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Hello Everyone: 15 March 2000
Back by popular demand - the Howard family Misawa newsletter! Being from Iowa it is appropriate that I begin the conversation with ...
THE WEATHER: What started out as an unusually warm winter with little snow has turned into an unusually warm winter with lots of snow - nearly 182" to date - which ranks third on the all-time snowiest winter list - and we are closing in on number two with 204". Still most of the snow melts the very same day it falls - leaving Misawa with relatively few winter days with total snow cover. The culprit of course is warm days with temps that almost always climb into the mid-to-high 30s. We have had very few icy cold days and the only time we get into single digits is if it from a windchill factor chart.
WINTER SPORTS: Patti and I have both really enjoyed winter sports this year. We single-handedly put the outdoor recreation rentals business in the black this year. Patti enjoys cross-country skiing with a couple friends; I frequently enjoy weekend snowshoe trips into the mountains; and we both are learning to fall gracefully while downhill skiing. The best thing about discovering new sports is - - THE NEED FOR MORE GEAR! Snowshoeing and skiing of course require specialized GEAR. One can either rent the GEAR at ridiculously cheap prices at the base's outdoor recreation center - or one can buy the GEAR at inflated in-season prices. You'll never guess which we opted for. We'll be here for two more winter seasons - so what the heck.
Twice this year I have enjoyed traveling with a few buddies on an overnight snowshoe trek into the Hakkoda mountains. On the first trip I made the mistake of volunteering to carry a 1 1/2 gallon container of kerosene in my backpack in addition to all the other necessities. By the time I loaded up the pack weighed nearly 50 pounds. Not bad if you are throwing the pack into the back of a truck - but darn miserable if you are trying to haul it up the side of a mountain in a blizzard through three feet of fresh snow on a four-hour trek. The wind regularly knocked us off our feet - we estimate we dealt with 70-80mph gusts and sustained winds of 40-50mph during the final push up a narrow pass. The good news - our guide had a global positioning system device. The bad news - it was only accurate to within 100 feet and the blizzard cut our visibility to within 10 feet. Along the way up to the cabin our group split in two - a slower group and a faster group - I'm proud to say I was in the faster group - but sad to report that our group reached the cabin over 40 minutes after the first group arrived. I'm not at all convinced we would have found the cabin on our own - even with our GPS device. Fortunately the guide from the trailing group came out looking for us (a relative term in this blizzard) and finally made voice contact with us. We entered the cabin from an upper-level window and actually had an enjoyable albeit rustic evening. The kerosene came in handy - I even regained feeling in the toes on my left foot eventually. What an experience. The most recent trip was much less eventful - great weather and good visibility. We even hiked to the top of one of the local mountains (Mt. Kodake) the next morning before hiking back to the trailhead.
CHRISTOPHER: Oh yes - and Christopher enjoys the winter sports as well - especially sledding and eating snow - mostly eating snow - no matter what color. Christopher has yet to develop a full head of hair - but he is well past bald and had his first professional haircut a few weeks ago (he didn't fuss a bit). Christopher is also practicing to become a parrot - he repeats everything (No more swearing at self-righteous pundits and stupid sports plays). Christopher is finally saying his name - "tis-toe-per" and he counts to ten if you don't subtract points for random sequencing.
PATTI: Patti is busy making plans to leave me and Christopher - - for 10 days to go on vacation in China (had you didn't I). She'll be heading out on 14 April. Without full-time day care I'll be taking a few days off to spend with Christopher. Patti is clearly very pleased with our decision to move on-base. What a difference in quality of life for all of us. No more long drives to get groceries, run errands, get Christopher to playgroup/babysitter, etc... And we are within a stones throw from three of the nicest playgrounds on base. Patti turned 3@ on 27 February. Christopher and I took Patti out to dinner and treated her to an uninterrupted two-hour nap - the greatest gift one can give the Mother of a two-year old.
Not sure we'll make it back to the states this year - plans depend somewhat on whether I score a TDY. We may go back anyway - but haven't made any decisions.
Its hard for us to believe but we are 14 months into our tour already. If I were asked today I would agree to extend our tour here without hesitation. But I won't be asked that question for another 8 months so we'll have to wait and see.
Golf season is just around the corner. I'm anxious to see how long it takes me to pick up where I left off last season. Only a few more years before I'm eligible for the senior tour... For two or three glorious weeks this late April and early May I'll be able to ski on Saturday and golf on Sunday. Paradise.
Sorry such a brief note this time - but I wanted to get something off to remind everyone that we are still alive - and for the moment healthy - in Japan.
Terry, Patti, & Christopher
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