Okinawa Travelog

10/19/2002 Saturday Up at 4:30 AM--to the Milwaukee airport by 6. Stand-by for 7:30 flight. At the last second the final passenger arrived, so I sat for two more hours and took the 9:30 flight. 40 minutes in Chicago O'Hare but made my connection with no problem. American Airlines flight 153. Had upgraded to business class, so comfort was not an issue. Sat by a sales manager for Motorola. Neither of us felt like talking too much, so we did the basic pleasantries, then he began working and I began the movie and reading marathon. Saw Insomnia, Skulls II, Like Mike, and Enough. Quite an overdose for a 14 hour flight. Liked Like Mike and liked Jennifer Lopez in Enough--a lot more than I expected.

I have a "fool proof" way for no jet lag. 1. No alcohol. 2. Gallons of water. 3. Very little caffeine. 4. The minute I get on the plane I begin living as if I were in the new location. Consequently I didn't sleep at all. I was tired, but so far haven't experienced jet lag... just thirsty all the time.

Arrived Tokyo Narita at 2 PM 10/20 and got my luggage, went through customs, exchanged money, and looked for the "limousine bus" for Haneda airport. Found it with no problem. But there was bus after bus. A guy stopped and gave me directions without me asking. Must have seen my confused face. He was in the Air Force on Okinawa. When I got on the bus, a gentleman sat by me. Nice guy. Professor from Smith College in Northhampton MA--political science. Was on a lecture tour in Japan. Had just had a book published on the drafting of the Japanese constitution. Fascinating guy. Bus ride took an hour but flew by because of the conversation.

Four more hours to sit at Haneda airport. Fell asleep sitting up straight a few times, but just for a second because my head fell and jerked me enough to wake up. Was sitting on the edge of the chair--wow, I thought that was a good example of being able to sleep anywhere. Then stood in line when the flight was called and heard an American voice yell, "Move it." I opened my eyes and there was no one in front of me. They'd all entered the plane already. That's right--I'd fallen asleep standing up. Wow. I'm good.

I'm an aisle person and I'd gotten put in a window seat at the rear of the plane. Talk about feeling trapped. Luckily I had some wonderful seatmates. Next to me was a sweet young woman who only knew a little English but a lot of charades. We laughed so much at our antics. Next to her, on the aisle, was a guy studying an English language textbook. He would practice on me--and was charming. 2 1/2 hour flight went by quickly.

Landed in Naha, Okinawa at 10:45 PM. Found Rob and Beata easily. They towered over the crowd. Beata is a stunner. Beautiful outside and so open and friendly. Polish accent is charming and she and Rob are obviously still smitten with each other. As for me, they gave me a beautiful bouquet and lots of hugs and kisses. What a joy to see one's child be so happy. He's an absolutely different person than he was in his first marriage.

Their apartment is huge, especially for Japan. Their dog is the same. A big lumbering 10 month old Golden Retriever. He lives a barely peaceful coexistence with Beata's 7 year old cat. The dog's name is Bobby. Beata was calling him Puppy and Baby. And couldn't get Rob to come up with a name for his dog. Puppy and Baby gradually morphed into Bobby. What a name. But what a dog. Friendly, clumsy, hair endowed...everything a dog
should be.

We sat and ate brownies that Beata had made for me. Talked a while, enjoyed each other's company. Then went to bed about 1:30AM. So that means I was awake from 4:30 AM- 11:30 AM(US Central time) 31 hours. I'm proud...this is the person that needs her 8 hours every night.

The guest room is small and cozy. A tiny bed made just for someone my height (5'2"). Slept VERY well. I'll start a new note for more. Jer, happy
 

Up at 7:30 AM on Monday 10/21. Only 6 hours sleep but I feel good. Drank a few glasses of water. Accessed email, then Rob and Beata got up. Rob made cinnamon rolls and Beata made great coffee. I forgot to tell you that Beata is an artist and her work adorns the apartment walls. She works in acrylic and her work abounds with color, light, and texture. Very talented. She's doing a work for my new condo. I'm thrilled.

After breakfast we took a walk. The beach and South China Sea are less than a half block from their apartment. So beautiful. Yet I'm surprised by the litter in the water. Rob said there's not an environmental urgency here. The beach is clean in most places, but when the water pulls back you see small pieces of trash. How sad.

Despite that, the scenery is gorgeous. One of my favorite memories from last time was the tombs that are everywhere. Everywhere. Large stone animals or squares where families are buried. Death is such an integral part of life here. The Shinto religion keeps the ancestors as an important part of the family. Nothing scary about tombs here, not like cemeteries at home when you were a kid. They are scattered everywhere. I like that.

There are drink vending machines everywhere too. I got a can of jasmine tea. Rob and Beata both got a melon drink made by Coke. Hot but windy. Sky dribbled dots of rain on our walk and that felt perfect. Came home and showered. Then began our tasks for the day.

First thing was to go to Torii Station (Rob's base). Had to sign me in at the gate and get a visitor's pass. Rob said since 9/11 they've been more careful. I remember from my last visit that the local Okinawan gatekeepers get "humiliation pay" for having to salute foreign officers.

Went to Torii Station Scuba Locker where they bought me scuba booties. We're going snorkeling at least one day and they wanted my feet to be safe. These are not the slip-on water shoes that we wear at home. They go up over the ankle, and zip up. Felt on the bottom instead of rubber. Lots of coral and a few sting-y animals, so ankles need to be protected. They also bought me a ball cap that says Torii Station Scuba Locker, Okinawa. I'm thrilled with both purchases.

