March 2011
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August 2009
15 posts
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Just around the river bend.
That title is totally for my sister. I couldn’t help thinking of her yesterday when the Wagner family took me canoeing.
The whole lot of us drove down to the Manistee River and rented canoes and kayaks for the afternoon. John and I, Jess and Ryan, and Lee and Margaret paired off into canoes, and everyone else took a kayak. We took a two-hour trip down the upper half of the river, and it was...
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Another day on Long Lake.
Another day down in Traverse City. Today was pretty peaceful. We got up and went to church, and then Loren, her cousin Walker, and I went to another Film Festival flick, and then I got back to the Wagner house for dinner.
The Wagner family is attending Traverse City West Side Community Church, a nondenominational church with a pretty sizeable congregation. The pastor was really entertaining; he...
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July 2009
4 posts
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“I don’t like you!”
– Mom, upon seeing that the highest temperature in Traverse City’s 10-day forecast is a whopping 83 degrees.
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May 2009
62 posts
Transitioning back into East Coast time has been challenging, and I have so much stuff to catch up on. My summer class starts June 24, and I’m using that as my deadline to get totally caught up post-semester and post-trip. I’m hoping to have a full photo book of the trip done by then, too, but that’s pretty flexible. I want to do that right. Supposedly, with some of these places,...
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Homecoming.
I am, at this very moment, in my own bed. With my sheets and my pillows and my big, fluffy blanket. Got home this afternoon, hugged my dogs and showered. I unpacked the souvenirs and gifts I bought, and I started doing laundry. Grammy and Grandaddy came over for Memorial Day dinner, and they left, and then Dad left to go to work, and now I can finally sleep.
Tomorrow, I’m taking the day to...
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Going to the airport.
Packed and dressed. Logging off now and going downstairs. We’re leaving for the airport in twenty minutes. I think we’re supposed to leave Japan at 11:30 AM local time and get into Jacksonville at 1:30 PM local time. (This will be the longest two hours of my life!) Local time aside, I should be home in 20 hours. I’m ready.
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Farewell, Kyoto.
All packed. Somehow have lighter bags and more room leaving Kyoto than I did when I arrived. I’m hoping this packing magic sticks so I can pack tonight.
Today, we’re getting back to Tokyo, and then Al and I have some last-minute errands to run. I’ve got a stop to make in Ueno Park, and then we have to hit Asakusa, and then we have to go to Akihabara… And somewhere in there...
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Joe Hisaishi, “The Legend of...
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Missing Home
Exhaustion has set in. I love Japan, and I’m loving this trip, but I miss home. Sappy though it is… I miss Mom. We’re so close, and it’s strange not seeing her for so long. We’ve talked at least once a day, but it’s not like our usual late-night conversations. I miss Dad’s stupid jokes, and I miss Rachel’s “isms.” And I miss my puppies!...