could have another cookie. Our friend, Skip said,
"yeah, go ahead and have 10". We walked our friends to
the door and when we came back into the living, there was
Eli with his TEN cookies. I told him he had to put them back
he told me, "but Skip said I could have TEN".

Happy 12 yrs!

2009-06-25T04:57:00.000-07:00

12 years old!!!

2009-06-25T04:26:00.001-07:00

Halloween (10/31/08)

2009-06-25T04:09:00.000-07:00

Our friend, Rie, experiencing her 1st
American Halloween on the base.

Eli

Eli and Dakota

Dakota (in the middle holding up the Nerf gun)
with all his friends before they took off to go
trick or treating. Eli is in the Spiderman costume.

A Balcony Visitor (10/24/08)

2009-06-25T04:07:00.000-07:00

I wish I had taken one from further away
because he was very hard to see until you
got very close.

Our 1st NOB (not Bon) Fire (10/23/08)

2009-06-25T03:54:00.000-07:00

We were missing the fall bonfires that we had grown accustom to having so utilizing what little space we have, we made due and created a little bit of home here :~) But we renamed it from a bonfire (which is usually somewhat of a large fire) to Nobfire (backwards bon - nob - somewhat of small fire)
There's not a change in time, I used the flash on some pics and not on others.

Eating the s'mores

Flea Market (10/18/08) and a couple extras

2009-06-25T02:19:00.000-07:00

This is just too sweet

Perfectly plowed fields (randomly squeezed
all over the city) ready for planting

A truly compact car

The one bag that the boys in family would care
whether or not I used it!

This reminded us of Grandpa C.

Fish on Stick stand

Oh yes, I meant it literally, Fish on Stick
(the WHOLE fish)

Or maybe you'd prefer it on plate....

Coffee and popcorn - we decided that would tie
us over for a while because we were not
THAT hungry.....I have to give credit to Dakota
though - he did eat a bowl of noodles!
My fearless world traveler!

Food stand

Yeah! Carmel corn - this I ate

The Ferris Wheel at the water park up the road

I'm in charge here...

Loaded up ready to go home, hence the smile!

Cutie Pa-tuties

2009-06-25T02:13:00.000-07:00

Cooking Class 102

2009-06-25T01:53:00.000-07:00

These are the mushrooms that were
the "meat" for the dish.

The noodles

The complete meal

Rie, Joanne, JeongKi

Dicon salad

Cutting up the veggies

Jayne, my wonderful partner in crime :~)

Tomatoes & our neighbor

2009-06-25T01:47:00.000-07:00

These are pictures of last summer's
tomato "crop" ('08)

This is Eli in his new Flash suit with our neighbor,
JeongKi

Narita Airport (8/5/08) & the Canadian Olympic team

2009-06-25T01:37:00.001-07:00

I don't want my picture taken

Gotcha!

While we were at the airport waiting for
Grandma & Grandpa to get their bags checked
we saw the Canadian Olympic Softball girls
team and some of the Brazilian Olympic Softball
girls team. That alone was pretty cool BUT what
really made it special is that Dakota not only got the
autographs of the Canadian, one of the players took him
beyond the checkpoint to meet some of the players and
get him even more autographs!! Those are the couple of
pictures that follow!

You can't trick me daddy!

Museum with G&G Francis (8/1/08)

2009-06-25T01:27:00.000-07:00

Grandma & Grandpa with the T-Rex

Sign telling you where to "check"
your umbrella

The Umbrella "check" with an attendant
to help you with any questions

Dakota posing with the T-Rex

Mama's handsome man

Tony checking things out

Tama Zoo with G&G Francis (7/31/08)

2009-06-25T01:03:00.000-07:00

Taking pics of the lions

Baby checking out the people with mama
keeping an eye on baby

CHEEZ

OH, it's not THAT hot - now SMILE

What are you 2 up to?

I have feeling Grandpa's pic tells more of story
than this pic!

Three generation of Francis men - look out world!

Actually, it is these 2 generations that the world
should be prepared for - :~)

Over here guys

Are these a couple of handsome boys or what!

