|
|
August 2001 Newsletter
26 August 2001
Misawa Newsletter
First some admin: We cancelled our AOL account so we now rely solely on our hotmail account - trhowar@hotmail.com
Summer is quickly slipping by us in Misawa - though I'm not certain it ever really showed up. The weather continues to be much cooler and enjoyable than in past summers. An occasional oppressively hot and humid day sneaks in - but we are then usually rewarded by a cool evening. A new record for low temp for August was set a few days ago (48deg). But with highs normally in the low-to-mid 70s and most lows in the 60's or high 50's - I call this weather perfect for all around comfort (and golfing of course).
It's official - I'm over the hill - or at least over the 40 year hump. Forty doesn't bother me - what comes after 40 bothers me. Patti conceded to my request for a quiet observation this year so we enjoyed a family celebration with my favorite triple-chocolate cake and ice cream in the mid-afternoon. I think Christopher enjoyed the party as much as I did - though I'm the one that ended up with a new golf bag out of the deal. The bag works even better than advertised since my first outing with the new bag resulted in my best Misawa golf score of the year (83). This just four days following one of my worst outings of the year (96). Can you spell E-R-R-A-T-I-C?
Patti also wined and dined me at a private dinner at the Officer's Club for my birthday. The O'Club did a terrific job and the dinner was fantastic. We dined in the Lorber room - a private room with our own staff tending to us. Patti even managed to arrange an earthquake during our meal to make sure I knew she could still move the earth for me. This quake started with a terrific jolt - like someone picked up the building and dropped it - but subsided quickly. Lots of things rattling - but no glasses or objects were knocked over. This one was 5.2 magnitude and it was epicentered in the same nearby location as the 14 August quake which was 6.4 magnitude. We were in bed for that one and it shook the house violently enough that we were on our way to grab Christopher out of bed for a dash out the door - but by the time we got to his room the shaking has reduced to a more gentle swaying. Still - THAT was the largest earthquake we have experienced in 2 ½ years in Misawa. Fortunately - nothing broke or even fell off shelves. We consider ourselves pretty lucky thus far in the earthquake department.
I climbed Mount Fuji for the second (AND LAST) time on 9 August. The summit took five hours this year - bettering last year's mark by 90 minutes. My climbing partners (Lee Gorrell and Dave Walker) and I prepared for the Fuji hike by tackling the second tallest and easily most treacherous peak in the local Hakkoda mountain range - Takada-odake - the week before. From Misawa this peak appears to be the tallest in the range and it is as steep as it looks - almost pyramid-shaped. The only path up the mountain is a muddy rut going straight up. All of us came back with cuts and bruises. I banged my head on a low-hanging tree branch and tumbled downhill performing flips along the way until I landed on a large rock. Although Fuji has rocks and loose shale, technically it was a far easier climb. Don't get me wrong - I was still doing the Fuji shuffle towards the top (feet don't ever leave the ground) and I was gasping for air - but the climb went quickly and we rarely stopped for rests. THAT is the trick to climbing Fuji - keep on moving (and keep your head down). I've loaded a few pictures on our web page:
http://andhow.freeservers.com/
Christopher continues to amaze and impress us. He is really enjoying his daily playtime in the neighborhood - which continues to replenish itself with new families as the PCS season draws to a close. Still no three-year-old boys though. Lots of five-to-ten year old boys but they don't often have the patience to play with the younger ones. Christopher does his best to hold his own and that is part of the reason his playground skills (and bike riding) progressed so rapidly - all his role models are at least two years his senior. On the other hand, Christopher remains the most popular child in the neighborhood. The reason is that Christopher's Mommy is always outside playing with him - and she brings lots of neat toys and games outside to keep everyone engaged (chalk, tents, balls, etc...).
This weekend we took Christopher to the Hachinohe Children's park. What fun. Lots of rides mostly geared towards the younger crowd. We'll probably head out to the Misawa City Festival this afternoon - parade, floats, vendors, etc...
Barely a month after getting picking up the violin after a 20-year break, Patti played for a church group at a dinner. Patti played with two other violinists. Of course she wouldn't let me attend - but she said everything went well. In anticipation of the great demand for violin-playing in Misawa I've offered to become Patti's agent. I'm only asking for a 10% cut which I think is a rather generous offer. Patti is not amused. She is working on a couple of Christmas pieces for church and really enjoys playing again. Now I wish I had brought my trombone with me to Misawa - just think of the wonderful sounds of a violin and trombone duet.
Upcoming events: Dad and Rosemarie arrive on 6 September so
we are looking forward to their visit. The local air show is on 9 September
and the Air Force Ball is 15 September. My Hawaii TDY is now scheduled
for 18-28 September so I'll leave for Tokyo on the same morning as Dad
and Rosemarie.
Bye for now.
Terry, Patti, and Christopher
Go
to Terry & Patti's Main Page.
Go
to Newletter Archives.
Go
to Photo Archives.