Around the Island With Emily

On Sunday we decided to take Emily for a trip around the island.  This used to be almost an annual trip for us when we were kids.  But this is the second time we're doing it this year.  What we didn't consider this time was the crowds on a Sunday.

The Iolani Palace is closed on Sundays, but we walked around and enjoyed the views.  Emily may come back later to see the inside on her own.

We gazed at the Queen Liliuokalani statue at the State Capitol which is right next to the Iolani Palace.

We took the trip up to the Tantalus Lookout and saw rains over the Leeward side moving in.  We were getting a little worried when we saw rains coming from different directions.

Next stop:  Pali Lookout where the King of Oahu put up his last stand against King Kamehameha's warriors who united the islands.  You get a good view of the Windward side from this vantage point.

This place is famous for the ferocious winds that blow up the cliff.  We've been here before when there was a drizzle but we were unprepared for the torrential downpour that drenched us.  We had to run back to the car!  That was a first!

We made a little stop at the famous Chinaman's Hat.

Emily had read about Giovanni's Shrimp Truck on Yelp and asked if she could try it.   That was quite a coincidence since Tiffany and Ed had also wanted to go there after reading the great reviews on Yelp.  We tried the Hot and Spicy before and didn't like it, but we hadn't tried the Butter and Lemon.  We already knew the Scampi would be good.

Our advice to everybody is to stick to the Scampi unless you can't stand garlic.


Another strong advice:  Don't go around the island on Sunday.  There were long, long lines everywhere and TRAFFIC!

We missed Shark's Cove but stopped at Pupukea and enjoyed the view.

We stopped at KC's favorite place, Dole Pineapple Plantation.

Art and I think it's unbearably touristy, but if you're a tourist, why not?

There was somebody passing out keys to a little treasure box.  If you could open the box, you'd get a discount coupon for a pearl from an oyster you pick out yourself.  Emily was the only one whose key opened the box.  She chose an oyster and got a really nice sized pink pearl.

It was really a pretty pearl.  She was given the option to set it here or just buy the pearl.  She opted to take the pearl and set it another time. I know it will make a lovely pendant someday.

Do you see my one eyebrow raised?  No, Art wasn't looking for another t-shirt for himself.  He said he thought Emily might like to buy one.

Unh hunh...

She didn't.

When we were in Haleiwa, we passed by Matsumoto's Shave Ice Stand where all the tourists go.  There must have been a line of about 50+ people-long there.  And their shave ice is not all that good anymore.  There are far better shave ice places on the island.  Our favorite is Mountain Magic at Waikele between Sports Authority and Old Navy.

It was as marvelous as ever.

When we returned home, mom was busy preparing a crab casserole for dinner.  And for dessert?  Left over chocolate haupia pie!

It was a good day!

Meeting Emily

We were really excited about meeting Emily. Emily is the daughter of our friends, Jean and Mike who we met in the Netherlands and became our fantastic friends.

My brother, Dennis and nephew, Cody brought my FAVORITE Ted's Bakery chocolate haupia pie to have with Emily who really loved it as much as me.

Emily is a teacher like her mom and me.  That must be why I felt like I already knew her.  No matter where you go in the world, if you meet another teacher there is almost an instant bond.

I told Emily that I thought we'd met almost her whole family except her.  She laughed and said that's why she had to come and visit us instead.

I'm glad she did.

My Friend, Jean

This is the story of how I met our guest, Emily's mom and dad.

It was March of 2007, one month after I'd gotten both of my thyroids removed. 

"Look at this great bike tour of the Netherlands," said Art.

"No," I told him.  "I haven't been on a bike in 30 years.  There's no way I can ride around a foreign country on a bike!"

"Just imagine riding around the countryside full of tulips.  Look at all these photos," he enthused.

Eventually... after promises that he'd watch over me, I agreed.  He made sure I had padded shorts, padded seats, helmets, and gloves.