We had to drive to Kadena Air Base to get a visitor's card for me. One I can keep the entire trip. When we got to Kadena town we decided we were hungry and Rob and Beata both looked at each other and together said, "Thai." I readily agreed. We went through a rabbit warren of alleys and arrived at a VERY small storefront that boasted a small sign, "Thai Family Restaurant." We were the only non-Thai in the restaurant, although Rob spoke the language with others, so it made us feel right at home. They were gracious, spoke excellent English, and the food made my mouth water just smelling it. My cohorts got the buffet, and the owner made a special vegetable dish for me. I asked for hot/hot and got it. So good. Place was really tiny and people were stacked everywhere, children asleep, children walking around. I just loved it.

Four Thai sailors were there and Rob talked to them. He's in Thailand a lot and they seemed to have a pleasant conversation. (What do I know?) We walked a bit looking at shops but Beata cautioned me not to buy anything. One day she was going to take me to the 100 Yen store. Everything for 100 Yen. (That translates to about 80 cents.) Just like the dollar store back home...should be interesting.

Then onto the airbase for my ID. This airbase isn't just Air Force but is for all the armed services. They supply the tankers that fly to refuel the planes heading from the states to the Middle East, among other things.

When we walked into the ID place, the sergeant said, "Hi, Sergeant First Class Dufresne." Rob and Beata both laughed. It seems they've been in there a lot. First trying to Beata registered, which was a pain. Then they've been having lots of visitors.

Went home after that and played Scrabble and Yahtzee. Scrabble was so close. Me 188, Rob 170, Beata 166. Rob and I have always had heated and competitive Scrabble games. I was thrilled to see that Bea was a real competitor too, even though English was her 4th language. I had the word aids there and she put a "q" in front of it and then down made qats. I didn't even know they were words. Suitably humbled.

Bea won the first game of Yahtzee and I won the second. Rob and I were told to relax in the living room and my d-i-l cooked Fettuccine Alfredo that is making my mouth water as I write this (at 8:30 AM). I mean it was GOOD.

After dinner Rob did dishes while Beata showed me pictures from about 6 albums. She said she would hold the others until tomorrow because I was tired. She's adorable.

I went to bed at 9 PM because I was tired--fell asleep while watching Ocean's 11 with Rob and Bea. Up at 6:30 AM and still feel good. Today we're going to the Pottery Factory and I'm looking forward to that. Bye for now. Jer, roving correspondent

10/22 Tuesday, Up at 6:30 AM, Rob up at 7 and slept on the couch while I worked on the computer. Love being on vacation--I ate potato salad for breakfast. Beatka made it and it's so good, but she's cooking other things for meals so we never get to eat the potato salad. Since I'm getting up earlier than they are my solution is to eat it for breakfast. Pretty darn smart!

Rob and I took a walk about 8 through some streets. We had the dog with us so we couldn't walk on the beach--no dogs allowed. I must say more about Bobby. I've already told you how he got his name. He is the friendliest, biggest, clumsiest, most stubborn, most loving, such-a-doofus dog. I'm crazy about him. Bea is a cat person and has had her cat, Adi, for seven years. She would tease Rob with the cat, while Rob was sleeping she'd put the cat on his chest and take pictures, sending them to family saying that Rob has changed from a dog person to a cat person. Pretty funny. But one day Robbie came home from work and Beata said look in the bedroom. He opened the door and there was Bobby. What a thrill. Rob and Bobby have a continual lovefest. They are definitely made for each other.

After we got home from the walk Rob gave me a medal of St. Michael, who is the patron saint of paratroopers. And on the back it says 1st Battalion 1st Special Forces Group. I'll treasure it.

At 11 we went with two friends to pottery factories. Friends are Nhat and Michelle. Nhat is from Thailand and is married to a Sergeant Major in Rob's battalion. Both women were so sweet and so much fun. But when I heard "factories" I pictured stereotypical factories in the US. Nope. These were old-fashioned pottery manufacturing, using large outdoor kilns with many people around making the pottery and doing the glass-blowing. We went through several and I was fascinated. There's an old country road just chock full of them. Some were run-of-the-mill type of household pottery. Others were artistic versions that sold for thousands of dollars. What a treat. (I won't tell you that Beata and Michelle grabbed a piece of aloe from a plant so they could have aloe plants at home--Bea had never had one. I told her Aunt Jane has TONS of them and will gladly donate some when Rob and Beata move to the US.)

For lunch the five of us went to the Royal Restaurant, part of the Royal Hotel. Rob explained it was a Love hotel where you could rent a room for a few hours. I said, that's not unusual, they're everywhere in the states, but we don't call them that. He laughed and said that it meant something different here. Because of the economy, culture, and lack of real estate, newly married couples normally live with parents and they don't have any privacy. So to spend a little "quality time" with each other they go to a Love Hotel. I think it's pretty cool.

The Royal Restaurant proudly boasted that it was Japanese Chinese American Mexican Italian Okinawan. Made me think of Gem City Pizza and Mexican back home in Quincy. The food was so good and the conversation even better. Nhat and Michelle had to leave, but I'll see them Friday at the Halloween Party where Rob's band is going to play.

Rob, Beata and I then went to Phai's House of Jade to look around. This is on Gate 2 Street, so named because it leads to Gate 2 of Kadena Airbase. We also went into a Filipino store where Beata sneakily bought two candlesticks for me that I'd admired. They're beautiful—bamboo wood, dyed purple--with a votive candle inside. Hard to describe, but I love them.