Eli being cooperative

Everybody's ready to go home

but this is a picture that HAD to be taken

We are not sure who the little girl was more
enchanted by, the the big fury monkey or the
talking monkey - LOL

We loved having Grandma and Grandpa
come and visit

The Francis Family

The view from our bedroom this morning!!!!

2009-01-09T17:20:00.000-08:00

Our camera is not the best, so I had to zoom
in so you could how awesome the mountains
look. This is the view from our patio door
in out bedroom!

Mt. Mitake w/ Grandma & Grandpa

2008-12-02T14:27:00.000-08:00

Grandma enjoying the view

We don't know the name of this flower but
it was too pretty to pass up. (wish K or SAM
had been with us to do some of their "art")

There was a debate of whether we should
use the stairs to see the temple or go back
the way we came!

Looking down from the top of the stairs

Aaahhh, made it!!!

Summer Fun

2008-12-01T14:39:00.000-08:00

Are they handsome or what ? :~)

Trying to beat the summer heat!

Please note the tiny little smile on E.'s face
as he is trying to do his best at being sweet
and innocence!

D. took a train tour with some friends.These fish were HUGE.

Paddle boat fun!

D. with his friend who also happens to be the
daughter of my very good friend.

After noting the handsome man in the picture,
do you see the turtle in mid-swim?

If you look closely, you can see E. and T.'s
reflections

This is one big frog!

This is the oldest elephant in Japan!
(I think they said 64yrs old)

There were a set of twins, but I had to get a picture
of the cute flip flops!

A Day at Mt. Takao

2008-11-29T22:11:00.000-08:00

Starting the day off right, according to E., is
with a glass of chocolate (soy) milk! However, the
other men in the house preferred the veggie omelet.
(eggplant, zucchini, squash, fresh spinach, onions
topped with tomatoes and feta cheese!)

The boys weren't too sure about the cable car
going up the mountain. Notice the angle of what
is outside of the cable car. This gives you an idea
of why it was a bit eerie.

In this picture, we are actually in the mountain.

These pictures, unfortunately, do not do justice
to the height and angle in which we were at.

The view from the top!

"Raidator Springs"

2008-11-29T00:42:00.000-08:00

Building Radiator Springs
(from the movie "Cars")

Superhero Fun w/ a touch of Bond, James Bond

2008-11-29T00:40:00.000-08:00

Superhero Fan with a touch of Bond, James Bond
(Aunt Kay, does the tie look familiar?)

Meditation - Francis Style

2008-11-29T00:24:00.000-08:00

The boys were wrestling with dad and he needed
a break so they took a "meditation" break. In
addition to E's personal style, I think it's funny
how well it worked to stop the wrestling, not!
Thank goodness for water breaks!

Drivin' Around

2008-11-28T23:39:00.000-08:00

This and the following pics are of the
"increased security" during Bush's visit.
We are not real sure what they were guarding
but they were everywhere!

Our unimpressed travelers :~)

Tama Zoo

2008-11-28T23:25:00.000-08:00

We were amazed by the Lion's Den. So, many
lions and lioness. When we got there we witnessed
a dispute between the lioness (I believe there's
a total of 22) and it was simply spectacular to watch
the one lion separate them all. Unfortunately, we got
the camera out too late to video it.

Mr. Man showing off his new pj's
from Auntie E.

but his disposition quickly changes
when he did not understand WHY
he could not have mac and cheese
for breakfast!
(The reason the bike trailer/stroller can
be seen in the background is because
that is the front entrance and we had
pulled it in the night before. The door
across the way beside the closet doors is
our laundry room.)

An Aspiring Star....

2008-10-09T15:01:00.000-07:00

Instead of having a talking conversation, E. thought this person would like to be serenaded too!
I would like to point out that the book by his arm....if you look at it there is a path colored. He had to color all the circles a to find "the path" - I helped him with the first 3 (the 1st circle at the top colored is the last of the set of 3) so he would know what to do but he did all of the others with no assistance. To some, it may seem like no big deal, but this is the first time he has been presented with a maze type problem so to see him do it so quickly and neatly and for him to sit and complete it without telling me he'll "be right back" - well we were proud! ;~)

The following videos...