We got to Amsterdam and boarded our barge where we were fitted onto bikes that would be the proper size.  Then we took a night-time ride over dikes in the twilight.  To say I was frightened, unbalanced and nervous is putting it mildly, but we met a lot of very nice people.

Keukenhof Gardens

We didn't see tulips all around the countryside as we expected, but they were there in profusion at Keukenhof gardens.

Soon it was obvious that there was a group of experienced and inexperienced bikers.

Art joined the experienced group and was soon delegated the sweep to make sure nobody lagged in that group.

I stayed with the slow group, petrified of falling off the bike, petrified of falling onto semis that were traveling on the same road, petrified of hitting my tire on the curb and falling.  I was unhappy, but kept it to myself.  That was when I met Jean.  She's a teacher too and picked up on the fact that I needed help and stuck by me.  She would ride behind me has we pedaled up a hill saying, "Yae, Kay!  You're doing great!" 

At the end of each day, I lied and told Art I was doing fine... even that day when our group got lost and we ended up riding 61 kilometers (about 38 miles)!

Believe it or not, that other couple in this photo happened to be from Hawaii.

That's Jean holding me upright.

I remember one day when we came toward a town and Jean hit a curb, fell hard and was injured.  The first thing she did was come to me (with her knees bleeding) and ask if I was alright and if she had caused a problem for me since I was following behind her.

Mike, Art, Jean and me

Here we are with Jean and her husband, Mike in Dordrecht.  The tour also took us into Belgium.

Art and I later spent more time in Amsterdam on our own and had a marvelous time.

We returned to Chicago happily.

And that's when something went wrong.  While working on our photo album, the stress of the bike ride and being left to fend on my own came back to me and something in my brain went askew.  I couldn't seem to shake it.  I was depressed, angry, upset and miserable.  I took walks, even jogged a little to try to escape the darkness.

Jean and I wrote long e-mails to each other and she tried to help me get myself together.  Her e-mails gave me an anchor.

And then my son, Jon called and for some reason, something he said took the cloud off of my head.  I wish I wrote down what he said.  He jokes now that he must have said, "Suck it up, Mom!"  Whatever it was, the sun seemed to come out.

It's still a mystery why I went through that phase.  Was it just the stress from the bike rides?  Could it have been an imbalance in my hormones since the trip was only a couple of months after my thyroid surgery?  Was it menopause?   I don't know.  I just know I entered a dark part of my mind and feared not being able to find my way out.

Jean and Jon took both my hands and pulled me out into the sunshine again so I could once again remember the tulips with a smile.

Watching the Olympics Together From Afar

Our son, Jon is now in Salt Lake City, Utah.  He's returned from Ecuador and Peru and is touring the West before he buckles down to his graduate work.

He's been camping and enjoying the beauty of the area, but decided to stay at a motel so that he could watch the opening ceremonies of the Olympics with us. 

The only problem was that he was four hours ahead of us.

Mom came out and talked to her grandson too.  She is still amazed at what technology can do.  Skype is a wonder to her.

As we watched the different countries walk in we talked about the sad situation in Mali right now where Jon spent his time in the Peace Corps.

We talked for over an hour about U.S. politics, the elections in Hawaii, his adventures in S. America, Utah, Nevada and Oregon. 

He said he'd gone swimming in the salt lake in Utah and enjoyed the sensation of being able to easily float on the salty water.

We all agreed that we thought the British Isles did a terrific job with the opening ceremonies.  After all, Beijing was a hard act to follow.  We enjoyed London's show immensely! 

My favorite moment in the show was when the Queen parachuted in with James Bond.  She was certainly a good sport.  We liked the Olympic caldron being formed out of the smaller torches.  The bicyclists with the dove wings were great too.  I'm not so sure I liked the choice of Hey Jude by Paul McCartney, but it was still fun.

Did you watch it?  What were your favorite moments?

