I'm guessing she was about a year and a half.

A conversation with Akari about her future.

We took a walk yesterday

These are some picture we took yesterday. This place is a short drive from our home. If you are lucky, when you go here a troup of monkeys will be hanging out there. Sometimes there are hundreds. No such luck yesterday. As you can tell from the picture, Akari has a removable head. We take it off and place it against my neck while we're hiking.












There is a heron down there somewhere. We can see these all over. This was shot from a bridge.












The creek next to the path we were on. This is a very old path.
















Another bridge and an old hotel/restaurant. This place is still functioning. I can only guess the age, but almost certainly it was built before the war.















We went out for Indian food after our walk. Akari is chewing on a bone from the tandori chicken. She loves Indian food even if it is a bit spicy.

This is a little mirror room in a children's play area in Okinawa. It was very cool. She could have played in it all afternoon if we let her.



We were waiting near the pool at our hotel for the sun to set and I took a little video.



I just turned the camera on while we were driving along a road to get to a secluded restaurant.

Eugene Oregon

Toured Eugene by bicycle. Fifth Street Public Market, Alton Baker Park, U of O campus, Downtown. It's still a wonderful city.











"Buw-die!" West of Skinner's Butte Park.













Visited some old friends (and a new one). It's amazing how, once you start talking, it can seem like 20 years hadn't passed.

























Akari learned this "finger pointing dance" and she still does it when she's feeling really happy.












"OMG get those feet off of the clean blankets."
"It will wake her up."
"Well...O.K....Yeah...it would, wouldn't it. I guess it's O.K. just this time."

Seaside Oregon

First day on the Oregon coast was foggy and cold.













Foggy and cold, but in a nice Oregon way.













Akari had a great time swinging.

















The locals did not seem to share her joy.
Or she could have been getting the creepy Kuato vibe which I got when I looked at this picture.

*Kuato was the psychic, mutant, rebel leader growing out of his brother's abdomen in Philip K. Dick's Total Recall.







Back at the hotel. Could anything be more fun than wearing a really big pair of shoes.
















The second day warmed up.































The Oregon coast.













An absolutely beautiful day.













We very nearly had the beach to ourselves.













Totem



























Group picture of the Seaside crew.

Portland Oregon Zoo with Shasta (13 mos.)

While we were in America, we took a trip to the zoo with Akari's cousin Shasta.


























Shasta is a tom-boy! We were told in no uncertain terms that this is how we were to refer to her. The shirt we got for her turned out to be perfect. Translation: otemba-musume = tom-boy.














Akari was liking the zoo a whole lot.

















That is a sea otter without a speck of humility, believe me.












I'm guessing 5% of our trip was spent like this--loading or unloading the car.

After a hard day at the zoo, Akari crashes.

10 months

As long as the weather permits, we go on hikes each weekend. A neighbor caught us as we were returning last week and sent us the picture he took.