A New Cast of Characters

This blog is not complete without pet stories. Since I am lacking firsthand stories about my own pets, (who are happily hanging out at a friend's house in Okinawa) I am going to talk about my parent's pets instead.

This is Sienna:

She's a 100 pound doberman who can't sleep without her Blankey. She holds Blankey in such high regard that she will mope in the laundry room when Blankey gets a bath.

Sienna also thinks she is a lapdog:

This is Sienna trying to fit in my dad's lap. She is a bit large to be a lapdog.

My parents have two cats. Their names are Neptune and Romeo. They like boxes.

They like boxes so much that my mom leaves boxes around the house for cat beds.

Neptune is a very small cat.

But he has very large paws. In fact, he has an extra toe on each foot. He is a skittish cat. He's afraid of almost everything (but not as bad as Rambo!).

Romeo is not afraid of anything. He loves everyone.

I just realized that all these photos have pets sitting on my dad. Apparently he makes a nice pillow. But the pets do sleep other places too.

This is Neptune sleeping in the fruit bowl.

Have a good day!!

The future is today...

I just wanted to let you all know that tomorrow is here right now. Twenty years ago having a phone you carried with you, your own computer or a personal navigation system were only for the rich and famous. Today alone I have sat in a car that spoke to us and told us where to go, talked to my wife via a cell phone (somebody's SECOND cell phone I might add), and also drove in a car while me and another guy both had laptops in our lap. The whole situation made me laugh and I thought I would share it with you all. I miss you all and hope to see you soon.

Home Again Home Again!

I'm back in Colorado for the summer!!

This is Pikes Peak and Garden of the Gods - taken by my dad.

On Tuesday I had the longest three hour plane trip ever. I left Okinawa at 11am and got in to Colorado at 1pm three flights later. I didn't sleep the night before so that I could sleep on the flight over the Pacific. But then the guy in front of me put his seat back so far that he practically had his head in my lap and I couldn't move, much less sleep. So I have been sleeping a lot since I got here. And spending money. And eating greasy American food.

But seriously, you don't realize how convenient American shopping is until you spend five hours walking around a Japanese store looking for salt and pepper shakers and then come home with a pair of flipflops two sizes too small. I went to Barnes and Noble and spent roughly $60 in less than five minutes of shopping. After that I cut myself off, but I couldn't tear myself away from the books so I spent another couple hours reading in the store. Then I went to Hobby Lobby and was so overwhelmed by the craft selection that I couldn't make any decisions.

Driving is an adventure again too. I drove roughly three blocks to my best friend's house (it's on the far side of a hill and I wasn't sure I'd be able to make it to the top of the hill without being adjusted to the altitude). In the process I stalled the car, managed to turn the windshield wipers on instead of the blinker at every turn, and had a really really hard time staying on the correct side of the road. But me, the car, and the squirrels all survived.

I'll check in again soon!

More On Pete

I have been avoiding the subject of Peter's deployment, but this week he DID deploy, so there will be more Peter updates on here now (as was the original intent of the blog). Some, like the one below, will be from him. I'll try to fill in the gaps since his internet access will be sketchy.

Peter says to reassure everyone that he is fine. His flights were uneventful, to the best of my knowledge, and no, I haven't heard the story of the lost boarding pass yet. I'll let you know when I do, because I'm sure it's amusing. He described the area where he is working as "hot, dirty, and full of dicks - I have testosterone overload already." He has a temporary room until he joins his company, and that room has no key. He doesn't have a roommate or an address yet. There are only two pay phones out there, and neither works well, so Peter probably won't be making many phone calls, but he does have internet access in the lounge and he hopes to get a laptop this weekend, so check back here for more updates. He spent the day today working in the clinic treating soldiers who got heat exhaustion on their fifteen mile hike. Apparently that was fun.

As for me, I'm doing much better than I expected. I have lots of support from friends, family, and coworkers, and I've been keeping busy. Yes, I have been eating, and if you doubt that I'll start keeping a food log on here. I have also been sleeping, although slightly less regular hours now because I'm not working. I am also indulging in the usual lonliness therapy - a pint of Ben and Jerry's and a pedicure.

We Love you Peter!

I'm herrrrre!

Hello all,
Well, I made it here in one piece. I'm in beautiful secluded 62 area at Camp Pendleton. I have joined my unit and look forward to all the work that lies ahead of me (not really though, I just lie to myself to keep my spirits up). The flight here was uneventful except for a misplaced boarding pass in Osaka which gave me minor heart failure. I should have access to computers most of the time when we're in the rear but, I don't expect to be here very often. I will keep in touch with you all as often as possible through this. I miss you all and thank you to those of you who are looking after Kristin.

The Gardens of Nijo

There were big gardens at Nijo castle, which are apparently as much of a tourist attraction as the palaces are. There were gardens at each palace, between the palaces, and then orchards between the outer and inner fortifications.

The backsides of the walls around the castle were gentle slopes covered in trees. It made the inside of the palace seem much less like a fort. In both the photos above, the outer wall of the castle is just behind the trees.

There was a pond in the garden between the two palaces, complete with waterfall. It was so serene there.


This next photo is a little wildflower (aka weed) I found on top of the main watch tower.


This photo is of a path running through the orchard between the outer and inner walls of the castle.
Japanese gardens are built for serenity and peace. They are not nearly as showy with flowers as American gardens are. The flowers are accents, and they spend a lot of time making the trees, dirt, and rocks just as pleasing to the eye.

Whew, It's Not a Temple Photo

I have more Kyoto photos today!

There are two palace complexes in Kyoto. One is the Imperial Palace, which was the Emporer's residence when Kyoto was the capital of Japan. It isn't open to the public. The other is Nijo Castle, the official Kyoto residence of the Kyoto Shogun (the local feudal lord).

Nijo was built during a time when the Emporer's power was weak compared to the power of the shogun. The Imperial Palace was a very modest, easily defended construction. Nijo was built to flaunt the power of the shogun in the Emporer's face. It actually consists of two palaces. The first one, Ninomaru Palace, was built to be the residence of the shogun at about the time when the capital of Japan moved to Edo (Tokyo).

It was rarely used as a residence, but the shogun did stay there when he happened to be in Kyoto, and it was filled with elaborate paintings and carvings as a status symbol. There were more than 3,000 paintings inside, which are in the process of being restored. I couldn't take photos, but to my untrained American eyes, the paintings looked a lot like this (from Ginkakuji):
The carvings were on the outside, and they looked like this:

So elaborate!

There is a second palace further inside the walls, Honmaru. The Emporer paid a visit to Nijo and this was built later as a place to entertain him. It was not open to the public, but apparently it is even more elaborate, because the shogun was trying to make his palace more impressive than the last one the Emporer visited. I think the shogun may have had some vanity issues.

These palaces aren't nearly as visually impressive as the castles we saw later. However, they were uniquely designed inside because the shogun that built them was paranoid. The floors are specially constructed "Nightingale Floors" that squeak when people walk across them, making it impossible to sneak up on the shogun to kill him. I don't mean squeak the way the floor in an old house squeaks. These floors emitted a high pitched squeak that almost sounded like a bird call. The castle also had false walls and secret rooms where the shogun's body guards could hide to protect him. There were also several moats and a maze of walls and gates separating the palaces.

Outer Gate

Ninomaru Gate

Inner moat and "dungeon" (it just looked like a watch tower to me)

These palaces had beautiful gardens, but I will post those photos next time.