Observations from Japan

Greetings from Japan, everyone. I am in Tokyo for the annual CEDEC game developers conference, and got in here Thursday night. Today while heading out to Nvidia to pick up the demo machines they are loaning to us for the show, I happened to notice this girl's shoes (pic at left). Sorry I chopped heads off in this shot, but it's hard to take good pictures with a cell phone while walking in a crosswalk with hundreds of other people. Love the shoes, though. Did gold moon boots come back in style??? The shoes on the girl in the upper left look interesting, too.

At any rate, it's exciting to be here right now. Japan is holding a parliamentary election here tomorrow, and they say that after 54 years of LDP control, the opposition party, the DPJ, is going to win control of the lower house of parliament (the DPJ already controls the upper house). The Liberal Democratic Party has held control since 1955, and it appears that the Democratic Party of Japan will assume control tomorrow. Though "LDP" has the "L" word in it, believe it or not it's the politically conservative party here. Ironically, the DPJ is actually the politically liberal party. It'll be fun to watch the local news coverage to see how crazy they are about following this stuff in Japan.

Meanwhile, this pic on the right I snapped today at Nvidia's office building in Akasaka. Though this is to prevent the spread of the N1H1 virus, having hand sanitizers in public buildings probably isn't a bad idea generally, anyway. Today was a Saturday, though, so the building was largely empty - I had no way of gauging how much this thing is used.

Finally... below are daytime and nighttime panorama shots (stitched together from multiple photos) from my hotel room window. This is taken from the 26th floor of the Hotel Pacific Tokyo, overlooking the Shinagawa train station.

Western Idaho Fair

The Western Idaho Fair is running in Boise for 10 days, and as many times as most of our kids have been to the fair over the past three summers that we've been here, neither Michelle nor myself had ever gone. In fact, even more pathetic is that as long as I've lived in Boise (three years) with all of the events held nearly every weekend at the fairgrounds, I had never been there. So we fixed all that today.

Justin and Christopher have actually worked at the fair each of the past couple of years. Pronto Pups, a popular corn dog franchise here in Boise, always operates food/drink stands at the fair. Though Justin and Christopher are gone, Brianna worked the lemonade booth at the fair. Of course, you know our Brianna. Always so shy and afraid to speak to people. Yeah... right!!! They've had her at the cash register (fear not: though polynomials frighten her as they do me, counting bills and change comes second nature to this teenage girl!!!), and she has loved interacting with customers. To the left here is a picture of her working at the lemonade booth this afternoon. She has worked 12-13 hours each day she has worked so far, and that will likely continue throughout most of the 10 days the fair is in town (she'll take tomorrow, Sunday, off, as well as next Wednesday to take some online summer school class finals that I know she is DYING to take on!!!).

So, Michelle, Andrew, Mark, Steven and I spent 3-4 hours at the fair today. To the right here is a picture of A, M and S near the entrance. We rode several rides, drank some lemonade (of course!), took in a couple of shows, and saw quite a few farm animals... typical fair stuff. All in all it was "fun" just hanging out with family outdoors in 95-degree heat, but the fair wasn't "all that and a bag of chips." Hmmm... maybe we should have purchased a bag of chips with our lemonade.......

For all 14 pics I have posted, please click here for the Facebook album, or here for the Flickr album.

Brianna's Persuasive Speech

This summer Brianna is taking an online speech class. She has regular classwork for this class, but obviously needs to do speeches as well. Her speeches need to be done in front of an audience, and we record and post these speeches for her teacher to review and grade.

Well... this afternoon we all gathered to film Brianna's "persuasive speech" but we all got the giggles. I've put together a bloopers reel from her "speech" this morning, which you see below. In her persuasive speech, Brianna is trying to persuade people that it's a good idea to give your children music lessons.

Check out the speech below, and let me know if you're persuaded. :-)

Freedom Team

PFC Christopher J. Goodale, a Soldier in the United States Army, has submitted you for a Freedom Team Salute Commendation for your support and sacrifice as an Army Parent.

So starts the letter (to the right) that we received today, along with a certificate (below), and Army Parent lapel pins for Michelle and I. We will wear them proudly; in fact, I even look forward to wearing mine on my sports coat when I'm in Japan in a couple of weeks. We'll see what sort of conversation starter that ends up being. :-)

A week ago today, Christopher's platoon entered "White Phase" of training, which we thought allowed him more freedoms and more time. However, we haven't received any letters from him this week, other than very brief notes along with things he has sent home. So we cannot wait to hear from him again soon!!!

