We have just returned from a couple of
wonderful weeks in Japan, split between Tokyo and Kanazawa. Most people
who have visited Tokyo in recent decades recognize this
lantern at the Kaminarimon Gate
(Thunder Gate) marking the entrance to the Senso-ji temple
in the Asakusa district of town. A scrum of
tourists develops there to take pictures. Simply walking by
draws you into the crowd, where you're queried about your
willness to take someone's picture, and then obligated to
have your picture taken, too. So, here's proof we were there!
Tourist Photographers at Asakusa's Signature Lantern
News & Notes
With almost perfect timing to enjoy the golden color of the West's aspens, we drove to Craig Colorado to visit Dan. We toured campus, met his friends, poked around Craig, watched both men's and women's soccer games, hiked on Cedar Mountain at the edge of town and made a return visit to Dinosaur National Monument, an hour's drive west of Craig. An hour's drive east is Steamboat Springs, a resort town where we enjoyed the gorgeous scenery, and celebrated SbS's Restaurant Week with - quite surprisingly - a quality dinner at the bowling alley.
Dan Relaxing After Class
We left Craig, heading north into Wyoming, where we crossed the Oregon Trail in three places: The Overland Trail, The Sublett Cutoff and the Lander Cutoff. Amazingly, the ruts left by the covered wagons that took the pioneers to Oregon and California are still visible after 175 years. Serendipitously, our read-aloud book was Rinker Buck's The Oregon Trail about his unsupported wagon-crossing of its full length. The book was perfect preparation for walking in the ruts and thinking of the emigrants who had already been on the trail three months to get here. Would they have packed firewood? A journal entry from here reads, "A cold supper was eaten this evening in silence."
The Sublette Cut-off of the Oregon Trail
That night we stayed in Jackson WY. The next morning heading north in bright Autumn sunshine, we crested the hill on US 191 beyond the fish hatchery, and ... . Bam! The Grand Tetons! No matter how often we come over that hill to see those mountains, it always takes our breath away.
Early Snow on The Central Section of the Grand Teton Range
After an October 9th snowfall in Butte MT, which got us to the ranch store for gloves and an ice scraper, our route home included a stop in Libby MT to visit Jim and Julie. Friends Tom and Alvira took us to their tree farm, where J was instructed in the finer points of 'chunking in'. Tree trimmings and other forest debris are piled up following a harvest, and later burned when the weather limits how much the fire could spread. After the fire burns down, the unburned ends of the branches must be 'chunked in' onto the hot coals to complete the job.
J Sets the Forest (Trimmings) Ablaze
Returning to our visit to Japan ...
We rendezvoused with our friends Chikako and Mizuho. The women spent the day together chatting, lunching, chatting, coffeeing, chatting and eventually they checked out a Dashi Tasting. Dashi is cooking stock, widely used in Japanese cuisine, e.g. it's the base for miso soup. Naturally, there are variations and subtleties of this umami flavor.
Friends Chikako and Mizuho
Speaking of food, one of the best parts of visiting Japan is eating there. J's lunch surely used dashi. Our meals ranged from spicy noodles to keiseki. There was plenty of sushi, station lunches (packed to be eaten on the train), and tea.
Lunch at the Curiously Named 'EGGS cafe and salon'
We have known our friend Noelle since we lived in Pittsburgh in 1969. It is rare to know someone for fifty years, and to stay in regular contact over that period, but we have. To mark our friendship, Noelle came to Seattle where we celebrated with champagne and dinner at a fancy restaurant.
Long Time Friends
Noelle and Dan joined us for US Thanksgiving, which we celebrated in Vancouver. Canada's Thanksgiving is a month earlier, so as one of the boys pointed out, if you forget to buy whipped cream for the pumpkin pie, you can run out and get some; the stores will be open. And, it's easier to find cranberries in Canada than it was in Australia when we celebrated Thanksgiving there.
Giving Thanks
Daishi photograph courtesy of Chikako Yoshimura
