Hi David

Thank you for updating Anne’s photos.
I had a look at them. They are nice, but it looks pretty cold!!!

It sounds you are really busy with your work even long holiday, but one thing good for you is you can concentrate your work. Don’t too hard and get some rest.

good night

•  amo
• 2009年4月30日 00:02

Hi David,
Are you having another busy days?
The weather during Golden week are going to be fine, so I hope you will be able to have a relaxed time even a day.

Thanks for uploading my photos^^)
First three are the photos of Northern Lights; actually I didn't take these ones.My camera didn't work, so I had my photos against the Northern Lights and these ones taken by some photographer, but I didn't put the one with my face here.
Next four photos are the views of Chena hot spring resort which I stayed 2 nights.
Next two are Mt. McKinley which I saw from a helicopter.
And the rest are the views from Alaska Railroad which I enjoyed from Fairbanks to Anchorage.

>amo,
It wasn't so cold than I had expected.

Have a nice day,

Anne

•  Anne
• 2009年4月30日 05:57

correction

Don't too hard .....=> Don't work too hard

•  匿名
• 2009年4月30日 08:52

Hi David and everyone,

Yes, I'm enjoying it in a sunny day.

By the way, news of swine flu reminds me of those days of SARS. At that time, we could not get out of Singapore.

Hi Anne,

I also looked at the pictures on your trip. That green is so clear that you must have enjoyed it very much on the very day. I imagine that green light was running and moving in the sky. was the speed fast or slow? And how long did it last?
Anyway, you are lucky to have seen such a beautiful nature gift, aren' you? I'd love to see it some day.

nekotaro

•  nekotaro
• 2009年4月30日 11:39

Hi team,

David, thanks for uploading the photos. And Anne, thanks for sharing them. The pictures of the Northern Lights are beautiful of course, but I loved the one 'Alaska 055' Anne took(?) from a helicopter. The scenery is amazing!
Anne, I was surprised to hear that there was a hot spring resort in Alaska. How was it? Is it different from onsens in Japan?

We have a 5-day-straight holiday from the day after tomorrow. I think a lot of people are going out and everywhere will be crowded. I don't like crowded places or traffic jams, so I'll stay at home and paint my wood deck during the holidays.
By the way, did you notice that we'll have another 5-day-straight holiday in September? Because of this, my son's elementary school decided to hold the sports festival in May.(They usually hold it in the middle of September.) Actually, there will be a lot of events next month, including my daughter's field trip to Tama Zoo(I'm going there with her by bus), my oldest son's school trip to Kyoto and Nara, and my second son's field day. I hope the weather will be good on those days!

See you soon,

Tomo

PS Amo, I've been busy recently, so I think I also need something makes me laugh. Watching a comedy movie sounds nice!

PPS Nekotaro, you are welcome. It was good study for me as well＾＾

•  Tomo
• 2009年4月30日 12:13

Hi David,

Thank you for updating Anne's photos. That's a great nature phenomenon, isn't it? Incidentally, I saw all of your old pictures.

Hi Anne,

You were very lucky to see like these scene actually, I think. In March, a member of our English circle went to Alaska and stayed five days in the same area to see the Northern Lights. She said, "I'll never forget its wonderful time." Her purpose was only to see it. She took the easiest way on this time, so-called door-to-door style.

Hi everyone,

I have to prepare for welcoming my children and their family from now on. I'm looking forward to see their fine situations.

Bye for now,

Kiyoko

•  Kiyoko
• 2009年4月30日 12:24

Hi everyone,
I'm home! I really enjoyed in Honolulu. The first day, I and my friend went to get a lomi lomi massage. Do you know it? It's a traditional massage in Hawaii. It use natural oil. We were very tired because of taking a long plane trip, so it was very comfortable to get a massage. During our stay in Honolulu, we ate lots of local foods. "locomoco (It's like a 丼)", "garlic shrimps", "poke (It's like a まぐろの漬け)", "pancakes" etc... Everything were delicious! But everything were too large, so we couldn't often eat all. When I ate a cake, I was surprised because it was very big size! I shared it with my friend, but we couldn't eat all. As I said before, I wanted to speak English as much as I can, but I spoke hardly in English, because the Japanese language was understood everywhere we went. Most of restaurant we went to had a menu which was written in Japanese. So I didn't need to speak English. We knew Honolulu had a morning market every Saturday, so we went to there. There were lots of stalls which sold various organic vegetables and fruit or foods. Fried tomato and zucchini were sold, so we ate them. I had never eaten fried tomato. It was so good! There were stalls which sold various kinds of honeys, and the shopgirl couldn't understand Japanese, so I could speak English at last! But it was only 3 sentences. "Can I try it?" "This is delicious!" "I'll take this".^^; The last day, we got on a ship to watch whales. The weather was so nice. The blue sky and ocean made us happy. We could watch a whale which was blowing. It was so big! It was the first time I watched a whale.
When I came back to Japan, I was surprised that I heard the news about 新型インフルエンザ. The news in Honolulu reported about it just a little, so I was not thinking such a big trouble. I hope this flu is over soon.

