Please Wait Slightly

 The sign outside the hotel restaurant at the airport.  It made me laugh, and then I decided I might do well to "Please wait slightly," especially when thinking I needed to speak.

 Before our train ride to Nikko, we went to the basement of a department store where they have many different food counters.  We bought lots of meat on sticks, and various breads.

 Replica of an ancient bridge in Nikko.

 A cemetery for monks -- very serene.  We were the only people there, though Garvin wanted to know if he could ring the enormous gong!  We said no.

I'm curious if these statues always have the caps, or once summer comes if they're taken off.  This is a mountain town, with peaks just behind us -- it's almost 1700 feet here, so while not the Rockies, it is cooler than in Tokyo.  We've seen some patches of snow.

The first of many dragons I'm sure we'll see.

 We did not eat the beef tendon stew, or any pork guts, that we know of!  The yen is about 80 to the dollar.

Our dinner on the floor with huge bowls of noodles and lots of cabbage.  Tasty, but not quite as filling as we'd hoped.

So, of course, Craig tried the ice cream.  You insert a plastic container filled with the "ice cream" and out it comes.  Tasted a bit watery compared to what we're used to.  We ate it all though.  I then tried one which was the color of grass, in fact Craig said the photo showed grass, which Garvin took to mean marijuana.  It was green tea, but did have a grass-like flavor -- the lawn variety, not marijuana -- not that I would know : )

This was breakfast because there was nothing open this morning.  They apparently don't have breakfast places.  This is a deep fried dumpling with a red bean paste, and a specialty of the area.  A sweet/salty combo which is quite yummy.  I have an odd expression because I took a bite right before Craig took the picture, and had red bean paste on my teeth.

Breakfast #2 just a few minutes later.  We made our way toward the shuttle bus for Edo Wonderland, and Craig spotted this shop.  Craig loved his "sub" with deep fried ham and cheese.  I had something we couldn't identify (back left corner).  Possibly pureed potato with other vegetables, and then deep fried.  It was ok.  Garvin picked a croissant and the raspberry yummy.  Just typing this is making me feel a little queasy and not interested in anything tempura for awhile.

After the ninja show at Edo Wonderland, which I'm calling Edo Waste of Moneyland.  Big disappointment, sadly.  Over priced, cheesy.  I'm a bit crabby about it frankly and intend to write a negative review on the site where people raved about this place.  Oh well, it's just money, and 6 hours we'll never get back.  It wasn't all bad, but it wasn't very good.

We think these are sweet rice paste balls.  Kids were lining up to get them.  The shiny, gelatinous look of them was completely unappealing to us, but we were definitely in the minority on that one.

One of the buildings of replicated Edo.  The park literature says in its heyday, centuries ago, Edo was the most populated metropolitan area on Earth.  Hard to believe, but that's what it said.  You can't see it but there are snow capped mountains in the background.

Almost ready to go, again!

Hello Dear Readers,

I hope this finds you all well.  When I last posted, we had postponed our China trip because Craig's sales reps made other plans.  At the time we were disappointed, but resigned to making the prudent decision.  And, as with so many things in life, it seems it all worked out for the best.

Now we're in countdown mode -- we'll drive to Denver on March 26th, and fly out the next morning.

The plan:  Five days in and around Tokyo, nine days in Viet Nam, about two weeks in Thailand, and then we arrive in Hong Kong for a trade show on April 25.  We'll head inland around May 1, and make our way south to north to various spots in China with a very loose agenda, arriving home on July 12.

More to come -- I'm very curious and excited to see what fills these blog pages over the coming months!

The Warm Part of the Trip!

From Williamsburg we made our way down The Outer Banks and along the coast of Florida where we celebrated Thanksgiving with my dad.  Then on to Universal and Legoland before visiting my mom in Sarasota for a few days.

Let Go or Be Dragged still applies.  Due to some unexpected developments with Craig's business, we've decided to postpone our China departure from Jan. 6th to sometime in March -- probably around the 20th.  