I still have quite a few letters to post on his Letters from a Warrior blog; please forgive me for not getting to that.

Courageously Step Forward

Last week we received a letter from the Church, about PFC Goodale's attendance at the church on base at Ft. Benning, Georgia. To the right is a scan of the letter, with the text OCR'd below. I like how Brother Oaks writes, "In these troubled times, it is heartwarming to see sons and daughters courageously step forward to help preserve our freedom and way of life."

Indeed, it is true!!! And Christopher has stepped forward; we are proud of him. At basic training, he gets time to write letters, and we received three letters from him this past week. They don't OCR well, so Michelle is re-typing Chrisophter's handwriting (end editing out platoon member/leadership names, etc., which they advise us to do). We'll get those up when we can.

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Goodale:

We recently learned that Christopher has joined the military and is attending basic training at Ft. Benning, GA. We are pleased to inform you that he has been attending the Church services on base and are grateful for the spirit he brings to the meetings. President Funk is the Church leader at Ft. Benning and will do all he can to help strengthen Christopher's faith and testimony. We appreciate your support and know you join with us in asking that the Lord will guide and protect him during this time of uncertainty and turmoil in the world.

In these troubled times, it is heartwarming to see sons and daughters courageously step forward to help preserve our freedom and way of life. You can be proud of the part you played in molding Christopher's character. Courage and patriotism do not come automatically; they are planted in the hearts of children by their parents. We express our gratitude to you for your selfless service in his behalf.

We have a deep and abiding interest in Christopher's welfare and want to ensure the blessings of Church membership are available wherever he is stationed. As military members move around, occasionally they are unable to find out where and when the Church meetings are held. Our Military Relations Division can assist them. Likewise, we are able to help concerned parents locate the bishop or branch president where their son or daughter is stationed. In addition, many times we can assist in locating the name of a group leader aboard a ship or at a deployed location around the world.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact the Military Relations Division at (801) 240-2286 or e-mail them at PST-Military@ldschurch.org. We know that the Lord is mindful of Christopher and the challenges he will face as he valiantly serves in the military.

Sincerely,
Robert C. Oaks

Grab Kleenex Before Watching

I have uploaded a couple of videos from the funeral services for James Michael Cotter II, held in January 2005. Michael was in a singing/dancing group called the "Hi-Tops," and they performed at his funeral. Below are videos embedded from YouTube, of the group singing "God Bless the USA" and "Hero." When this group performs "Hero," each member wears a shirt with his/her picture on it. At the funeral, they all had a picture of Michael pinned over their own picture - it was really sweet. At the end of the song, they all point to a picture of Michael up on the wall. Enjoy... but try to ignore the family members on the first couple of rows weeping in both joy and sadness. :-)

We have more video from the funeral, and I'll post some of that later.

Family Reunion

Over Independence Day weekend, we held a Descendants of Morris and Cora Wilcox family reunion in Delta, Utah. My maternal Grandma and Grandpa Morris and Cora were both born in 1905. My grandpa passed away in 1984, and I remember it well. I was in my senior year of high school, and sitting in my "College Typing" class when I was summoned to the office, where I was informed that my grandpa had just passed away. As much as grandma wanted to go be with grandpa, she still lived for more than 10 more years. They had five children, of which my mother was the oldest. The picture here on the right is of the surviving siblings (all but my mom are there) and their spouses.

Mark had Boy Scout Camp all that week, returning Saturday (the Fourth of July), so Michelle stayed home to wait for him, while on Friday Brianna, Andrew, Steven and I drove down to Delta (about 8 hours from Boise). It was weird not having my full family with me, especially Michelle, but we had a lot of fun. Then on Saturday evening, Michelle and Mark flew down to SLC. We left the reunion early to go pick them up, then Saturday night we stayed in Salt Lake, for my cousin's baby's blessing in Provo that next morning. The pic here to the left is a picture from that.

Anyway... on Friday evening, the four of us checked in to our hotel in Delta and got ready for a fun-filled 24 hours there in that HOT SPOT of Utah (Delta, with a population of all of 3,200, in a county with just over 13,000). :-) But seriously, it was fun to experience Small Town America on the country's birthday.