They wanted to take me to the 100 Yen store so I could buy some souvenirs and on the way we stopped at Blue Seal ice cream for a treat. The ice cream was delicious--mmmmmmm good. But the best part was outside, where we sat by a Mister Donut shop, there was a boom box playing commercials. Japanese music and a woman speaking Japanese. You could just tell it was a commercial....then all of a sudden she sings "Mister Donut." I absolutely loved it. We also got a drink while we were there, Rob bought me one of my favorites, a can of Ko Cha Ka Den (Garden Lemon Tea). Before I leave though I must try Pocari Sweat, if I can force it down. :) Actually it's like Gatorade, but what a name, huh?

I can't describe the 100 Yen store, so I won't try. Picture a Dollar store on speed. Wow. I spent 7700 Yen (about $65) and had the best time. Beata added to their kitchen equipment and we both were proud of our bargains.

I've told you a little about Beata, but there's so much more to her and I want to tell a story to illustrate. First of all when she read what I'd wrote yesterday she hugged and kissed me a lot...she's very loving and very open. She's also brilliant--which Rob needs. He needs someone as smart or smarter than he in order to be able to exchange verbal volleys. Plus, as I said, she's beautiful. But there's a vulnerable and childlike side to her that's quite appealing as well. Hence--THE MONKEY STORY. I will not do it justice as it needs to be told with a Danish/Polish accent interrupting a laughing Samoan guy who's trying to
tell his mom the story.

Beata lived in Poland until she was about 18. She lived with her Grandmother most of the time. When she was 12, she had saved up about $60. That was a small fortune in Communist Poland at that time. She'd babysat plus worked in an ice cream store to make money. She told us it was hard to never spend ANY of it, just to save it to fulfill her heart's desire, which was to buy a monkey. She'd wanted a monkey as long as she could remember. It was a longing that she knew she could attain, because she knew where the zoo was in the country. She decided that she and her 8 year old cousin Eva would take a bus--waaaay out in the country to the zoo. She prepared a bag to transport the monkey, she lined it with a towel because it was very cold and she didn't want the monkey to freeze. She and Eva boarded the bus (and here's where Rob starts laughing) with Grandma standing waving good-bye. (Rob says, she knew you were going way far away to buy a MONKEY? And that was okay with her?) Well, they got to the zoo and found a man who was kind enough to continue talking to Beata after she said she had $60 to buy a monkey. He told them the monkeys cost $25,000. (Beata said, Or maybe $250—I know it was a 25 with zeroes.) He also told her she could never really own the monkey...she'd give up her $60, take the monkey home and never know when zoo people might come and reclaim it. So, he said, she could not take the monkey. Sad, she and Eva went to return home and found the bus did not return that way for three more hours. They waited in the cold, Bea broken-hearted that her dream had died.

Wait--it didn't die... just talk to her today. She'll tell you that her fondest hope is to own a monkey, and she believes that she will. Isn't that a sweet story? Both Rob and I think it is beautiful and charming and yet we laugh all the way through it. What's up with that? Luckily Bea has a superb sense of humor and is not offended by our laughter, although she doesn't understand what's so darn funny. A bus? A monkey? A sack? Two little girls? $60? Freezing cold? Poland? A waving Grandma? What's not to laugh at?

Another fantastic dinner, squash and spaghetti. Omigod, this woman can cook! She apologized that I'm having pasta every night, but it's been my choice and I'm thrilled.

After dinner Rob got the pumpkins out. This is Beata's first Halloween and she's very excited. We carved pumpkins and they are displayed proudly on the lanai. We each had responsibility for one pumpkin. Other than Beata cutting off the ear of one of her bats, they turned out pretty good. Can't wait to tell you about her costume for Halloween, but I'll save that for another day.

To bed at 11. Love Jer

10/23 Wednesday, Woke up early. While the kids slept I decided I wanted breakfast and ate some potato salad again. Then Rob woke up and said he wanted to make pancakes for me. What could I say? Then Beata woke up and reminded me she was going to make a banana shake for me. What could I say times 2? No lunch was eaten on this day after 3 breakfasts. :)

Went on Torii Station to check the mailbox. Hooray! Rob's Halloween costume arrived from the states. Now both of them have their costumes and they are going to be so cute. Well, guess you can't call a beautiful vampire and a pimp vampire cute, but they are.

Loaded up the van and headed for Ikei Island for snorkeling. It's on the Pacific Ocean side so it was a nice drive. No military bases around which made the trip very interesting, saw lots of fun signs. I believe one of my favorite things about Japan is the English translation on signs. Of course I forgot to write them down and now can't recall what made me laugh so uproariously. (Coming back to add, one sign says "Are you cool enough to rent this apartment? Put on your shades and talk to us.")

On the way to island we passed tons of HUGE oil tanks. Rob said this is where the oil is stored for the entire Pacific fleet. As part of the armistice with Japan after WWII, the Japanese are required to supply our oil at no cost. Quite a deal after 57 years, huh? Yet Rob quoted Ho Chi Minh as saying the worst thing he ever did for his people was to NOT lose to the Americans. In a weird sort of way that makes total sense.

The views on the islands were fantastic...even though the sky was cloudy the ocean sparkled. When we got to Rob and Beatka's favorite beach they told me about the parking...all the beaches are free but some people owned the land up from the beaches and charge you to park, so basically going to the beach costs 500 yen (about $4.10). Still a bargain.

