This knife cut on the backswing, rather than the forward swing, which took some getting used to.


But I am determined! (with a little help from a friend . . .)


Eldon uses the belt sander for smoothing.

Ingrid & new friend.


Measuring for holes must be very precise. We have placed masking tape down one side to mark where holes go.


Ingrid & Sensei. We saw him buying PVC in Nafco & he invited us to attend this class. Lucky break for us!

Look at this cute little boy! He came with his dad. The child's size flute is smaller.


Ingrid gets help from Sensei.


Is that angle perfect? Everyone is really concentrating.

Father helps his son drill holes in his flute.


Eldon tries to figure out how our Sensei does it!


Stan liked the power tools the best . . .

Then he tries to make music . . .


And so does Ingrid . . .


We Americans all had decided our flutes were defective, but then this little little old man played each of ours & made the most beautiful sounds! Hmmm, guess it was operator error. After a while, Eldon & Nancy (who are natural musicians) were getting melodious sounds from theirs. Guess the rest of us will have to practice more!

We had worked so hard during our class, that we were hungry! And it was lunchtime, so we stopped for sushi. Look at this great wall clock in our favorite sushi place, Akiyama . . . it looks very real, but of course it's genuine Japanese plastic food.


Very tiny flower garden on the street near Akiyama.

After a delicious lunch, we headed down to the Kintai area. We're crossing over a bridge.


Kintai Bridge with camellias blooming.

Plum blossoms in the park near the Kintai Bridge. Although it doesn't look like it, it was very cold & windy today. The fountains were working when we arrived, but by the time we left, they had stopped. Water was blowing everywhere!

I've never seen curly-leaf pansies before. I assume a Japanese hybrid . . . These are outside Ruman's Austrian Bakery -- a favorite stop. We're frozen so it's time for a hot coffee break!


Valentine's display inside.

It's hard to decide. Everything in this case is hand-made fresh every day. . .

A little closer look . . .

Look at this yummy dessert . . . not a bad price since you get to keep the Stitch mug!

Looking through the window into the kitchen in the back where the pastry chefs do their magic.

It wasn't easy, but we made our decisions. This is Stan's cheesecake, decorated with fresh fruit. See the red hearts in the cream?

Of course, I had chocolate. This is chocolate mousse cake . . .

Fuji Grand Grocery Store

Our last stop was the huge grocery store in the lower level of Fuji Grand . . . Stan was enjoying the dancing cows on this video in a dairy section.


We took home some delicious fresh-cooked meats from this department.

In this booth, this man was creating fresh fruit & cream waffles from scratch. He baked the waffles and then filled with fresh fruit & cream. No preservatives or artificial flavors here!




Yum! Of course we had to take some home . . .

HS Wall Mural Update

The school artists have made progress since the earlier pictures I posted. This mural is being painted in the high school hallway outside the library, where Stan's office is located

Sherri Teaches Mountain Biking 2/3

Here are a couple of pics received from Sherri earlier this month & her description:

"Here's what I did yesterday. I taught a Trips For Kids Clinic and took them mtn
biking. These are underprivileged kids from the Boys and Girls Club. We do
it about once a quarter and they always ask me to lead it. I love doing it too."

We're so proud of you Sherri! Keep up the good work . . . She's the one in red shirt & black tights.

A Tribute

Gib Sedwick lived 91 years and he REALLY lived – probably the equivalent of several lifetimes. His recent death didn’t make headlines, but he was special not only to me, but anyone who knew him. He was the no-nonsense dad of a childhood friend, and a good friend to my father. They were interested in so many of the same things – electronics & technical stuff that most everyone else didn’t even understand. But they could talk for hours. And after my dad died in 2000, I felt closer to him whenever I was around Mr Sedwick.

Imagine back in the 1950s before email & Internet, being able to talk with someone half-way around the world for free! Mr Sedwick was the first short-wave radio enthusiast I ever knew. As a family, they attended stock car races & I was invited to go with them several times. It was loud, dusty and much more exciting than anything my family ever did! It was always an adventure just going to their house. You just never knew what would be happening.

Every summer, Mr & Mrs Sedwick & their two daughters packed up their pop-up camper and traveled across America. I doubt if there’s a state they did not visit. After my family moved to Idaho when I was in HS, they traveled out to visit us a year or so later, while visiting the Great Northwest. They were an adventuring family and he was the lead adventurer.

One thing I especially remember in recent years was our church honoring all the military veterans. They were encouraged to bring any mementos they might still have. He arrived, dressed up in his WWII Navy Seabee uniform (which still fit!), and proudly showed everyone his hat. Taped to the inside was a picture of his beautiful young bride, Ruth, which he had carried with him all during that war. That brought tears to my eyes then and still does now. He said she was his motivation to get home safely. He did, and remained married to the same woman for over 65 years.

Even though he had his hips replaced – twice – he and his wife ballroom danced almost every week until his stroke last year. It was a joy to see them dressed in their finery, holding each other close and gazing into each other’s eyes. He made an unforgettable impression on my life, and he will be greatly missed. Goodbye Mr Sedwick. Tell my dad hello.

Margie

Sue's Grandchildren . . .

Turner & Clay after an unusually heavy Birmingham snowfall in January . . .


Their sister Lanie's room after a baby shower! Lanie is actually due within the next couple of weeks (so right now she has a room without a view). Doesn't look like she will need anything for a while . . . Think they're excited to be having a girl after two boys?


A few hours later, all has been absorbed & you can see how cute her bedroom is. All it needs now is a cute little pink baby girl!

Around the house . . .

Although we've had sunny days during the weekdays in January & early February, the weekends have been rainy and/or snowy, so we've not been doing as much outside stuff. But Spring will soon be here and all that will change . . .

Looking north out our living room balcony door, I see a rainbow over the Otake smokestacks.


Full moon over the flightline & toward the sea, from the BR balcony.


Below the full moon, the hangar is open tonight -- a sure sign they will be night flying. This is when the "white noise" machines REALLY come in handy!