2018 Spring Vacation - Annapolis and Baltimore

Our morning in Annapolis was spent taking a guided tour of the Naval Academy. As my wife grew up in Japan, she is not familiar with many American institutions so it is a great learning experience for both her and Kai when we go to places of significance like this.

Our guide was a long-ago graduate of the Academy and he provided great stories and explanations. Here he is explaining why a goat is the mascot of the Naval Academy.

The part I enjoyed seeing the most was Bancroft Hall where the midshipmen live. It is a huge building with nine wings that houses all 4500+ students.

Bancroft's Memorial Hall was particularly impressive.

The crypt of John Paul Jones, known as the father of America's navy, was stunning as it was sculpted out of a black and white marble.

We had lunch in town and walked around the historic colonial district of Annapolis a little bit before leaving. It reminded me of Boston with its cobblestone streets and charming old buildings.

From Annapolis, we made the 45 minute drive to Baltimore where we would stay for two nights. Kai and I used the pool and then we went to a Ripley's Believe It or Not. Kai had a great time!

Here he is standing next to a reproduction of the world's tallest man ever. Kai has hit a growth spurt lately and surpassed his mother, but he looks short next to this fella.

And here he is by a sculpture of a penny made by over 80,000 pennies.

Though it does frustrate me a bit that he showed more interest in all of Ripley's oddities like two-headed cattle than he did in Jefferson's Monticello.

Sigh.

My wife is still not feeling very well so we postponed plans to have some of Baltimore's famous steamed crabs. Hopefully tomorrow night.

2018 Spring Vacation - Shenandoah National Park and a Change in Plans

In planning our drive around the state of Virginia, one of the places I most looked forward to seeing was Shenandoah National Park which extends along the Blue Ridge Mountains.

We had planned to drive the entire length of the park from the south to the north along Skyline Drive which extends 105 miles. The views along the drive are said to be spectacular, and I was also hoping to do a couple of hikes as well.

So we were very disappointed when we awoke to a rainy, foggy day.

When we got to the park, the temperature in the mountains was in the upper 20s, freezing rain was falling, and the fog was quite intense. A sign near the entrance warned of winter driving conditions.

We had reservations at the Skyland Resort in the middle of the park, so even though we wouldn't be able to hike or see much, we drove on.

Here is what it looked like.

Out past Kai is supposed to be a spectacular view of the valley below, but we could see nothing.

As we drove a few more miles down the road, a park ranger stopped us and told us that they were closing the road. There was black ice ahead and a couple of accidents had already occurred. There would not be any more cars allowed in.

And so we had to turn around, and our day in Shenandoah came to an abrupt end.

We left the park and was able to cancel our room reservation.

We decided to go to our next destination of Annapolis Maryland a day early.

On the way, we stopped at Chancellorsville, where a major battle had taken place in the Civil War. At the visitor center, we saw a short film and learned about the bloody battle. Due to General Robert E. Lee's audacious battle planning, the under-manned Confederate troops emerged victorious here, but hampered by the great number of casualties suffered including the loss of General Stonewall Jackson, the South would never fare as well in the remainder of the war.

The rest of the drive to Annapolis was exceedingly long due to heavy traffic through the Washington D.C. area.

We arrived in Annapolis near 6 pm. Kai and I went to the swimming pool, and then we all went to a seafood restaurant for dinner. The dinner was good but the lava cake for dessert was especially good.

It didn't completely make up for the disappointment of the day, but man, that lava cake sure was good!

2018 Spring Vacation - Charlottesville

We headed out from Richmond toward Charlottesville, but stopped at a Duck Donuts for breakfast. We had gone to a Duck Donuts several years ago at one of their original locations in the Outer Banks. At the time, we thought their freshly-made doughnuts were the best, and looked forward to see if we still thought so.

We were not disappointed.

At Duck, you choose your own topping and drizzle and the doughnuts are made to order. Kai chose chocolate while my wife had strawberry and vanilla icings. I had chocolate and glazed.

They were oh so good!

After that, we drove on toward Charlottesville. The main thing I wanted to see was Thomas Jefferson's plantation home, Monticello, which is a World Heritage site. Jefferson is my favorite hero from the American Revolution as his ideas on liberty helped shaped the country we became.

We took the 40-minute tour of the house. It was fascinating to see how intellectually curious Jefferson was, as the house was full of inventive devices or artifacts from around the world.

There were several kids on the tour who were as young or younger than Kai. Many of them asked great questions and showed much interest throughout the tour. And so it was particularly disheartening when Kai groaned loudly and asked "how much longer is this going to go on?" It was so rude to the tour guide who was doing such a great job of describing everything, and very embarrassing as well. I expressed my displeasure to Kai but am still frustrated that he doesn't show interest in things like this.

We did later walk around the outside of the house afterward. You may recognize Monticello from the back of the nickel.

Monticello is set on the top of a small mountain with a nice view of the surrounding landscape all around.

After visiting Monticello, we checked into our hotel in Charlottesville. With the colder than expected temperatures, my wife's cold from last week came back. She felt ill and rested in the hotel for the rest of the day.

