Hotel decor and dinner out and about

I couldn't resist taking a shot of the porthole window in the hotel. One side of the hotel faces and water, and the other side has porthole windows along the full length. Gives an interesting glimpse of the city. Ray, Sarah, her friend from Eugene, Roslyn and I all went to a charming small place for dinner. The owner wasn't there when we arrived, and with the menus all in Japanese (no photos), we were pondering what to order, but the owner came in and ordered for us. Dinner was delicious. Ray said something that made Sarah crack up. It was so nice to see her beautiful smile.

Blossoms

With the cherry blossoms in full bloom Ray, Sarah and I did lots of walking. LOTS of walking. We saw many temple areas over a few days, and all of it was pristine, beautiful and facinating. We also saw lots of interesting looking people like this MAN in a plaid shirt, red and black polka dotted tights and carrying a pink bag. At the end of each adventure we went to the closest train station to come back home. Transportation in Japan is very efficient and affordable.

Street Walking

When the doctor decided to keep the twins in the hospital for a few days to be sure they were gaining weight, Ray, Sarah and I went walking the nearby streets of Otsu. We walked past one shop where the owner's little boy ran out to Ray. He is a big fan! We passed by a beauty salon where young women, especially during the cherry blossom season (I was lucky enough to be there during full bloom, only one to two weeks a year) can have their hair done geisha style, and rent geisha garb. They are so beautiful walking around town. Walking thru a mall area we saw many shops with fabulous displays of food, in this case fruits and veggies.

Biwako Hotel

I flew to Japan to be with Sarah, Ray and the twins on 4/6. I had their help in booking a room on the 11th floor of the Biwako Hotel, which overlooks Biwa Lake, the largest lake in Japan. The view from my room was glorious though the bed in this five star hotel was like sleeping on a cement pad, and the pillow was filled with buckwheat, or something equally miserable. I had to take a shot of this hi-tech toilet with lots of options for...well you can guess.

St. Patrick's Day

Jake's birthday is on St. Patrick's Day. Jake, Chelsea and Ashton came over with a pretty bundt cake frosted green, of course. I had fun reading to Ashton, and Mike and Ashton giggled lots on the couch. Jake and Chelsea smiled as Ashton donned the St. Paddy hat. Lots of fun.

Cotton Diapers

The colorful pile of cotton diapers got to Ray and Sarah just in time. Wee Solomon and Sophia were born just as the box of goodies finally arrived in Otsu.

Amazing Hope

The Tres Miguels are having a Man Day on the water, so I have a little time here to catch up after a couple of neglectful months away from our blog.

After returning from Mulege in March, we came home after fourteen hours of traveling just exhausted. To our great surprise on the kitchen counter was a vase of beautiful tulips, a welcome home card, and a freshly baked loaf of bread. In the refrig was an enormous delicious potato and cheese quiche, a bowl of fresh greens and the best chocolate cake I have ever had in my life. Thank you Hope and Mike Zimmerman for being such wonderful friends. Your gifts for our return were so appreciated.