Modeling the latest in coastal headwear on the Outer Banks.

Garvin asks to be buried anytime we're near sand, so this time, Craig made him a mermaid.

Beaufort (Byoo-furt), SC -- beautiful antebellum mansions and old trees covered with Spanish Moss, which we learned is not from Spain, nor is it moss.  It's a relative of the pineapple and lives on air and sunshine.  I took many pictures of the "moss" on the trees, but spared you.

Harry Potter World at Universal Studios.  What they have is wonderful, we just wanted more of it.  I think they should tear down about half the park and make HPW bigger.  This is the back of Hogsmeade.

Holding a butterbeer -- my mouth is still watering.  They need to bottle it and sell it in stores, it's fabulous!

After riding the 4D Hogwarts Ride.  I lost my breakfast a little while after this was taken.  

In Ollivander's Wand Shop.  Waiting for this was the longest line we encountered -- 20 some people go in the shop at a time, and the scene where Harry chooses his wand is reenacted with someone chosen from the crowd.  Guess who was selected! A wand "chooses" the volunteer.  Garvin then had the opportunity to buy the wand after the demonstration, which he did, of course!

I liked the Dr. Seuss part of Universal, and Harry Potter World.  The rest could be scraped.

Christmas cheer at an RV park -- complete with music, and lights flashing in rhythm.  The night and daytime view.

LEGOLAND!!!

Where else can you have a view of NYC from DC?!

Craig prepares to race Garvin with their Lego creations.  I think they both crashed and fell apart.  I loved Legoland.  It's very mellow compared to Universal and Disney. Another year and I think Garvin would have been too old, but he was still taken with it.  It's geared for kids ages 3 - 12.  The roller coasters were perfect -- they just go forward, and have enough drops and fast turns to make you scream, but no breakfasts were lost on this day!

These next two photos are decorated boats  -- while visiting my mom in Sarasota, we went to the Christmas Boat Parade in Venice Beach.  Very fun and festive! 

Another beach, another burial!

Dinner in the RV in Panama City, FL  Don't need to go back there, but other points along the Panhandle were lovely, like Apalachicola (say that 10 times fast) and Grayton Beach.

We're now in New Orleans visiting our friends who introduced us.  The plan is to be back in Colorado this time next week.  

Photos of Valley Forge, DC, Mt. Vernon and Williamsburg

On the left, the house George Washington rented during the winter at Valley Forge.  On the right, replicas of the cabins the soldiers built for themselves, usually 12 men to one cabin.

Garvin wanted a creative shot, and suggested this one.  This is taken from the WW II Memorial.  Due to earthquake damage, the Washington Monument is closed for repairs.

I show this only because I like it -- a glorious day with the fall leaves and sunshine.  You might spot Garvin in the scene.  We ate lunch in this plaza after touring the White House Visitors' Center, which is in the background.  Wonderful exhibits on the presidents' families and the changes in the White House over the years.

A replica of the President's desk.  We've tried to visit or recreate as many scenes from the movies National Treasure 1 & 2 as possible. 

The Library of Congress (also in National Treasure) -- my favorite stop on our DC leg, and I think, one of my favorite buildings ever.  The artwork, mosaics, sculpture, and all the history and stories surrounding them would take days to absorb, not to mention all the books.

Mt. Vernon -- George Washington's home overlooking the Potomac.  We couldn't photograph inside, which is too bad.  You'd never believe the vibrant green of his dining room, a bright, creme de menthe shade.   Bright colors were the height of fashion and a sign of wealth.  The paint powder was ordered from England and mixed on site.  Mr. Washington took great pride in his home and was involved in every aspect of its design and decoration, including the layout of the grounds.

Another National Treasure tribute -- Mt. Vernon offers an additional tour which takes you to some spots from the movie.  We were able to go into the cellar, although those scenes were filmed on a set.  This is where Nicholas Cage comes out of hiding to join a party.