2008-10-06T18:13:00.001-07:00

Sorry, the videos got posted out of order, but you'll enjoy them all anyway!
:~)

Taste Testing

2008-10-06T17:55:00.000-07:00

Thank You for the package!

2008-10-06T17:49:00.000-07:00

The M's Package (2)

2008-10-06T17:30:00.000-07:00

The M's package

2008-10-06T17:10:00.000-07:00

The Batcave

2008-09-10T16:23:00.000-07:00

E. is very excited to have Batcave construction
going on in his room.

Is this a handsome guy or what!?

Working with dad to get it all put together.

I thought I had a picture of the completed project
hopefully I do and I just have not ran across it yet.
However, this was a Lego Batcave complete with
connecting bridges to 3 different sections of the cave,
stairs leading down to the Batmobile (shown in the first pic)
"turntable", and with a hugh Batplane and stand, the Penguin,
the Penguin's sub, Penguin bad guys, the Joker, and the Joker's
helicopter. That was 3 months ago, and believe it or not a good
portion of all those parts are still put together!

It's a start

2008-09-10T16:12:00.000-07:00

Before and afters...

2008-09-10T16:05:00.000-07:00

Ok, well the "before" was just a couple posts
ago and this is the after. While this was not
initially what Dakota wanted (he and the barber
did not quite have the same definition for "military cut"),
he very quickly appreciated the benefits (this happened 6/23/08)
so this past week when it was time for the "school"
haircut he did not go quite as short (#1) but he
did request a #2!!!

Our van

2008-09-10T15:56:00.000-07:00

We were thinking of selling the van so I had
these pics of it...there are two sun/moon roofs, the
seat that is folded up against the middle seat can be
turned down for another, the middle seat can be
rotated into any position forming a square (so facing
back or front or side to side)

This is the rear seat. Both seats can fold down
flat - they can also be hooked up to the side so
the back is completely opened up.
It is not the most comfortable ride we've ever had
but it is definitely serving us well.

Building blocks...

2008-09-10T15:53:00.000-07:00

D. being creative

How is that thing standing????

Interesting.

Just woke up...

2008-09-10T15:45:00.000-07:00

He had just woke up from his nap...

..and had a surprise waiting for him on the balcony!

and though he was not too happy to hear he
would have to wait until they were dry to
get them down...

he was happy to hear that would be able to wear
them as soon as they were dry.

E. explaining to our neighbor (very seriously)
about how those were his new costumes and they
had to dry so he could wear them.

Nihon Mitsauri (Japanese Festival)

2008-09-10T15:39:00.001-07:00

We attended this at the elementary school on base.
I did not do a good job of taking pics for this -
there were so many activities and I was busy
participating...however, I did catch this one of
D. making a "dumpling" and then below is
how they cook them (basically boiling them in a
very, very hot broth for a minute or so). They were
good but LOTS of garlic so we all had funky breath
the rest of the day!

This was the Karate demo. D. is over to
the left and E. is being held by one of the kids
who did the demo.

E.'s Lessons

2008-09-10T15:29:00.000-07:00

E. paying close attention to wait is going on
in the class, just like his mother!

He is not shy about telling his teachers his
opinions.

This was in April - when he would still hold on
for dear life when they would go in the "deep"
(about 4'2"). Now, he will let you keep him at
arms reach!

The last two pics were on our home. The above
is just so you can see how pretty some of the bushes
get when their flowers bloom. Below, well, it is
a bit difficult to tell in the pic but the size of their
"heavy equipment" could be compared to a bobcat
in the states. In addition to the size, we thought
the colors also added a nice touch - just so different
than anything you'd ever see in the states.

Nok Tu bin da tuk (Korean Green Bean Pancake)

2008-09-10T15:13:00.000-07:00

These are the ingredients of the Green Bean
Pancake...mung beans, spinach, green onions
(as you can see the Japanese green onions are huge),
bean sprouts, and the brown stuff is fern root. There
is also mushrooms in it but they are not shown. No
eggs or flours used. This is a special dish only
made for special occasions and rarely more than
once or twice a year.