Getting Ready for a Guest

The daughter of a good friend of ours, Emily is arriving from California on Saturday.  The funny thing is I think we've met almost everybody in her family except Emily.

So we're busy.  I cleaned the bathrooms and dusted the furniture.

I made up the guest bed and set out appropriate toiletries.  We bought this King sized comforter set a couple of months ago and can finally use it on our Queen bed.  I find that the mattresses are so thick these days that it takes a King size comforter to cover it properly.

And here's Art cleaning the windows and screens.

Finally, Art even installed the vertical blinds draw cords that were just a tangled mess.

Actually I did my, "Could you get me your drill?  I need to do something." ploy.

These blinds came with an attachment that you had to drill into the wall to prevent children from choking on them.  It was such a bother to put up that we left it hanging, but it was irritating because the cords would tangle.

 Me holding a drill fills Art with dread so he did his careful measuring and got the cords installed properly himself.

So now you know!  It takes guests for us to give the house a good cleaning.

The whole world now knows we don't clean our house everyday.  I take that back.  Mom does clean her part of the house everyday.  It's part of her zen upbringing.

We are not quite so fastidious.  It takes guests for Art and me to get moving.

That's why we need to have guests visit us every so often.

Guys and Cars

My nephew, Cody loves automobiles.  He's been working on his dream car for quite a while and learning about all the inner workings of what makes the machine tick.  Since he lives in a condo we told him he could bring it over to our house to work on it.

He and his friend towed the car over to our house and Cody began working on it.

What was supposed to take a half hour lengthened into the late afternoon.

Then there were two guys when my brother came to give advice and provide a needed part.

Then there were three guys when Art joined them.  The two older fellows reminisced about the cars they owned when they were younger.

Eventually there were four guys when Cody's friend returned to provide his input.

I came out to hold my bedroom light closer so they could see better in the dark.

Alas... the car still wouldn't run, but on Monday night suddenly... after several false starts, began to turn over.  We were out on the street pushing him when another male neighbor came out to ask him about the car.

As a happy, relieved Cody drove off it occurred to me that cars (working on it) are really mostly a guy thing.  I wonder what guys played with before.  Curricles?  Wagons?  Buggies? Chariots?  Surries with a fringe on top?

What is your dream car?

Fun With Son Jon

Ever since I first heard Josh Groban sing, I was captivated by his voice.  I don't buy very many CDs, but I bought his.  I introduced Josh Groban to Mom and she promptly fell in love with his voice too.

I had to ask my Venezuelan friend,  Daisy to tell me what this song was about.  It's nice to see the English translation is also offered with this video.  (Oops!  I see you have to actually go to the Youtube site to get the translation.  Sorry about that.)

Well... for some strange, incomprehensible reason my kids are not enamored of Josh.  Why is that?

Jon and his Sarah lived in Washington, D.C. many years ago, and Sarah worked for a bookstore.  She was offered free tickets to a Josh Groban concert.

Jon called to tell me they would go juuuust because they knew how much I liked him.  Jon said he'd tell me all about it.  When the call came, Jon said they lasted only until the half time intermission and that the audience was filled with middle aged women.

Puhleeeeze.....

A few days later he sent me a couple of pencils advertising the Josh Groban's concert.

I understood that my son was having fun with me.

A while later, my son-in-law, Ed received tickets for a Bears football game from his company.   The Bears were playing against San Francisco.  My daughter, Tiffany said this was a BIG deal.  We were down front in the center of Soldier field  in Chicago. 

OK... you know I'm NOT a sports fan and I'm really NOT a football fan.  I never know what's going on.  Actually, my son-in-law's friends couldn't go which is why he ended up offering it to us.  Ed knows I never know what's going on in sports.

However, I decided to go not just to spend time with Tiffany, Ed and their friends (and eat hot dogs and nachos), but for my loving son, Jon.  LOL!!!  I had them take this photo so I could e-mail it to my sports fanatic second child.

