Kokochi

NRGFarming.com

Know what this plastic bag hanging from a ceiling is? If you don't, well, go on over to Niki's new blog!

Niki and Caleb have visited a few times, so you may recall, but I used to work with her mama in Tokyo when at the I.M.F. Niki is super awesome, smart, and forward-thinking. Dav and I have lots to learn from her; she's educated and been involved in farming and sustainable living. She and Caleb just moved up north, and I'm excited to have her blog to follow so Dav and I can vicariously live a life we don't quite yet have the guts or knowledge to pull off.

I love her intro bio:

"In 2004 I declared that I would try to grow all my own food. I'm still working on that one. I concede it may be impossible as I love both coffee and chocolate. But still, I strive for a self-sufficient way of life, one satisfactory to mind, body and soul. I want to be a farmer.

I am currently residing in an old farmhouse in Arcata, CA with one awesome partner, one dog, one cat, two beehives, six laying hens, and a one eyed cock. "

2 new developments

Tesla started incorporating hopping around on one leg when she dances.

She did #2 in the potty! Huge step as she's been doing peepee, but not the more significant #2. We are close to PottyPower!

Ferry ride to overcome jet-lag

The weekend I came back from Tokyo, I slept most of Saturday, but to keep myself up, we all took a ferry ride. It was beautiful, and a standard tourist ride around the bay, around Alcatraz, and under Golden Gate bride. It was perfect for just being together as a family, appreciating the beauty of San Francisco, and keeping me awake.

I had more thoughts about the Tokyo-SF thing...and how it was important to be back in Japan, feeling more Japanese, yet also it being not that big of a deal as years before where I'd feel my identity shift, and it'd take days or weeks to settle back into my life here as a San Franciscan. It was so less of a deal that I didn't blog, and now it's past : )

Too much other stuff to do!

SAKK gathering

Delayed, but here are a few pics of a Spanish paella and pizza dinner we had when Chris and I where there...and lots of beer and wine ; )

Tokyo - C'est La Vie

I didn't bring Tesla with me this time...so "Thank You!!" to Dav for holding down the routine while I was away. To take advantage of being in Tokyo without Tesla (where I'd have zero time besides work if I were with Tesla), I took my parents out to one of their favorite restaurants in Tokyo for a tiny bit of 親孝行 (oyakoko) [sorta like "filial piety"].

It was lovely. My parents have been going to C'est La Vie in Denenchofu for 20 years: small and unpretentious with high-quality dishes. My parents took me there once. My dad reviewed it eons ago. The chef and his wife just do their thing in this tiny restaurant, and they bring out tapas size small dishes so you get to taste a lot. It was lovely...and for prix fixe $55 per person, even compared to SF, I think what we had that night was a huge deal.

The rest is my feeble attempt to capture the beautiful dishes. In several, the chef incorporated Japanese ingredients which was refreshing.

Tokyo - my cousin has amazing reptiles

My cousin Kiyomichi and his wife have rare reptiles. They used to work in a reptile pet store in Yokohama, so they know their stuff...and when folks in this world keep "pets," they keep rare, strange species. Not the kind you can pet and hug, mind you, so really not my type, but I very much appreciated getting the tour of their collection when my mom and I stopped by for a visit at their home. Of all, the jumping giant toad freaked me out. I don't like but am not scared of reptiles as long as they move slowly and I feel in control. This toad is all instincts, and spends 99% buried under dirt waiting for movement. Then they jump and eat. This guy eats a frozen mouse once a week. So he doesn't need socializing...and jumps with his giant mouth. I screamed at first, but he was the most impressive. After he scared me out of my skin, I went back to get a video. We had to coax him a bit, which I felt bad about, but he jumped. They had an impressive lizard who kept hissing when I got close for a picture. And their smaller spotted-lizard-like species had a baby. They sell the babies from time to time. I didn't mind trying to hold the albino-like-spotted-lizard-like beings...not a pet I'm interested in, but still cool. Then I took a picture of a professional picture of one of them. The photographer was a friend of theirs, and snapped quite a beautiful version of the little reptile. These are mini crocodile skulls from the former owner who gave the skulls to them. Apparently, you have to have a license to own these such skulls to regulate a market for them.
Not my thing...but I can understand folks who dig reptiles, and how fascinating it must be to raise such strange beings.

Deborah

I've delightfully been slack about blogging as I had quite a bit of traveling, and was just enjoying life as is. But in the end, my posts are for me (and maybe Tesla) so let me backtrack a bit.

We were in Walla Walla to visit Deborah. Deborah and I met in Tokyo, when I was transferring from a Japanese elementary school to the American School in Japan. By then, although I was born and raised until 9 in the U.S., I was more Japanese at that point, so it was quite a culture-shock to go to A.S.I.J.. Deborah is a child of missionary parents who are not Japanese, but she grew up completely in Japan. Although American, she is Japanese in many ways. We became close because of that.

We've kept in touch, and now Deborah is a mama. On her own. A beautiful, gutsy move. I wanted to support her, so after her mom helped a month, and after she had a spring break (she is a professor and had no complete maternity leave other than reducing her load by 1 class), I came in to help. Actually, just for a week, and with Dav and Tesla. Realistically, with a toddler, how much did I help? I held down the house while she went to class, and we were hopefully an entertaining family, but toddler + baby is hard!

One afternoon she went to class, and I announced I'd take Akio and Tesla to the park. The park was a bit far so Tesla wanted the stroller. I had Akio in a baby carrier bjorn. But it was a bit too sunny so with one hand on the stroller (which really requires two hands to steer), and one trying to shield Akio with a cloth I had over his head, I barely got out of the driveway when Deborah drove up, done with her day. Of course, with Tesla all happy we were heading to the park, I had to hand off Akio to Deborah, and go play with Tesla. All to say, I wasn't exactly the best "help."

Hopefully, it was fun for all :) More importantly, I got Deborah time.

p.s. the picture is where T got her sakura flower in her hair.

p.p.s. some belated videos: Tesla cleaning up after playing at the Children's musem where they had a shopping area. And Tesla enjoying sidewalk chalk that daddy-o enhanced for her trains. More of that...so nice and different from S.F....

Tokyo~~~~~~

At the Six Apart Tokyo office, doing my work and attending meetings. Love it, yet I also miss Dav and Tesla. I spoke with her on the phone (she told me she had ice cream at Karla's when it was very hot), and it was weird to hear her chat like a little girl! I'm not used to hearing her via a phone like that. So grown up.

I'll get back on the plane Sat. afternoon, arriving in SF Sat. morning : )

Whoopemup Cafe - Waitsburg, WA

Thanks to Deborah, we went to a fabulous Cajun southern cooking restaurant called Whoopemup Cafe, located in the tiniest town ever. We would never have come across it unless Deborah recommended it. She was going to join us, but was too tired that evening. Having a newborn does that... Below is the menu with fried frog legs, crawfish pie (we had that), chicken n' waffle, catfish (I had), and etouffee (Dav had).
The meal was delicious, and we had a lovely local wine. Tesla was welcomed, and with the help of Totoro playing in the iPhone, well-behaved, so we had a nice dinner.

Palouse Falls

Deborah suggested we visit Palouse Falls on our way back from Colfax, and we're very glad we did. Not only was it a beautiful day and drive 10 miles out of way, but it was a pretty spectacular fall. You drive up with little indication there's a huge drop coming up; quite impressive. We had fun taking all sorts of pictures nearby, and stopped for a milk shake too!