Yokohama Navy Exchange was where?

No, I�fm not home, I�fm at the Anchor Fest. The first weekend of June every year we have a festival called the Anchor Fest. People from all over the world come to it, people are here from Hallsville, Murry, Browns Station, Rowena, Possum Walk, and even as far away as Rocky Fork. Bet you wish you could be here!

Hey Wally..Yes I wish I was there..why didn'y you tell me about is sooner. I could even bring my own anchor..have 3..got a cookbook for you..called the redneck cookbook..great receipts like how to cook corn on the engine block of your tractor..and road kill stuff..well..you know..Hey got a prank for you..go to the microphone and announce that "Bubba" needs to come to the main tent and then see how many hundred guys show up. !! Better yet I will come wearing my Union Army suit !!..on second thought....

Hey Wally-san - I looked up those places you mentioned - and they really do exist -I thought maybe you thought them up. And the Anchor Fest is a big deal - I read 20,000 people come to it.

See below -
http://www.columbiatribune.com/news/2010/jun/04/centralia-ready-for-an...

And here we thought you were in the middle of nowhere, Wally-san, leading a quiet life.

I bet there aren't 20k people gathering in NH in Peter's area for anything, nor do we ever have 20K people at one time here in the Berkshires, in Massachusetts, where we've settled for the summer.

Of course in Manhattan, there might be close to 20k people, living on one block.....

The big family news here is that we have released our pet turtle, Froggie, into the wilds of little Turtle Pond, in Central Park, in NYC. He was a sweet little red-eared slider that my son Jeff bought from a Chinese lady in Times Square 8 years ago. Froggie was then about the size of a half-dollar, but he has since grown into a pretty big guy, and now needed more room for swimming, and needed more care than we could provide. So he's now in a protected quiet little pond with lots of other turtles, frogs, bugs, fish, and the occasional wild bird on his way north, or south. When we released him last week, there was a bright huge white heron sitting on the other side of the pond, attracting a lot of attention, and also there were some other interesting nameless birds nearby.

We hope Froggie likes his new home, and perhaps will meet a Miss Froggie and start a family. His life span is about 30 to 40 years, so he has plenty of time to adjust and make a life!

We should mention that when we slipped him under the wire fence, pushing him, since he didn't really want to go - instead of heading straight for the water behind him, he quickly turned around, stared at Jeff and me from behind the fence, sticking his front feet through the wire, apparently wondering what was up. We thought we'd have to take him back home. But - then he had a change of heart, and took off for the water. Quite a guy!

Kingston NH has its own festival called Kingston Daze..cute hun ? There is the vol fire dept food tent, country music, vendors selling cheap jewelry and the hit of the show the cow patty contest. Wally knows what this is. It is a three day event , the 1st week of august. For Steffi if you need me to I will explain the contest..

Let's hope for the best - here's the story ----

Thursday, June 10, 2010 9:43am PDT

Emergency rescue effort is launched for teen sailor Abby SunderlandBy:

A rescue effort has been launched in hope of finding Abby Sunderland, 16, who set off her emergency beacon locating devices from the southern Indian Ocean early this morning.

Sunderland, who had been attempting to sail around the world alone, endured multiple knockdowns in 60-knot winds yesterday (Thursday local time) before conditions briefly abated.

However, her parents lost satellite phone contact early this morning and an hour later were notified by the Coast Guard at French-controlled Reunion Islands that both of Sunderland's EPIRB satellite devices had been activated.

One is apparently is attached to a survival suit or a life raft and meant to be used when a person is in the water or a life raft.

Abby's father struggled with emotions and said he didn't know if his daughter was in a life raft or aboard the boat, or whether the boat was upside down.

"Everything seemed to be under control," Laurence Sunderland said. "But then our call dropped and a hour later the Coast Guard called."

Abby is hundreds of miles from land. The nearest ship was about 400 miles away. The rescue effort is being coordinated by the Reunion Islands and Australia. Sunderland had been sailing in 50- to 60-foot seas and it was dark when the EPIRB devices were activated.

The Sunderlands are asking people to pray for their daughter, a high-school junior from Thousand Oaks, Calif.