Touche!

Arrrghhh! Shut Down With a Virus! Again!

Aggravation!  I don't know where it came from.  Suddenly I got a pop up that came from where I thought only safe icons resided at the bottom of my computer.  It had a shield on it that looks like my legitimate icon.  I even called Art over to look at it.

A pop-up window (Live Security Platinum) came up and started scanning my computer telling me of all these Trojans that were infecting my computer.  Suddenly, I lost Internet connection.  It just stopped working.

Cold sweat!

It wasn't a good day today.  The morning started out with various unhappy things and then I was involved in a whole bunch of business type stuff for a friend.  It was OK, but just took up time.  Then my poor nephew came and had trouble getting his car to start.  And in all the hullabaloo, THIS happens!

The pop-up window showed me how infected my computer was and asked if I wanted to remove it.  It looked like my legitimate Malware programs.  So I clicked on Remove.

That took me to another window asking if I wanted to buy their $54.99 (or something like that) program that would fix my computer.  What this virus did was to prevent my computer from using any file with exe on it.  In other words, it froze everything.

Luckily, I didn't try to buy their program because obviously they just wanted my credit card number.

I called my son-in-law, Ed who usually fixes my computer long distance, but he couldn't get into my computer because the virus prevented my allowing him access.

Arrrghhh.

Therefore Ed sent me a website and told me to follow the directions.

What?  Myself?  No...............

Well, not exactly alone.  Art and I tried following the directions (sort of) which caused a bunch of other questionable things to happen. However, I put it through Anti-Malware and Microsoft Security Essentials and the computer is running again.  However, something is still not quite clean.

I think.

My brother, Dennis says I shouldn't do anything sensitive on the computer until he comes and checks it out.

So at the end of the day, my computer is hobbling along but probably still not 100% cured of its malady.

As the day ended and night began, there was a bright part.  My nephew's car was able to start again and he drove off after a consoling dinner.

Like I said before, life is full of ups and downs.  If you wait long enough... things will hopefully even out.

POSTSCRIPT:
Yahoo!  It's fixed!!!  My son-in-law, Ed fixed my computer yet again remotely from Illinois.  It always amazes me how he can do that.  However, I'm cruising along now with a happy and healthy computer.... again.

I'm going to have to  put up another sign next to my computer that says not to click on any pop-up that scans my computer and says Remove Virus from Computer. 

Thank you, Cloudia of Comfort Spiral for your good advice!  If my son-in-law or brother are unavailable, I'm going to ask you to come on over and fix my computer on your scooter.

Fast Food Favorites

Art found an article about how a food industry research firm called Technomic put together a list of the biggest fast food brands in America.

"Do you think you can name the most popular fast food companies in America?", he challenged.  I guessed the first two and named the next four out of order.

 I'm surprised Costco hot dogs didn't make the list.  

Every so often Art does a long 10 mile jog and he figures he needs to replenish his calories quickly so he'll invite me to have a fast food burger at Burger King.  Otherwise, we don't usually eat at the usual American fast food places.  If we happen to need to grab lunch somewhere, we'll stop at Hawaii's top fast food places (according to me) Zippy's and Yummy's.

#1 McDonald's
2011 U.S. sales: $34.2 billion
Number of locations: 14,098

#2 Subway
2011 U.S. sales: $11.4 billion
Number of locations: 24,722(Paul Davidson/Flickr)

 #3 Starbucks
2011 U.S. sales: $9.75 billion
Number of locations: 10,787

#4 Wendy's
2011 U.S. sales: $8.5 billion
Number of locations: 5,876

#5 Burger King
2011 U.S. sales: $8.4 billion
Number of locations: 7,231

#6 Taco Bell
2011 U.S. sales: $6.8 billion
Number of locations: 5,674

#7 Dunkin' Donuts
2011 U.S. sales: $5.92 billion
Number of locations: 7,015

#8 Pizza Hut
2011 U.S. sales: $5.4 billion
Number of locations: 7,595

#9 KFC
2011 U.S. sales: $4.5 billion
Number of locations: 4,793

#10 Chick-Fil-A
2011 U.S. sales: $4.05 billion
Number of locations: 1,600

Chick-Fil-A?  I've never heard of that place!  I used to like Hardee's when I didn't have to watch what I ate.  Then there is Culvers where everything oozes butter.  Hey!  Where is Dairy Queen?  I used to LOVE their chocolate dipped cones.  Sigh...