I'd never been snorkeling with Special Forces equipment before. (Rob and Bea have their own, but we borrowed equipment for me.) Really high quality stuff. I proudly put on my new booties and zipped them up. Rob put some inserts into the fins for me and my foot fit perfectly. But it took a lot of work to make this happen. I kept losing my balance. The trick is to put on the fins very close to the water and walk in backwards and I did that at Rob's instruction---but still kept losing my balance. Pretty funny.

But of course everyone is graceful and light in the water. The three of us snorkeled for quite some time. Saw lots of coral, but it was dead coral. Saw lots of fish--alive. ;) An aside--I'd forgotten my swimming suit and didn't want to go through the humiliating experience of trying on new ones, so I said I'd swim in shorts and a T-shirt. I have hiking shorts made out of Supplex, a quick drying material. No problem there, but I knew the T-shirt would weigh me down. Well, since there was only one other person on the beach, and he was heavier than I was, I decided to take off my T-shirt and swim in my sports-bra. Rob and Beata were really sweet and didn't make fun of me at all. It was a real trip, wearing a 2-piece swim suit after all these years. Brought me down memory lane when I was a bikini princess living in Hawaii.

Because the sun didn't come out at all, Beata got cold and got out of the water and explored on the beach. She found a huge round ball, which Rob said was brain coral. It was completely smooth, worn that way by the water and the sand. Rob and I stayed in the water for a long time, the water itself was very warm. He on a raft, me hiding my bikini clad body in the water. We had the best heart-to-heart. Gosh, I'm proud of him. He also told me more about the Love Motels I mentioned in an earlier missive. A buddy at work told Rob that he and his wife had gone to one and he described the place in great detail. Rob and Beata went that very night.

You drive up to a three-story building. No people around. At a gatehouse there's a series of pictures, some lit up, some not. The lit ones mean those are the rooms that are available. You find one you like and press it so the light goes out. There's a phone. When you pick it up it's immediately answered and you "make the deal." You tell the guy which room you've chosen and how many hours you want to stay. He gives you the price and tells you where to drive to. You follow the road through a maze of buildings and see your number. You pull in and are very careful to get everything out of your car that you will need—because the door to the suite is unlocked for you, but as soon as you go inside and close the door you hear the door loudly lock. You cannot leave until the appointed time. (I forgot to ask what do you do in case of fire.) You walk into a living room area stocked with a refrigerator, a wide screen tv, and two microphones for singing karaoke. Upstairs is the huge bed with a refrigerator, large screen tv, and two microphones for singing karaoke. The third room is a "pool room" with a swimming pool in it---the kind that you turn on and swim laps against the current.

When you're appointed time is finished, the man calls you and asks if you wish to extend the time and if you ate/drank anything from the refrigerator. You say no to both questions and a vacuum tube arrives--like the kind you see at the bank. You put in your money, send it off, and "click" you hear the door unlock.

What a trip, huh? I want to go--even though I'd be by myself. :)

We arrived home from snorkeling about 4 PM and showered, then Rob had to go to band practice. His band is playing Friday night on post at the Cove for a Halloween party and they play most Saturday nights at the Gate 2 Street Garage.

While he was at practice, Beata began preparing dinner. She decided to make pierogi for me, vegetarian style. It took her over three hours. During that time she and I talked and talked and talked. It was wonderful getting to know each other so much better. As she cooked, she said she understands why women don't make this kind of food so much anymore. But omigod it was delicious. Rob came home about 8, and we proceeded to dive in to the aroma-laden feast. She'd never made it before, had just watched her grandmother and mother make pierogi a lot. She did it perfectly. We didn't talk much through the meal, just made mmmmm sounds. Afterward, I did the dishes and Bea made homemade choc. chip cookies. Omigod I'll have to pay for two seats on the airplane.

She also said I should correct something I wrote the other day. My Scrabble score was over 200 and she and Rob were only 2-4 points apart, in the 180's. I was supposed to find the scoresheet but forgot to do it.:)

I sat in a chair and watched Rob take the plastic coating off his metal drumsticks and place new coating on them. It was so fascinating that I started to doze off. Went to bed around 10:30. Love to all, Jer

Okinawa 5, Thursday, October 24, Up at 6:30, made coffee, answered email and bb's. At 8:30 there's still no life from Rob and Beata, so I turn on the tv and watched Japanese TV shows and AFN (American Forces Network). AFN brings lots of shows from home. Today Show, the next day; Buffy from last year; Will and Grace from 2 years ago; Friends and Boston Public from last year; etc. So I do enjoy catching up on episodes I missed. :) Haven't watched Buffy since the first year and had a good time watching a taped episode--when everyone lost their memory because of a magic spell. Cracked me up.

The newlyweds got up at 10:30 and they ate breakfast while reading my travelogue from the day before. Bea loves to read it first thing in the morning. And she informed me I had the Scrabble score wrong yet again. More about that later.

It was raining torrents. Sounded and smelled lovely, but it really put the damper on our plans. So Rob went in to the base to set up and check the sound system for Friday night's Halloween party where his band will play. And Beata and I went shopping. I don't enjoy going "shopping" except when I'm someplace totally different, where surprises lurk everywhere. We went to Camp Foster (a Marine base) to the PX first. (And although only driving for 2 months, Beata did exceedingly well. She has a lot of confidence. And she says, "I get really mad at the way people drive here just like Robbie does. I just don't curse." She also is looking forward to driving in America because the roads are so wide.)