Charlie Nobles, executive director of the American Sailing Assn., said, "We're all praying for her and our thoughts are with her. If she's got the survival suit, and she's got the EPIRB and she's in pretty good shape, she's just got to try to hang on. And when they get there, these guys... they're going to hopefully send the best that they've got under those conditions to try to do a rescue and it's definitely possible. They're amazing people that do those rescues. They know exactly what they're heading into."

Abby was for several months one of two 16-year-olds attempting to sail around the world alone. Australia's Jessica Watson completed her journey last month, just days before turning 17.

Abby's brother Zac, who graduated from high school, completed a solo-circumnavigation last summer at 17.

The timing of Abby's trip was criticized by some because it was placing her in the middle of the Indian Ocean when the stormy Southern Hemisphere winter was at hand.

ABC news is reporting Abby is lost at sea. 35 foot waves, 35 knot winds near Reunion Island (Near Madagascar.)
Abby's mother said Abby activated two emergency beacons.

Thursday, June 10, 2010
Update on Abby

We spoke with Abby early this morning and learned that she had had a very rough day with winds up to 60 knots and seas 20-25 feet. She had been knocked down several times but was handling things well. The wind had subsided to around 35 knots which she and Wild Eyes are quite comfortable with.

We were helping her troubleshoot her engine that she was trying to start to charge her systems. Satellite phone reception was patchy. She was able to get the water out of the engine and start her up. We were waiting to hear back from her when American Search & Rescue authorities called to report having received a signal from her emergency beacon (EPIRB). We initially thought that the signal was sent automatically from her water-activated EPIRB and that it had been activated during one of her knockdowns. As we pulled the paperwork from her EPIRB registration, we learned that the signal had come from her manually activated EPIRB.

We were referred to Australian Search & Rescue and while we were on the phone with them another signal came in from her handheld PLB (Personal Locator Beacon). Her water-activated EPIRB has not been activated so we are hopeful that the boat is still upright.

We are working closely with American, French and Australian Search & Rescue authorities to coordinate several ships in the area to divert to her location. There are several ships in her area, the earliest possible contact is 40 hours. We are actively seeking out some sort of air rescue but this is difficult due to the remoteness of her location. Australian Search & Rescue have arranged to have a Quantas Airbus fly over her location at first light (she is 11 hours later). They will not be able to help her other than to talk via marine radio if they are able to get close enough. Hopefully, they will be able to assess her situation and report back to us.

Abby has all of the equipment on board to survive a crisis situation like this. She has a dry suit, survival suit, life raft, and ditch bag with emergency supplies. If she can keep warm and hang on, help will be there as soon as possible. Wild Eyes is designed for travel in the Southern Ocean and is equipped with 5 air-tight bulkheads to keep her buoyant in the event of major hull damage. It is built to Category 0 standards and is designed to self-right in the event of capsize.

Thank you for all of your kind emails and calls. We appreciate your prayers and support.

We will update as soon as there is some news.

Laurence, Marianne and Team Abby

Latest reports have Search and Rescue saying that she has been found and is still aboard her boat.

http://www.theage.com.au/world/rescuers-make-contact-with-missing-teen...

Thanks Caz43. Good news indeed!

Dismasted in the Southern Ocean
Alone But Alive
Life is Precious

PX question seems answered. I was in Japan 9/63 - 6/2006, Army Yokohama then Camp Drake. A year at Army Language Schoo. For the famous prostitute, we also knew her as Silver Slippers. She was standing outside in China Town about 0200 snowing heavily. No taxis, etc. so I stopped my car and offered to take her home. I lived in Kasodai. Don't know where she lived but she asked to go up to the Bluff. We got stuck with the snow and finally parked in the lot of Washinzaka Hospital. Stayed in the car with engine running until early AM. She then asked to be dropped on, I think, D Avenue. She seemed quite nice and talked about a son. I can't recall the date but guess in the mid-70's.

Hello All,

Do you know "Tea ceremony" of the culture of Japan? It was the tea manner loved by feudal lords from the Middle Ages. It is called "Sadou". The tearoom and entrance are very narrow. To defend from the attack of enemy's Samurai, it narrowed the entrance of the tearoom. It is powdered green tea, called Maccha. Please try this link, You are able to learn Japanese tradition, more.

http://greentea-room.com/?page_id=188

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7EcrbUc3iYs

Arigatou.

