Dad (off the couch) in Japan

All of Dad's reading and planning for our trip to Japan really paid off. He was able to choose wonderful places to eat the few times we were on our own for meals, made sure we saw some outstanding sights in each city and even gave our Japanese guide and group members good leads on restaurants. In fact, several of our friends cited their favorite meal of the whole trip as one in a restaurant Dad had mentioned. We ate there and it was excellent.

It will take me a long time to organize and post memorable scenes from our trip, but I thought I'd start with these showing Dad in various locations. He was sometimes willing...sometimes, not so much (especially when it took me too long to fiddle with the camera before shooting) - you can imagine.

The first scene (from the top) was taken in a huge, atmospherically gloomy, cemetery on Mount Koya-san. The second is in a famous Japanese garden - note the HUGE bonsai-style tree in the background. Next I took a picture of Dad in a familiar role...taking a picture...at Matsumoto castle. The fourth picture is taken inside the castle on the top level, overlooking the grounds. I think Dad was smiling because we had arrived at the top!!

Dad is preparing a DVD with beautiful scenes from our trip - complete with music. I'm showing you some "human interest" shots.

Dad Reads a Book

Every so often Dad lays aside his magazines and the computer and gets lost in a book. I captured one of those moments recently! We are both reading Confucius Lives Next Door by T.R. Reid, our trip expert. It is a fascinating comparison of Eastern and Western attitudes, and great preparation for our stay in Japan. Probably the best part of this experience is the sharing of thoughts and favorite parts of the book as we read it - not aloud, but at the same time. It's a mini book club for two.

Quadruple Birthday Fun!

September birthday cousins get ready to blow out the candles on their cake. It's the traditional favorite...a Carvel ice cream cake. There wasn't much left when this family got through with it!

Left to right: Jake, Erica, Kathleen and Sam

The Boys

Sam and Jack wait patiently for Grampa to come downstairs
for the present-opening "ceremony."

Wrong Side of the Fence

Kate enjoys breaking into the "restricted zone" at the foot of the stairs!

Happiness is a Couch Full of Grandchildren

Grammy moves out from behind the camera to make an appearance on the blog!

Sam, Kate and Jack pose with me at the end of our fun weekend with the New Jersey branch of the family.

It's Clean-up Time

Another project! Much to the Hermans' delight, the wild tangle of grapevines, scrub, a dead lilac bush and weeds on the back roadside bank is gone. It's been the view from their living room and bedroom windows for too many years. Marty (our "hero" who keeps the lawn in tip-top shape) and his sidekick spent a long day performing this feat. They sawed, chipped, raked, shoveled and even hauled away a ton of stuff we'd pitched over the wall through the years...branches, grass clippings, weeds, etc. We never expected it to be this clean and really love the new look. Needless to say, no more dumping here! Not only will Marty keep this area under control from now on, but we're hoping to turn it into a mini meadow. Dad bought a bag of New England wildflower seed mix and broadcast it over the entire area. Little seedlings have sprouted and there is a "mist" of new green growth coming up. If the plants winter over, as they should, we may have a new Secret Garden next summer.

Speaking of Dad...

I never posted this photo I took of Dad and Jeff while we were in Utah last August. I really like it...a rare shot of Dad, proving that he was on the trip. That's the benefit of Mom catching the blogging "bug" - I've taken possession of the little Sony camera (simple enough for me to manage) and now, after all these years, Dad's in the picture!

Plain Yogurt...Who Knew?

I have NEVER liked plain yogurt...until now. The few times I tried it, it was just too sour! Then, while in Utah with Jeff and Leah this August, they took us to a frozen yogurt shop with only three flavors - plain, berry and green tea. After sampling some, I chose plain with three kinds of fruit and it was delicious or, as Leah would say, "delish." I thought that was a one-time experience and continued to buy my big containers of lemon or vanilla yogurt until last week, when I reached behind the stack of vanilla containers for a "fresh" one and didn't read the label. You guessed it...it was plain yogurt. I thought I'd have to be creative and use it in cooking or something to get rid of it. Then I decided to just give it a try and the rest is history. I love it, love it, love it! It's so fresh and tangy, fewer calories and fuit, though not necessary, just makes it better. How nice to find a new food "addiction" that's actually good for me!

The bad news is...

...we needed a new pump. Here it is, ready to be hooked up and lowered into the well. The "doc" says the old pump has the date 1983 on it, so it has given us 25 years of faithful service. Think of all the gallons of water it's delivered during those years...Jeff's entire lifetime. Here's to the next 25 years of water for our home!