Happy New Year 2009!

Well, it's NYE here in Japan & Stan & I are in high gear for our party tonight. To our friends near and around the world, we wish you all happiness and health for 2009 and a peaceful and more prosperous year for all!

Love, Margie & Stan

Christmas Eve in Iwakuni

Our beautiful tree with lots of presents!

Wanted to show you a little more of our Christmas decorations. I placed my 3 large nutcrackers on the DR table this year.

And of course Bob has the Christmas spirit!

Is that a smile, Bob?

Oh, look! The blossoms on my aloe are opening just in time for Christmas!

After a very leisurely morning, Nancy called & said they're all going down to the Kintai area to show her son Danny and daughter-in-law Teresa the sights. They're visiting from NYC for the holidays. Then we're all going for sushi. Sounds like a plan. Here's a very low tide as we drive over a bridge in Iwakuni.


Wow -- that's a huge pink concrete truck!


We found all four Kirkhums inside this coffee house near the ropeway that goes up to Mt Shiroyama & Iwakuni Castle. They were going to ride up, but it was out of service today. We joined them for nice afternoon hot coffee & dessert.


Afterward, we walked around Kikko Park where the swans were posing for us.


What a showoff!

We were amazed at the right side of this tree trunk, which was mostly hollow, yet it's branches were still alive.


I like this little log bench.


And this whale of a water fountain!


Danny & Teresa walking around a shrine in the park.

Very early iris in bloom.

I love these cute trees as we drive back from the Kintai Bridge area. Takes a lot of patience to keep them trimmed this way.

I like this red bus that looks like a trolley.

Group of boys crossing at the light. Notice all the bicycles here are what we call girls' bikes in the US. Makes sense to me to not have that bar . . .

After our fill of delicious sushi at Akiyama on Hwy 188 (our favorite sushi restaurant!) where we ran into Emilie & Matt, we all head back to our house for a little Christmas Eve karaoke. Eldon & Danny singing a duet that Teresa seems to be enjoying.

Danny & Teresa


Danny spots the old trombone up on the bookcase, that I bought at an antique store in Birmingham several years ago. He made it sound SO beautiful! I think it's the first time it's been played since we've owned it. He's a professional musician in a jazz band in NYC and trombone is his intrument of choice. Teresa's a concert pianist and is scheduled to play her first concert at Carnegie Hall soon. It's a little intimidating to be in the company of such pros . . .


Stan sings.


And of course, Matt.

While Emilie & Nancy join in the fun.

Christmas Day at the Stevens

Christmas morning & this is the most presents we've ever had under our tree since we've been in Japan! Thanks to all of you for making such an effort to send our stuff early! After we ate our quiche & drank our mimosas, we opened them (thanks for the perfect goodies everyone !!!) and watched a couple of Christmas movies. What a nice restful day.


Later in the afternoon, we decided to head out to see what we could find for dinner. We were going to ride our bikes, but it was just too cold and windy today. Of course most everything is open on Christmas Day since it's not a holiday here.


Crossing a bridge -- the tide is high and the water is clear & blue.


Look at that cute bus with the Kintai Bridge featured on it.

On Hwy 2. Do those look like snow clouds?

There are always different balloon "sculptures" here on this corner near Iwakuni Port, as we head northeast on Hwy 2. Today it's Santa . . .


and a purple music note, among other things. Imagine the time involved in making these!


Ah, there's the Otake You Me Town. It's a very large department store with grocery store on the first floor. But we're headed for a large "Home Depot" kind of store called Nishimura Joy, which is behind it. Sachi needs cat grass & they usually have it here. Then we're headed to Kiki steak restaurant nearby, for Christmas dinner. It's a huge 4-level log-cabin.


In the parking lot of Nishimura Joy with Deo Deo (electronics store) behind it.

Inside, we see lots of goodies for keeping warm this winter. They sell the boots and the battery warmers that go inside to keep your toes from getting cold. It's a little weird to be shopping in a Japanese store on Christmas Day and listening to American Christmas music playing . . .

Cat food with dried fish & other seafood goodies.

Cat milk . . . Hmmm . . . . Made for or made of?

Oh, there's the cat grass that we came for today here in the cat department.

Sachi loves it.

These look like the female version of a bathmat.

So, these must be the male version . . .


And the little children ones below.


Doggy clothes, but what is the brown doggy doing?


More doggy clothes. They are taken seriously here. You seldom see a "naked" dog . . .

Cozy little dog homes for inside the house.

Christmas Dinner at Kiki Restaurant in Otake.

As we park at Kiki for our Christmas dinner, these children are excited to see Stan in his Santa hat. That's the You Me Town parking lot behind them.

Inside, it's so cozy with this fire burning. It's VERY cold today & snow is predicted.

Santa Stan at our table by the window . . .

and Margie.

Looking out the window at the palm tree in the park in front of Kiki Restaurant.


Beautiful salad, white rice, pickles & a cup of soup.


And here's how my beef filet & veggies arrive! There were 3 potato fries, onions, cabbage, bean sprouts & carrots, all raw, but sizzling on a VERY hot iron plate.


But after only a few minutes of moving everything around on this VERY hot iron plate, it's cooked & ready to eat. The sauce in the blue dish was delicious on the steak, which is so tender, it just melts in my mouth . . . It was as delicious as it looks!

Oh, here comes our dessert & coffee.