In Korean, you can buy the mung bean
already shelled - in Japan you cannot. So,
the mung bean must be soaked for a couple
of days (seen below) then you put them in a
blender or processor and run it very quickly.
Dump the beans into a bowl and very carefully rinse
off the shells (above).
The woman above is Jeoug Ki (pronounced junkie/chunkie),
our neighbor. Her husband is actually from Byran!!!

Once most the shells are off, you process the
beans until the make a paste (above) and then
add the other ingredients (below).

Fry them like pancakes, it is not uncommon in
Korean for them to squat on the floor and fry the
pancakes because when they do make them they
make a lot and squatting is more comfortable
for them than standing.

Then serve them with a Yang Nam Jang
(Hot Pepper Dip) and pickles.

And we were all very pleasantly surprised at how good they tasted!
The color of the fern root had us a bit worried.

Where we live....

2008-09-05T16:20:00.000-07:00

This is the view from our patio in our room

This and the following pics are from the view
from our dining room patio.

The netting is on all the patios to keep the birds
(primarily the pigeons) off the patios. But they
are like curtains and you can pull them to the side.

Just beyond the evergreens is the playground.

We use to "moan" about trying to squeeze everything into
the apartment, coming from the house, BUT T's new co-worker,
an American who has been teaching at an International School
here in Japan for 4 years put us in our place....His apartment on the
Japan economy was 400 sq. ft.!!!!! He and his wife say they do not
know what they are going to do with all the space and closets. So, now,
we are feeling blessed that we were told we had to live on base and not off!!!
Anyway, onto the apartment, well, at least part of it.....

E. is ready to show off his room!

There have been some minor changes since
these pics were taken but for the most part -
it is the same (there is actually stuff on his wall now!).
We love the table - the legs fold up
and you can slide it away for more floor space.
Tables like these are all over the place in Asia, because
of their lack of space they use these types of tables
as their dining, coffee, work, and study tables.

E. is telling me how I should take the pic.. BTW..
the "bars" on the window do not go all the way up,
they are more like a patio railing so if the window
were to get opened all the way it would not be so easy
for a child to get out and jump (from any floor!)

CHEEZZZ

Acky spiderman flies through the air

"See him"

D's room is next....

He has since become too cool for Spiderman....
and posters have been added to the walls.

This and the next couple of pics to follow are
of a mother attempting to get a tweenager to
cooperate in having his pic taken!

FINALLY!!!

I uploaded this in the wrong order, but this
the bathroom in our room
(we use the shower for storage - not showering!)

Our Room - quilt by Aunt P.

The bookcase is no longer there and we have
tomato plants growing on the balcony.

The chalkboard is an attempt to keep E.
busy when we're on the computer. So far,
he only wants to write on it if we do it with him!

This is the main bathroom.

the mats were cushions for mommy and daddy's
knees when giving Mr. Man a bath but we've since
moved them cause he has moved onto showers

The fish decorations are constantly
being moved so it is always interesting
to see what new idea has come from the
boys in this family!

Popolamama!

2008-09-05T04:37:00.001-07:00

This is the menu from our favorite pasta place.
Don't ask us HOW to pronounce the name!

The menu has a lot of seafood and pasta
(and the calories are listed too)

When you order here - you order your
entree' and then if you want anything else
with you it you have to order a "Drink Set".
Now, everything can be ordered on its own,
the desert, the salad, and there's also one with
garlic bread BUT the difference is in portion size.
So, the cake is about the size of the cake squares
at the Chinese Buffet in Van Wert and the salad
comes in a bowl the size of...a soup bowl from Subway.
The drinks - you can get sodas, iced tea, hot tea, coffee,
iced coffee, cappuccino (made fresh not like the gas station
machines) and water.

Tony and Dakota are the two who will try something
different. Eli always has pizza and my piece of cake. I
always have the pasta dish in the first column, top row,
first one and the drink set w/ the cake and salad.

Someone's front lawn that we pass on our way home.

The Pet Store...or should we say 5-Star Hotel

2008-09-05T04:35:00.001-07:00

This is the pet store at the mall!!!!

Our First Field Trip w/ the Homeschooling Group

2008-09-05T04:25:00.000-07:00

This is the radar room at the air field (w/ no flash)

This is the radar room using the flash!

