Siblings

Each year in December, my siblings and spouses have a reunion. We range in age from me, as the oldest at 79, to our youngest sister, who is 63 years old. Remarkably, all of us are still in fairly good health and able to travel to such things.

Ikuko & I are celebrating 54 years of marriage in January

Next sibling, Harry & his wife Terri (ill at home) have been married 33 years.

Oldest sister, Retha, and husband, Phil, celebrated their 54th last May.

Youngest brother, Keith, and his internet-shy wife, Susan, were married in 1967.

Middle sister, Sue, and Jack have been married 50 years

Youngest sibling, Darla, and Bill were married in 1973

The six of us, with homes in places from Blaine to Spanaway in northwestern Washington, find ourselves living fairly close together. During my years in the Army, my family and I lived in various parts of the world, but now I've joined my other siblings and live here in the Pacific Northwest. Still travel but for shorter periods of time than in the Army days.

For the past few years, we have met at a casino in the Anacortes area where they generously allow us to use one of their hospitality rooms and then kindly allow us to play in the game rooms when we aren't reunioning. The hospitality room left good memories, the gaming areas were a little more mixed.

This year, as we were sitting around talking after dinner, the subject of marriage and years married to one partner came up. As we reflected on our family, we counted up the years and realized that, for the six couples, we have been married for a total of 287 years to the same partners. We decided that was probably no record but still pretty amazing.

Some of us traveled a lot when we were younger and some of us still travel, even as we've grown older. With modern transportation, it's not like taking a covered wagon, or even a troopship, as I did when crossing the Pacific back in 1963. Now we cross the Pacific in 10 hours or so and from Seattle to the east coast in five hours or so.

Early last week Ikuko and I went east to celebrate Christmas with our younger son and his wife in Durham, NC, and enjoyed quick, comfortable flights each way.

East bound out of Seattle-Tacoma 

Sunset on the tarmac at RDU before heading west for home.

Back to my siblings, another amazing fact is that we all get along with each other. Family feuds are common and when there are six siblings, the odds must be pretty good that at least a couple of the members would be at loggerheads. I have been away from the family for half of our history but from what I observe, all the siblings get along pretty well.

The morning after the reunion, we all gathered for breakfast in a cafe where we continued the talk and played a little Keno. I figured I would give some support to the gambling operation so they would invite us back next year. I think that technique is working. Already I've received a postcard invitation to come back and try my luck. ;-)

This year's reunion finished, we wished each other good health (more and more important at our ages), safe journeys home and resolved to meet again next year.

Sunsets

Sunsets happen every day.

In our natural world, a day is defined by its sunsets and sunrises. Here on Earth we are accustomed to seeing the sun set every 24 hours, or in the case of cloudy weather, we trust it to happen.

Sunset from a cruise ship off the coast of Mexico.                                              Photo courtesy Charles Anderson

Other places in our natural world have different length days but still we define those days by the time it takes for one sunset to follow another. The Man on the Moon sees a sunset once every 29.5 of our days, while your typical Martian sees a sunset every twenty-four and one-half hours of our time and observers on Metis, the closest of Jupiter's 79 confirmed moons, would see a sunset every twelve hours. 

Sometimes our sunsets are spectacular, sometimes rather nondescript, depending on what our atmosphere is doing. We might say that sunsets in other places are otherworldly. The Man on the Moon, where there is no atmosphere, would see the sun simply disappear and light turn to dark without twilight. With an atmosphere less than 1% of Earth's, our Martian would see a a small pink sun descend through a cloudless dusty sky and set without ceremony.

In our world, as in most, sunset is followed by sunrise.

Sunset reflected on the leaves on the east side of Edmonds Marsh.

Sunrise on the same setting.

From my north-facing deck I can't see the sun rise or set this time of year but I do see the results as the warm light of sunset or the cooler light of sunrise is reflected on the leaves of nearby vegetation. 

As the sun comes up in the morning, I look forward to my new day by mentally reviewing my day's agenda. On some days, being retired and having no appointments means I can choose which way to jump. I try to make my days meaningful knowing that sunset will surely follow.

Using an analogy, the sun rose on my life nearly eighty years ago. The hours have passed swiftly, a few minutes of happiness here, a few storm clouds there, a solar eclipse here, some rainbows here and there, but the warm light of sunset is approaching. 

The duration of other human lives vary. Some see the sun set at an early age. The light of others is snuffed out in what seems to be their prime. Others join me in my approaching dotage, watching our sun set while rocking away the hours on the porch, so to speak.