Kai and I used the swimming pool, then walked around the campus of the University of Virginia which was founded by Jefferson. The most iconic part of the university is the Rotunda at the end of The Lawn.

54 dorm rooms line each side of The Lawn, and it is considered an honor to be selected to live in one of these rooms even though they are heated primarily by fireplaces.

In the evening, Kai and I walked to the downtown mall and had dinner. We brought back soup and dumplings for Mom.

We then rested up for a big next day in the mountains.

The Day After (the wedding)

After my nephew's wedding and reception, we slept in and relaxed for a while before checking out.

The place where we stayed had a shuffleboard court so we tried it out.

Then we went to a brunch that my sister and brother-in-law were hosting for the relatives of both families.

The newlyweds were looking very happy!

The brunch was at winery outside of Williamsburg. We had a private room and the setting was perfect for a casual get-together where everyone could have a relaxed time after the big events and all the planning that had come before. We sat at one long table, and my sister decorated it with old collectible bottles that matched the atmosphere of the place.

All the food was good but the cupcakes, especially, were big favorites. They had about six different kinds and Kai chose the one with the chocolate frosting.

After everyone was finished eating, the newlyweds opened wedding presents. The following is a picture of a blanket that my wife lovingly knit for them.

After that, it was time to say goodbye. The bride and groom would be leaving on their honeymoon early the next morning, and everyone else were dispersing as well.

With Kai off for the week on spring break, we are traveling around the state and other nearby areas for the remainder of the week. We come to Virginia every year to visit my sister and her family, but this is the first time we will see some of the other parts of the state.

Our first stop was Richmond. After checking into our hotel, Kai and I used the swimming pool and hot tub. Then we took a little drive to see a few sights.

We drove past the capitol building, then drove down Monument Avenue which is a wide avenue with Confederate statues including Robert E. Lee, Jefferson Davis, J.E.B. Stuart, and Stonewall Jackson.

Next we went to the Carytown section of Richmond, which has many small, very unique shops and restaurants. It was late on a Sunday so most of the places were shutting down when we got there, but we did get to see World of Mirth, a toy store with an usual selection. Kai's favorite was the plush body parts. (I especially liked the plush bladder).

For dinner, our choice was a southern-style restaurant where my wife had chicken and waffles. Kai had chicken tenders.

The vacation part of the week might be anticlimactic after starting off the trip with the wedding, but we hope to enjoy the sights we see.

We're Going to a Wedding! Part 2

We were in Williamsburg for my nephew's wedding. The ceremony wouldn't be until 4 pm so we had some free time before then.

We started out with breakfast at a southern-style restaurant. Kai only had garlic potatoes and baked apples.

When in the South... I had fried catfish, eggs, garlic potatoes, and corn bread.

We went to Colonial Williamsburg where they had a recreation of the 18th century town.

My wife and Kai still weren't 100% and wanted to save our strength for the wedding, so we did not stay too long. But we took a carriage ride so we could see more of the town.

We went back to the hotel to rest up for a bit, and then it was time to get ready for the wedding.

The ceremony was absolutely wonderful. The bride and her dress were stunning. My nephew was handsome and a proud groom. I loved that the ceremony was short and sincere; it was everything a wedding should be, and nothing more.

Kai, true to his word the evening before, was great. He was quiet, paid attention, and behaved perfectly.

And then came the fun part of the day, the wedding reception.

The bride and groom paid homage to my nephew's Japanese heritage by having a non-traditional guest book. Small wooden plaques called "ema" are used in Buddhist shrines in Japan to write messages to spirits and ancestors - and were used here to write well wishes to the happy couple. (We had arranged for my wife's dad to send the plaques over from Meiji Jingu in Tokyo as that was a place we have visited together with my sister, brother-in-law, and nephews four years ago.)

Ian's brother, Kiyoshi, was best man, and gave a very nice speech. My favorite part was when he told the story I had first heard in Hawaii last summer, about how my dad's friend Ernie gave my dad $5 to take out my mom for the first time. Without that, none of us likely would have been there that night. Kiyoshi said that sometimes it is the little things that make a big difference, and that he would be there to help the newly couple, as he was sure we all would be.

Kai's favorite part, though, was the dancing. Music had been playing for a while, and people had finished eating, but no one was dancing. He asked, "When does the dancing start?" And I told him that he could go ahead and dance. He was a bit tentative at first, but once Mom went out there with him, he loosened up.

From that point on, he was on the dance floor most of the rest of the night.

He paused only when for some wedding cake. (The bride and groom are both police officers).

And to pose for photos (here with my sister and nephew):

And here with the bride and groom.

And to have a doughnut...

But mostly he was just having fun!

As was everyone.

Weddings are happy times. And especially so for the families of the bride and groom.

My nephew is a good man, and I am thrilled that he is marrying a woman who seems to be the ideal partner for him. It was great to see Susan's family equally thrilled that she was marrying Ian. And for my sister and brother-in-law, it was an emotional time as their oldest child had passed a most momentous milestone.

