Yokohama Navy Exchange was where?

Laura Dekker quietly slipped out of port today beginning her circumnavation.

And don't forget those delicious fresh-grown tomatoes that are now available - can't get anything that tastes remotely like that during the year. We eat them almost at every meal.

Also, the white-and-yellow corn that's coming up for the past few weeks - yummy.

I'm getting hungry!

I can't believe that Dekker is off to sea - isn't she just 14 years old? Tragedy waiting to happen. Should be against the law, even in ultra-liberal Netherlands.

This is great - we can have several conversations going here at once.

Yes, Steffi, including reckless, yachting young girls, we can braid together several thought threads here. Where are the food poets? Anyone up for a summer or end-of-summer food haiku? :)

Went to my fiftieth high school reunion over the weekend. Twenty-five classmates showed up. We all sat around trying to remember things to reminisce about.

Went to my fiftieth high schoolreunion
over the weekend.
Twenty-five classmates showed up.
We all sat around
trying to remember things
to reminisce about.

We have another poet in our midst! :)

I went to my reunion
To reminisce with my old friends
A chance to share old memories
And play our songs again
When I got to the reunion,
No one knew my name
No one recognized me,
I didn't look the same
But it's all right now,
I learned my lesson well,
You can�ft fool everyone,
You can only fool Peter-san.

...Garden Party..Rickey Nelson..
you can do better than that..my other curse.I have one million songs in my head..
no not all at once..usually..

and working on the food haiku..its not comming

The ripe tomato trembles..
at my advancing mouth...
where were you...
in January..

Double Kigo...
Sorry about your reunion Wally-san...
sounds pertty sad..but I bet you were the life of the party !! Did you do the twist ??
[the dance or lemon or lime] Hopefully both..one AND two..I remember...shssshhh our little secret..

I went away for a week and missed all sorts of good stuff. When we finally all get together we will have to have a BBQ. Eric, Steffi, Barbara, and Lori are in charge of the menu.
Wally reminded me of the military reunions I go to. I run into guys I served with 30, 40, or 50 years ago and we don't recognize each other. When we finally introduce ourselves and realize we do know each other from way back, both of us are looking at each other and thinking, "I hope I don't look that bad now."
It's good to see some different names here. Welcome Michael, welcome back Joe G.
I've added Laura Dekker's web site to my places to watch. I hope she has better luck than Abby.
Kaoru-san, Thank you for the links & pictures.
Peter-san, glad to know you are translating. It really expands what is available on the web.

Welcome back, Dave-san. We were beginning to worry/wonder about where/how you were. Hope you had a good time at the beach.

Here in the Berkshires in western Massachusetts it's turned cool, windy and rainy really quickly after a blazing summer of unusually high heat and no rain. The strawberries are late and the apples are coming in early.

Just a shout out to all from here in Las Vegas. Still warm here. Summer lasts from May thru Oct. and the buffets 24/7. lol
Haven't seen rain in a few months!

Taking a drive to my ol neighborhood in Huntington Beach, CA this weekend. An easy drive, just under 4 hours. The weather there will be a freezing 70. Better bring a sweater!
A good weekend to all.
Joe

Memories! "Tommy" Turcotte, "Pops" Phelan and I'd forgetten "Curley". I have a photo of that girl on the press and I rememer the smell of the canal on the way to the BX.
Guys I remember- Frank Molina, Debena (Hawaian guy), I have several pictures of PPCJ and Bayside and guys I can't recall the names of. I worked in the secruity room.
I, too, am from So Cal (Azusa, Covina, Brea)

There was a Japanese/ Hawaiian named Neil Kunimura who worked there. I believe he still had time to serve when I left (Sept '69) Sound familiar?
How about Mr. Iseman? He worked directly under Phelan.
How about posting your photos on photobucket.com
and posting the the link here? I'd love to see them.
Regards,
Joe

The little bush..
with one red leaf..
like a..
tear for the end of summer..

Wally, a belated thank you for your sensitive poem about your high school reunion. I remember attending my 25th college reunion and looking in wonder at all the old people around me. Thank goodness our name tags had our yearbook picture attached, saving some embarrassment. Peter, thank you, too, for your fine tomato haiku and your more recent haiku about the waning of summer -- your ''one red leaf'' will soon be great wafts of falling autumn leaves -- so hard to believe that September is already upon us. Welcome back, Dave-san. I'm looking forward to your, Steffi's, Lori's, and Eric's always interesting contributions to this forum -- also to Dave-san's and Kaoru's equally interesting website links. As a new academic year starts, welcome to the forum newcomers and best wishes to all!

P.S. Some of you may be interested in reading James Fallows's short article in the Sept. Atlantic Monthly magazine. He writes about returning to his home in Tokyo after 20 years away. He details the changes but is more interested in the things that have not changed. I'm reminded that each of us could have written our own unique memoir of Japan. You can find Fallows's story online at:

http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2010/09/japan-surrenders/8...

Joe G.
I have some photos in photobucket – how do I get them to you?

Thanks, Barbara, for the interesting Atlantic article about Japan.

The following might be of interest to those using the phone a lot - pretty amazing -

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/us_google_phonecalls

Thank you, Steffi -- most interesting! It seems not a day goes by without some new announcement from the high-tech world. Let's not blink or the high-tech train will pass us by. Speaking of amazing, I'm now learning to use a digital camera -- another high-tech miracle. Any suggestions about particularly well-designed, easy-to-use digital cameras?

Japanese ukelele boy - has anyone seen this amazing child on you tube? - see below

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6Akkmwz38M&NR=1

Another one - he can really plan that thing:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPtbG0vtkHY&feature=related