I attended two tea ceremonies whan in Kyoto
given by geisha. Very lovely and mysterious.
I also read a book on the ceremony, much of which was a little distant from me.

Peter-dono

There seem to be some sects in Cha-no-yu. I do not know Sadou in detail. It is a little complex. Most famous Cha-no-yu is like "Urasenke".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urasenke

http://www.urasenke.or.jp/texte/index.html

I�fve been having computer problems, which turned out to be a bad cable line. The cable company gave me a new one, but it is just lying on top of the ground and they have to come back and bury it. Steffi, yes those places are real. Possum Walk used to look like something out of a Ma and Pa Kettle movie, but they have cleaned it up, and it is now a rather beautiful area. The word is that 25,000 people showed up for Anchor Fest this year. The anchor we are celebrating is not the kind you find on a ship, it is something that screws into the ground. Around the turn of the century (1900) one of our local industrialists, A.B. Chance, owned a telephone company and an ice storm knocked all of his telephone poles down, so he invented an anchor that screws into the ground, cables are attached to the poles and tied to the anchors, and this keeps the poles from falling over in a storm. They are used all over the world.

Peter, my father�fs side were Confederates and my mother�fs side were Yankees, but I was raised as a Southerner. Before the Battle of Centralia, some of Bloody Bill Anderson�fs Rebels camped out on my great, great grandfather�fs farm, and my great, great grandmother cooked for them. My great grandfather was only ten years old, so didn�ft fight in the war, but he always told about how one of Anderson�fs men shot a chicken from his horse at full gallop, just for sport. My great grandfather was very impressed by that feat. Unfortunately, the Rebels took some of my great, great grandfather�fs best horses when they left, and I don�ft think they paid for them. And, I'm not going to get the Bubba's stirred up!

I am glad your computer is better but you should check your post it has funny looking
squares in it.
My Great Grandfather fought in the Civil War
or war of northern aggression whichever you perfer. Family oral history tels of when the train came in to Lawrence Massachusetts with the returning soldiers they were greated by their familys and were reunited
when everyone had cleared the platform my family were left staring at the last lone soldier which they did not recognize. They went over to ask him if he knew my grandfather and where he might be,only it was him. They had been eating shoeleather for 6 months, and they only knew him by the sound of his voice and faint recognition. He was taken home and was estimated to be 75 lbs. Lets hope we never have to go through that again.
Tonight we celebrate the life of Louise Flynn McGee, my wife Janets mother passed away at age 88. Google it, quite a lady. Or Seacoast Online obits.

I was permitted to participate in a tea ceremony during the first time I lived in Japan. The recreation department on Navy Base Yokosuka had many classes and workshops, including many pertaining to Japanese culture. There were only a few students in the Tea Ceremony class in order to make it a more personal experience. The Japanese ladies teaching were rather stoic and after demonstrating they asked if any of the students wanted to try. A few did and the instructors were pretty critical. When I tried, they told me I did very well. I was very flattered!
About Wally's post, I saw no "little boxes" in the text.

Hope everyone is doing well. School is out now and I will use most of my summer catching up on things that I got behind on during the school year. Also we are having a bathroom re-model done.

Kaoru..I am wirting another Haiku now in Japanese. It is for a special occasion can you make it better ? Or is it OK as it is ? Need a reply 1 day. Domo

Ima anata ikimasho
no naka ni heiwa
soshite shizuka-na

Peter-dono,

You are writing considerably difficult Japanese. Yes, I advise you only a little though your Haiku is correct.

Ima Anata ha Ikite imasu,

Heiwa na Yononaka ni,

Soshite shizuka na.

/ Now, you are alive. To a peaceful world. And, it is quietness.

Kaoru-sama
Thank you but it is not exactly what I want to say. I will give it to you in english and you may help me perfect it.
I know its difficult..thats why I am asking you to help.

You may go now
in quiet
and peace

Thank you for your shimbo.
Also I know that it is not 16 syllablies and not perfect Haiku..