We can't choose the time of our sunset, but we can live healthy well maintained lives, helping nature create a beautiful sunset when the appointed time comes.

As I look back on my life, I see things I could have done better, but I also see things I did do better. My bucket list is still long and my time is short. Guess I'll have to do my best to make the remaining time productive and as meaningful as possible.

35,000 feet aboard Japan Airlines. More travels, more adventures.

On a different scale, the sun also rises and falls on countries. 

My cohort and I have been privileged to live through the midday of these United States. We have seen our country become a major player on the world stage during WWII. we've seen the genius of George C. Marshall in helping our vanquished enemies rebuild and become friends instead of being trampled upon as losers. We have seen two states added to the Union and looked with awe at amazing advances in industry and technology. 

Are we now seeing the sun in the afternoon sky of our country?

As a traveler, I try to be observant of my surroundings. During our recent travels in Japan, I noticed the cleanliness and up-to-date maintenance at Haneda and Fukuoka Airports in Japan. The same things were obvious in the Incheon (Seoul) airport, which has been rated the world's best every year since 2005 by Airports Council Worldwide. 

By the way, Incheon is the correct romanization (formerly romanized as Inchon) for the Korean pronunciation of the word that means "kind river" in Korean.

Centerpiece sculpture in a concourse intersection in Incheon Airport

When traveling between American airports it isn't so obvious, but when we arrived in San Francisco International from overseas last month, I felt embarrassed that foreigners would see what I was seeing. The place was dingy, there were greasy parts strewn around the broken down end of a people mover with no maintenance people in evidence, the carpets were dirty, even the escalators were filthy with grime between the raised grids on each moving step. Seattle was no better. 

My friend, Jack, admires Eric Hoffer, who has many quotable sayings about the importance of maintenance, one of Hoffer's best is: "To me there is an aura of grandeur about the dull routine of maintenance: I see it as a defiance of the teeth of time. It is easier to build than maintain."

Incidentally, another one of my favorite Hoffer quotes is: "Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength."

But, back to maintenance. I think Americans have an aversion to maintaining infrastructure. Our bridges are in need of repair (Approx. 10% at last count), our roads are breaking down with potholes in many places, and I won't even mention roadside litter and graffiti. 

Again, comparing my recent experiences in Japan to what I see here, even two-lane country roads were well maintained.

Well marked and pothole-free rural road. Pedestrians and bikes use the red sidewalk which is porous so rain drains through.

I didn't see a pothole anywhere. Most of the expressways are toll roads so they have more maintenance money and the highways reflected that with smooth, well-maintained roads. 

Here we have gas taxes, but more than money earmarked for maintenance and upkeep, I think it is a cultural difference. Westerners, and Americans in particular, find building new highways and bridges exciting. Fighting rust, repairing potholes and maintenance in general, not so much.

Does poor maintenance mean the sun is setting on our country? Probably not, but I think that proclivity to evade maintenance extends to our politicians too. It's so sexy to implement new programs, especially programs to help our people, but it's hard to maintain them. 

Just like roads and bridges, our well-intentioned public support initiatives, starting with Social Security clear up to Obamacare, need maintenance once they are put in place. Social Security started out as a program to help support retired workers. Now it's like a hydra with heads, or should I say hands, giving money to anyone our politicians think needs it. 

While the intent may be good, and while there's no glamour in cutting back, the programs all need to be maintained by checking for fraud, discontinuing parts that have served their purpose, rooting out the lazy and otherwise maintaining the systems. 

Unfortunately, as we see more programs and safety nets installed, we also see an unintended side effect of more people who are inclined to kick back and let others work while the layabouts, thieves and hucksters reap the benefits.

As more people decline to work, more ride the economic wagon. When too many ride and too few pull, and when we neglect maintenance and ignore appearances, our country will see its sun set. 

 

Kaiseki

 Kaiseki is a special Japanese meal. I said earlier that I would add a post dedicated to kaiseki, so here it is.

Depending on how you count the various parts of the meal, there are ten to twelve courses.

The kaiseki menus were in Japanese except for this one. It's not the menu for the
dinner below, although the generic description of the courses is usually the
same. The ingredients vary depending on the season and locale.