Friday evening, the town hosted a bike parade, where the main street was blocked off, and the kids (and many many adults) could ride up the street on their decorated bikes, scooters, etc. Amongst all the pics I got were some of our own family that participated. But the real highlight of the evening was the family program we had. The pic here to the right is all of the second cousins singing Lee Greenwood's "Proud to Be an American." I won't go in to all of the details, but it was a great program, and we had a lot of fun.

On Saturday, we all went to the Fourth of July Parade that the city of Delta had. I couldn't believe how many people were there!!! I think the entire county was there, and then some. But it was a way cool parade. To the left here is my sister and her husband and Austin, strolling down the street just before the parade. There was even an Air Force flyover - how cool is that???!!! That afternoon, many of us first cousins and their families went to the movies to escape the heat. Delta has a two-screen theater, and I think those who went to the movies were split between the new Transformers movie and the new Ice Age movie. Most of the clan was going to the town's Demolition Derby that night, but we missed it because we had headed back up to Salt Lake. I heard it was way cool, though.

Anyway... it was great fun. You can see all 66 pics I have posted here on Flickr, or here on Facebook.

Fun Day at Lagoon

Over the Independence Day weekend, we had a Descendants of Morris and Cora Wilcox family reunion in Delta, Utah (I'll be posting some pics from the reunion later). After the reunion and before heading home, we spent a day at the amusement park in Farmington, UT, "Lagoon." We went on quite a few roller coasters, played in the water park, and Brianna, Andrew and Mark even "flew" the "Sky Coaster" - GREAT FUN!!! All six of us even crammed in to the little tiny photo booth at the left, resulting in the wacky pictures you see scanned on the right. Thanks, Brianna, for suggesting this; it's a good thing we're a close family!

Also that weekend, on the evening of the Fourth of July, we found ourselves at an Applebees restaurant in West Valley City, UT for dinner and no fireworks plans. The restaurant manager must have taken pitty on us, so he invited us to join he and his staff when they closed at 10pm, as he had purchased some $200 worth of fireworks for his staff since they had to work on the holiday. So... for Independence Day 2009, we enjoyed fireworks in a parking lot with the Applebees staff; that'll be a fun memory.

Here are some additional photos from the day, and you can see all the pics from Lagoon and our Applebees fireworks here on Facebook, or here on Flickr.

Address for PFC Christopher James Goodale

Today we finally received an address for Christopher while he's at Basic Training. So between now and September 10, 2009 (when he graduates Basic Training - Michelle and I intend to be there for the ceremony), you can reach him at the address below. I'm sure he would love to hear from you, so please write him at:

PVT Christopher Goodale
RN 303 3rd Plt
DCO, 2-47INF
5375 Hanson Drive
Fort Benning, GA 31905

We've also received two letters to date from Christopher, the contents of which I will post when I have a chance to retype/edit them. He also called this past Saturday evening. He was given just 5 minutes to speak (though we spoke for 8 - I hope he didn't get smoked for that), and he, Andrew, Mark and I had a nice but brief chat. Christopher said it was "very hard" but he sounded great, and anxious to start doing what he went there to do (train hard).

A Sentimental American

Five years ago this weekend, I sent an e-mail to my family, entitled "A Sentimental American." I had completely forgotten about it, until my sister recently reminded me of it. I post it below in its original form, adding only a couple of additional countries that I have visited since then, as I travel the globe. Happy Independence Day from a sentimental American.....

Happy Independence Day from a very sentimental American. It occurred to me today that I have passed through eight U.S. ports of entry, upon returning to these great United States from various overseas trips. Whether it be at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport, or at SFO in San Francisco, or any other ports of entry I have passed through, they have all had one thing in common: Just prior to entering the Immigrations and Customs clearance areas, there is undoubtedly a depiction of the U.S. flag, and a very prominent sign stating, "Welcome to the Unites States of America."

It further struck me today that since the first of this year, alone, I have passed through the international arrivals areas of LAX some six times, and through San Jose International Airport's port of entry once. Certainly more than once in this my 38th year, upon seeing "Welcome to the United States of America," I have had to fight back tears. In many ways, I have felt unworthy of the U.S. passport that I so proudly hold. Many times throughout the years, as I approach the Immigration officers at these U.S. ports of entry, I have had to wipe away a tear, fearing that these guys would think I'm a bit nutty. But... I truly get all weak and sappy when I consider the great country whose passport I feel so protected by. And it gets worse with each passing year. I guess I'm just a sentimental American.

