2016-01-07, Home for the Holidays

We had a 2 week break so I went home for the holidays!  I couldn't wait to see everyone and to show Erika, a coworker from Japan who went with me, around the beautiful Monterey Peninsula.  

First an early taxi ride to the station, then a train from Hikone to the Osaka airport, where, because of the extremely long line at security, I almost missed my plane (they held it since a lot of people were late). 

Erika slept on the train, on the plane and on the bus!!  I didn't sleep at all.

 Then a short flight to Incheon airport in S. Korea where I had a 4 hour layover and time for some black bean noodles that I've always wanted to try.

 I finished the noodles before I remembered to take the picture!

Then a long flight to SFO.  Through immigration and customs with 2 gigantic suitcases and, 

after a not so easy correspondence with Peter - not so easy because I didn't have phone service and the wifi at San Francisco's airport is spotty - we got ourselves to the domestic terminal from the international terminal to pick up a piece of luggage that didn't make the flight with Peter the night before.  Then onto the bus for the last leg of the journey to Monterey.

Peter and Lauren picked us up at the bus stop - it was sooooo good to see them!  We stopped for some Greek food and then to Pacific Grove to drop off our luggage.  I was welcomed home (I no longer have a house/apt. of my own) by my good friend Kathy at whose house I spent the year and a half between my stints in Japan.  She was kind enough to provide a room for Erika as well.  After greeting Kathy and her 5 dogs and 2 cats, we all went to see my mom.  In an effort to stay awake (me - Erika had had a lot of sleep!)  and to show Erika a little of the town we walked home.  A couple of hours later, getting sleepy again, I took Erika to one of my favorite places in PG - Trader Joe's.  We loaded up on cheese (yeah cheese!!!!) and crackers and a few other goodies and then went to Candy Cane Lane, an area where almost all the houses are decorated with Christmas lights.

This was an interesting and pretty new way to do lights - it seems like netting speckled with little lights.

See the giant nutcracker?

That walk in the cool night air was enough to keep me awake until the proper sleeping time and got me right on track with California time.

The next day Lauren and her mom (Anne) made a wonderful Christmas Eve dinner - turkey with all the fixings.  So delicious!!!!  And we spent a very nice time together at Anne's house eating, drinking and catching up.

Can you see the three deer in the backyard?

Anne set a beautiful table.

Erika, Peter and Lauren, everyone pitched in - it's great to be with family.

Yeah cheese! - the theme of our stay!

The best part of the trip - Peter and Jacob in the same place at the same time!

A perfectly cooked turkey.

Everything else one could want.

Perfection on a plate.

An apple blackberry pie - a joint effort.

Pumpkin pie

A Swiss roll with berries and whipped cream.

Kathy held an open house on Christmas day and the first people to arrive brought mimosas made with freshly squeeze orange juice - it was all good from there!

Our view from Kathy's deck while sipping mimosas and eating homemade tamales and other goodies.
Aaaa California!

Presents for everyone - Kathy is always so thoughtful.

 Erika and I went down to the beach but it was so windy we didn't stay long.

There was an incredible orange full moon over hanging low in the sky that night.

What to do?  There was so much to show Erika...  We went to the Carmel Highlands first and then to my favorite place - Pt. Lobos.

How did those harbor seals get up there?  Whaler's Cove, Pt. Lobos.

The view east towards Carmel Valley.  It's an El Nino year so they've finally gotten some
rain and the hills are green.  Well, as green as they get in California!

The view to the south.

Carmel-by-the-Sea and Pebble Beach in the background.

After stopping at a Starbucks - because we couldn't find a payphone and I thought I might be able to get in touch with Peter through skype with Starbuck's wifi - we were lucky to be right on time for the sunset at Carmel Beach.

I was watching these people and it took a lot of coaxing to get those 2 dogs to pose for
a picture with the ocean behind them.  They just wanted to run around.

A very fun evening with turkey leftovers and games.  It turns out that Erika is VERY good at Pictionary.
From the left clockwise - Lauren, Peter, Rachel, Jacob, Anne, Erika.

On Sunday the boys and their girls met us at my mom's place and we had a delicious roast beef lunch.  Do you see a theme to this vacation (food and family)?   I tried, and was pretty successful, at eating all the foods I've missed.

Really delicious.

Made all the better by good company.

Relaxing on the deck, looking (unsuccessfully) for whales.

But a deer came by!

A trip into Carmel-by-the-Sea.

On the morning Jacob and Rachel left for Lake Tahoe where they would spend New Year's Eve, he and I walked into town and let our feet lead us to our old haunt Toasties.  My boys have always loved Toasties, and Jake and I often shared a hamburger and a waffle.  Which is what we did on this morning.  Yum yum.  And it was lovely to be able to spend the morning Jake.

