This is the best recent photo of us. There are more photos available as links below so this page will load fairly quickly; click on the link, and your browser will open a picture, or take you to the link reference, in a new browser window. Then close the new window to continue with the letter.
Hope everyone has an enjoyable Celebration of the Winter Solstice and the Changing of the Year - according to my sources, since last year was the Year of the Sheep, it must be the Year of the Monkey.
This is a compilation of some of the high spots of 2003. Some of the links below (which are not in the printed version) are to pictures; use your browser's "Back" button, or the keyboard shortcut <Alt> <Left Arrow> to get back to this page after viewing them.
If you'd like to view any or all of the pictures we've taken over the years, PhotoWorks has them available online here. Using this link, you can view our Favorites Album, which includes recent digital images not on rolls.
Stan is webmaster not only for the family home page, but also for Kiyomi's business CrossTech, and her nonprofit organization, Teachers International Exchange. In addition, he is co-webmaster for the Stanford-Palo Alto User Group (SPAUG) for PC's, and hosts a Web Page Creation and Maintenance Special Interest Group (SIG). I invite everyone interested in computers to visit the SPAUG site, especially ShareWhere, which lists interesting websites on the Internet. The Newsletter has a monthly column by the president that has a lot of useful, current information and advice.
Kiyomi's big job, which continued this year, started when she was contracted by HP to take "trainers' training", and then train groups of HP managers and executives in Japan. The subject was “high-velocity business results in a dynamic HP”. For them, it is a real paradigm shift. Kiyomi's job was to help them experience situations that would allow them to develop the new skills they require.
She has flown back and forth to Japan numerous times during the year to give the training, but it is the kind of work she really enjoys doing. This has been her major job, but of course she has taken on many other contracts for various organizations, giving training and conferences to people from government, education, and industry, both in Japan and the United States.
Aya left Applied Materials for a job as our "Gap Kid". She moved into a house in the San Francisco Presidio, from where she can bike, bus, or drive to work. From all reports, she really enjoys the work and the culture. Her department is Financial Planning and Analysis in the International Division, and her main country is Canada. She is also the Essbase (Financial Reporting and Forecasting Application) administrator and will be implementing the system into the international division, which means she will most likely 'have to' travel to the various countries to provide training to those users. As part of her job, she visited Japan in August. She trained the Japanese Finance Group in (Japanese and English) to use their new software that was being integrated for worldwide use.
Alan is putting his home theater installation experience to good use in his own company, with his partner Dave Wood. They are still in the start-up phase, but have done numerous jobs (including the Hutchings Home).
He continues as manager for a Tae Kwon Do dojo, and is teaching numerous classes, from pee-wee to adult. He has started a class for Olympic style instruction, and hopes the class will join him in competitions soon. He passed the test for his Second Degree Black Belt (photo) in March. He has been seriously competing, taking first or second place in his matches. Next match is March 2004.
His new love is a sweet Rottweiler female named “Kuma” . It's not all sweetness and light, though, she bites off more than she should chew (his passport, among other things).
Stan and Kiyomi went to see Mozart's The Magic Flute at the San Francisco Opera in October. The tickets were Stan's reward for filling out a survey form.
We took a cruise to Australia and Southeast Asia from 19 March to 11 April on the Regal Princess (You can "visit" many Princess ships via the webcam on the Bridge - choose the Princess you want from the list. Remember, though, the different time zones my be dark.) It was a very nice cruise. We started from Sydney, then cruised north. We visited the Great Barrier Reef in CID Harbour and again in Cairns Australia (where I snorkeled the Reef, enjoying the various ocean scenery and life. Then we visited a wildlife park in Darwin, where we saw all kinds of Australian animals. After a few days at sea, we stopped by Kuala Lumpur, and the next day another Malaysian city, the Royal city of Kuantan.
We had excellent weather for the whole trip, the seas were calm and the skies clear the whole voyage. At night we could see lightning storms in the distance lighting up the sky and clouds, but we had only an occasional shower, quickly over. The temperature was in the 80's and 90's, and very humid.
Unfortunately, our planned stops in Bali, Singapore and Vietnam were cancelled because of terrorist activities and the SARS virus concerns, so we spent several extra days at sea. Kiyomi was quite disappointed in the cancellations, because the highlights for her were to be Bali and Vietnam, both of which were cancelled. Maybe next time!
Instead of Vietnam, we stopped by a Thai island named Ko Samui for a day (it was "atsui" (hot), not "samui" (cold)!). Apparently the movie starring Leonardo DiCaprio, The Beach, was filmed there. Then we finished the cruise safely in Bangkok, arriving in port a day early.
