This is an interesting recent photo of us, taken at the Galabeya party on our Nile cruise. There are more photos below so this page may not load very quickly if you're not on broadband; be patient. Then think about getting broadband!
We 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 Rooster, it must be the Year of the Dog. Here is the full legalese disclaimer for our Season's greetings (see also the note 12/16/2004 9:48 AM by A very disillusioned Engineer and the rebutal 12/23/2004 8:09 AM by An Highly Illusioned Engineer - then close the window to return to the newsletter).
This is a compilation of some of the high spots of 2005. Some of the links below (which are not in the printed version) are to pictures, others are to the website mentioned; you'll have to close them if they open in a new window, or use your browser's "Back" button to get back to this page after viewing them.
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 our president that has a lot of useful, current information and advice; and usually a report on the General Meeting and Planning Meeting by yours truly, including quite often summaries or even transcripts of the feature presentation. Stan continues to bike to work and home from work (try the satellite view), enjoying the fresh air and gentle aerobic exercise.
Kiyomi's jobs continue to keep her busy and intellectually stimulated. She has considerably cut back flying back and forth to Japan, but has accompanied groups from Japan to various U.S. cities, and consulted for U.S. companies with Japanese branches. She has also been writing articles, reports and reviews, plus giving training and conferences, for people from government, education, and industry, both in Japan and the United States. She is researching a presentation on work-life balance, that will try to help people deal with the stress of balancing their career with their personal life. She is also researching e-learning and online learning, for both education K-college, and corporate or government programs. She plans to research some European e-learning companies on-site in Europe next year.
Aya is still our “Gap Kid”. She moved into an apartment in the San Francisco Marina area near the Palace of Fine Arts (Exploratorium), from where she can run, bike, bus, or be driven to work by co-workers who live nearby. From all reports, she really enjoys the work and the culture. She is manager of the softball team, and also ran in the Bay to Breakers event. Her department is International Business Development, Banana Republic Japan – Non-Apparel, and the office is at 345 Spear St., San Francisco, not far from the Ferry Building and Bay Bridge. She is kept busy managing her softball team, training for the marathon, or attending the weddings of her school days classmates. It seems every weekend she's jetting off somewhere for a wedding, birthday party, or other celebration. The 23rd of October she ran her first (and perhaps last) marathon:
"so, i did it. i was a little nervous considering the recent injuries (shin splints, inflamed achilles tendons and bruised ribs) which resulted in decreased training, but i made it. i'm walking, well, limping, and very happy and proud to have accomplished this but will most likely never do this to my body again.
i probably ended up running about 23 of the 26.2 miles and walked the rest - most of which took place during the last 3 miles.
my time was about 4:50...i'm officially 5:07 but since i put myself in the second to slowest category, i didn't end up starting until about 15-20 minutes after start time.
the experience was extremely inspiring to see so many women of ALL shapes and sizes running for such a great cause. towards the end, when tears of pain started taking over the smiles, it was the sheer dedication these women had towards supporting their friends and/or family members, both lost and living, that got them across the finish line.
15,000 women ran together to raise 14 million dollars to benefit the leukemia and lymphoma society."
Alan is putting his TKD background and experience to good use. He's found that teaching kids and adults is more rewarding and less stress than other jobs, and still keeps his knowledge, skill and expertise up to date consulting, designing and installing home theater systems. Some of his installations are very elaborate, involving the whole house, or considerable carpentry in addition to wiring. He is a good resource if you're thinking about installing a new home theater, or just upgrading what you have. He's busy now designing Stan & Kiyomi's new home theater, and hopes to begin installation by the end of December.
His love is a sweet Rottweiler female named “Kuma”. With his busy work schedule, he doesn't have as much time as they'd like to play with each other. Her “grandparents” often “baby”sit her - here's a recent picture of her enjoying "her" living room (the red chair on the right is "hers".
Once again they were opera outings - this time we saw The Pearl Fishers by Bizet. There's a synopsis and review here. We thought it was a great performance, enough action, color and music to keep us entertained and awake. In October we saw Bellini's Norma, an unlikely story, but with lots of drama.
