Kyaking and Japanese bumper cars

I love four day weekends because before and after there are 4-day work weeks! Labor day weekend there was an end-of-summer bash at the base beach on Lake Ogawara. I tell you it was great having an old-fashioned American BBQ, complete with baked beans and potato salad. We went paddle-boating (I went with just Katya and Alex. We didn't make it more than 30 yards and I turned around for fear my legs would turn to jelly.) After that, I took them in the canoe. We stayed out there for a little while, enjoying the tranquility of band playing back on shore. Most of our time at the party, however, was spent riding the bumper cars: battery powered cars (like the ones outside K-mart, except on wheels). Katya and Alex actually were pretty good drivers. Check out the video on www.facebook.com/watsondds

On Saturday I took Alex and Katya to Lake Towada, about an hour away. Originally only four families were going, but as word got out, eventually about half the branch was there, about 15 families. We rented several kayaks from outdoor rec. It was a blast. Lake Towada is the third deepest lake in Japan and is basically volcano lake (part in the crater, and part in the outside rim). On the way we went through Oriase Gorge. I think the best way to describe it is it's like Going to the Sun Road in Glacier park, except not so cliff-side. The entire way (about 10 miles) was enveloped with a canopy of tree limbs, almost like going through a tunnel. Actually, we did go through a tunnel later (a real one through the mountain) on our way to the light festival in Towada. The Japanese definitely have a flair for festivals. We had "dinner" there too. I'm not sure what exactly I was eating, but it was covered in some type of msg-laden sweet/soy-ish sauce. If I find out, I'll let you know.

Oh, great news! Our unaccompanied baggage came. That's just the stuff like clothes, toys, fans, TV (no furniture) that we sent out early so we'd have something here. In about 3 weeks we should get the rest of our stuff.

That's it for now

Sayonara

Robert