The Governor's Palace at Williamsburg.  What an amazing experience -- we could have stayed here much longer than we did, with all the craftspeople to visit, and historical events reenacted each day.

An arbor in the garden behind the Governor's Palace.

After we heard the reading of the Declaration of Independence, the fife and drum corps came through.  The Virginia Capitol is in the background.

In Williamsburg, all trades are practiced as they would have been in the 1700's -- no electricity, and using tools from the period.  This window is being made for a building at Mt. Vernon!

Since leaving Philly

Hello! I haven't abandoned the blog. My computer is failing, so we sent it to our guru for help. Internet connections at the campground outside of D.C. were very slow . . . blah, blah, blah. Here is a recap of recent events with photos to follow on another post.

It's pouring rain as I type this and we are warm and dry. However, about a month ago we were not as dry as we'd thought. Before leaving Colorado, Craig repaired a leak in the window in the bunk bed over the driver's area. Somewhere in Amish country, PA, at 9:45 one evening, Craig realized part of Garvin's mattress and a blanket were soaked. The blanket was so wet, water was dripping off it when we brought it down from the bunk. Craig took every plastic tub, container and storage cube we had and propped them under the mattress to dry it, and the bunk. The leak really is fixed now after three separate caulkings and he figured out how to alleviate most of the condensation, so we really are dry, finally.

From Philly, we headed to Valley Forge with four new tires, feeling all ship shape. It was sunny and beautiful, the museum at Valley Forge was exceptional, and we planned to go back in the morning, see a few more things, and head to D.C.

The next morning Craig notices one of our new tires looks low. Luckily we're near a Sear's Service Center, but they don't work on motorhomes and neither do any of the 15 places we call in the next few minutes, or they aren't open on a Saturday, or they close at noon and won't be able to fit us in . . . Finally Craig finds a place about 20 minutes away. They can fit us in later, giving us time to go back to Valley Forge, which we do. Then we spend an hour driving up and down the same road looking for the garage. Their directions weren't good to start with, and when we called to clarify, they assumed we were coming from a different direction, and sent us back the way we'd come. It all worked out fine once we finally made it there but we were a little cranky, and it was stressful for Craig driving back and forth on a two-lane road with a fair amount of traffic. They decided we needed a new valve stem and off we went.

A little info on Valley Forge -- no battles were fought there. It was the winter encampment for General Washington's army from December 1777 - June 1778. Soldiers were poorly outfitted, but when the army left there, after being drilled for months by a Prussian, Major General von Steuben, they were a no longer a rag-tag group of militia men, but a coordinated army. And even though the Revolution would continue for several more years, Valley Forge is considered a turning point because of the cohesion developed there.

North of D.C., we exited at Greenbelt, MD by mistake, then Craig saw there was a farmer's market, so we decided to check it out. Then we saw signs for "Historic Greenbelt" and were curious.

From the Greenbelt website -- "Greenbelt is one of three greenbelt towns envisioned by Rexford Guy Tugwell, friend and advisor to President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and created under the Resettlement Administration in 1935 under authority of the Emergency Relief Appropriation Act. (Greendale, Wisconsin, near Milwaukee, and Greenhills, Ohio, near Cincinnati, are the other two towns. A fourth town, to be located in New Jersey, was never built.)"

The idea was to get low-income families out of the inner city with access to better neighborhoods. A central business district is surrounded by houses, parks, walking and bike paths which go under busy intersections, giving kids and adults the ability to ride and walk most anywhere. It is now cooperatively owned by the people who live there and felt like a wonderful community.

And, I kid you not, we saw high school kids playing Quidditch. If you're not a Harry Potter fan, this won't mean a thing to you. They weren't flying or wearing robes, but they had brooms between their legs and hoops elevated on sticks. When we first went by them, we wondered, but then we saw their jerseys which read "Quidditch Team" and we knew we weren't seeing things.

