March was a rather eventful month. It was life as usual, but better. We celebrated Nathan’s 10th birthday (still can’t believe my baby is in double digits!) And, we had our first real out of town guests, my parents. Flat Stanley has been our only visitor so far, one last year and one a couple months ago. But he doesn’t count. He never helped with the dishes.
Before my parents arrived in late March we experienced a few noteworthy things…
Caden’s first bike ride of the season. It ended with him getting his training wheels too close to the outside edge of a fountain, tipping his bike on it’s side, letting go of the handle bars, rolling (in slow motion) down a few feet (out of our sight) and splashing into a pool of stagnant fountain water. The following day he got his finger smashed in Nathan’s bedroom door. Never a dull moment with that one.
Sakura frappacino. After a dinner one evening we stopped at Starbucks. One of their special drinks at that time was a Sakura frappacino in honor of cherry blossom season. Sakura is Japanese for cherry blossom. Yes, a cherry blossom frappacino. It actually wasn’t too bad. I’m not sure how much coffee was in it, if any, but it did have a unique flavor. To quote Darin, “It tastes like a craft store smells.” I’ll leave it at that.
Sand forecast. Checked the forecast one very hazy day. According to weather channel.com the forecast was “Sand”. Yes, our forecast was yellow (toxic) sand from China. The air was very thick that day. Guess the sand can create a lot of upper respiratory issues. One reason many people wear masks this time of year. That and the pollen from all the cherry blossom trees. Perhaps the reason for all of our recent coughing.
My parents arrived March 22 a little weary, but rebounded quickly. We whisked them away to many local sights and shops. The weather was horrible. Cold and rainy. NOT TYPICAL for Kobe this time of year. (Again, mom, I’m sorry for telling you to bring spring weather clothing. I had no idea.) The weather limited what we could do, but we still managed to hit the 100 yen store many times. We visited the Bird & Flower Park, Suma Aqualife Park, Chinatown, Hiroshima, Miyajima, Osaka Castle, Port Tower/Harborland, Mt. Rokko and Rokkosan Pasture, and had dinner at our Japanese friend’s apartment. There were also a few other shopping and eating outings as well. There were many other places I wanted to take them, but neither time nor weather permitted.
On Nathan’s birthday (March 27) after he opened his gifts, of course, we walked to Canadian Academy (Nathan’s school) so he could show Grandma and Grandpa where he spends most of his days. It was very cold and windy that morning. Felt like winter again. On our way home we stopped at the restaurant of Nathan’s choice. (Thank goodness it wasn’t McDonald’s.) Then later had yummy birthday cake from Costco.
FYI, Costco cakes are the best! I’m always looking for a reason to buy one. I even bought one for both of my neighbors when they passed their driving test. What better excuse for cake? Passing that test deserves a celebration!
Towards the end of my parents’ visit the weather did warm up enough for us to walk the “green belt”, a walking/running path surrounding the residential part of the island. The cherry blossoms were in full bloom and beautiful. A few days later, we managed to get down to the ocean while a cargo ship was being loaded and another one was coming into port. Those boats are amazing!
My parents left the morning of April 12 to head back to Illinois where the weather is warm. I was sad to see them go. We had a great time sharing our Japanese life with them. The kids especially enjoyed laughing and playing with Grandma Evie and Grandpa Dick. I’m guessing the feeling was mutual.
You are welcome to take a look at the many new pictures of our time with Grandma and Grandpa at, www.mccleerysinjapan.smugmug.com, in “New Photos”.
