Not just a basketball player...

This is the 2009 edition of Tokai Third High Schools' new student booklet.
Front cover - recognize anyone?!

We figure they must be looking to promote themselves as more 'international' ;-)

There are pictures of various class scenes, sports activities, the campus, etc.
Lots of articles and photos telling why you would want to choose Tokai for your high school!

(I know - this one is fuzzy - sorry! It's a picture of a picture in the book!)
As most schools in Japan , they do wear uniforms. Still, don't they look happy!?
Naturally, we thought it was pretty impressive that Zack is on the front cover and in three other shots in the booklet!
Ian couldn't believe they didn't spotlight him in the basketball section showing his dunk!?!
Maybe next year....

Do you know what this is?

While we were out searching for fall colors on Saturday we stopped by this very popular farm about an hour from our house.
In the shops here you can buy this vegetable in SO MANY forms!!
Fresh - of course!! Oroshi - meaning finely grated. Pickled. As a spice in pickling various other vegetables.
Chocolate! Noodles! Chips! Sake! Ice cream! Beer! Wine! Jelly! Candied! and more!!

Do you know what they plant and grow in these rows of gravel and water?
It's grown here to maturity and then harvested.
Primarily for the root.....
though they do use the leaves as well.

There are 'fields' of this as far as you can see!
And this day there were workers out in many areas tending the plants in all different stages of growth.

Probably most popularly used in sushi!! YES!
It is wasabi! Japanese horseradish.

Almost too late!

We tried! Really!
The fall colors all around us are so amazing! Yet every time we thought to go for a drive and get some pictures to share there was a thick haze hiding them. :-{

So last Saturday - since there was NO basketball!!! - we headed out.
Where the colors were abundant and bright - the haze was thick....

By the time the haze cleared we were high enough that the colors had already faded and many leaves fallen.

Still some beautiful shades of red and orange here and there,
but not nearly as beautiful in these shots as what our eyes have been blessed to see.

Random musings

Hi there! Been a bit since I updated so thiought I'd better add something...

The snippet of mountain still in our view is rapidly taking on the colors of change in season. When you catch a clear day the trees are so vibrant and gorgeous it really causes you to stop and marvel and say, " WOW! Thanks for the beauty God!"

This is our dear friend Yuki. We met the first time we moved to Japan - 19 years ago!! Her family has lived all over the globe and we are so blessed to count them as friends. Thailand is presently their place of residence and Yuki frequently comes to Nagano for seminars, so whenever possible we meet for a bit of a catch-up. It's wonderful! She was here this weekend -and we were too! No basketball!!

Isn't she beautiful?!! A gift from Yuki's favorite shop and a special addition to my collection! I love it!

After a visit to the vet we tested Onyx without the cone - he failed the test - so this is a quick shot after breakfast before he returned to being the Conehead. We have, however, been able to let Ebony join him again and they both seem quite pleased to be sharing the same space again.