I am always fascinated by what makes for a "collectible". People all over the world collect all kinds of thing of course: stamps, coins, baseball cards, etc. In Japan, my awareness of what is considered to be collectible has greatly expanded. My latest introduction to a "collection" was at the Cruise Lodge where I spent a wonderful night during my last bicycle tour.
The lodge is a unique blend of Western/Japanese tastes:
And the owner, as it turned out, is a collector of a wide range of fascinating things. He spent the evening sharing whiskey with me and explaining his collections. Because of my interest he reached into his cabinets and showed me how each of these items worked.
One of his big collections is of toys made in Japan right after the end of WW2. Note the box that says "Made in Occupied Japan"
The toys are fascinating because all of the characters have blue eyes and are designed for the American market (back when Japanese items were considered "cheap junk")
They all twirled, banged and whistled when wound up.
I was fascinated but some of the gross characterization of different races.
Check out the toy aircraft carrier, the site of so much carnage during the Kamikaze campaigns.
Then there were the earliest sacred cat statues...
The special tea cup collection including a cup that shows the picture of a geisha through the china on the bottom of the cup.
There was the type-writer collection as well as the CD collection.
There was the Wedgewood collection (including plates as well)
Ah yes, there was the teddy bear collection and... the cork screw collection:
What a fascinating window into what is "important" in this world.
Once again we had a wonderful summer of connecting with friends and family.
A fabulous Florida wedding at my sister's house in Tallahassee...
Lots of singing together...
Sharing our lives as siblings...
And totally enjoying the next generation of cousins....
I had the annual trip to Quallicum Beach on Vancouver Island to check in with my students on their 5 week immersion home stay. It is always wonderful to luxuriate in the beauty of Vancouver....
And the coast of BC, the ferries....
And the houses with large yards and lots of comfortable outside living spaces and green!!!!
The students thrived in their new surroundings...
And learned as much out of school as in school.
They all commented on the beauty of nature in BC.
It was once again a beautiful time to connect with our daughters, their partners and a whole series of their friends all sharing at least one meal on our often-used deck.
We celebrated the health and recovery of all generations and we were happy to be back where we could help on a daily basis.
Our daughters continue to inspire us with their good energy, their creative ideas and their projects.
Sarah and friends new project... their house and property that requires a MAJOR clean-up!
It was fun to join the de-clutter team, face masks and all, to make a dent in the massive collection of trash that needed to be sorted, recycled and disposed of.
We were happy to welcome Helene back from some exploration and adventure time in France (including time spent at the chateau of one of our friends!)
Kaslo gave her some recharging time...
Until she heads off to her next adventures in Vancouver.
Once again our summer was blessed with many, many visits with good friends from all over the Kootenays. Many thanks to all for the delicious meals and deep conversations we had on decks, terraces, lawns and beach fronts all over this valley. It is such a pleasure to share so much history... and to fully understand ALL of the conversation! Just a few of our special times...
We were also thrilled to host the daughters of one of our very good friends in France. Graziella had been here as an exchange student 15 years ago while this was the first time for her sister.
They joined us in the many outings, events, concerts and visits that makes life in the Kootenays so special.
Part of their gift to us was to cook us some delicious meals!
They were lucky to arrive just in time for the Kaslo Jazz Festival.
Whenever possible Shelley and I took time on our own to relish the natural beauty of the area.
As it turned out, we mainly stayed down low, along the lake because the area was decimated with forest fires. Click here for the most recent information in BC. We were extremely concerned and aware of these fires burning in areas all around us, and we experienced first hand the impact of the smoke. During our entire summer there was one day of rain! The most immediate fire to us was in Sitcum Creek, just outside of Nelson. It was put out in a few days.
Other than that we were mainly affected by the smoke. All of these pictures were taken in the middle of the day.
We finish our summer with great appreciation for the richness and texture of our lives in the Kootenays. We feel blessed to be surrounded by family and friends as we share their journeys in each of their own lives. We celebrate being able to so fully experience life in Japan with the ensuing challenge that we miss our Kootenay lives.
So... we are back at it; immersed in this uniquely unique and vibrant world of Tokyo, Japan. My first weekend back the Awaodori festival in Koenji; click here for more info. Ah yes... 10,000 dancers and a million spectators; just another amazing weekend in Tokyo; back at it!