Dakota is listening to the guide explain the areas
of the airfield, what the air tower controls and what
the radar room controls - it was very interesting!

This and the following pictures are all taken
from inside the air traffic control tower - lots of
fun! Those are c-130's (Cargo planes) sitting on
air strip.

This is the group! (We're in the back on the left!)

Korean Sushi - KimBop

2008-09-04T16:49:00.000-07:00

This is Gobo Root (it literally comes in a package with dirt still on it!)
Our neighbor is Korean and she has taught some friends and I how to make a couple of dishes. One is called KimBop and Miso Soup and the other, translated into English, is Green Bean (Mung Bean) Pancake with Hot Pepper dipping sauce. The KimBop is made all the time using whatever ingredients you choose, but the Green Bean Pancake is normally made only on very special occasions.

Japanese Spinach

The egg yolk and egg white are separated, cooked,
and then cut into strips - giving the KimBop more
color.

All the ingredients lined up ready to start making.
The yellow strips to the left are diacon, it is a white
radish that has been pickled and the brown strips
to the right of the diacon is the Gobo root, which has
been cooked and saute' with hot pepper paste, sesame oil,
garlic, and soy sauce, Japanese spinach (more stem than
leaf), ground beef, and not shown are the egg yolk and egg
whites, and carrots. Note - no raw fish here!

Here's everything on the seaweed and now
it is time to roll...

The bamboo mat is used to make the roll
tight and even....

The finished product!
I almost did not share w/ Dakota and Tony because
they were so good!

Our "backyard"

2008-09-04T16:44:00.000-07:00

These are in the "field" in between the apartment
towers where we live.

This is where the boys go and play.

These are another type of tree - I don't
know what they are called but they are
beautiful! After a rain is when they are the
prettiest because then the really bloom. Here
pollen is worse when it rains!

Cherry Blossoms

2008-09-04T16:33:00.000-07:00

Going to Tokyo (not the clearest of days)

2008-09-04T16:11:00.000-07:00

Police Van

It is kind of hard to tell, but along with trying
to show you how massive Tokyo is, we are also
trying to let you see how close the buildings are
to the "freeway"

These signs are all around the interstate/freeway.
Driving here is very quiet because of the close quarters,
people try to be very respectful of those sleeping! You
can see the buildings just beyond the sign - those are
apartments.

This is Tokyo Tower

Tokyo Bay

Headed up to the mountains

2008-09-04T16:01:00.000-07:00

Vending machines are everywhere - instead of
fast food restaurants, they have vending machines

This European telephone booth seemed a bit
out of place so we took a pic.

This is how the park cars and bikes...you have a
key that you when used will literally rotate the cars
or bikes down and around so you can either get your or find
an empty space to park!!!

Miscellaneous Shots

2008-09-04T15:07:00.000-07:00

He can longer do this without bending his knees!

Our Rebel

Getting ready to show M. around

The stickers lets people know we've been
driving for less than year! (We get in less
trouble if there's an accident.)

Quilt by Aunt P.

Obviously, they are thrilled having their pic
taken, but I wanted to show the how wide
drive was (or should I say, was not)

Their idea of a car port

I guess this would be convenient for bringing in
the kids and the groceries!

The Playground

2008-05-12T21:59:00.000-07:00

"King of the Mountain"

"Want Up?"

"Sshh, I hidin' "

"Rrrr, I comin' to get you Koka!"

E. running with his long legs

Bubble Play
(this picture was taking in FEBRUARY, I had
to let E. take off his coat because it was just too HOT!)

There go the bubbles....

Playing hopscotch

E.'s turn

What We've Been Up To...

2008-05-12T05:57:00.000-07:00

E. wants to be like his big brother

"Hi."

Daddy entertaining E.
(see below)

You can barely see, but if you look closely
between electrical towers you can see
snow-capped Mt. Fuji. This picture was
taken from the top of the building
where our grocery store is.

Another view from the roof parking lot on base.

D. had originally done this on E., but
we couldn't get E. to lay still long enough
to get a picture!

E. enjoying the train ride to Tokyo

D. "tall enough" to reach the handles
on the train

E. and T. in front of the T-Rex at the
museum in Tokyo

"AAhhh, he's going to get me!"

