Two hectic but great weeks home

Happy Easter to All!

He is risen, Alleluia! He is risen indeed! 

Yes, today is a day for celebrating. We are so blessed. It has been a very hectic time since we came back from our awesome trip but all very rewarding. Here just a few photos with as few words as I can manage.

Monday March 27 - first day home. We feel the 13 hours time difference. Either that or our age. Many loads of washing clothing because our suitcases arrived soaking wet from the rain. But they would have to be washed anyway but got done just a bit quicker, ha-ha. We "survey" the house and find that we have not missed much of our amaryllis blooms. 

The coming days we are marveling about our redbud tree getting prettier and prettier. The weather is also good enough for us to do our walks and managing at least 10000 steps most days.

Friday March 31 I can see a special bird on our feeder from the bedroom which we have never had. I tip-toe into the sunroom and actually manage to take this photo which makes me very happy. We had bought this feeder only a short time before we had left and it was a great purchase. We have never had that many different birds visiting us and sticking longer around.

Friday is also the day when we quite often go out for dinner with some friends from our community. It had been a while since we were gone for a month. So of course we had a lively conversation.

As soon as we were home I sat when ever possible at my computer and worked on the church newsletter. I was very happy that I managed to get it out on time at the end of the week. If you are interested, HERE is the link.

On Saturday we also finally saw the "over the river" boys and their parents again. Caleb was supposed to have a soccer game and we had planned to watch it, but it was cancelled because of the weather.  So we changed the plans and the 7 of us went out for a brunch. Lots to talk about again.

Monday April 3 - We all had watched the new Mormon temple being built close to us and after several years it was finally finished. Everyone was eager to see the inside and some of our friends had already been (part of the Friday discussion). So James and I went on Monday to the open house shortly after 9 am so not to miss it. All I can say is that I don't understand it, even after all the attempted explanations. I am very happy to worship where we do.

HOLY WEEK had started on Sunday with Palm Sunday. James was layreader at the 8 am service. Since we were still not sleeping very well we did not stay for the later service, even though we would have loved to see our church friends again.

It happened to be spring break for our three boys. No school. Sarah had found a very nice outdoors camp for them and for once all three could register for the same camp. But they needed to be picked up at 2:30 pm so James and I had volunteered for Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. Monday we brought them to our house because we wanted them to choose something from the items we had brought home from the trip. The weather was so nice that they played with the soccer ball from the garage. 

I can't quite remember what we did Tuesday and I will report about Thursday later.

My plans/flowers needed some attention and this was a result I photographed on Tuesday. I cut one amaryllis because the planter was getting crowded.

Because it is Holy Week we went to evening services Monday and Tuesday. Wednesday's service was as always at 10 am. Since James and I had to go to church anyway we went in time for the service. After we had parked I saw this crow. A white one? Never had seen one before. 

A minute later the friend (or partner) arrived. I think I will use this photo for the church newsletter front page.

Since I was finished with the newsletter James and I were busy with another job we had volunteered for. I had reported last year HERE about a private Seder Meal. Father Lee (our priest) had asked me before we left for our trip whether I would be able and willing to take care of the details for a church Seder Meal, and it was scheduled for this Wednesday. There had been a sign-up sheet on the bulletin board. So James and I with help of others layed one gigantic table for 37 and Elijah (the empty chair). 

It was as moving to us this time just like the other two times and I am so happy how it went. It was only a bit strenuous because it was the first time in the church and we didn't know what there was in the kitchen for us to use. We had to be inventive but it all worked out wonderfully and Lee lead us through the service so easily. Everybody was excited. And besides, it was a great potluck.

The Seder plate: a roasted lamb bone, a roasted egg, greens (parsley), bitter herbs (horseradish), and charoset (a mixture of apples, nuts and spices).

Thursday morning - James and I were just being a bit lazy in the morning, feeling relieved that something important had turned out well. So, taking pleasure in my gorgeous flowers.

Yes, Thursday. We picked the boys up from camp as before at 2:30pm and went straight to Miss Julie. She had arranged for us to use the art room at her place and was looking forward to coloring Easter eggs once again with the boys. At the Seder Meal there had to be a hard boiled egg at every place setting but most did not eat it. So I had planned those 'leftovers' to be used for this. 

Last year I had borrowed Sarah's one "eggmazing egg decorator" and also had taken the boys to her. After that Easter the decorators were on sale and I bought three of them. Now there has not so much sharing to be done. The down-side: we were done very fast. But it was fun.

When staff was coming by and wondering what we were doing, Julie would say that she was borrowing grandsons.

We had a bit more time so we could go to her room because the boys wanted to know all about the pictures she had painted. She had also two photo albums which they were studying sitting on the floor. We all had fun.

At 7 pm was the service with the stripping of the altar. Holy Week is so special.

