Osampo

This year's holiday trip

Each year we go to Japan to celebrate New Years with Midori's family.  Since it's a long flight we usually end up going there before Christmas as well and spend a couple of weeks.  This year Midori went over extra early and has been there since Thanksgiving.  Emili left last week and I will leave tomorrow. 

I will post more pictures here on this thread from the trip, but also this time Midori and I will be taking a side trip to Vietnam.  We are looking forward to that right after Christmas and I'll be posting pics of that trip as well.  In the meantime I will be packing for the trip.

Some representitive pics from the last couple of years

Here are some pictures that I have taken since the last post a couple of years ago.

We have been trying to spend as much time as we can with our friends Ben and Debbie.  They moved to Orcas Island a few years ago, so that means we don't spend as much time with them as we used to, but it become a get away for us.  Orcas Island is a beautiful place and they have a beautiful view that we never get tired of.

Orcas

A view from the deck of Ben and Debbie's house

We went up there for the 4th of July in 2015 and here are some pictures.

Ben, Debbie and Shannon have been friends of our since the girls were in montesori pre-school together.  We started going on vacations together to the Oregon Coast, we have taken Shannon with us to California and Florida (Disneyland and Disney World) and they have taken Emili with them to Hawaii and various other excursions.

A few years ago they moved away from Redmond to "retire" on Orcas Island in the San Juan Islands.  I put retire in quotes because Ben is still doing quite a lot of work as a consultant in the aerospace industry.  But they also bought a 50 foot sail boat and needed to keep it in a deep marina.  This is a great place for them and they are more than thriving on the island.  So whenever we get some time we like to go up there and unwind with them.

The first thing Ben and I did when we arrived on the island was head to a bar.  Naturally.

Obviously Ben and I love to hang out in pubs and drink beer or polish off a few "wee drams" of scotch back at the house.  On this weekend Ben and Debbie invited us to attend one of thier get togethers with the Orcas Island Yacht Club which they were newly members.  It was a nice afternoon BBQ and potluck.  

Emili photo bombs us.  (OK, it was planned)  Here we are at the Orcas Island Yacht Club.

Midori the guitarist

One of Ben's friends decided he wanted to have a guitar to play when he came over to Ben and Debbie's house so he gave Ben an acoustic guitar.  Of late I have also started playing guitar again but at the time of this visit we only had his gifted acoustic to play.  In the picture above Midori is seen picking one of the songs she learned as a kid. 

Comfortably Numb

This is Midori, Debbie and I after the visit to Orcas at Chateau St. Michelle where we went to see Brit Floyd (A Pink Floyd tribute band that put on a great show)

Of course, Ben was there too rocking out to Brit Floyd

For quite a while Ben and Debbie have been members of the Chataeu St. Michelle wine club which gives them advanced ticket purchasing options for thier summer concert series.  We have been invited to see Santana and a few other shows with them, and have gotten tickets through them for Chris Issak.  (Last summer)  In the pictures above we are with them to see a Pink Floyd tribute band called Brit Floyed.  Really, there were many times if you just closed your eyes and listened you would think you were listenting to the actual Pink Floyd band.  It was so close at times I found myself listening to make sure they weren't just playing the albums on full blast and lip synching.  (They weren't)

A Sort of Home Coming

Midori and I in front of Inlow Hall, La Grande, OR

That same summer we went back to La Grande for my 30 year reunion and posed outside of Inlow Hall on the campus of what will always be EOSC to us.  We got married in that building.  The reunion was ok, but the highlights of the trip were just going around to see how much the place has changed in the last 25 years.  There were some disappointments, like the steps behind Inlow being closed due to it falling apart.  But we also had a chance to have lunch with our old proffessor Lyle Schwartz, which was great.  The rest of it was just a road trip.

We stopped by the Gorge on the way back to Seattle and I got this photo thanks to all the smoke in the air from all the fires in the Okanagan area. (And a little digital enhancement)

Ooops We Did it Again

After working for Disney for 4 years we have quite a few family pictures from the two US parks.  Also, each year Midori goes down to Orlando for training in the late October early November time period.  2015 was no exception and this was the end of my time with the Mouse.  So one last family trip!

So selfie time again in front of The Tower of Terror at Disney's Hollywood Studios in Orlando.

Emili nominated herself for "Best Daughter" award.  She won!  But we had to leave the statue in the gift shop.

More selfies in front of the castle in The Magic Kingdom.  We never grow out of it.

My friend Jesus was living down there to be close to his mom and dad, so we met in our favorite Cuban restaurant in Celebration, FL.  Sangria on a hot November night.  Only in good old FLA

.