The PX was neat. I'd been there a few years ago and remembered the place. There's a "mall" attached to it--a series of small shops and services. Services include Cinnabon store, barber shop, video games, and the like. Shops are all small stores that carry Asian items from all over Asia. It was interesting to browse. I almost bought more souvenirs but decided to wait. Then we went to the Commissary to get more food. While there I met Ana (with a soft "n"), Beata's Russian friend. So sweet--Beata often translates for her when Ana has business to attend to on post. I wanted to buy so much at the Commissary and bring it back home. Regular products from the states but of course with Japanese characters on the package. I simply love the juxtaposition of a Campbell's can with Japanese words on it. The entire experience provides a cultural shift that fascinates me.

After we left Camp Lester we stopped at Ramayana on the way home. It's the Pier 1 of Asia. The sign says "All Things Asian." What fun. Every item is labeled with what country it comes from. I bought my daughter a few items from Vietnam for Christmas. I hope I get them home safely. I was especially looking for something for Jill and Todd's wall, but still haven't found the right item. It's hard to shop for something that someone will really use or will want to hang on their wall. I bought myself two frogs also. Each 300 yen. (Less than $3.) If they'd had more of these types I would have bought one for all my friends from the HW bulletin board.

Went home and waited for Rob. And waited. And waited. (Family members, does this sound familiar?) :) It turned out they had problems with the set up and he got home just in time for us to go to the bowling alley.

They bowl every Thursday evening on a fun league at Kadena Airbase. Rob is the only Special Forces guy there, the rest of the servicemen are support troops for SF. What a wonderful group of people. Some couples, some single guys. Everyone sincerely enjoys each other's company. I didn't think I'd have a great time watching other people bowl, but I did. Most of them are going to Friday night's party at the Coral Cove, so I'll get to see them again.

Both Rob and Beata said I made a hit with everyone. Someone remarked that they saw where Rob got his sense of humor. Oh, and I did Tequila shots with Eddie Martinez, who's married to a woman from Western Samoa. Just thought I'd throw that in there to add an air of mystery (and yes, stupidity) to this note.

Beata is just learning to bowl and is very frustrated that she isn't good yet. After throwing a gutter ball she sat by me and I asked, "Do you know the meaning of the word 'pout'?" I stuck out my lower lip and showed her how to pout more dramatically. She ended up giving a big grin instead, whenever she messed up.

Got home around 9:30 or so and decided to play Scrabble again. I wrote down the scores to get them correct this time. From the other day it was Mom 226, Rob 208, and Beata 204. Their book says that when 3 people play, 180 is considered Advanced, so we felt really good about those scores. The first game last night was Mom 255, Rob 211, and Beata 131. Of course, Bea would not let us stop after that game. So we played another.... and Mom scored 161, Rob got 181, and Beatka WON with 191. She did the Superior Dance. A lot. It was really neat though, for her to win in her fourth language....one in which she had no formal training.

Wanted to tell you why I sometimes call Beata "Bea" and "Beatka." Bea would be like calling me Jer. Just a shortened nickname. But in Polish when you add "ka" to any word it means "little." When you add it to a person's name, it's a term of endearment. The first time I called my daughter-in-law Beatka, it brought tears to her eyes and ultimately to mine as well.

People who know me know that I always say the term "little sh!!" is a term of endearment in my family. Well, in Polish it's kupka. Kupa is the actual word, but adding "ka" means little. So the term kupka is flowing around here a lot. :)

Tonight's the big Halloween party. Can't wait to experience it with Bea--it's her first and she's very excited. I also am looking forward to hearing Rob's band play. But before that we're doing something very special for me and I am THRILLED. Tune in tomorrow for the satisfying conclusion to that tempting morsel.
Love, Jer

Okinawa 6, Friday, October 25

Up at 7:30. Usual time spent with coffee and email.

We'd decided to spend a leisurely morning at home and then do our errands, including my big surprise.

I got a tattoo. Yep, me. Fifty-five year old me. Can't believe I did it. But I've been thinking about it for months and casually mentioned it to Rob during a phone call. He said that if I was serious I should wait until coming here as he knew an excellent place.

The tattoo parlor (body art emporium) is on Gate 2 Street (infamous street). The place was full of smoke. Seemed everyone was smoking. Tiffany greeted us. Her name fit her perfectly. She was full of energy and exuded an easy friendly manner. It was obvious she wasn't a full-blooded Okinawan, because she had the fragile beauty that only comes from an Amer-Asian (or Eurasian). If you heard only her voice you'd swear she lived in the Midwest, yet she also spoke Japanese fluently. I asked if one of her parents was American. She said her father was retired Air Force and her mother was Okinawan. She went on to say that most people who spoke to her thought she was from the Midwest (bingo) but she'd never lived anywhere but Okinawa.

I wanted a frog tattoo. Rob said not to get one just sitting there as it would end up looking like a "blob." So I decided I wanted one stretched out, as if climbing my leg. I looked at all their frog tattoos and none were right. So Rob asked if he could draw one. They gave him paper and pencil and he sketched out the perfect frog. One of the tattoo artists turned the sketch into a tattoo by inking it in, then transferring the ink to my leg by using Gillette deodorant. Couldn't believe that a deodorant stick would do that.

The tattoo artist was waif of a girl, no more than 80 pounds, who spoke about 3 words of English. But Bea assured me she was really good, as she'd done Bea's tattoo (both she and Rob had the Japanese character for "love" put on a shoulder).