After moving to the Bangkok Grand Hyatt Hotel, we visited the tourist spots for 3 days - the Royal Palace, Emerald Buddha, solid gold Buddha, Wat Po (home of hundreds of "rescued" Buddha statues), the Marble Temple, and the gem store (a king's ransom in precious jewellery for sale, where Kiyomi got a nice emerald earring/necklace set). We stopped by a 24-hour tailor, where Stan got two suits, 5 shirts and 3 ties as a package deal. (Kiyomi said it is about one-tenth the cost she would pay in the US.) We enjoyed the Thai food there, it was really good. We left for the US, and were fortunately rerouted through Tokyo instead of Hong Kong, again because of SARS concerns. We left at 6:30 AM instead of 11 AM, so we were home even earlier than originally planned - 8:00 AM Friday 11 April. Stan returned to work on Monday, Kiyomi left for another training session in Japan on Tuesday - she didn't even get to recover from jet lag!
In May 2002 we began the project with a discussion with our architect. The project continued through the rest of the year, with physical demolition starting in September, and then the (very) slow rebuilding. Although originally estimated to be finished by Christmas 2002, delays and upsets kept the final completion until May. But WOW! is it nice.
The house remodel is 99+% done at the end of 2003. We've been greatly enjoying using the kitchen and bath since April. The garden outside the bathroom window was completed in October, but will take a while to grow to the final design.
For the bathroom, we use a Japanese-style soaking tub. It works quite well. It takes about one hour to heat up from cold water to very comfortable 106-108 degrees F (41-42 degrees C), which is maintained until it is turned off. It is deep enough to sit with water up to your neck; but is sunken, so is easy to get into an out of. Kiyomi loves it especially, she says, “now we don't have to go to Japan to visit spas, we have our own.” [photo of vanity and tub]
I had to read the instruction manual before using the Toto “Jasmin Washlet” hi-tech toilet seat, but I figured it out, and it really exceeds my expectation. I've gotten so used to it, and don't like to use other toilets now [here's a picture of ours]. The shower hot/cold water control is especially nice, you just set the temperature, then turn on the water and it automatically adjusts to the setting [here's a picture]. The marble vanity top matches the floor and wall tile quite well, and the teak cabinet is good for storage. The mirror was commissioned by Kiyomi, and is almost a work of art in itself.
We finally got around to getting a fireplace insert, which is installed in the living room, so now we have an easy-to-turn-on fire that gives lots of heat while we watch TV or listen to music.
We love the kitchen, it has a simple, clean look, enhanced by the lack of handles, knobs and other appurtenances. The design by Kiyomi and Capstone Cabinets makes storage very convenient. The instant hot water is a really useful feature, I use it all the time. Here's a picture of the Dacor Millennia ceramic top stove and west wall, here's the sink, Miele dishwasher and east wall, and here're behind the wall, are the GE refrigerator/freezer, Thor washer/dryer, and more storage cabinets.
Carol Blitzer of the local paper did a nice write up with photos by Dasja Dolan, Palo Alto Online: Simple and clean.
We decided to visit Tahiti last year, and we quite happy with our trip. We had fortunately chosen the best time of year to visit, their “winter”, when there is less rain and temperatures in the 80's. We had lovely weather the majority of the time; the rain happened at night and while we were at sea. The temperature was a warm mid to high 80's, quite comfortable with the shorts and sandals I wore, and the Hawaiian style clothes Kiyomi wore. We started and ended our cruise on the Tahitian Princess from Papeete, Tahiti. Our itinerary was Huahine. Rarotonga (Cook Islands), Raiatea, Bora Bora, and Moorea. Our main purpose was to relax in a tropical setting, and we really succeeded. We really enjoyed the shows, especially the local performers, music played by the Duo. You can “visit” the Tahitian Princess via the webcam on the Bridge - choose the Tahitian Princess from the list. Remember, though, it's a Pacific time zone.
Our family trip this year was to attend our niece's wedding in Kobe, Japan and also to attend a sibling family reunion (Kiyomi, her brother and sister, and their families) in Hakone near Mt. Fuji. Prior to the wedding, Kiyomi wanted to show Aya and Alan important parts of their heritage. After arriving at Narita the 16th, we stayed the first night at the Park Hyatt Tokyo Hotel, a beautiful 52-story high-rise in the heart of Shinjuku, from which we could see Tokyo and Mt. Fuji. The sunrise the 17th was beautiful (because of jet lag, it is easy to get up early). We stopped by a department store to buy obento to eat on the train for lunch - so many delicious goodies to choose from! From Shinjuku we traveled to the Ashiwada Inn next to a lake near Mt. Fuji. We saw Fuji-san from the train station, and glimpsed it from the shuttle; but it wasn't visible from the inn. Upon arrival, we headed for the bath. The baths in the inns are public (although genders are separated). They are a high point of the stay, with the meals being the other high point; we were not disappointed by either!
On the 18th, we traveled most of the day, changing trains many times, to arrive at the Ashiwada Inn near Iga, located on a river that is famous for having 48 beautiful waterfalls. After arrival, first the luxurious baths, then another sumptuous dinner.