First two courses are often served at the same time, Here, clockwise from the simmered oysters
topped with steamed stems of "Japanese parsley" (Cryptotaenia japonica) which
provides a color, textural and taste contrast to the oysters. Under the freshly picked
maple leaf is a small bamboo skewer with pieces of shrimp, cucumber and tofu.
Under the skewer left are two squares of an egg-tofu-mushroom mix. The lemon dish
has cooked squid, mushroom and ginko nuts in a miso sauce. Top center is the
aperitif, a sponge made with agar agar in a soy and fish based sauce.

Sashimi dressed up with a Shiso (Beefsteak plant) leaf, purple flowers (most often white)
of the shiso plant, a piece of daikon cut in the shape of a Ginko leaf, spicy red radish
sprouts and wasabi next to the squid.

From right, Kobe (Wagyu) beef  with tofu, twisted fishcake, sliced scallion and Mizuna; sliced green onion
and flavored ground daikon to go into the dipping sauce; and a parchment bowl containing a dashi flavored
soup over an alcohol burner. The vegetables and beef were added to the boiling soup and then dipped into
the sauce. Everyone was amazed that the parchment above the soup didn't catch fire.

A simmered dish of vegetables including pine mushroom (Matsutake) and deep fried tofu which was then simmered.

Grilled dish has the obligatory grilled fish and a small piece of  sushi, grated daikon topped with a some pickle, preserved
stems of fuki (Petasites japonicus) also known as butterbur and sweet coltsfoot, and another maple leaf in fall colors.

Chicken, deep fried then soaked in a savory sauce with a slice of tomato and a couple pieces of grilled scallion.

Chawanmushi, a kind of savory egg custard, containing vegetables and chicken or fish and usually a ginko nut. In this
case it was topped with sea urchin roe and a clear glaze. 

Clockwise from the rice are three kinds of pickles, green tea and miso (in this case red miso) soup.

Dessert had tea-flavored jelly made with agar agar and topped with a large sweet bean, a small slice of melon, grape
partially peeled, a piece of persimmon and two pomegranate arils, one barely visible behind the melon. The
persimmon and grape were local, in-season fruits. Fruits are often quite expensive in Japan. The melon from
which this piece was taken could easily have sold for more than ten thousand Yen ($100) and the grapes, which are
large and delicious, might sell for the equivalent of twenty-five or thirty dollars per bunch. Apples often go for
two or three dollars each. Persimmons are more reasonable at one or two dollars each, although nice ones go for
three to five dollars each. 

Although not on this menu, "chabinmushi"  is often included in kaiseki. Under the Kabosu (a kind of
citrus which tastes to me like a cross between a key lime and a grapefruit) is the top of the pot which
 is removed, turned over and used as a cup. In the pot in this case was a soup made with Kamo (a
conger eel), a few vegetables and, this time of year, it includes pine mushroom (matsutake). The
Kabosu is squeezed into the pot before pouring the first cup. The veggies and mushroom are
eaten with chopsticks as the soup is sipped from the little cup.

Back in the days when I drank alcohol, sake, shochu or even beer would accompany the first eight or nine courses. Once the rice, soup and pickle course arrived we switched to green tea.

Senior Moments

This morning I was looking at a necklace memento I purchased at the temple we visited in Kyoto during our recent trip to Japan.

Necklace info from Daikakuji Temple

Looking over the card that came with it, I tried the Google translate app on my phone then asked Ikuko for help because the app choked on the stylized writing. As I detailed in my Kyoto blog post  (https://hrodenbergersblog.blogspot.com/2018/10/kyoto.html) it says the Chokofushingyo den door is opened once every 60 years. It also mentions the 30-years of strict training the Buddhist monks go through.  More importantly, the name of the temple is Daikakuji, not Kinkakuji, as I wrote in that earlier blog post.

I've visited the Kinkakuji twice. It features the Gold Pavilion and is a popular attraction in Kyoto, but it's in a different part of the city and we didn't visit this time. Guess I was having a senior moment when I substituted its name for the correct name, Daikakuji, of the temple we visited a few days ago. 

I've corrected the error and you have my apologies for the mix up.

Yesterday I called an old friend to tell him we were back from our trip and to see how he was doing. He was still sputtering after his visit, of the day before, to a doctor which had resulted in a four-month prohibition on driving due to memory problems. When I asked why, he said the doctor tricked him by giving him five words to remember then doing other things for ten minutes before asking him to recall the words. He said he couldn't do it because the doctor distracted him.

Our conversation moved on to shopping and he told me he was impressed with the sales at a grocery store. I asked which one and suggested a couple names. He said neither of those were the one and asked me to name some grocery stores. When I said, "QFC" he said, "Yes, that's the one. They have some good sales now."