There was one more tire issue while in D.C. The one with the replaced valve stem lost air again, so Craig took it to a garage (again with the bad directions, so he was sent hither and yon by the people who worked there) but the guys doing the work were great and they tightened the new valve stem and replaced one other, and now the tires remain inflated, for which we're very grateful.

We had a wonderful week in D.C., then went on to Mt. Vernon before arriving in Williamsburg, which is where we are now. Each spot was incredible. I have a much greater respect for George Washington than I remember having in school. He was a formidable and inspired leader, intelligent speaker, uncompromising rebel, and inventive farmer and business owner, just to name a few of his greater qualities. We could have spent days more in each place. Seeing the Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights, and the Constitution in the National Archives was almost hard to get my head around and yesterday in Williamsburg, a reenactment of events ended with the public reading of the Declaration which all colonies heard in the months following its adoption by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776.

I don't think I've ever had the entire Declaration read to me before, and certainly not by people in period dress, standing in a building restored to look like the Virginia Capitol of 1776. As I've said previously -- I was moved, humbled, and awed by the foresight of our Founding Fathers. Had they failed they would have been tried and convicted of treason.
I've been wondering quite a bit what they'd say about our modern world.

Sending love, and photos next.

A few hiccups

So, we've been hanging out with friends for over a week, bless their hearts!  It wasn't our plan to stay so long, but we needed a day to air out the rv from the leak -- more on that shortly, then Craig had to do some minor construction so we can get the mattress above the driver's area out easily, and he mounted brackets for curtains . . . plus we were doing some sightseeing in the area, and in Philly between rain and then the snowstorm which took out the power and snapped tree limbs.  It's been an eventful week.

We decided to stay for Halloween so Garvin could go trick or treating with the kids of our friends friends.  Get that?

Craig went out to move the rv yesterday before we headed on our way and noticed dripping antifreeze. We started calling garages, and found one 4 miles from where we're staying.

We just heard from the mechanic; the good news is the leak was due to some loose clamps on a hose.  The more expensive, but not horrible news, we need 4 new tires.  They looked good when we bought the rv, but this is common when it sits for a long time and the tires are exposed to the sun.  It had been unused for about 10 months.

Luckily we weren't stranded anywhere and we ended up with a reliable mechanic.  Our friends have been beyond hospitable and we'll really be getting out of their hair tomorrow, heading to Valley Forge and then onto D.C.

The leak -- about 2 weeks ago we discovered at 9:45 pm that water had been slowly dripping beside and under Garvin's bed, above the driver's cab.  This was the window Craig caulked before we left Colorado, and we thought was fixed.  More caulking, and after more rain and snow there's no signs of moisture.  Yahoo!!!

That combined with condensation created a damp mattress, wet bedding . . . so Garvin was the first guest on the fold out bed which is also our dining area.  We haven't all sat together yet because the bikes have been strapped beside the table so they don't fly around the motor home.  We bought a bike rack on Monday.  I'm so pleased about this development I can't even express my delight.  We've all banged our legs, they've taken up so much space.  It will be a huge improvement.

Margaret mapped out a great bike ride near their house which crossed this bridge.  Then we came upon the bridge below.  The damage is from the flooding after Hurricane Irene.

This is Margaret's horse Sis.  Garvin wanted to give a gentle, mellow horse a try.

 The Liberty Bell with Independence Hall in the background.


We could not believe we left Colorado to come to a snowstorm in PA.  The irony -- every time Ron and Margaret visit us in Colorado, we have a huge snowstorm, or they leave one taking place back east.

The day after the snowstorm, clear blue skies.  Though Philly wasn't hit as hard.  Ron was a tourist with us.

Garvin and his new friends on Halloween.  He's been planning this costume for months -- Neo from The Matrix.  The coat came from a thrift shop in my grandpa's small town in Ohio.  Garvin and Craig made the guns here at our friends'.

For the full effect of the outfit.