STOP it!  OK... let me think about salads.  What's my favorite salad place?

Do you have a favorite fast food restaurant? (where you only order the salads, of course.)

Blog Lesson: How to Make Comments

About a month ago, I changed my comment format.  I thought it would make it easier to use the embedded form so that I could reply to questions directly underneath your comment.  Then if anybody else wanted to also add their idea to a train of thought, they could.  It felt more like a conversation for me.

I have some friends and relatives who still haven't commented, but read my blog.  I love it that they do (of course), buuuuut... I sure wish they'd leave a comment just to let me know what they're thinking.

And just in case they don't know how to comment on this new format, I thought I'd do another tutorial.

When you get to the bottom of the post, click on the word comments.

That will open up the comment box.

If you don't have a blog or Google account, you can just click on Anonymous.

Write your comment in the comment box and remember to write your name so I know who you are.


Are you seeing how easy it is?

Now all you have to do is click on the Publish button.

If you want to preview what you wrote you can click on that button, but that's not necessary.

OK, you guys...

I'm waiting.

Obon Season

Throughout July and August, Obon services and dances are held at Buddhist temples around Hawaii.  I often forget that we are supposed to go, but of course Mom doesn't.

We went last Thursday evening.  It was fun bumping into a cousin I hadn't seen in a very long time.

We were seated in the back pew where my cousin said it was coolest by the open door.  She was right, but I couldn't hear Reverend Ishii very clearly when he gave his sermon.  He told us that Obon is a happy time when people go back home to be together again with their families along with departed ancestors and loved ones who return from the spirit world at this time.  Buddhists also don't eat any creature who was once alive because they are also returning from the spirit world and deserve to be respected.  When he was a child, Reverend Ishii said his mother told him he couldn't go fishing either.

After the days of Obon, there is often a Toro Nagashi where lanterns are set afloat on rivers to send the ancestors and loved ones back to their spirit world.  I've been to a Toro Nagashi at Haleiwa Beach and it was a very moving experience to see hundreds of lanterns with messages for that special loved one floating away on the waves.

Reverend Ishii also said this was an important time to remember and honor those parents, grandparents, great-grandparents who had walked the path ahead of us and tried to make life easier for those that followed.

I felt great that I'd already done that by writing those blog posts about my grandparents.  I do remember them and feel a great sense of gratitude for all they endured and taught us.

What I really loved about Obon when I was growing up was the teriyaki barbecue sticks and shave ice that were sold at the booths during the Bon Dance. I should tell Art that we should go and have some shave ice... just to honor the occasion, of course.

Remembering My Grandfather

My mother has told me so many stories of my grandfather, it's hard to choose which one to relate.

1928 Grandfather, Molokai

In a nutshell, after becoming a zen priest he traveled to Kalaupapa, Molokai and helped the Buddhist victims of leprosy, doing all he could to make their lives more comfortable.

1931 Molokai, Grandfather and daughters

After seven years he returned to Japan with his expanding family.  The tragic loss of their two year old son to leukemia moved them to North Korea to start a new life.  Grandfather built a new temple there and began his ministry.

After the war, my grandfather was taken by Soviets to a Siberian Prisoner of War camp for two years where he nearly died.  Returning to Japan barely alive, he became a school teacher and principal.  Soon he was able to build a temple where he could again become a priest.