Senior moment or memory loss? In his case, In the recent past, I've noticed his inability to recall things, so I guess it's something more than a senior moment. 

Thinking about my friend's experience caused me to reflect on my experience with slow memory both in my wife and myself. We've been noticing some forgetfulness and slow recall in each other so I thought I'd check one of my favorite internet sources, WebMD. Their article "Forgetfulness, it's not always what you think" has some interesting information: https://www.webmd.com/brain/forgetfulness-not-always-what-you-think#1

I always thought forgetfulness was a normal part of aging but the WebMD article says: "In the past, memory loss and confusion were considered a normal part of aging. However, scientists now know that most people remain both alert and able as they age, although it may take them longer to remember things."

It turns out that two types of memory loss (Alzheimer's and multi infarct dementia) are the most common in older people and are incurable, although the symptoms might be eased by certain medications. 

The good news is, other forms of forgetfulness and even the two above can be helped and even postponed by healthful living. Exercise (both body and mind), healthful diet, reduced stress, limited use of alcohol and avoidance of smoking, and maintaining a social network (person to person, not just digital) all help keep our bodies and minds in good shape. 

The bottom line for me is, if I want to avoid too many senior moments like the one at the top of this post, and delay onset of dementia of any kind as long as possible, I need to reduce stress, live a healthy life, eat a balanced diet and exercise my brain and body as much as reasonable. I stopped drinking alcohol two and a-half years ago and smoking in 1968 so don't have to worry about those two.

Incidentally, there is an interesting story behind my avoidance of alcohol. 

As I grew older, despite exercise and good diet, my blood pressure increased and the doc prescribed pills to keep it in check. I developed GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease) and the doc prescribed pills to relieve the symptoms. The PVC's (premature ventricular contractions) that I've had since I can remember became worse. I was tested and probed, fitted with a Holter Monitor, and told to put up with them since the cure was worse than the discomfort of the PVC's.

Several years ago (ten?) I began reading that one of the side effects of long term use of the reflux pill (Omeprazole) was bone loss. I had a bone density scan and found that, despite my above average exercise routine, I had osteopenia, the precursor of osteoporosis. After using calcium and vitamin D supplements for a couple years, another bone density exam showed further bone loss. 

I determined to get off the Omeprazole. But how? Tried various folk remedies to no avail and finally decided to cut out alcohol to see if that made a difference. At the time I was drinking a glass or two of wine with dinner and sometimes a snifter of brandy after. So July 3, 2016, I stopped all alcohol.

Within two or three days, I noticed my blood pressure was low so cut out one of the two daily pills. BP was still low so cut out the other pill. Blood pressure has been normal since. 

A few days later I noted that I didn't wake in the night with erratic heartbeats and PVC's. I still have the occasional PVC but the frequency is much reduced.

After a month of no alcohol, I decided to try again to go off Omeprazole. Reduced the dose to one every other day for a week with no ill effects, so went cold turkey. Amazed, I noted that there was no "rebound effect" or any symptoms of GERD. Haven't taken Omeprazole since.

When I talked with my primary care provider, and later with an internal medicine specialist, they were surprised but agreed that my body had become sensitized to alcohol or that I had developed some kind of allergy.

As a test, I have tried wine or sake with a meal twice since. In both cases my blood pressure zoomed up the next morning. 

That was enough testing for me. I'm not saying this applies to others, just that it is an interesting example of how my body became sensitized. 

I miss a glass of wine with a good meal and maybe a little brandy with coffee after, but I'll gladly give up the alcohol in return for normal blood pressure, no Omeprazole and much reduced PVC's.

Didn't mean to ramble on about my health. Maybe that's another example of a senior moment? I don't know, but I think it's important to tell people about my experience in that regard. Maybe it will help someone else find a way to improved health with less medication.

From now on I'll try to reduce the number of my senior moments by: exercising mind and body daily, working to reduce stress, eating a balanced diet, maintaining social contacts, and, in my case, foregoing that tasty glass of wine with dinner.

Yufuin

There was no WiFi at the last place we stayed, so this final installment is posted from home a little behind time.

Our last stop for this trip was Yufuin, a hot spring town not far from Beppu, in the northeastern part of Kyushu. It is located in a valley under an old volcano so has a good source of geothermal water. I'm not sure of the chemicals that have been added on the water's journey through the earth, but the end result is very pleasing on the skin. After soaking in the waters, my skin felt soft and smooth, quite different from the chlorinated shower water back home.