I told them I was no "sissy girl" and wasn't worried about the pain. Actually that's how I deal with my fear. I barge in, pretending it's not even there. But I had a bit of fear that it would hurt a lot. It didn't. The tattoo is just above my right ankle. The procedure felt like little pins sticking into my body and a few times it hurt, but most of the time it was just a slight discomfort. I meditated through most of the experience, and it wasn't horrible. In fact overall it wasn't unpleasant. Since I was lying down I couldn't see what was happening. That was anathema to a nosy broad like me. So Rob described the beginning of the procedure. "She's opening sterile packages of needles." "Now she's putting on her gloves." That helped me. Rob and Beata both took pictures of the entire process and we will get them developed today. Now I need to think of a name of the friendly creature. I know he'll be a great dispenser of frogspit. (For non-writers reading this, my online writing group KNOWS that frogspit is good luck for writers...really, for everyone. So now I'll carry my dispenser with me.) The best part is that Rob designed it for me.

After the tattoo we went again to the 100 yen store. I love that place. Picked up a ton more souvenirs... I have enough for everyone in my office. What I bought for each person at work is a set of ornate chopsticks and some even come with a plastic carrying case, similar to a traveling toothbrush case. Each complete set cost 100 yen, or about 82 cents. I feel like a tightwad, yet these things are delicate and lovely. At first glance the 100 yen store looks like a dollar store back home, and they certainly are very similar. Yet, there are some terrific buys in the store and it is always full of shoppers.

A bit of trivia. Rob told me where the phrase Hunkey-Dorey came from. Dori means "street" in Japanese. Hon Ki is a famous street and I can't remember whether it's in Tokyo or in Okinawa. Anyway, prostitutes were in abundance on that street. Whenever a GI would be asked how his weekend had gone, he would merely say Hon Ki Dori---everyone knew he'd been to that street and had a great time. Over time, it's come to mean "everything is fine."

We then went home to begin preparing for the Halloween party. Earlier Rob was going to be a vampire pimp. He'd ordered the world's largest Afro and a burgundy velveteen smoking jacket, plus a huge gold-colored dollar sign that hung around his neck. I told him he looked like Leon Phelps, the Ladies Man from Saturday Night Live, so that's who he became. One reason I think Rob would make an excellent spy is that he looks different races, depending on how he dresses and acts. When he put on this outfit he no longer looked Samoan. It was the perfect costume for him.

Rob had to leave early in order to make final preparations for the performance. So Beata and I had a little more time. I went as the Ugly American. Wore a muu-muu, straw hat, straw purse, sandals, with my camera hanging on my neck, and with white makeup on my nose to mimic zinc oxide. I was supposed to be hurling insults at everyone, but just couldn't bring myself to do it, I was having much too good a time.

Beatka was the most beautiful vampire I'd ever seen. Vampire teeth attached to her canines, a long black wig with red streaks, white makeup with almost black lipstick, black fingernail polish, with a gothic ring that spanned three fingers and covered most of her hand. Her dress was long and black with flowing sleeves. She'd bought another of the rings and said, "You can wear it, Mom." Rob said, "Honey, she's a tourist." Immediately came the retort, "A tourist from the hell." Imagine that bon mot coming from a vampire with a Polish accent. We roared.

Bea and I approached the Torii Station back gate—not wanting to try to enter the main gate in our costume. The Okinawan guard looked at us and smiled, "Halloween." And he waved us through. Everyone usually has to show their ID card to get on a base. I always must show my passport, temp. ID card, and a visitor's badge. This time, we just got waved on through. Ah, the power of the vampire.

I met so many fun people at the party, and everyone wanted to see my tattoo. Guess news spreads pretty quickly on a small post. :) It did my heart good to hear from so many guys, "Rob is one of my best friends." Wow. I loved it.

And his band was awesome. They played a lot of songs I didn't know and the ones I did know were "punked up." But wow, they were good. Rob normally sings harmony but does have the lead on 3-4 songs. Of course those were my favorite.

The costumes were both creative and hilarious. I told some big guys dressed in sweet little girl sailor outfits that there sure were a lot of cross dressers in the service. They didn't laugh.

Gosh, I danced all night and enjoyed myself thoroughly. Hadn't been to a military bash since I was married to a career soldier, but most of the behaviors haven't changed. They really "cut loose" at parties. Luckily I'm not easily offended.

Two final notes on the party. Rob has many many friends. So does Beata. That touched my heart. And the final song of the night? Rob dedicated it to me.... It was Hey Jude, rocked up a lot. And I loved it. (When he announced it he said it was from my era. Hell, every era is my era. I'm going to have to talk to that boy.)

It was a memorable evening. I loved dancing all night. Both Rob and Beata said I was a hit. I don't know about that, I was just having fun--and of course showing off my tattoo. I drank more beer than I drink in several months normally. Rob didn't drink and was our designated driver, which was cool.

Came home, recounting the evening and laughing the entire trip. I got to bed around 2:30 AM. Pretty darn good. Love, a tired Jer

10/26/02 Saturday

Since we got to bed so late I wasn't surprised that I slept until 11 AM. Usually, I sleep a straight 8 hours and that's just right. Made coffee and sat down for morning email. Glanced at my watch again and it was 8 AM. Couldn't believe it; for some reason I read it wrong in my bedroom. So all day long I was tired because of getting 5 hours sleep.

Therefore a quiet day spent mostly at home was a great idea. Both Rob and Beata slept in and when Rob awoke at 11:30 he made grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup. It was Bea's first experience with this phenomenon and she really liked it.