The big vacation this year was the trip to ancient Egypt and Jordan. We've wanted to see these countries for many years, but felt the security and safety were risky. We finally decide to just do it, and Grand Circle Travel made us an offer we couldn't refuse. For the complete report, with many links to further information and references, click here. The following is a brief recap. We were glad we took the tour, it exceeded our expectations, and was better than we imagined it could be.
Here is a brief overview:
September 28 through October 13 saw us in Capri, Sorrento, Ravello, Amalfi and Positano. Upon arrival at Naples Airport (after about 20 hours travel, connecting through Chicago, London, and Munich), we were transferred to the harbor for a hydrofoil trip across the Bay of Naples to Capri. There we were met by the Weber Ambassador Hotel shuttle, and taken to our first hotel, located at the Marina Picolo. From there, we could either take the shuttle to and from Capri center, or walk up or down Via Mula, a very pleasant pedestrian path. We walked nearly everywhere; there are few roads, although those roads do carry a lot of traffic. Our first day, we walked way out to the Via Tiberio to the Villa Jovis, the summer home of the Roman emperor Tiberius built in the First Century AD. The ruins suggested the splendor that was, and there was a breathtaking vista of the Gulf of Naples, stretching all the way from Ischia to Campanella Point (near Sorrento). We had dinner at La Capannina, where we had eaten six years ago when we first visited Capri.
The next day we took a bus to Anacapri, a 20-minute thrill ride. The road looked only wide enough for one-way traffic, but somehow the vehicles going in both directions managed to squeeze past each other, one precariously close to the cliff, and the other almost scraping the sheer rock. Intending to go to the Villa Damecuta and the Blue Grotto, we somehow got on a beautiful road that wound between villas, but came abruptly to an end. We turned around and went back through Anacapri. We had a delicious lunch at the Hotel Caesar Augustus, which has a stunning view of Capri, the Bay of Naples and the Amalfi coast.
The next day we took the Via Krupp (officially closed to the public, but as our concierge told us, "everybody goes over the fence"). Sure enough, we weren't the only ones climbing the fence. The "road" (actually more of a paved path) was the idea of A. F. Krupp, a German steel industrialist, and winds along the south coast of the island, a very beautiful walk along the sea; then we ascended several hundred feet to the Gardens of Augustus, which overlooks the Marina Picolo and I Faraglioni.
After three days we moved to the La Minerva hotel. Kiyomi and I loved the simple elegance and the understated but luxurious decor. Breakfast on our private balcony was a special treat. Although it's just a few minutes walk from Via Camerelle, the "main drag" of upscale exclusive shops, La Minerva was quiet and had a very nice view of Anacapri, especially at sunset. We bought some "Limoncello di Capri" (made by macerating lemon peels and soaking them in alcohol until they extract the flavor), nice sparkling Moscato D'Asti wine, some local cheeses, fruits (grapes and pears were delicious) and salami, and found them to be delicious as a lunch or an evening snack.
Kiyomi found many opportunities to shop, and found many of the items she had been looking for, at a very bargain price compared to the US. We got some "princess pink" sandals for Aya, and some very nice clothes at Brioni's.
One day for lunch we walked down the several hundred steps to the restaurant Luigi's at the base of I Faraglioni, where we had a nice pizza and an octopus salad, along with the local Nastro Azzuro beer. After lunch, we climbed back up the steps, and continued on the Via Matermania, to the Matermania Grotto, an impressive natural cavern, transformed during Roman times into a luxurious Nymphaeum. After admiring it, we continued back to Capri town. The transition from a quiet, almost deserted scenic path high on a cliff or along the coastline, to the hustle and bustle of Capri town never ceased to amaze us.