Our home away from home here was the Tatsumi Ryokan, run by a couple in their eighties. They and their staff were very hospitable. Our room smelled like fresh tatami mats and I felt right at home.

The sign says "Ryokan Tatsumi". There was another smaller sign on the window behind the sculpted tree
that said, "Gangsters not allowed".

This small garden was off to the left in the photo above.

These people are preparing to start a kaiseki dinner.

When we walked through the tourist streets, I was surprised by the number of Chinese and Korean tourists. Many signs in the tourist streets are in four languages, Japanese, English, Korean and Chinese.

This pottery was in a shop window in Yufuin but it is from Onta, another town in Oita Prefecture, not far away, which specializes in making this distinctive style. A few years ago we visited Onta. They still use the old techniques. Grinding (I should say water-powered clay pounding) stations follow the course of a stream down the hillside with workshops and kilns nearby. Well worth a visit if you are in the area.

Halloween is a relatively new (only really caught on in the past ten years) commercial holiday in Japan.
These children were happy to pose for me.

This is the information building next to the Yufuin train station. Hard to tell from the photo,
but the timbers are all gluelams of five basic patterns, fitted together to support the building.

I was in need of a haircut so stopped at a barbershop not far from our ryokan. She did such
a good job on my hair, I asked if I could come back every month for more.

One day we visited the Usa Jingu (shrine), 45 kilometers away. It is a large and old shrine established in the Wado Era (704-714) and is second only to Ise in prestige in Japan.

This old entrance to the shrine is now closed due to old age.

This new bridge crosses the moat that circles the grounds.

Old lanterns along the path.

Buildings leading up to the main shrine.

Main shrine.

This little girl decked out in kimono and accessories wasn't too happy to pose.

This is a traditional display of sake near the entrance. As I understand it, the various sake makers donate
the kegs (and oversize bottles, below) in return for the publicity.

Across the path from the sake display, I saw this maple displaying some fall color.

This poster asks for volunteers (like the ones installing the new roof shingles) and giving
people the opportunity to donate in return for a small (3,000 yen ($27)) or large (5,000 yen ($45))
shingle with their name, to be displayed in the newly roofed building. 

After a wonderful holiday in Japan, enjoying good hot spring water and good food, it was time to head back home. We are looking forward to spending another vacation in Japan but it was time to catch our flights. We were routed from Fukuoka, Japan, to Seoul, Korea, to San Francisco and finally to Seattle, where we arrived tired but happy to be home.

Kyoto to Tokyo

Tuesday morning we took taxis to Kyoto station. It's a big station and even though there are signs in English, it's easy to get mixed up.

Looking west on the main floor. There are platforms serving some 40 tracks, including the Shinkansen. It can get confusing.

Looking east. In addition to the trains, there are subways and also bus loading areas on both sides of the station.

Japanese conductors and engineers take great pride on operating on time (within a second or two, usually) and stopping the train at the designated spot.

This is where car 13 will stop. We had reserved seats but still lined up with the others to board. Platforms in the
larger stations protect passengers with sliding doors that open when the train stops and close before it departs.

I saw several large solar panel farms from the train.

Tea fields in Shizuoka Prefecture turn out prized green tea. Note the fan similar to those used to protect
orchards in Eastern Washington.

Mt Fuji from the from the Shinkansen in Shizuoka Prefecture.

Girls selling drinks and snacks still roll their carts through the train, even on the Shinkansen.
Menu includes sandwiches and other snacks, beer, sake and soft drinks along with coffee, tea
and other hot drinks. The well stocked cart saves passengers a trip to the dining car.

In Tokyo we stayed in the Imperial Hotel. This flower arrangement graced the center of
the lobby. I estimated it to be about four feet across.

Garden outside the main entrance to the hotel. Rock garden has a different meaning here.

While waiting to check in, Ikuko and I ordered coffee in the lobby cafe. This is what
a $15 cup of coffee looks like. Western style hotels are expensive and the Imperial
is on top of that heap. I'd much rather stay at a Japanese inn (Ryokan) or a kind of
B & B called "Minshuku" that includes dinner as well as breakfast.

We stayed one night in the Imperial Hotel. Our evening meal was a "goodbye dinner" with the group at a nearby restaurant. Most of the group goes to Narita Wednesday afternoon to catch their flight back to Seattle. Ikuko and I checked out a little after six in the morning to catch our flight to Fukuoka.