Another morning Kathy brought home these goodies and some really delicious caraway sourdough bread from a local bakery.

You can't go to PG or Monterey without stopping at the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

I HAD to take Erika to MYO frozen yogurt - serve yourself some frozen goodness!

Lauren's favorite - frozen yogurt.  Yum yum!

Another day Erika and I walked along the rec trail to Fisherman's Wharf.  Past the aquarium, through Cannery Row, a detour out onto the Coast Guard Pier to see (and smell) the sea lions, with time to have some fried calamari and taste different clam chowders.

The always beautiful Monterey Bay.

Harbor seals on the beach.

Lots of tourists!

Sea lions.

There's always such a beautiful view.

Monterey's Fisherman's Wharf.

We even saw a sea otter cracking open an abalone (or something).

We had lots of furry friends around for company - two cats as well as these guys.

New Year's Eve was a quiet affair.  I lucked out and Peter and Lauren ended up with no plans so they, along with Anne, came to our place. We munched on all kinds of appetizers, trying to use up the things Erika and I had bought (mostly cheese! - yeah cheese!) at Trader Joes.  We played Pictionary and Cranium, toasted the New Year - on New York/Boston time - and had a really nice evening.

Quite a weird combination of foods.  Cheese (yeah cheese!), crackers, hummus, veg., blueberries and raspberries, roasted brussel sprouts and potatoes (because we had them), bratwurst, some smoked salmon on bagels and rosemary rolls.
Weird but good.

Game time.

I think Spanky finally remembered who I was and joined me on my bed.

Happy New Year!  Erika and Ginger.

Saying goodbye to my mom.

Alas, good times don't last forever.  And on January 2 Erika and I had to go back to Japan...

She had an earlier flight than I did so I took her to the bus and then went home for a couple of hours.  Standing at the kitchen window making some much needed coffee this is what I saw - making it all the harder to leave a couple of hours later...

Peter and Lauren were going up to San Francisco for a few days so they drove me to the airport giving me a couple more precious hours in their company.

Erika and I had a night and part of a day in S. Korea.  We were supposed to take a tour from the airport but very disappointingly it had been cancelled.  Had they notified me we could have toured around on our own so I was not happy about that.  We did get in a couple of good meals though, and I finally tasted soju (sort of like Japanese sake but much stronger) which I really liked - I see it on Korean dramas all the time and now I know why the drinkers get drunk so quickly!

I had soybean soup.

Erika had oyster bibimbap.

 We stayed at the Elvis B&B in Incheon, about 15 minutes from the airport.  I stayed there on my trip to Japan last February and was very happy with it.  Last time I was in sort of a studio - bed, table, kitchen and bath.  This time I asked for 2 rooms and we shared this living room, kitchen and bath.  They provide breakfast fixings - bread, eggs, coffee, milk, juice and homemade jam.  The floors are heated, there are electric blankets and the rooms are warm.  Quite nice, the hosts are very friendly and picked us up and dropped us off.  And it costs $30 or $40 each - can't beat that!

Before we left for Japan we did go on a quick tour to this temple but it wasn't what we had spent the night in Korea for... I really was looking forward to seeing some interesting sites and a food market so I was quite disappointed.

We spent most of the morning in the airport.

Airport food.

Fish cake in soup.

Toppoki - It was way to spicy for me.  I ordered it but could only manage 3 or 4 pieces - with lots of water.

Erika ordered cheese kimbap which was delicious.

It was a short but great trip (California, not S. Korea), I was able to see many friends (unfortunately not everyone - sorry) and my mom and boys.  And although I enjoy my life in Japan, it is always very hard to leave those I love.  Add in the fact that I have to leave the beautiful Monterey Bay and mild California weather to return to no central heating and bike riding in the cold, windy winter and it's even more difficult.  But here I am back again with wonderful memories and finally a day (a week after I returned) to sleep late and recuperate from the trip.

I am very grateful to my friend Cindy and her husband Shin who insisted on meeting me at the train station at 9:30pm and driving me and my 2 huge suitcases home.  Not only did they help me up the stairs with all that luggage, they made me feel like I had someone to come back to here in Japan.

And today I had a phone call from a neighbor who I haven't seen in awhile who insisted on bringing me a down comforter to keep me warm through the winter.  Although I told her I was fine - and I am since I have an electric blanket (the one thing I own that I would not give up for anything!) - she insisted and brought it over so I will use it gratefully.  Again, more than the blanket itself, it's people's caring and concern that keeps one warm and happy.

I wish you all a happy and healthy new year!