As of late...

Somewhere in misawa I saw this 'Jesus is the man' bobble head.... I want to find one!!!

I found this cleaver/paper cutter/guillotine at the cement factory!  It was huge!!!

Carly and I made a special trip to the Starbucks in hach.... It was worth the trip!

The cooking class was a success! We made huevos rancheros, cheese/sautéed squash and cheese enchiladas, chicken tacos, re fried beans from scratch, Spanish rice, fresh salsa, pico de gallo, and a cinnamon sugar tortilla dessert!  The ladies had fun... And a LOT of food!!

I love backyard fire pits!  They usually lead to s'mores!

nic 'n I went to the Mother's Day brunch on base.

We also had eggs Benedict for dinner!!!

Madame blueberry is for sale :) :( not quite sure how I feel about that...

nic ate all the Japanese strawberries...  They are little, but they are sweet!  They are quite a treat, too!!

I made nic eat tuna... She threw a fit, but she kinda liked it!  I also made a black garlic bruschetta.  We loved it!

A dear neighbor came to help me remove my door.... It's not supposed to be there :/ 

I took a pottery class at the jomon museum... I made a pot.  (And a basketball)

My pot looks like this, but much smaller.  I like that they teach us to make the artifacts that they've found on this archeologocal site!!

Still discovering delicious new products!

And finding fun stuff in surprising places!

The sea fog is here... This is what summers are like (until the end of July and beginning of August!  Then they're scorching!!).  June gloom starts in May.

My new luggage tags came!  

And nic was afraid to 'milk' the cow statue!

I love Japan!!

Realizations...

 Tink is a lot like E.T.

And she's just plain silly!

I meant, Japan is silly!  This is French bread in Japan ;)  And then I made Cuban sandwiches with it!!

This week was children's week... Much like grandparents' day or mother's or Father's Day... And they fly these carp flags for the children!

I watched a friend's girls so they could finish cleaning their house and have their inspection... So we went to the beach, went out to lunch, and made some cool art!  I love this suminagashi!  It's fun to make!  

I saw some fishing boats off shore the other day... They were casting their nets!!

Moni and I tried a new ramen place we drive past a few times a week... It's good to branch out, right?  They have a cheese gyoza I will be back to try soon!!!

We celebrated cinco de mayo at my house this week.  I made enchiladas, salsa, Spanish rice, and 'fried' ice cream! ¡Olé!

There are food trucks here in Japan, too! Although... I still have to order by pictures!

I am taking over a Japanese cooking group.  I can do anything I want, teach them any kind of food I like, but I think it would be 'cooler' if I use ingredients that they will have access to.  I tend to lean toward the Mexican fare, but I am limited to these seasonings and specialties.... I will have to create a new Japanese-Mexican food subcategory!!

Well, I know I'll have fun, though!