Amica

•  Amica
• 2009年4月30日 13:59

Hi Amica,

Welcome back! Glad to hear you had a wonderful time in Hawaii. I've never heard of 'lomi lomi massage', but it sounds nice! And the name of it sounds lovely.(ロミロミ？) You tried lots of local food there, but fried tomatoes?? I wonder what they taste like...
You saw a whale blowing? I'm so jealous! Whale(or dolphin)-watching is one of the things I want to try sometime. 見れて良かったね＾＾

Anyway, I'm glad you are back safely. Thanks for sharing your trip!

Tomo

•  Tomo
• 2009年4月30日 17:28

Welcome back, Amica! We missed you!
Your trip sounds great -- and delicious ;-) I'm glad you really enjoyed it. Even if you didn't speak much English there, you wrote a lot about the trip here!

•  Lily
• 2009年4月30日 21:22

Hi Amica,

Welcome back! You really had a great time in Hawaii, and glad to hear that.
“Lomi Lomi massage” sounds nice, and I've never heard about that. What is “lomi lomi”?
Is “lomi lomi” the name of aroma of herbs or something?
You had various kind of local cuisine, didn’t you? I had fried tomato in Alaska, and I like it.
You are very lucky the whale blowing.
Thanks for sharing your story in Hawaii, and glad to know you are back safely.

:少し訂正：
It wasn't so cold than I had expected.→It’s wasn't as cold as I had expected.

Hi nekotaro,
I did have a great time. I went out to watch four nights, and three photos are the ones when I went to a Chena lake（it was frozen）. I was there from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m., and luckily I could enjoy the beautiful Northern　Lights about three hours! According to the tour guide in there, it is sooo rare to appear such a long time; it was like a mist and moves slowly that day.
Hi Tomo,
My husband took the photo of the mountain because I took a seat next to a pilot, and was speaking.
There is a hot spring in Alaska! Chena hot spring seems to be a famous spot, and you can enjoy a huge’ 露天風呂’ wearing swim suits. 混浴です＾＾）I talked with some man from Fairbanks and he said he visited this “露天風呂“every Sunday.
By the way, you seem to be very busy these days. I hope you have a good time this Golden week.

Hi Kiyoko,
Our (My husband and I) purpose of this trip was same as your friend; watching the Northern Lights and “Alaska Railroad”.
We stayed two places two nights each, and went out to watch them from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. every night.
A lot of travel agencies prepare “Enjoy the Northern Lights” tours at this time of year because the weather is good for this purpose.　

Bye for now,

Anne

•  Anne
• 2009年4月30日 21:50

Hi Anne,
The Northern Lights in the pictures are amazing. How long did it take to drive the place the pictures were taken from the hotel. I'd like to reread your comment of the trip,but I'm afraid I cannot find it.
Sorry,could you tell me the date you posted it?

•  May
• 2009年5月 1日 12:40

Hi May,
I went out different places to watch everyday; mountain, frozen lake,some lodge owned by a Japanese couple and at a lodge I stayed. It took about 30 minutes to get there.
I wrote about my trip on March 1, in David's entry Feb,21,"Outliers (2)".

Hi David and everyone,
How are you doing? The weather today is very nice, so I opened the window, and am doing housework. I'm really in good mood. I don't have any special plan to do during the Golden Week Holiday, but this cozy weather makes me feel happy.
Have a good Golden Week Holiday!

PS. I've finished reading "Outliers" a few days ago.
David, thanks for giving us a chance to read this book. I enjoyed a lot, and it gave me a hint to re-think about my life.