E. building "our house"
I am pretty sure he did not mean the one in Japan.

This is a video rental store. It is very hard to
tell but there are only 3 car parking spaces with
bike parking on right side. Maybe it that would not
be a big deal, except that there is only room for
one car to get in or out at a time!

This is a 2-way street. Please note that we had
already turned onto the street before taking the
picture. The white line indicates where you have to
when coming out of the street so that oncoming
traffic has enough room to turn onto the street!

Shrimp with eyes, raw oysters, squid, and fish
mmmm.....the makings of a good salad.....

...well, at least somebody thinks so!

Malls and 'The Chicken Shack'

2008-03-13T19:33:00.001-07:00

Movies showing are....

E. being Superman; D. entertaining me;
and Daddy thinking, "just take the picture" :~)

He is just as ornery as this smile says he is!

It is time to go...

T. got a guitar at the "two-five" store.

We LOVE the crepes!

Bakery in the mall.

These houses and gardens will just all of the
sudden be there in between other houses and
apartments. The picture really doesn't do it
justice.

There is always laundry hanging out. And on
Saturday's all the beds get aired out. They have
these monstrous clips that they use to literally
clip the mattress to the patio rail so it does
not fall.

Ok, see the man in the green jacket
(next picture)

He directs the traffic coming in and out of
the parking lot. He'll stop traffic, bikes, and
pedestrians as needed to keep the cars moving.
(next picture)

They are usually older men and they all wear
uniforms. (Uniforms are big here, even bus drivers
still wear uniforms, the bus driver hats, and the
white gloves!) They have this men EVERYWHERE
even at the 100 Yen Store which is like a Big Lots.

Inside a parking garage.

Thank goodness for the pictures!

The Luxury Toliet seat (Americans really need
to catch up or catch on to this one!)
The following pics will explain why....

Ok, first the seat is heated and you can control
the temperature. Next you have the following
options: (a) do you want the toilet to make a
flushing sound, with adjustable volume, so no one
can hear you going to the restroom; (b & c) from
which position you would like to be sprayed if you
do not fancy the toilet paper or want to use both;
and (d) do you need a "powerful deodorant" (the
actual name of the button) to be sprayed....now
that's a toilet!
(The next picture is clearer)

...and in case you need to know how to flush.....
(although, I have been in some that were definitely
not this clear!)

T. looking at what to order at the Chicken Shack.
You stand outside, place your order and then wait
in your car to take it home and eat it.

D. helping out Dad!

The Menu
(basically, rice with chicken or beef or eel)

Diamond City Mall

2008-03-11T16:01:00.000-07:00

It is hard to tell here without having something
to scale it with, but this is a very NARROW 2-way
street that we take to the Diamond City Mall.

Vegetation is grown EVERYWHERE within the city block.
This is a field of something but these are not uncommon.

Umm, I'm not sure what this one is suppose to
be of, maybe the person on the bike?! :~)
Anyway, in Japan there are no legal turns on a
red light. Definitely cuts down on blocked intersections!

This one and all the rest are of the Diamond
City Mall. We live 10-15min from 3 malls.
This movie theater tickets cost approx. $25,
but I really don't know that it would be any less
expensive in New York.

We have to get better pictures of this pet store.
The pet store is unreal. The pets have their own
little apartments to run around in and play.

Prices are really only a little higher - it is the imported
stuff like LEGOs that we have noticed the price is
basically double what we would pay in the states.

These are the kid's carts that E. cannot fit into
with his long legs!

I'm trying to convince E. he can ride a bike.
(Miss K. and SAM - the red purse - I got it at this mall!)

No EB Outlet here.... :~(

and of course we had to have a picture of this..

Essentially an arcade that parents lose money at.....

This had a mini train that he is controlling.

Dakota beat this game!

December

2008-03-10T21:00:00.001-07:00

E sleeping through Christmas morning

D not sleeping through Christmas morning,
wishing his brother would get up!

Our bathroom sink in the TLF room. The oblong
control is where you choose the temperature of
the water and turn it on. Then the water comes
out of the side faucet!

Boys at the TLF playground

E giving orders to D; D listening to me so I can take the pic