We had an unusually warm day in January so we took the opportunity to visit the beach!
We started with a visit to Gary’s Deli in Corona Del Mar. We’ve been coming here since just before Emma was born, though the time between visits has increased. It had been at least a year since we ate at Gary’s this trip but the owner behind the register still remembered us and had our usual order punched in without us even asking. That’s service!
I do believe that my children are training to become insult comics, perhaps inspired by the recent spate of Don Rickles coverage Rickles’ Letters
Witness this exchange between Marla and Emma earlier today during bathtime:
At the end of December we headed south to San Diego for a long weekend in celebration of our 12th anniversary. Our destination: the San Diego Wild Animal Park. We’d talked about going for years but never made the trip. With three kids it seemed like the perfect spot to celebrate our anniversary family-style.
You’ve never seen happier children than Emma and Henry at Christmas this year. Emma, in particular, was thrilled as she received a new baby doll, replacing one that she’d inexplicably lost while playing in our yard.
The Hilton in Shinjuku is just blocks from the Tokyo Metropolitan Government complex. The complex is, to say the least, quite an impressive set of structures in a city filled with them.
I had a few more Japanese delicacies on my last trip Japan that I wanted to make sure and capture. Kyoto was fairly sedate, with another trip for kushiage being the highlight. I think I’m growing fond of shrimp heads, honestly.
Marla used to have caroling parties when she was in high school so when we got an invite from a friend to go this year with the kids, she jumped at the chance to introduce Emma and Henry. Continue reading
On the day I came back from Japan in December the stars aligned and many things happened. First, Emma’s class performed The Ginger Bread Man. Second, we saw Emma’s first piano recital.
Just on the edge of town in Kyoto is Arashiyama. The touristy prefecture is famous for cherry blossoms in spring and brilliant orange maples in the fall. The timing wasn’t right for either but no matter. We were there for the monkeys. Continue reading
The last day of my 2007 trip to Japan we visited the city of Nara just to the south of Kyoto. Nara is famous for two things: Todai-ji and the many tame deer that roam the city. Continue reading