The 19th we walked (along with hundreds of other Japanese nature enthusiasts) the trail along the river to view the waterfalls. With the fall colors, steep hills, rushing water and invigorating temperature, we had a most enjoyable walk (photo) (our legs would be sore for the next three days). We then headed for Iga, home of the legendary Ninja village and museum. The demonstration of the Ninja home by a Ninja lady, with its secret passages, secret cubbyholes, hidden weapons, fake panels, etc. was very impressive. The museum showed how the Ninjas used the sciences - geology, chemistry, physics, metallurgy, psychology, astronomy, etc. - to become the legendary "invisible" assassins. From Iga, we went to our favorite inn, in Futami no ura, near the Ise Shrine, for a luxurious bath and fantastic supper.
The 20th was our visit to the Ise Shrine, one of the most revered of all Shinto shrines, dedicated to the founding Godess of Japan, Amaterasu Omikami. The day was cloudy, somewhat foggy, with a hint of rain. This muted the colors and the sounds, making the shrine seem shrouded and mysterious. Here is a history and picture tour of the Shrine. After saying prayers for our ancestors at several of the sub-shrines, we headed out into the town for lunch at one of the many soba (noodle) shops, where we tried Ise Soba. Then back to the train station to proceed to our next stop, Nachi Katsuura Town and the grand resort Urashima Hotel. The Urashima had six theme baths, including caves, grottos overlooking the ocean and hilltop baths overlooking the town.
The 21st found us (after early morning baths) on the road by taxi to the revered Kumano Shrine. It is famous for having the world's largest Torii gate (photo) (despite claims by the Miyajima Shrine and the Meiji Shrine). That's Aya, Kiyomi and Alan standing under the gate - see them? After a nice visit, and many photo opportunities, we got on the train for Kobe.
The 22nd was the day of Shinobu-chan's wedding. The ceremony was well-organized, in a building designed for weddings. First we were taken to a waiting room, served tea, and led to introduce ourselves. Then we went to another waiting room, served drinks and awaited the ceremony. When all was ready, we entered a room like a chapel (although there were no religious overtones). The bride and groom each chose their theme music, which was played as they entered. The bride's father escorted her to the alter and turned her over to the groom, the bride and groom exchanged vows and rings, and the ceremony was complete (photo). We went back to the waiting room for more photo opportunities, group photos and congratulations. Then we had a delicious banquet, with speeches, toasts, the bride and groom changed to traditional Japanese wedding clothes (photo) and other entertainment. After the wedding, the younger people went to a karaoke bar, and spent most of the night celebrating.
The 23rd we went to the Miyajima Shrine (photo), on an island near Hiroshima, famous for the big red torii gate standing in the water (although when we were there, the tide was out). The whole island is a fascinating place to visit, with little shrines, pagoda, bell towers, restaurants, gift shops, nature trails, tame deer, and all sorts of other diversions. We saw the world's largest rice scoop, commemorating the invention of the rice scoop at Miyajima.
The 24th to the 26th was the siblings and their families' reunion (photo), near Fuji-san. We had delicious meals, enjoyed socializing in the bath, and visited Fuji-san and neighboring volcanoes.
The 27th we went shopping in Kobe's Sannomiya, and had dinner with our friends the Nakauyes. It was good to see their whole family again and hear what they've been doing lately.
Aya took dozens of pictures; they are online here in 7 albums (if you are not already a member of Snapfish, you'll have to register - it's free and there are often additional inducements).
Kiyomi celebrated her birthday in Tahiti (photo). Alan took over the house for his 23rd birthday. With Aya's help, he organized a party starting at 3 PM on Saturday, and continuing until 1 PM the next day (some out-of-town guests slept over). He and his friends cleaned up the house on Sunday. According to all reports, they all had a very good time (Stan and Kiyomi spent the night at Alan's apartment) (photo). Aya and her friends celebrated her 26th in San Francisco (the parents are not privy to the details, but she got a nice cake with her name on it (photo)). Stan celebrated his 61st birthday at the Tokyo Hyatt Garden in Shinjuku, Japan for sunrise and breakfast, and later at the Ashiwada Inn (photo).
Stan visited his parents in San Diego several times. Southwest Airlines offered prices he couldn't refuse, and the visits at non-holiday times allowed him to have a nice time socializing and advising on computer-related matters, eating cherry pie and other favorites, getting a haircut, and bringing back macadamia nuts and oranges. The visit in February allowed him to celebrate Mother's birthday. He drove down in September, stopping by to visit Connie & Robert in Los Angeles. The main purpose of the visit was to upgrade the computer from WinMe to Windows XP. Unfortunately, multiple problems (including infection with the Blaster virus before XP could be upgraded to the latest security patches) resulted in failure. Stan's advice: don't upgrade, buy a new computer with XP installed. And turn on antivirus and firewall before trying to connect to the Internet. However, the visit was very enjoyable, as Lee shared his stories and pictures of Africa, and the food was, as usual, delicious.
If you have comments or suggestions, or just want to chat,