Good Friday - fish and ships for lunch

But no hot cross buns. Just could not get my act together to bake some. Somehow the cold and dreery weather paralized my mojo. James was layreader at the 6 pm Stations of the Cross service which always takes place outside in the Memorial Garden. We wondered how that would work with the forecasted rain.

Because of the rain, priest and layreader did not robe. We were holding umbrellas and the booklets and surprisingly we were still a pretty big group.

Saturday when I woke up I brought up the hot cross buns and that I regretted not having baked any. James laughed and said it was ok and then that he could just drive to Wegman's and get some. Well, they are not that easy to buy in the USA. I did call Panera (was told they have not had any for ages), Publix (sold out a week ago) and then Wegman's. Yeah, I was told they had just baked 80. So before breakfast we just had a quick drive and got some. The buns were still warm and they had not put any icing on. When the young man said 'icing' I was a bit taken back because traditionally it should only be flour with a little water to make the cross. So we bought 2 of the trays, one with and one without crosses.

And here is breakfast!

Lunch was 'real' shepherd's pie (with lamb) leftover from the Seder meal (my contribution to the potluck) which we could not have on Good Friday.

And since we still had leftover hot cross buns and leftover hard boiled eggs we asked a friend couple from the neighborhood whether they would like to come for tea. They came at 3 pm and we had a very nice time chatting, enjoying tea and coffee etc etc. John is an artist and we could admire some of his paintings recently. I thought he would have fun with this project too and he did. They would not have had any proper Easter eggs in their house Easter Sunday so it had been a good idea.

James said it was his very first egg he had done like this. Pretty from all angles, right?

The coming week should be a bit less busy. 

Asia trip Day 29 - going home

Sunday March  26

No need to set an alarm clock. We had plenty of time. The weather was not inviting us to make a special effort to see something else in this city we most likely will never see again. I am the designated coffee maker. There are two of these "drip on" things supplied in the room, which I used the day we arrived (blog day 26). The next morning when we woke up I used those "old" ones again (because room had not been made yet and replenished). James thought it was even better, probably because it was less strong. So, after that, I used only one to make two cups. But, ha-ha, I put the second one into my luggage to take home. Memories!

Toilettes are different in Asia. Did you see the Asian one in a previous blog? Well, the hotel had a fancy one which we found in a lot of other places including public ones. James tried it and deemed it quite useful. I probably should have to have an opinion. The best thing was though that the ring was heated and that was very nice in the airconditioned room.

Our hotel: it's all about art. I had allready reported that at arrival we could choose which "art room" we wanted. On the way to the elevator we saw the signs/names of other rooms on the doors. I think it's cool to make every room look a bit different.  

Next to the door was a sign talking about the artist (ours: Kazuki Mizuguchi) and the design. This is the Tokyo Edo Castle which was built by Dokan Ota in the 3rd year of the Koushou era (1457).... I'm sure that those who visit this room will feel the majesty of this castle from the Edo era. When you open the curtains at night and gaze in the direction of Edo Castle (the Imperial palace), a reflected image of Edo Castle appears on the window. Bummer, never read it and didn't try it.

Packing up when you go home is never a big deal for us. No decision what you need to take any more. We vacated the room when we were done (earlier since they were kind to let us in earlier on arrival) and left the suitcases in storage and went for breakfast. We could have prebooked the hotel room including breakfast but it was sinfuly expensive and since we are not big breakfasters we booked it without. 

Back into the "rabbit warren". Actually, we should re-name it "termite home" since it seems to have even more ways you can get lost in. We found a place we had not been yet and it was nice. 

After entering you took a tray and tongs and selected what you wanted. They had sweet baked goods  but also savory things.

Back to the hotel to claim our suitcases and take advantage of toilettes. People here are very much into cleanliness. You can see it in many areas. We have of course already noticed that there are no trash cans anywhere but there is also no trash laying/flying around. Everybody takes their trash home.

A last look out of the window which showed us Mt Fuji just two days ago. Today we could not even see the Tokyo "Eifel Tower." 

We were leaving from Haneda Airport Terminal 3. It was quite a way and a taxi would have been expensive. And you know we like adventures, try things. When we bought the 2-day subway passes we were told we could use them for going to the airport too. Just had to pay a fee adjustment at the end because it is a different train company. We figured out which line (the red one) to use and got on. Even though it was Sunday, the subways were crowded. Suddenly we were doubting that we had taken it into the right direction and hopped out at the next station. We also had been told earlier that we would need to change at one point and needed to look up at which one. We checked our subway map and decided that it was indeed right and hopped on the next one which came just minutes later. No wait at all. I think we were lucky once again because this train was going direct to the airport. We were not the only ones with suitcases and the fellow travelers were only too happy to tell us that we do not need to get out. And in this one we actually had seats.

