Detroit, MI

The second stop, but our first steps back on US soil, was Detroit! Oh how sweet it was! It was quite funny though, driving with Uncle Bob; I'm not used to driving on the right side of the road anymore and it was difficult to say the least. After a few days I drove and I had to keep verbally reminding myself "Stay on the right side, stay on the right side!" I have to say the thing that stood out most to us, besides the cars being on the correct side of the road, was that we could read all the signs! It is amazing the things we take for granted until put out of our comfort zone!
I told Aunt Linda we didn't want to do any running around or touristy things, just relax, and she took me for my word. They spoiled us rotten with food and swimming and gin rummy (that's a card game, not a drink!) and great company! Eric was able to take a week off and come with us so he got to golf a few rounds with Aunt Linda and Uncle Bob and that was quite a treat. Uncle Bob actually taught Taylor how to cast with a fishing pole, unfortunately, there weren't any fish in their lake to practice anything other than casting. But he had fun trying! We found the library and tried to get caught up on some novels we've missed out on. We had many beautiful afternoons spent on the lake in the canoe, watching the graceful herons flying into their lake everyday, there were eight, I think, that call this one particular tree home every night. One day we even saw a swan, an awesome sight. This was the perfect way to begin our summer vacation!

Pottery

In June, before we left for the summer, Erika and I had a great opportunity to go and make our own pottery, on a wheel from a lump of clay! My friend Mio came with us and we each got our own wheel. The potter was actually very impressed, he said Americans aren't usually very good at it at first, a backhanded compliment if I've ever heard one! It was an unusual experience. The clay was very rough feeling (my hands were exfoliated!) but very slippery because of the water you had to add to it so it would move smoothly in your hands. The worst part is the feeling as the clay was drying on your hands. (You must understand I hate the feeling of dirt on my hands too!) We each made a small plate, a rice bowl, a noodle bowl (yes, there are different sizes according to what you put in them!) and a cup. One thing we've noted since being in Japan, the typical American drink is usually, at least, 12 ounces, in Japan the typical cup at the table is about 4-6 ounces! When we finished our pieces, we left them to dry, and then they painted them for us, then fired them. We were able to get them back after we returned from summer vacation. This, I think, was one of our most memorable activities in all our time here. We fully intend to do it again!

Tokyo Disney

Tokyo was the first stop on our itinerary, unfortunately, it was pouring down rain! June is the rainy season in Japan, and as such was supposed to be less crowded. It was one of their most crowded days! We had to buy rain ponchos, only we couldn't find one to fit Eric! As he was trying on the XLg size a Japanese man was behind him trying to hide his laughter and awe of my husband's size. It was hilarious! We proceeded to get soaked and stood in lines for over an hour for every ride! The newest ride was "Ride & Go Seek" and the wait was over 3 hours! Then the letdown of the century was that the best rides were closed for maintenace (unscheduled)! I definitely prefer Disney World Florida!
After 2 days at Disney we threw in the towel (a very wet one) and tried some tourist spots. Just being on the Tokyo subway system was a trip in itself! There are 6 layers of subways underground! It is quite a feat in scheduling to make that work! We went to see Tokyo Tower. It is taller than the Eiffel Tower in Paris, but quite ugly in my opinion; it is painted a flourescent orange! We went to see the Guinness Book of World Records Museum! This was perfect as that is Taylor's all-time favorite book! We spent 3 hours walking through a very small museum; it was fascinating and all of us enjoyed it. The last place we saw was a bit on the strange side. It is a walk through room full of optical illusions. Eric and I copped some down time (Hee Hee) and the kids had a lot of fun!

Summer Vacation

The third stop on our itinerary was Orlando, FL with my mom and Russ. Relaxation was top on our list of priorities, so we spent 6 days enjoying the swimming pool, lots of sunshine, and eating good American food. Grandma made us her wonderful BBQ ribs and Smores! One of Taylor's highlights of the whole summer was getting to fish! He outfished his teachers! The kids kept Grandma busy playing billiards and ping pong, while I lounged outside in the pool! (Yeah me!) We celebrated the 4th of July there, oh it was good to be back in the good ole US of A!