Almost no word from Zen in Japan~

But his twenty year old sister sent these photos "PURIKURA" You, know, those little photo booths~in Japan they make the best there are~

with Friends

At Henry Cowell State Park.Cora and hubby Joshua~ were at Zen's birth when we first met, friends of friends~



Over the years we haven't gotten to hang out much~

but their family got to spend time with Taka and me in Santa Cruz this week. Their gorgeous family is one of the most beautifully functioning families I've ever met! Special!!!

Another day, my tennis friends, we picnic-ed out by the pool. Tatyana and Quinn with daughter Jody. Another Beautiful Day!

Taka's news in 日本. 8/09

This is a photo of Taka's Great Great Grandfather in front of the City Bank he helped open! (The bank in Japan I coincidentally chose to bank with from 20 years ago! And still do!)

今回日本に帰って見つけました．鶴田家の歴史の一部。自分のひいおじいさんの弟。

おじさんが何と岡崎信用金庫の創設者、初代会長でした。

写真真ん中でどかっと座ってる人です。

もっとさかのぼると面白いですね．

日本japan.（nishio実際は一色ですが）に到着して３，4日めに友達と食事。

パブー．オリジナルカレー。うまかった。みんな元気でした．自分はこの後東京に、友達らは富士山。とぼりに。。

一心（ishin),詩音(sheon)、ごん吉にて。担々麺さすがにうまかった。仕事帰りのしおん。

京都帰りの一心。東京帰りの自分でした．

かほり！東京行く前に．シルベスターの面倒や、掃除に。。。も、感謝、感謝。santa cruz で会うのが楽しみ．

今回前半のメインの一つ．今、東京に住んでる菜穂美(Naomi)に会いにいくだけだったのが、

ぜん(zen)が八王子でbjリーグのサマーキャンプに参加。楽しい東京の旅になりました．

ぜんの引率してくれた北林さん、友達のルー。もかけつけて、キャンプ２日目の終了後に１枚．

本当にでかくなりやがって．

　なおみ　いい女になった　と　ルー１９５ぐらいだったかな？９月から大学生がんばれー

　　　全の中学校時代、ジュニアの仲間たちと，親と食事会。スカパナマにて。蒸し暑い

　　　　　　　　　　　　全の連れ．毎日遊んでも飽きない頃だな．

　　　全とお世話になった親たちと．ごちそうさまでした。今後ともよろしくです．

そして、ぜんとかほり。いろいろ会った今回の里帰りでした．

Santa Cruz has been "Up in Smoke"

But it didn't come too close to the town of Santa Cruz.

The Westside, where we first lived, was perhaps 30 minutes away from roads firefighters and many, many firetrucks took into the hills alight.

(above is from our patio- that's not fog)

Since last week, it's been smokey all the way to San Francisco, and the smokey smelling air did make me cough. It wasn't so terrible that I felt I should wear masks though.

We now live on the Eastside. Yesterday morning, while out for a walk, I found this car had obviously driven from an area closer to all the burning.

But the news of it's containment is a relief.

So, on a lighter side, here's another entertaining car in I took a photo of by the seaside.

(click on these to get a closer look! xoxox)

Went to MONTANA!!! MOM's and FRANK's

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That's me taking a photo of Mom and me!

And little brother Carl, me and Jay who's stubborn like her mom and won't let us take a photo of her.

I got to meet Carl's gorgeous woman MC. I couldn't get enough of her!!

And then there was the darling, sweet dog Rosco. He had gottem his chest torn open, and went for stitches the first morning I was there. He is fine now. He had chased a deer and tried to get past a fence that was sharp with needle like spears on it.

(click on the photo and see it up CLOSE! It's SO pretty)

Here is Mom and Frank's house. See the OSGOOD sign? To the left of the sign is the guest house (below too) and to the right of the sign is the main house. That's Mom and Frank riding their horses (above).

The guest house, where us kids stay.

And the main house, where, on the other side, runs a river. A strong, noisy, powerful river.

We went on a horse ride. With a couple of neighbor's horses. These two horses, Frank's horse is to the right, Slick. The neighbor's horse is on the left, and Slick and his horse friend were really nice to each other! They kept touching noses. I couldn't get the photo : (

So we took a ride~

I was only there five nights, but it was full of great times. Scrabble, tennis, jacuzzis...horses...Mom, Frank, my niece Jay~

Lightening storms and thunder, memories. A special- VERY special place!!!

Los Angeles back to Santa Cruz

On the ride down to L.A. I tried to photograph the many trucks of tomatoes. I couldn't imagine the tomatoes on the bottom not getting squished!

The onions in trucks smell SO oniony when driving behind them. Another truck: potatoes

I never have seen cows raised this way. Where there's no grass. The heat was close to 100 F.

It looked, and smelled pretty badly. Sad.

As I neared Santa Cruz County, I could see the fog from the ocean rolling over the distant mountains.

Tomorrow I fly to Montana.

Visiting L.A. and YURI and DAVID!!!

And "bye" to Taka and Zen who then left for JAPAN.

Zen's so tired of me it looks like...
The night before we got to hang out with our old Nishio friends!!!

David!!! from- what year in Nishio, Japan at NAC? 1991? And Yuri! Also at the same time she worked in the school system in Nishio.

At Yuri's house in Long Beach, Zen could totally entertain the little guys!
Zen acted as a jungle gym!
It was exercise for Zen too, I think!

FInally Yuri and Gary's little girl Ally didn't want to let Zen go when we were leaving, Ally held onto Zen's leg! Zen was a "teenager" and they were getting all they could get out of the teen!

How gorgeous of a group is this! My "baby" along with dear friend's "babies"!!!!

Oh, and David lived with us in Nishio when Zen was BORN! David ALMOST made it to see Zen's birth but JUST missed it. So Yuri too, she hung out with me while I had Zen as that baby boy!