Speak to you soon,

Anne

•  Anne
• 2009年5月 1日 13:35

Hi Anne,

Thanks for answering my questions. You were sitting next to the pilot at that time(I remember you talking about it before.), so that's the helicopter you flew? How exciting!
A huge’ 露天風呂’ also sounds nice. As long as everyone is wearing swim suits, I have no problems with trying it;-) It seems like a big hot pool, doesn't it?

By the way, you've finished reading "Outliers" already? I'm still reading chapter two...＾＾;)

Anyway, thanks for your kind words. You too. Have a great holiday!

Tomo

PS Everyone, enjoy the Golden Week holiday!

•  Tomo
• 2009年5月 1日 14:08

Hi Anne,
Thanks for sharing your pictures. They are so beautiful!
You've finished "Outliers"? Wow! I've only read a few chapters of "Skipping Christmas." ^^;)

I'm going back to my hometown for the Golden Week. See you later. Have a nice weekend!

•  Lily
• 2009年5月 1日 15:37

Hi David,
Thank you for uploading Anne's photo! Hope you will get a time to ride your "lovely" bike during the Golden Week.

Hi Anne,
Thank you for sharing the photos! The photos of the Northern Lights are really beautiful and I like others as well. When I went Alaska in summer, I missed to take Alaska Railroad and also to see the Northern Lights. Hope to visit there again!;-)

Hi Amica,
Welcome back!! You had a great time in Hawaii. I'm glad to hear that. Thanks for sharing your trip! You were so lucky to see a whale blowing. It's really dynamic, I guess.

Everyone, enjoy the Golden Week!

Talk to you later,

Maki

P.S.
Lily, have a nive trip!

•  Maki
• 2009年5月 1日 22:54

Hi everyone,

Thanks for showing us the photos, David and Anne.
The Northern Light are amazing, the mysteries of nature.

I found out a phrase on David's line "the rest".
I didn't know this expression, it's really useful .

I am enjoying reading everyone's comments.
Everyone, Have a good day!

eeko

•  eeko
• 2009年5月 2日 07:25

Hi Tomo,
Yes, you are right; it's like a kind of big swimming pool,but THIS POOL is surrounded with big rocks, and in it tiny pebbles and sands are spread out, so it's very comfortable to walk. You can enjoy the nice winter views from the POOL,all the trees are covered with snow , ha ha! And no problem even though it's "混浴”as long as you are wearing a swimsuit.
A guy who spoke to us talked about his once in a lifetime experience about Aurora viewing. He heard the sound of the Northern Lights moving, and it is a really rare case. He said that was great. Isn't it amazing?
Hi Lily,
You are reading"Skipping Christmas"? Enjoy reading it and have a great time with your family!

Hi Maki,
I heard that you visited Alaska in summer when we met last time. Where did you visit? Visiting there in summer sounds nice!

Hi eeko,
Thanks for watching the photos. Yes, "the rest" is very useful expression, isn't it?

Hi kiyoko,
Are you having a lovely time with your son's family?

Hi David and everyone,
The weather is fine, and I feel good.
David, are you focusing on your work?

Have a lovely day,

Anne

•  Anne
• 2009年5月 2日 11:10

Hi Everyone,
How is your holidays? The weather is so nice and rather warm here. It's comfortable to spend a time outside.

Hi Anne,
I stayed in Anchorage for 4 nights. I rented a car and drove around near there with my friend. It was really nice to see some kinds of wildlife like moose, deer and birds. I don't remember the place-name, maybe Seward, and we took a train with our car to a port. I mean that the train transported people with a car. Anyway, we got on a boat to see glaciers. It was amazing! We saw marin wildlife as well. It was more than 10years agao, though.;-)

Have a good day!

Maki

•  Maki
• 2009年5月 2日 14:17

Hi Anne,
The sound of the Northern Lights moving?! Do Northern Lights make a sound?? Wow! 一体どんな音なんでしょう？　聞いてみたいですね～。　That's a once in a lifetime experience!
By the way, I learned the expression 'once in a lifetime' from your comment.　 私の頭の中では‘once in a while’がセットになっていて、ちょっと前に‘once in a great while’も新しく覚えたのですが、lifetime バージョンは初めて見ました。 Thanks!