Even though I've visited a lot of the same countries many times, I haven't really been to that many countries. My limited international experience includes Japan (where I have also lived), Germany, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, China, Hong Kong, Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, The Netherlands, France, and Italy. Of ironic note, very few of these countries proudly display their flag and prominently place "Welcome to ......... " signs in their ports of entries. The United States is a very welcoming nation, and I swell with patriotic pride every time I see "Welcome to the United States of America" upon returning home. I guess I'm just a sentimental American.

I truly wish that more Americans could share in this experience, and truly felt the spirit of "Welcome to the United States..." upon returning to our blessed nation. Perhaps fewer Americans would be inclined to listen to and support those fellow citizens who hold their mother country in contempt. One such prominent U.S. citizen recently told a gathering in the United Kingdom, "You're stuck with being connected to this country of mine, which is known for bringing sadness and misery to places around the globe." Such statements really break my heart.

I regularly give thanks to God that we have the right to free speech, but that doesn't mean that what people say is always correct or responsible. In fact, I'm grateful I have the right to reject the lunacy that sometimes spews from the mouths of such America-hating fellow citizens. This past week I have been brought to tears thinking about some of the malicious things some of our own citizens have said about our country. I guess I'm just a sentimental American.

If you will indulge me, I would like to share some of the things I have learned from people who are NOT citizens of these great United States:

• In the late summer of 1986, I sat in the home of a Japanese family (father, mother, a son, and a daughter), and the mother in the family recounted to me (in her own Japanese tongue) the story of how her entire family (grandparents, parents, siblings) were killed in the atomic fireball that consumed Nagasaki on August 9, 1945. She happened to be out of the city at the time, at a prep school in Tokyo. As she recalled the story, I began to feel extremely awkward. You know what she said, though? She told me that she was GLAD that we Americans recognized evil and stood up against it. She explained that all during the U.S. Occupation of Japan through 1952, that she deeply resented Americans, but that in the end, she was glad that America didn't drag the war on any longer, and that we rid the world of Imperialist Japan. We all cried during the discussion. They insisted to me there's were tears of happiness. As for me, I guess I'm just a sentimental American.

• In March of 2003, shortly after the Iraq war started, I sat with two Italians at a business lunch in Genova, Italy. We had a very candid discussion over lunch, a conversation started by the two gentlemen I was dining with. They freely shared their views of Americans, and the current war effort. They expressed to me that, only two time zones away from Iraq, they feared what Iraq could do to them, and stated their gratitude to America, for standing up against evil. They broadened it beyond the scope of the current conflict, and furthermore stated how grateful they were for all that America has done over the years to ensure freedom throughout Europe. Driving back up the Italian and French Riviera coasts to return to my Cannes hotel, I fought back tears. I guess I'm just a sentimental American.

• Not quite two weeks ago, I was in Seoul, South Korea, when one of their own faced a terrible, unjust execution in Iraq. Fearing possible anti-American sentiment, I tried to lay as low as I could. My fears may have been largely unfounded, and I hope they were. One South Korean woman asked if I had heard the news, and spoke very openly about it. I asked her, frankly, if South Koreans were saddened or angry. She sadly replied, "Both." I pressed further, "Are South Koreans angry at Americans?" She smiled and emphatically said "NO!" Upon further pressing, she explained that some younger Koreans hold Americans in jealous resentment, but that certainly any older Koreans still held Americans in great appreciation, for our involvement in the Korean War, for protecting their freedom. She told me she is 26, and is appreciative that Americans fight so strongly for freedom around the world.

Of course, the above-listed experiences offer anecdotal evidence, at best; however, I would bet that these are not unique circumstances. I believe such sentiments are held by many individuals who are citizens of other nations. Unfortunately, their voices will continue to be drowned out by those who would wish to stifle the cause of freedom. And indeed, they will continue to be drowned out by the citizens of our own country who hold it in contempt.

However, I will take comfort in knowing the truth: that indeed we embrace freedom, and we strive for freedom all over the world. And that most of the world is absolutely grateful that we do so. May God continue to bless this great nation, and may we ever be worthy of those blessings.