In a much smaller way, the day was a bit of a milestone for us, too, as parents of Kai. Many times these happy occasions for others remind us of what may never come for Kai. But on this occasion, he showed some signs of beginning to grow up. And though he has a long way to go, the maturity he showed on this day is encouraging. Perhaps one day we can celebrate his own union with someone who loves him as much as Susan and Ian love each other. Ah, that would be something.

We're Going to a Wedding! Part 1

My oldest nephew was getting married and they planned to have the wedding during Kai's spring break. But even with that, early in the week we were concerned that we wouldn't make it.

Kai had gotten the flu.

His pediatrician put him on tamiflu and suggested that my wife and I call our doctor and get prescriptions for ourselves, which we did. My wife felt a bit under the weather but I was fine. Kai missed school all week, and by Friday, the day we were to leave, he and my wife were starting to feel better.

But he was still less energetic than usual, which might have worked in our favor when we went to the airport and the flight attendant was late in arriving at the gate so we could not board our plane on time. Kai hates flying on United after our awful experiences the last two times we took it, but he was too tired to complain about the delay this time.

But all things considered, our flight was not delayed too long and we made it to Virginia okay. The wedding was in Williamsburg, and the rehearsal dinner was that night.

It was great to see the bride and groom to be. They were looking relaxed the evening before the big event.

I had known Ian since he was a baby and he is the first of my next-generation relatives to get married. They say that parents always think of their children as children, even after they grow up. I can understand that feeling as it is hard to believe that Ian is all grown up. We are all very proud of the man he has become, but it is still easy to see the enthusiastic boyish spirit he showed from the time he was a small child.

Just prior to the dinner, the parents of the bride and groom gave speeches. I was especially touched by the sentiment's of the bride's mother who gave a very heartfelt speech. I was happy that she seemed very sincerely thrilled that her daughter was marrying my nephew. In many respects, you marry not just a person, but you marry into a family, and it is wonderful when the family is as welcoming as all of Susan's family are.

Here's my nephew with his mother, my sister.

During the entire dinner, including the cocktail hour when we were meeting Susan's family, Kai was quiet. He is not a social kid, especially around strangers, so he did not chat and gave just the bare minimum of responses when people spoke to him. But he was patient, did not complain about not getting to use electronics, and listened nicely to all of the speeches.

Still, I think he was happy when dinner was served.

I was thrilled that he was so well behaved and mature. There was no hint of a meltdown on this day.

My wife later told me that during the dinner, Kai had recounted our own wedding day when he was three years old. He had screamed and cried loudly during significant portions of our wedding ceremony. "I ruined your wedding" he said to my wife, and promised that he would not do the same here.

When the Water Heater Goes Out...

Our hot water heater went out over the weekend which meant we could only take really cold showers at home. Wondering how we could take a shower without freezing, my wife came up with the idea to go to King Spa.

One part of the spa has large public "tubs" or baths, with separate areas for men and women. Kai and I went to the men's side while my wife went to the women's. Before we parted, I asked my wife how long she wanted to spend in the bath before we would meet up in the common area, and she said she thought she would want to stay in the tubs for 45 minutes to an hour. I was astounded... how would I keep Kai occupied for that long?

The area with the baths are very much like a Japanese onsen where you clean yourself off before entering the bath (without clothing). As Kai and I had been to several onsens in Japan, we were familiar with the routine.

In this place, there were three separate baths. One large one was filled with cold water, while two others had hot water and then another had one with even hotter water. Here is a photo from their website:

When we first got there, the cold water felt way too cold and the "even hotter water" tub was way too hot. The "hot" tub was just right. After several minutes in that tub, Kai went over to the cold water tub. He started to go back and forth between the tubs, and as time went on he spent more and more time in the cold tub, only occasionally coming back to the hot tub. I, too, found that the cold tub was refreshing after soaking a long time in the hot tub, and also was able to go into the "even hotter" tub after a good dip in the cold water.

And so we stayed, soaking and going from tub to tub. An hour went by and I asked Kai if he was ready to leave and he said he wanted to stay a few more minutes.

And after a few more minutes, he said he wanted to stay a few more minutes. This went on for quite some time. I think we were in the bath area for about an hour and 45 minutes, and near the end an employee came up to me and said that my wife was looking for us.

When we went out to the common area, my wife was wondering what had taken so long. I told her how much Kai was enjoying the baths and that I didn't want to cut the time short.

In the common area, they have hot rooms where you can lie down and relax. There are about 7 or 8 different ones, each with a different theme (such as Pyramid Room, Charcoal Room, Salt Room, etc.) We tried a few different ones but were getting hungry.

The spa has a Korean restaurant so we went there for dinner.

The food was pretty good and Kai enjoyed it. As we were eating I asked him how he liked this place. He said it was his favorite place, better than Six Flags or going to Florida. Ha!

After dinner, we went back to one more hot room and I shot the following selfie.

My wife really enjoyed this place, too, and we made plans to come back on Mother's Day.

It wasn't great that our water heater went out, but we made great lemonade with that lemon.