Rob had to go to the Coral Cove and pick up instruments and help transfer them to Saturday's venue. While he did that Bea and I went to the PX to get photos developed and then went to the Art/Crafts store on Kadena to get a canvas. She's going to do a painting for me so I can take it on the plane with me Thursday. Even picked out all the right colors to go with my furniture.

The pictures turned out great. We took so many at the Halloween party and the ones of Rob playing drums were super. Had many of Beata "biting" people's necks in character as a vampire, and those look realistic and fun.

Played Scrabble in the afternoon and it was Rob's turn to win. Bea fixed Thai vegetables and rice (and added shrimp to their portions). Mmmm good. For a late snack she made a rice, almond, and cream dish that was similar to rice pudding and absolutely delicious.

Rob went to play at the club on Gate 2 Street. When I found out it was tiny and smoke-filled, I decided to pass. Bea and I watched tv for a while and I was in bed by 10:30.

Not much excitement today, but that was just the way I wanted it. Tomorrow I'll do the cooking--am making Cuban black bean soup and Beata will make home baked bread. I'm salivating already. Love Jer

Okinawa 8, Sunday 10/27

Up at 6:50 AM. Ate Polish rice pudding for breakfast. MMMM. Rob had gotten in around 3 AM (from the band) so he slept until noon. Then we had cinnamon rolls. Omigod I'm a blimp.

Bea began working on my painting. (About 2 ft by 3 ft.) She started with modeling paste around the perimeter, and made a few squares with modeling paste inside the perimeter. One of the things that distinguishes her work is that there is always interesting texture. She used some sand for additional texture on a small portion of the canvas. After the paste dried she began applying silver acrylic paint on the perimeter, after painting the very edges a burgundy color. She works almost exclusively in acrylics. My painting will be various shades of purple, blue, pink, and silver. All cool colors for me, and the painting will go in either my living room or bedroom, it depends. I'm very excited to see the finished product. She'll continue this morning, but since she only paints in daylight it's hard for her to put a lot of time in on it, because it seems we are always going somewhere.

Watched Game 6 of the World Series (on Sunday morning here, but it's still live) and loved watching the Angels come from behind to win it.

Rob and Beatka are currently looking for a car. They have an old van and an old car and the car needs to be re-registered, but it won't pass, so they're looking for another. They have an appointment tonight to see one that costs $800 and they said that's a lot of money. I couldn't believe it, but they explained. These are called Oki cars. No one wants to spend a lot of money on a car they cannot keep when they leave here. So people pass them around when they PCS (have a Permanent Change of Station). There were two cars in the paper that were absolutely free and I was told that's not uncommon. The one they are driving now cost them $300 and I don't know what the van was. It's a pretty neat system actually.

Throughout the day I cooked the bean soup for dinner. Beata made foccacia bread.

Before dinner we went to the driving range at Torii Station in preparation for a golf outing tomorrow to Okuma. The driving range is automated...you put in a dollar and you get a bucket of balls. But it wasn't open, the parking lot had been resurfaced and the "ball thing-y" was unplugged and covered. We decided to do the activity anyway and found about 50 golf balls out in the field and used them. It was fun and I'm looking forward to playing tomorrow.

Dinner was superb. We cheered for both the soup and the bread. Rob had a diet soda but Bea and I both had a beer, and it was the perfect complement to the meal. After dinner we played Monopoly and laughed a lot. During one particularly intense haggling session between the newlyweds I said, "I bet I know what you two usually use for barter, but you can't because I'm here." We laughed. Every time after that when Bea wanted to "make a deal" with Rob, she'd say the Monopoly deal and then end the sentence with an exaggerated "ORRRR...." And we'd laugh again. Well, when I tried to cut a deal with Beata, she quickly said, "No sexual favors, Mom." We laughed, but Rob kept acting like he was going to throw up. It's probably not funny now, but boy oh boy did we roar.

After I conceded the Monopoly game to Rob, we naturally played Scrabble--our favorite. I was lucky enough to win this time, because I caught them with many tiles at the end. Went to bed around midnight. Another really good day.

10/28 Monday Up at 8:30. Read email. My brothers responded to a superb email that Beata had sent to the family. She extolled my virtues and said I had cooked dinner. One brother responded with "Jer cook? That's an urban legend. Before you spread this stuff around check out urbanlegends.com." I exploded with laughter. That's what I always say to everyone when they pass along "stuff." (A polite word for what I really call it.)

Rob gave me a picture of Beata and him at the Army ball. He, way handsome in dress blues, she a thing of beauty in a long red gown. I'll treasure the picture.

While out and about, Beata and I had to wait for Rob to complete some business...so we talked for a long long time about books and movies. She's a big fan of Mark Twain and was very surprised to find out that Quincy is only 17 miles from Hannibal...right across the Mississippi River. She plans to visit there when they come to Quincy. She's very well-read--she read Elia Kazan at age 13. But I was SHOCKED to discover she hadn't read Little Women, so of course I'm going to send a copy of my favorite book to her. Also To Kill A Mockingbird, because she didn't have that either. She cherishes her books as do most of us, so it will be such a pleasure to give these to her. She said when Poland was still Communist they only saw Polish or Russian movies, but every Christmas, New Year's and Easter they were allowed to see some old American movies. She treasures those memories and still enjoys watching videos on those days.