Happy Independence Day, from a Sentimental American.

May we especially honor the following:

• The Civil War: 184,594 soldiers dying through out the valleys and hillsides of America’s North and South.
• World War I: 116,708 soldiers die on foreign soil to protect this nation.
• World War II: 407,316 soldiers died to change the face of the world and how others viewed the United States of America.
• The Korean War: 33,651 soldiers dying, so others could be free.
• The Vietnam War: 58,168 gave their lives to help free others.
• The Persian Gulf War: 148 a war to stop a dictator.
• The Iraq War: 865 American Soldiers have given their lives so far.
• And many others, who have served or are currently serving to protect and defend our freedoms and liberty.

PFC Goodale in Georgia

After seeing Christopher off at the airport very early this morning, we heard from Christopher tonight that he has safely reached Fort Benning, Georgia. He sent a quick text message to me, "They announced we'll be there in 10 minutes, so get your last phone calls in." Upon receiving that text message, of course, I did the only logical thing any father would do: I called him. We all spoke with him briefly, and it was great to say one last good-bye before we don't hear from him for a while. They told us previously not to expect to hear from him for up to two weeks after his arrival, but already we could tell that he sounded anxious and ready to start this whole thing.

To the right here is a picture of him waving good-bye as I saw him off at the airport very early this morning. And below are several other photos over the last couple of days as we said our good-byes.

Some silly faces as we dropped him off at the Airport Holiday Inn Monday night where he started his MEPS processing.

PFC Goodale with proud Mom and Dad as Andrew tries to make silly faces in the background (brothers!!!).

Brianna with her big brother and best friend.

PFC Goodale at the airport very early this morning.

PFC Goodale in line waiting for Security.

Christopher Senior Pics / Graduation

On Tuesday, May 26th, Christopher had his graduation ceremony. To the right here is a pic of us after the graduation ceremony. Grandma Cotter was able to come up for the graduation and that was nice. Christopher's girlfriend, Norah, is also in the photo with our family.

Additionally, below is a video of when Christopher's name was called out, and him walking across the stage. You can see all the pics from graduation, posted here on Facebook, or here on Flickr.

Finally, I have scanned Christopher's senior pictures, as well, and they are all posted below.

Shooting

On Labor Day I took Christopher, Andrew and Mark (and Andrew Clark) and we joined the Dillon cousins for a morning of shotgun shooting at this really great range out in Homedale, Idaho (about an hour from Boise). Though last time we did this in January I did pretty well, yesterday I started strong but ended up shooting horribly. I was last amongst the Goodale clan, and close to the bottom of everybody that went. I am going to blame it on the hayfever-inducing "snow" (the wind blowing cottonwood tree "flowers" all around). Oh well that doesn't matter; we had a good time, anyway! Christopher actually shot really well, which I suppose is appropriate since he ships off to boot camp in a little more than a month!

Yesterday while driving on I-84 we saw a cool bumper sticker. It said "Annoy a Liberal: Work Hard. Be Successful. Be Happy." I guess it should have also said, "Go Shooting." :-)

Anyway, check out the photos here (part of the group here on the left; Christopher taking aim here on the right), but to see all the photos, please click here on Flickr, or here on Facebook.

Grad BBQ/Pool Party

We had Christopher's graduation BBQ and pool party today, an 8-hour extravaganza that was really fun! It was fun to have Grandma Nancy here, and we had quite a bit of the Dillon family clan here, as well. It's always so much fun getting together with the cousins and extended family! And several of Christopher's friends from school were here, as well. This first picture here is of Christopher and some of those friends, and Brianna.

We had BBQ'd chicken, hamburgers and hot dogs. I love summertime BBQs and pool parties, and the pool was up to 88 degrees (it was only 64 when we opened it on Monday!). It's gonna be a fun summer!!!

The party got so wild that the law had to show up and calm us down, too. No just kidding - not really. Michelle's cousin, Mike, works for the Sheriff's department, and he came by on a break. Unfortunately, he was only here for about 10 minutes, when he got an urgent call. This picture here is of Ed, Steve and Mike Dillon, three of Michelle's cousins.

To see all 75 pictures that I've uploaded from the party, please click here for Flickr, and here for Facebook.

