Misc Pics

We have had some wonderful weather the past several days, of which we have taken advantage. We have been to several playgrounds, on a couple bike rides, and some little trips to the beach. The only day with poor weather the past couple weeks was the day of the Misawa Air Base Air Show. We went for a little while to walk around but most air displays were cancelled due to the weather. We've also been to a couple parades and festivals. Some of the "pretty days" were spent boarded up in the house while Jacob recovered from a little bout of chicken pox. He came down with the rash and fever after getting the vaccine.

Jacob is getting bigger and more grown up every day. It feels like it is happening too quickly! Jacob has FINALLY started to get teeth and has one officially, while 3 more are poking through. He is becoming more and more independent and is quite a mover and a shaker. He will most likely be walking in the next few weeks and as exciting as that day will be....I am secretly enjoying the last few days when I do not have to chase after him more than I am now. We were not able to bring Mr. Bear with us to the States for our monthly pictures. We TRIED to get a 13 month pic with Jacob and Mr. Bear, but our sweet little boy could barley sit still long enough to snap a shot. Below are our better attempts.

We are gearing up for our upcoming trip to the States. (Doesn't it feel like we just got back to Japan?) We are leaving in a couple weeks and looking forward to seeing lots of you while we enjoy some time in Tennessee and in Virginia for Jason's conference. Here are some pics from the past 2 weeks.

First OUCH!!!

Well, we had another first tonight. No, not the first tooth that has practically popped out or his first steps which should be taken within the next month.....We had our first "trip" to the UCC (Urgent Care Center, as Misawa Air Base refers to their ER). Jacob was playing in the bath tub tonight and took a little spill, directly into the faucet. OUCH!!! Jason was able to stop the bleeding and the crying and after a quick assessment and a little bit of Baby Motrin, we all headed down to the UCC. I guess it wasn't technically Jacob's first official trip, as we did take advantage of the system.....Jason didn't feel that stitches were necessary, so after a quick check from the ER doc on call, Jason was able to obtain some "human superglue" and he patched up Jacob himself. Overall Jacob did fantastic and was laughing with the nurses on Labor and Delivery and soaking up the attention. He is now tucked into bed, sound asleep, dreaming of all the girls he'll get on the playground with his cool scar.

Oh-by the way....we just bought tickets today for a 5 day trip to Beijing over Thanksgiving. We'll be trading in turkey legs and stuffing for roasted duck and fried rice! Maybe Jacob will be taking some of his first steps on the Great Wall of China.

Camping?? Are you kidding me?

We wanted to go to the West Coast of Japan and explore the Juniko Lakes area (sort of like a National Park) and check out the Sea of Japan. So, we call to reserve this little weekend trip since we want to stay in these darling, fully furnished and efficient cabins, but they are booked for the first night. We really wanted to stay there....and Jason says...."We'll just camp the first night." Well, for those of you who know me well....especially my Mom who had to endure several years of hearing me complain, drag my feet, and sabotage weekends at Girl Scout Camp as a kid....I don't camp well. Never have. And now with a one year old??? "Jason, you HAVE GOT to be kidding me!"

Luckily, my hubby talked me into it. I mean, we just had to "rough" it for one night, and then we could stay in the cabin the second night...how hard could it be?

Well, we had a wonderful weekend! I dare say we could even try it again. No surprise to any of us, Jacob was a champ camper and didn't mind smelling like bug repellent or sleeping in the tent with us. He even happily took long hikes with us in the baby backpack carrier. Jacob made camping more fun than a burden.

So, here are "some" pics. We have SO many pictures. This is just a small sample.

We left Misawa on Saturday Aug 15 with such a car load of things you would have thought we were leaving permanently. The drive was a scenic 3.5 hours.

















We made a few stops along the way to snap some pics. This was the view from a rest stop.















Our pals Kourt and Mis had already been the pioneers of this adventure as they had made the trip twice previously. They had recommended stopping at this temple...which we did!

















Looks like there is an extra Buddha!

We arrived at Juniko Lakes in the afternoon. Juniko Lakes Park is a collection of ponds and lakes in the shadow of Japan Canyon and just on the shore of the Sea of Japan. After we set up our camp site, we ventured out on our first hike. We explored a few of the ponds.














































Here are a few pics of our campsite Sunday morning at breakfast.






























After we cleared out and packed up our car (we had to vacate our campsite as we were staying in a cabin that night), we went on a morning hike to see Japan Canyon. How beautiful!































(Jacob had fun drinking out of the Camelback)








After seeing the Canyon, we were ready for lunch. We drove back up the coast a few minutes to a lookout to enjoy our turkey sandwiches. We had a perfect spot!


















































After lunch we found a spot on the shore of the Sea of Japan to do more hiking. As I said earlier, Jacob was a champ in this carrier. Jason earned his keep by lugging Jacob around! I just took the pictures. =)







































Jason wanted to explore all of these rocks and a couple of the caves. "Unfortunately" (I was not interested in the caves), we had changed into our flip flops (mostly because I was ready to find a spot in the sand and work on my tan). So we weren't able to climb on the rocks for long, but we did capture several great pics!





































Finally! Beach time!!!

"Oh Good, I was thirsty. Let me take a sip...."

"Ewwww! S-A-L-T-Y!"

After relaxing in the sand, we headed back up the hill to Refresh Village at Juniko Lakes (this is the same place we camped the night before) where we checked into our cabin. Now, this is my kind of camping!!






























I get to sleep in my own bed tonight!!




After settling in, we had one more adventure. We drove back up the coast to the WeSpa Onsen. This was the perfect way to unwind after our eventful day of hikes and sun. The onsen sits on a cliff and overlooked the Sea of Japan. The onsen showers and pool have a large picture window seperating us from the outside air, but since it was such a beautiful summer evening, the window was wide open. I took Jacob with me for his first REAL onsen expierence (when he was younger, I would leave him in the crib in the locker room). Even though the view was breathtaking, most of the Japanese women enjoyed gazing and playing with Jacob. After we showered, we just sat in the hot spring pool and watched the sunset. Jason did the same thing on the men's side, just without Jacob and all the Japanese women staring at him.

Don't know what an onsen is? Refer to our blog post in January 2008.






























Night #2, tucked in nicely in our cabin with AC, a kitchen, shower and toilet, sleeps up to 6 comfortably in Japanese stlye loft beds, table and chairs, and a tv...where we watched the Women All Around Gymnastics Competition....in Japanese of course!

















Well, what a weekend!! How could I complain? Beautiful scenery, weather, expierences, and a perfectly well behaved little boy! I have to admit, I am a bit more sold on camping than I was when we were planning this trip.....but let's not get carried away now. 'Til next time.