Of course even as I was leaving Disney's employment I had to do some market research at our main competition: Universal Studios Orlando.

Emili couldn't decide if she wanted to use the Knight Bus or the Hogwarts Express to get to over to Hogsmead.  Truth is you can only really use one. 

The Knight Bus is just for show.

My Women from Tokyo

Each year we try to go back to Japan for Christmas and New Year.  Last year I didn't go because of work, but Midori and Emili went.  Two years ago, I went as usual and here are some pictures from that trip.

Midori's mom always wanted to go to see Kabuki.  Midori decided to take her so we all went.  It was fun.  I had gone once when I was a student at Waseda, and it was fun to go again.  

Eating dinner in the Ginza area of Tokyo.  I can't remember if this was before or after the Kubiki show, but it's part of the package.

You can't get these things in America.  First of all, you can't get my mother in law's Gyoza here.  And no place serves Kirin Lager Beer.  You can get all different kinds of Kirin beer, but for some reason they don't sell this and I can only get it when I go back to Japan.

Midori's dad's grave is near Kyose where her mom and sister Hiroko lives.  We try to go back there at least once each year.

Getting ready to board the world famous Yamanote Line.  It travels in both directions in a circle around Tokyo.  So if you fall asleep on the train you can just go in circles until you wake up.  It's happened. 

Emili making mochii.  This is a sticky rice that gets pounded into a paste.  It's really good stuff and we have friends who make it each year when we are in town.

This is a typical meal for New Year's Day in Japan.  They make the meals in the days before Jan.1 so that they don't have to do anything on that day but eat, watch TV, and go to the shrine.  So this was the beginning of 2016.

This year we are going back.  The girls are there now and I will be joining them on Wed.

More pics

A few more pictures from the year.  (And I ran out of song titles for the section headlines)

I don't even know what's going on here.  Ask Midori and Chris

So also in early 2016 Mayu-chan got added to our family.  She is the daughter of one of Midori's friends who came to the US to study.  We sort of adopted her.  But not really.  Her mom is paying for her school.  We just buy her dinners and let her come over to our house on the weekends.

She has to stand on her tip toes to see where we're going.  Piloting Ben's sailboat, Dunvegan

Dunvegan

One of our favorite places to take people is Snoqualmie Falls.  We love the restaurants in the lodge and who doesn't love a waterfall?

For our 25th Anniversary I took Midori to stay at the Salish Lodge at Snoqualmie Falls.  

Emili got dressed up and put on makeup so we all rushed for our cameras.  She's beautiful but sometimes she needs a little convincing

Summertime means BBQ!  Nobody complains about the food that comes out of that thing.

While Hiromi (a friend from Japan who we've known since our girls were being born) was in town visiting we took her downtown to Pike Place Market.  Pike brewery is there too.  She likes beer, I like beer, so hey, lets get some beer!

Mayu-chan's mom, Keiko came to visit and so naturally, we took her to the Falls as well.

After this, Midori and I went to Italy and Switzerland. I have a post on Medium here for Italy and here for Switzerland.

More pictures from the last couple of years.  

Too many blog

So we have too many blogs.  Some of them are my politics, some are my music and some are my pictures.  The Family Blog has not been kept very active.  So...what's going on?

Well, we are coming up on Christmas in the year of your lord 2017.  Midori has been in Tokyo since Thanksgiving.  Emili went over there yesterday.  I leave next week. 

Midori has been working from home for KPMG as a tax accountant.  She's been working for them for 20 years now.  Being fully remote allows her to basically work from anywhere so she went to Japan early to stay with a friend while they went to see thier favorite Korean Pop duo, TVXQ.  After being there for a while she went to stay with her mom and sister in Kiyose.  (In the Tokyo Metro area)  She and her friends have been following this duo since they were a quartet.  (I think) 

Emili is going to Belevue College and is currently trying to transfer either to University of Washington's Bothell Campus, or to Sophia University in Tokyo.  Eithe of them would be great for her and we are waiting to hear back now.  In the meantime she has been up to her neck in trying to get into either of them and is now probably relaxing in Japan watching TV and thinking up story ideas.  (She loves to write)

I am working for a company called ProKarma.  We speciallize in IT consulting focused on helping companies impletem automated development and testing practices.  Currently I am between contracts after working for a few month at T-Mobile offices in Bothell.  I am spending time helping out with my boss' proposals for new work.  The last two times I went on vacation when I got back the contracts had been canceled so maybe they are waiting for me to get back from Tokyo before they put me on a new one.  Works for me.

That's about all that's going on now.  Stay tuned for some pictures and observations as Midori and I will be spending a few days in Vietnam after Christmas.  Looking forward to that trip!