Mark Trumpet Recital

Mark has been taking private trumpet lessons for about a year now, though he recently took about a three-month break because of his bout of Bells Palsy. Last night his trumpet teacher held a recital for all of her students, and it was Mark's first trumpet recital. His teacher has been very impressed with how he learned to play the trumpet again, even though he's not quite fully recovered from the Bells Palsy (though he's now probably 95% or more completely healed). As you can imagine, it's impossible to play a brass instrument when half your face is paralyzed!

Below you can see a video of Mark playing "When the Saints Go Marching In" at his recital. E-mail versions of this will not have the embedded YouTube video, so please click here for the link to the video on YouTube.

Christopher: Graduate, Mechanic, Great Guy!!!

This weekend, it's time for Michelle and I to be proud parents. It's hard to believe that Christopher is graduating from high school. We now have a second child who is a high school graduate. Amazingly enough, though, Michelle and I are not getting older. HA! To the left here is the graduation announcement that I put together for him; the photo is from his senior pictures that we just took in March. I will get around to posting them eventually.

Earlier this week, Christopher made an interesting analogy, from the pulpit in church, actually!!! It had to do with churning horsecrap in to butter - it was really funny, though highly embarrassing to his parents, sitting in the second pew in the chapel at church. We could just feel the eyes boring in to the backs of our heads. :-) Check with Christopher if you're interested in hearing the details behind that analogy.

We are very proud of Christopher and the awesome young man he has become. As you can see from the announcement, he ships off to Army National Guard Basic Training on June 30th. After 8-10 weeks of that, he'll then go to Virginia for six months of AIT (Advanced Individual Training), learning how to repair Apache helicopters. Then he'll come home and still be in the Guard, but he cannot be deployed to any current conflicts (new conflicts are fair game) until he has had two years of school. So after AIT, he will do a semester of school at BSU, after which time he can take time off to serve a mission for the church, which he intends to do. Long term, he is considering a career in law enforcement, while he continues his eight-year commitment to the Guard. He LOVES those drill weekends, and I'm sure the two weeks of exercises every summer will be awesome for him, even if he never gets deployed to active duty military. But what are the chances???...

Christopher is a great son and brother, and a great guy to everybody. Christopher goes out of his way to help people in need, and everybody loves him. Through his three years of auto tech and through his own learning and experience, he has become a great auto mechanic. Just in the last week alone, he was requested to look at a cars by three friends and neighbors. To the right here is Christopher replacing break pads and rotors on a friend's car. This is just what Christopher does, and he enjoys it. In this photo, both Christopher and Brianna are making silly faces; only Christopher's girlfriend, Norah, looks normal!

We're excited for Christopher's graduation Tuesday night!!! And he is SO excited to be done with high school!!! :-)

Last Soccer Match

This past Saturday (May 16th) Andrew's teach had their last soccer match of the season. The team had a very successful season, and more importantly, the kids had a lot of fun. To the left here is Andrew on the attack. Andrew scored once in this last match of the season, and he scored at least once in most every game they played. Andrew played mostly at left midfielder, though he occasionally played as goalkeeper, as well.

Also in this last match, we had a guest player, as well. The Dahl family used to live in this area, though currently they live in Vancouver, BC. They were visiting this past weekend, and their daughter Katie joined the team for a day. I tried to get some good shots of our guest player, as well, and you see one here to the right.

I've uploaded 40 photos from the match. You can see them here on Flickr, or here on Facebook.

Hiking/Camping

Our Boy Scout troop went camping this weekend, to a campsite that we had to hike in to. Andrew and Mark went on this campout, and I love going with them on their campouts, as well. To the right here is a photo of the group posing on a bridge over the river downstream from a dam's spillway. Notice the patches of snow in the background... it was somewhat cold up there, with the overnight low Friday night dropping to near freezing. None of us felt too cold, though... I think the 3.5-mile hike in, in hilly and snowy conditions, made us so tired that we didn't care that it was cold in our tents and sleeping bags! :-)

We really had a great time!!! Most of us brought freeze-dried meals that we "cooked" with boiling water - those meals aren't half bad!!! Saturday morning, though, one Scout even finalized requirements for his Fishing merit badge by catching, cleaning, and cooking a fish all on his own, and then of course eating that fish!