On 6 October, we took the boat to Sorrento, and from there took the bus along the Amalfi Coast road. This two-way road looks only wide enough for one-way traffic, but somehow the buses, trucks, taxis and autos manage to negotiate the thousand or so curves. We arrived in Amalfi, and then a short taxi ride took us to Ravello, where we walked the rest of the way up to the Villa Cimbrone (our luggage went by electric cart, but we had to walk). The highlight of our stay was the dinners; Kiyomi judged the octopus dish one of the best three she's ever had (and she's had a lot! - if you're interested, the other two were in Sintra, Portugal and Akashi, Japan). The rest of the food was fabulous as well, expertly cooked and beautiful to look at, as well as delicious to eat. The Villa grounds are a famous tourist destination, because of the expansive garden, with statues, grottos, and flowerbeds; and the stunning views of the Amalfi Coast and Bay of Salerno. As guests, we had access to the garden before the gates opened to the public, so had it almost to ourselves. While in the town, Kiyomi found some fascinating ceramic factories and outlets. We got a number of unique, hand-made items, which I'm sure will become family treasures.
Next we moved to Villa Michele, a hotel right over the Mediterranean. When I say “over”, the hotel is constructed vertically on a cliff that plunges steeply down to the Med. The entrance is more than 100 feet above the Med, and the steps lead down to the lobby, and down to the dining room, and down to our rooms, and further down to the ladder to the water. While there, we made a visit to Positano, noted for shopping and the beauty of its setting. We took the bus there, a 90-minute trip along the narrow Coast Road, and a 15-minute boat trip back. While there, we walked up and down the main drag, but it didn't compare with Capri! We had a very nice octopus salad, pizza & beer lunch at a quiet restaurant as short walk from the bustling main street.
Returning from Amalfi to Capri by boat on 10 October, we checked in to the Punta Tragara, a luxury hotel at the end of the charming and panoramic Via Tragara, at the Tragara Belvedere overlooking the famous I Faraglioni rocks.
We passed through the Piazzetta di Capri many times, walking here and there on the winding, lovely roads.
The Certosa of San Giacomo (Carthusian Monastery), which we had seen from La Minerva, is only few steps from the Gardens of Augustus. The Charterhouse's foundations date back to 1371 and it is believed that it was built on the remains of previous Roman buildings and the sixth villa of Tiberius. It is now home to a museum holding a number of large statues from the Roman Age which were recovered from the sea floor of the Grotta Azzurra. It also contains a number of huge canvases by the German painter Wilhelm Diefenbach, who lived in Capri for many years.
Kiyomi read about the Feng Shui philosophy as applied to Japanese gardens, and decided to re-landscape our yard to conform to some of the principles and guidelines. She noticed many similarities with the Japanese-style gardens she enjoyed while young, and felt some of the philosophy was very familiar. She didn't feel constrained to unquestioningly follow the rules, but took advantage of the principles to improve the landscaping to be more harmonious and peaceful. She spent many hours drawing and planning the garden before picking up the shovel. Once she had a plan, she went to work. Her efforts are continuing as the basic plan has been realized, and the yard and gardens have already showed a dramatic improvement. Here's a picture of the fountain and new brick fence in the back yard. It is the focus as seen from our living room. The fountain is very soothing in the summer, with the tinkling sound. Visit us, and enjoy it with us!
The Palo Alto Weekly has a nice article on our remodel. In case you missed the article in 2003, it's now a few years old, but still current. We continue to be happy with the remodel, especially the Japanese Soaking Tub, the Toto Jasmine Washlet, and the clean smooth lines of the kitchen.
Kiyomi celebrated her birthday (she's stopped counting, but not stopped celebrating) with relatives and friends at the June family reunion. Pat Ward and Wilton Atkinson also celebrated, and we sang happy birthday to everyone whose birthday was between 1 January and 31 December 2005.
Alan celebrated his 25th birthday with a sushi feast at home, and then went out with his friends until later - much later. Pictures taken by Aya are here (if you don't have an account, you can join for free).
Aya and Stan celebrated with delicious Japanese dinners (sushi and tempura) cooked by a famous Japanese chef. Of course there were cakes for dessert.
There was a major family reunion 25 June, held at Foothill Park in Palo Alto; you can read lots more about it at this link, and see photos galore. Everyone had a great time, and it was good to see folks we hadn't seen in a while. Hopefully we'll be able to do something similar next year, perhaps for Anna's 85th birthday. And again in 2007 for Wilton's 85th birthday. And then there's a 60th wedding anniversary just a few years away.
If you have comments or suggestions, or just want to chat,