1970 Grandfather and Grandmother, Sendai

When I arrived in 1970, I wasn't sure what to expect.  I thought he might be stern.  Mom seemed to be so in awe of him.  I just expected Buddhist priests to be stoic and maybe too worldly for someone as immature as I was.

I was awed myself when I met him.  There was an aura about him.  He'd suffered so much in his life, and yet he wasn't depressed or angry.  He wanted to help others to deal with their pain because he understood what pain was.

When he was studying his texts, you couldn't distract his concentration.  However, when you asked him something he gave you his entire attention and seemed to be able to see right into your heart.  I drew a Daruma (Buddhist monk) and he was so pleased that I'd tried.  I was touched since he was an incredible artist as well.

I've mentioned before how I asked him if Christianity or Buddhism was better.  His answer had surprised me.  He said it's not the religion, but what the person does with it.  There are good and bad Christians.  There are good and bad Buddhists.  He talked about the respect he had for Brother Dutton who he'd met on Molokai.  Brother Dutton had taken over at Kalaupapa for Father Damien.

Grandfather took me to the main Zen temple in Sendai where he trained to be a priest and explained how harsh that training was.  He smiled as he answered my naive questions.  He and grandmother also took me to an onsen near Zao.  All this surprised me.

1970 Grandfather with grandsons, Sendai

I loved watching him playing with his grandchildren.  He loved them so much.  I know he was trying to help me understand and recognize that I was part of the family as well.  He had only three weeks to make up for all the years that I didn't really know much about them.

The reason why I was surprised that he took me on these trips to the temple and the rather far away onsen is because he was dying of colon cancer.  He'd already had a colectomy.

A few months later Mom would return to Japan for the first time since she left 21 years before because grandfather was admitted to the hospital.  He would pass away almost two years later.   Though my grandparents are gone, it's amazing how they are still a part of our lives.  Their influence and love guide their children and grandchildren still.

Grandfather

Some of my cousins are now Christian and that is wonderful because it brings them peace and happiness.  I am Buddhist.  I really feel it is part of who I am and I will use the lessons that I've been taught to strive to be a person who will be accepting, helpful and respectful of others.  I don't think my grandfather would mind very much if I chose to follow another religion so long as I was a good person first.  However, I saw his example and will try to follow it.

May we all find peace and happiness in our own way and be glad for others who have found a path which might be different but just as beautiful.

Remembering

I wrote earlier about my trip to Japan in 1970 when I met my mother's parents, sister, brother and extended family for the first time.  Mom says I was famous for a while because people enjoyed the quirks in my language.  Let's face it.  My Japanese stunk and actually still does, but I'm glad I can provide some amusement for loved ones.

That trip to Japan was pivotal for me.  There was so much I didn't understand about my mother, and my grandmother was able to shed a lot of light into my understanding of her.

Mom is of the old generation of Japanese who did not express affection to their children physically or even verbally.  There was quite a bit more formality than there is in the U.S.  By kindergarten age, mothers didn't pamper or coddle their children.  Mom would never hug us or say, "I love you."  It just wasn't done.

My grandmother told me a story that touched me so much I wrote it all down in my 1970 trip journal:

Circa 1936, Mom in Sendai

"After breakfast, Obaachan (grandmother) told me about mama and her two sisters when they were young.  They'd been told not to be rude in front of guests.  However, being children they forgot and asked the guests for candy.  When the guests left, Obaachan called mom, chewed her out and shut her in her room.  Mom cried and cried and apologized profusely.  The other two sisters, realizing what they were in for ran off, not coming back until everything was over.

As for mom, Ojiichan (grandfather) feeling very sorry for his eldest daughter, went in and told Hirochan (mom's name) it was alright and that if she wouldn't do it again, she could go out and play for she was quite forgiven.

To Grandfather's astonishment, mom shook her head with tears in her eyes.  "No, it's mother who scolded me and I cannot be pardoned deep down by anyone but her."