Hi everyone,
The weather was great here as well, and I worked outside painting my wood deck from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. today. I'm exhausted, and my arm hurts a bit, but it was nice to work outside on a sunny day like this. It's not finished yet, so I'm going to do it again tomorrow.

See you all soon,

Tomo

•  Tomo
• 2009年5月 3日 00:31

Hi everyone.

It's been a while.

When I saw a shooting star, I heard the strange sound.
It was like an explosive sound.

Anyway,I got a holiday from tomorrow.
I'm happy.＼(^_^)／

Nothing has been decided yet to do.

Kazu

•  Kazu
• 2009年5月 3日 04:59

Hi David and everyone,
It's raining around here. Are you having a nice holiday?
By the way, have a look at the Google Japan's Logo today. Isn't it lovely?
I'm going to buy iris leaves and to take a bath with them tonight. I love the fragrance of the leaves.

Have a nice day,

Anne

•  Anne
• 2009年5月 5日 09:42

Hi David and Everyone,
The weather is really nice and it's rather warm here in Hokkaido. Tomorrow will be fine as well. Finally we are having cherry blossoms here! It's more than one week earlier than usual.

Hi Anne,
I looked at the Google Japan's logo. Yes! It's very cute. Did you see the Google UK's logo? It's also interesting. Please have a look at it!

Maki

•  Maki
• 2009年5月 5日 21:18

Hi Kazu,
You've heard the sound of a shooting star? I've seen a shooting star several times, but I've never heard the sound of it.　やっぱりアニメの音とは違いますね（笑）

Hi Anne and Maki
I had a look at both logos. Google Japan is marking Children's Day, and Google UK is marking Kew Gardens' 250th anniversary, right? I didn't know Kew Gardens, but the logo is interesting!
Anne, how was the iris leaves bath? I've had Chinese lemon bath(yuzu yu), but I've never tried iris leaves bath(shoubu yu).
Maki, glad to hear spring has come in Hokkaido as well. Enjoy the cherry blossoms!

Hi everyone,
If the weather is okay, we(my family and my sister's family) are going to an amusement park tomorrow. The weather forecast for tomorrow is not good, but I'm looking forward to riding a roller coaster!

Hope you are all enjoying your holiday.

Tomo

•  Tomo
• 2009年5月 5日 22:49

Hi Maki,
Thanks for letting us know Google UK logo! It's interesting!
So, spring has come in Hokkaido. Enjoy the spring!

Hi Kazu,
Are you having a nice holiday? Actually, I've never heard the sound of the shooting star either.

Hi Tomo,
I enjoyed the fragrance of iris leaves tonight. When my sons were kids, my husband tied these iris leaves onto their head hoping for their health. It was my family tradition, and putting on it,they were sooo lovely!( I know, they are not glad to hear this^^;)
Hope the weather would be nice tomorrow.

Bye for now,

Anne

•  Anne
• 2009年5月 5日 23:11

hi,everyone.

I surprised that many of you often go abroad. I've ever been abroad for a few times. Your much experience in some foreign countries is enviable for me.
Thank you for uproading some photographs and telling your exciting experience to me.

I want to go abroad someday and share my experience for you.

By the way, thanks for your telling notice about Google logo to us. I regret not to be able to see it because I've been to the garden a few years ago.
I love gardens in UK. Those were really clean and beautiful. I can't forget having drunk a coffee and a cookie at a open-air cafe in a park.

It's not a fine day in Tokyo. But I'll go outdoor.
Have a nice day!

yuu

•  yuu
• 2009年5月 6日 10:10

Hi Tomo and Anne.

We knew that sound is a vibration of air.
Even the thunder sounds are later than light, let alone shooting star.
But,the phenomenon I saw was synchronized lightning and sounds.
When I heard the Anne's episode of northern lights, I came up with my episode of shooting star.
I know there is no way that we can hear the sound of shooting star.
It couldn't be realistic.
But I'm sure I saw it and heard.
At that time, I guessed that sounds were received by my brain directly.
I guessed there is microwave to do with that.
Do you believe me? (^_^;)
Needless to say I'm not a scientist.
I can't explain that phenomenon.
But in fact, I saw it and heard.

Do you have any skeptical episode?

By the way, I'm having a good time with my family in this holiday.

See you later.

•  Kazu
• 2009年5月 6日 18:12