It was absolutely GORGEOUS up there, as you can see from the photo on the left. We went to Sage Hen Reservoir, about 65 miles northwest of Boise, Idaho (about a 2-hour drive). To see these and all 40 of the pics I've posted from the campout, please click here for Flickr, or here for Facebook.

And thank you, Scoutmaster Sant, for a great campout!!!

Prom

Today was prom at our high school, and it was fun to see Christopher and Brianna with their dates, heading off on a double-date with their dates. For dinner, the four of them went to Olive Garden, and good big brother even called ahead to see if the restaurant would puree noodles for Brianna. Fortunately, Brianna was having a good day today, and hopefully the pureed noodles went over well (they're still on the date as I post this). What a drag to be in a liquid diet on your prom!

To the right here is a fun shot I took of them, and below you'll see a few others. For all 18 pictures I've posted, please click here on Facebook, or here on Flickr.

Christopher and Brianna. Christopher is such a good big brother, and Brianna's going to be a wreck when he leaves home in less than two months. We're taking donations of Kleenex cases in advance of that event!

I love the "attitude" look here by Christopher's date, Norah.

Christopher and his date, Norah.

Brianna and her date, Jeff.

Wu Zhen Tour

Today we went by car about two hours from Shanghai, to a town called Wu Zhen. On the way there, though, check out this photo on the left. The little kid, being held by the girl on the back of the bike, is sound asleep, and this looks so dangerous. This would be SOOOOO illegal back home!!! Anyway, Wu Zhen is what they call a "water town" because most of the town's buildings are built on rivers that run through it. According to a legend told by our tour guide, it started because a successful merchant doing business from his home needed room to expand, but there was no land. So he extended his home out on to the water. I don't know if that's true or not, but it sounds good so I'll go with it!

It's still an active, functioning town today. Of course today was a national holiday and it was REALLY crowded, but I'd have issues with tens of thousands of people strolling past my home and gawking at my neighborhood! Or "boating" by my home like you see in the picture here (we took one of these boats, too).

The town was filled with various museums and what not, including a museum that feature all kinds of beds built in the day. You'll see some of those if you click through to the photo links. We even got to see a cute little Chinese shadow puppet show (pics and video via the links). Oh... it was a bit weird, too, because the entire day we saw just about one dozen non-Chinese (whereas in Shanghai westerners are very common!).

Finally to the left there is a picture of our Shanghai crew on this trip: Mark Atkinson, Nicolas Schulz, Areil Cai, Barbara Bernad, and moi. To see all 71 pics/videos I uploaded, please click here for Flickr, or here for Facebook (not all posted on Facebook).

Shanghai Tour

Today was China's national holiday, Labor Day. As such, nobody was working and we had no meetings, so even though it was a Friday, we totally became tourists. When my team and I checked in to the hotel here (Marriott Executive Suites with apartment-style rooms), even though the rooms had been pre-paid with a company credit card, they double-billed 4 of the 5 of us again, on our personal credit cards presented for incidentals charges. OOPS!!! They are in the process of refunding the charges on our personal credit cards, but in the meantime to make up for the screwup, they booked a professional tour for us, with an English-speaking guide. Leo, I thought, was pretty good. However, he spoke English with an Australian accent. It was pretty weird!!! The accent and the face just didn't go together.

This first pic posted here is taken from our first stop on the tour, some famous gardens that, of course, I have already forgotten the name of. I like the pic because it's a contrast of old and new. In the foreground are the rooftops of some old buildings, while in the skyline in the background features Shanghai's three tallest buildings, from left to right, the Oriental Pearl TV Tower, Jin Mao Tower, and the Shanghai World Financial Center. This pic was also taken just after we participated in a Chinese tea ceremony.

From there, we went to the Shanghai Museum, but got there ten minutes too late to get in. From there, though, I took this picture, to the left; I really love some of the architecture in Shanghai. Having missed the museum, for the fun of it Leo took us to Shanghai's French quarter. Weird to see European style architecture in Shanghai! Then he took us to a silk "museum" where of course after the brief tour by a very energetic little English-speaking Chinese girl, there was more silk than you can imagine, all on display for purchase (of course!). Yes... I did buy something for Michelle.

Following dinner at a Chinese restaurant that frankly wasn't very good, we went on a night time boat ride on the river. It was pretty cool.

To check out all 82 photos and 4 videos I have posted online, you can click here for Flickr, or here and here for Facebook (in two albums).