Very proud, Grandfather called Obaachan who (though feeling very loving and mushy inside) very sternly pardoned her.  Mom understood what her mother was telling her.  She knew her mother loved her and was teaching her how to behave.  She ran off happily to join her sisters.

Obaachan went on to tell me that was the nature of a mother's love in Japan.  She said Japanese mothers must be like a mother lion. She needs to roll her children down the hill and make them climb back up to her.  This way, they will become strong and great.

I told Obaachan that mom was different, that she was more stoic.  "No," said Obaachan.  "Your mother wrote me a letter saying that when you left Hawaii to come here she stayed at the airport until she couldn't see the plane anymore.  Your brother even asked if she was going to stay there until morning."

1970 Grandmother and me in Matsushima

I remember my grandmother and I both sitting next to each other, not touching, with tears running down our faces and feeling such a love for each other.  I may have forgotten many things about that trip, but I remember those precious moments at my grandfather's temple.  It changed my life.

Forgotten Memories

The 1970 Expo was held in Osaka, Japan and some of my friends and I thought it would be exciting to go to Japan with the University of Hawaii Art and Architecture 471 course which involved taking a six week trip to Japan with a paper following the tour and daily instructions.  Three weeks would be for travel and study from Tokyo, then heading south to Kyoto, Nara, Miyajima, Hiroshima, Matsuyama, Takamatsu and Osaka.  After Osaka we would have three weeks to do whatever we wanted to.

Yahoo!  Freedom to do whatever we wanted!  The yen was 360 yen to a dollar!  It's now about 79 yen to the dollar.  Our little dollar would go a long, long way!

Nope.  When I mentioned this trip to Mom, she said I needed to go.  It cost only $600 and she felt it would be a good time for me to go and meet her parents and the rest of her family in Sendai for the first time.  I would spend all of those three free weeks at my grandfather's temple.

My wings were clipped.

That was how it began and I will tell the story of those three weeks in Sendai in another post.

What I'd like to write about today is my HORRIBLE memory!  I've been immersed in scanning old photos again.  When I came across this old album from 42 years ago I decided to take it apart and scan the photos.  Although I didn't label the photos like I do now, I kept a detailed travel journal and I still had the Art and Architecture itinerary.

What really unnerved me was how much I had totally forgotten of those first three weeks.  I guess discovering my grandparents overwhelmed my memory capacity so the first part of the trip got shoved to the back of my brain.

I'd gone to the Ueno Park Zoo.  Why don't I remember that at all?

I went to the Meiji Jinja (Shrine).

When I went to the same Meiji Jinja with  Art, Mom, my brother, Dennis and Uncle T in 2008 I did NOT remember having been there before at all!

I'd forgotten I'd been to Kinkaku-ji (Temple of the Golden Pavilion) in Kyoto.

I went back to Kinkaku-ji in 2008 with Mom, Dennis and Art.  Art and I had also taken our children there in 1996.

I'd forgotten that I'd gone there in 1970 also.

I found this photo of me down at the right bottom corner at Himeji Castle.

I thought our 2010 trip with Mom and Auntie Grace was the first time I'd gone to Himeji Castle.

Good grief!  I'd even been to Miyajima in 1970!  How could I have forgotten?   Maybe the rain had clouded out my memory.

In 1996, the kids loved it when we took them to see that famous torii.  I wonder if it even looked familiar to me then.

This is the photo that shocked me.  I'd been to see Ritsurin Garden in Takamatsu.

I was just there with Art, Dennis and Mom in April of this year.  I could swear it was the first time I'd been there.  Nothing looked familiar.

I'm reading through my journal and it sounds almost like I'm reading about somebody else.

However, slowly, through the mist that shrouded my memories, I'm seeing the girl I was then.  I was so young and had so much I needed to learn.  I would meet Art the following year and then I began to grow up.