Afternoon Tailoring

 We had Bear hop up on the table for some measuring so we could hem up his school uniform trousers. He realized when he got up there he could reach the ceiling. I remember how fun it was as a kid to finally be able to reach the ceiling. I used to jump up to try and reach it and one day I could.

 Left leg

 Right leg

 Mom does the hemming

 This is what happened to the living room while mom and grandma were busy with their project.

Let's just look up past the floor out the living room window.

NINJA or Shinobi

 In the unrest of the Segoku period (warring states) 15th-17th centuries, mercenaries and spies for hire became active in the Iga province.

They were covert agents in feudal Japan (This guy pulls a sword out of a parasol)

The stealthy soldiers participated in espionage,

sabotage

infiltration

assasination (This guy made the grass tube the size of a human neck and was able to slice through it twice before the top piece hit the ground)

and sometimes open combat.

Unlike the aristocratic Samurai, the Shinobi were recruited from the lower classes.

 Dad and Mike try their hand at throwing a star.

 In cartoon depictions they shoot lots of stars in rapid fire, actually Shinobi would only carry one or two of these at a time.

 These weapons would weigh about a 1/2 lb each and they needed to travel lightly.

 Bear enters the wall (secret door) in the authentic Ninja house brought down from the mountains for display at the museum.

 The attic hideout.

 Disguises of the Shinobi

 Shoes for walking through swamps.

 We already knew this stuff from the scriptures.

Diet

Cleanliness

Strong mind and Spirit

Take good care of your body.

Medicinal herbs

Walking Among the Sika Deer and Through the Buddhist Temple Grounds

 We tried our celery for a treat but it turns out they like crackers better.

 Bear has such a rapport with animals.

 Maybe not always so with little brothers. We were joking that this sign could be for the deer or big brothers. But look at that innocent face. He would never tease his brother!

 The Buddhist Temple, the largest wood structure in the world. The original was even bigger. This one was rebuilt after a fire in the 1600's.

 The Buddha statue.

 The chair of the Buddha.

 Getting a sense of the size of these cedar pillars.

 A Sika buck or it looks to me like a mini elk.

 I enjoy the English translations.

 The Primeval forest set aside in the 800's as a sacred forest.

 Hundreds of these stone lanterns to light the temple grounds.

 Walking the lantern path.

The remains of an ancient tree nurtures a young one. 

On the Way Out of the Aquarium

 This funny seal liked to just stand there in the water.

 Petting the rays was one of the favorite parts of the aquarium.

 This series if photos goes from reticence to "I don't want to leave."

 Okay, I'll put my hand in the water.

 It's swimming within reach.

 One quick touch.

 I did it! It was kinda fun.

 Hey, it likes us!

 Come here and let me pet you ray. "Later kid. I'll see you next time around."

 It's getting too far away.

 We want to pet you ray. Good! Here comes a black one

 They feel so awesome!

 They feel kinda soft, smooth, rubbery, slimy but clean.

 The Santa Maria is leaving the harbor.

Time for us to go home too. What a fun place!

I hope we get to have some of Rachel's chicken soup with homemade pasta stars.