At arrival at the station we saw the machine to pay the "fair fee adjustment" before the turnstiles to get out. We were not the only people needing to do this but nobody knew how. I saw a gentleman before me do it. You pressed a button for assistance and a live person came on a screen. You showed him the pass you had and he could set on his end the machine to what you had to pay. Just drop the coins in and the ticket comes out. It was 300 yen each. The turnstile will suck it out of your fingers and opens the door. In a foreign country it's all about know-how.

We were very early but we could go to Delta Airlines, get our boarding passes and checking in the suitcases. Everything was self-serve automated but there were always very friendly helpers. We were free to wander around. There was an observation deck but we didn't really wanted to look at the rain. 

Somebody had told us that this airport was considered the second nicest after Changi in Singapore. This showcase was very long and had a (toy) plane each of all the major airlines in it.

This is a prayer wall similar to the ones we saw in the shrines we visited. They were thin wooden tiles and you could buy one from the automat on the left in this photo. We didn't feel the need to do it. There were people at the table next to the automat writing their prayer onto it and then hanging it onto the wall. Others kept looking and reading prayers but a lot were written that we could not read it anyway. 

Looking down to where we had checked in very efficiently.

We didn't have much breakfast and the flight would be leaving just before 7 pm so dinner would be late. Time for some lunch? We found what looked like a nice place but all places had a pad where you added your name to a list because there were several people waiting before us. At least soon we could sit down on a bench and had a nice conversation with fellow travelers. And then we were called.

Surprisingly it wasn't much more expensive. James as always tried to find something on the menu he had not had before. 

Well, I had never had cabbage rolls like this before either. It's all so interesting.

I sneaked a photo to capture the cooks behind the window. 

Behind me hung this photo. The discription said: Dornier Do-X - In flight over Norfolk, Virginia - 1931

Of course I had to google on it: The Dornier Do-X was the largest, heaviest, and most powerful flying boat in the world when it was produced by the Dornier company of Germany in 1929. It is interesting to read about it HERE (and in other places) of a trip throughout the world it arrived in Norfolk, Virginia, on August 29, 1931. 

Time to leave and make our way to security/immigration.

We were thinking of our son-in-law Wade's uncle Jon. I can do it too, directing planes!  

Then it was time to go through security. We didn't want to do it too early but good thing we did. When we tried to find the end of the line we could not believe it. Finally we found it because there was a man with a large sign saying: end of line! And the line snaked around and around. It must have been a mile. Surprisingly though it moved relatively fast. 

Finally we were at the gate and plopped down (at least half) comfortable. Still more time to wait.

 

The Japanese people are so incredibly friendly. We noticed that many times during our stay. If we looked at a map or had a questionmark on our forehead somebody would smile at us and ask whether they could help. They would sometimes even walk with us for a bit to bring us there. 

When we were through security I was immidiately asked by some people whether we wanted to be driven to the gate. They had seen my cane which I had brought because some of the excursions of the ship had suggested that. And after a long flight when my knee seems to have locked it is very helpful. James said that they looked very disappointed when I declined.

At the gate though I was told I should board the plane behind the wheelchairs. I was told twice. So we did. We had good seats and the plain left on time.  Taking a photo in the rain makes it so much more difficult because the lens focuses on the drops.

The flying time to Atlanta:  about 13 hours

In Atlanta we could not believe how effient the USA immigration was. We virtually just walked through everything. No waiting. As always, you get your suitcase, declare you have nothing to declare, drop the suitcase off again and off to the gate. 

We had to wait longer then scheduled because the weather had put a damper on things. I think we ended up about an hour and a half late. 

But we had no worries. We "used to" have a problem. Because we had unexpectedly lost telephone service especially to have roaming in Asia we thought we also might not have telephone connection when back home. When we arrive at Richmond Airport, how would we call an Uber? How would we get with the Uber through our gate at our 55+ community without James' telephone? 

A few days earlier when we had WiFi we received a text from Sarah that they hd planned to go to Williamsburg on Sunday (today) right past the airport. She asked whether we might have a car key with us by any chance. Ha-ha, remember when we went on our way Day 1? After that disaster when the Uber driver didn't use the directions how to come through the gate, James had not returned the car key but forgot it in his pocket and it went with us on our trip. Yeah! Sarah and Wade, on their outing with their children to Williamsburg, parked our car at the airport. Sarah took photos and texted them to me and when I had WiFi  I did receive them. 

Easy-peasy. Thank you, Sarah and Wade.

We were home after midnight. Our suitcases were soaking wet. We only opened them to take our toothbrushes out. Well, of course we had to do things like turn the water on and take a nice hot shower, making the tea for next morning, etc etc. 

It might have been 2 am when we shut our eyes in our own beds. We felt so blessed. 

Thank the Lord for our safe journey and this incredible time we had.