In Rob's van (a Toyota Town Ace Super Extra) you have to lift the front passenger seat and move it toward the back seat in order to add oil. The battery, transmission fluid, and power steering fluid are located behind the driver's seat. Interesting to watch the service station guys check the oil. Every station still has attendants to assist (except on post). By the way, their other car is a Toyota Corina. It's the one they have to get "de-registered" because it won't pass the JCI again--Japanese inspection.

Bea told me that one time they were at dinner with friends and the Japanese waitress said, "You finish?" Beatka said, "No, I'm Polish." I guffawed. She said many people thought she was serious, but she was just trying to make them laugh.

Early afternoon we drove about 90 minutes to Okuma, a breathtakingly beautiful resort on a peninsula. Part of it belongs to JAL (Japan Air Lines) and is tres' expensive. But the rest belongs to the Joint Services as a Recreation Facility. I'm wearing an Okuma T-shirt and just took off my Okuma hat. For service people and families it costs about $5 to camp there and about $12 for a bare bones motel room. But the scenery is so beautiful. We played golf there--it's actually affordable when it's on a base or service recreational facility. After golf it was dark and Rob and Beata went through a new maze designed like the English kind--made of tall hedges. I'd had an argument with an ice cream and the ice cream won, so I rested in the van.

We then had dinner at Okuma. I enjoyed Yaki Soba, Rob had a T-bone (his first taste of meat since I'd been here), and Beata had blackened shrimp. She is a big fan now of blackened anything and is looking forward to going to New Orleans sometime to sample more.

By the time we got home it was 10:30 PM and my bedtime. Tomorrow we'll look for another small car for Beata to replace the Corina and we plan to play golf again. Love to all, Jer

10/29 Tuesday Up at 8. At 9 we went to Chabana to play golf. It's quite close, near Kadena Airbase. The course was great, but the view not as spectacular as at Okuma. Virtually no one else on the course, so play was relaxed and fun. Afterward we drove onto Kadena to view a Toyota Carib--a small station wagon for $800. That's quite a lot for an Oki car, but I think that's the one they'll buy. It's in excellent shape. We stopped by "the parking lot"--a place where people leave their Oki cars for sale, but really found nothing comparable to the first car.

For lunch we went to Mike's Italian Restaurant, part of the Officers' Club complex on Kadena. Excellent food and we saw Ruth, a member of Rob/Beata's bowling team. I threatened them into allowing me to pay. I swear this is the cheapest vacation ever. They're paying for everything but my souvenirs. So thoughtful and sweet.

Our next stop was Ryukyu Mura. Remember that Okinawa is the largest of the Ryukyu Islands? Well, the Mura is a recreation of an ancient Ryukyu Village. Here it was quite easy to see differences between Ryukyu Islanders and the Japanese peoples. Even differences in looks. Ryukyu folks look like American Indian and Chinese/Mongolian. A very handsome people. Nowadays, you really can't tell much difference between Okinawans and Japanese. But many of the people working at the village had the Ryukyu look about them. Such an interesting excursion. We saw them making pottery using a huge old kiln such as we'd seen out in the country. Beata drank fresh coconut milk, with the coconut cut right before her eyes. Rob and I each had a frozen guava drink that was delicious. Bea said I had a boyfriend... we followed and intermingled with a rather large group of Japanese tourists. An elderly man spoke to me, said "thank you" in English when I allowed him to walk in front of me. When we came to an altar, a Shinto shrine, he motioned to us to put money in the granite stone and say a prayer. A few moments later we saw him dancing with an Okinawan woman who was demonstrating a dance with a huge bottle of sake on her head.

I know I told you about the proliferation of tombs around the island, but I don't remember if I mentioned the altars. They abound also. Very small and discreet, they usually hold food and drink for the departed family members. Many also have small tokens of flowers. I find these so moving and so sacred.

Back to the Ryukyu Mura. As we were leaving we heard drums and turned around to see four men playing stringed instruments on a stage and four other men marching with these huge ancient drums. As they played, they did intricate dances and one of them whistled throughout. Fascinating and beatiful.

There were small shops surrounding the entrance and exit so we browsed a bit. I saw something that cost 100 yen, so I knew a bargain and wanted to know what it was. This was unusual, but hardly anyone working there knew any English so I tried to pantomime that I wanted to know what this gelatinous concoction tasted like or what it was made of. Rob quickly rescued me because I'd inadvertently made an obscene gesture. I'd pointed to my tongue while making a question face. :)

I tried the dish anyway, and prayed it didn't contain any meat. It was a mango-type gelatin and tasted pretty good.

We arrived home in time to play a few games of Scrabble before dinner. I won the first and Bea won the second. Poor Rob!

For dinner we had leftovers (or as Beatka says "restovers.") She insisted on doing dishes so Rob and I headed for the golf course on his Playstation 2. We'd been playing this a lot in our spare time and this was the first time I beat him. Hooray!

We closed the evening out by watching Oceans 11. I started the movie the other night and fell asleep at the beginning. Last night I made it all the way through and enjoyed it. To bed at midnight. Love to all, Jer

Oct. 30, Wednesday. Up at 6:45 AM. Beata made donuts... with my recipe. She didn't know it was my recipe, but Rob had taught her how to make them. You take a can of Pillsbury biscuits, cut a hole in the middle of each biscuit, deep fry them, and dredge them in sugar. :) Can you believe this? This beautiful, fantastic cook absolutely loves my quick donuts I used to make for the kids. It's been YEARS since I made them, but they used to be Rob's favorites.

It was raining so our big trip to Ocean Expo Park and the Pineapple Factory had to be cancelled as both are outdoors. Instead, I said I wanted one final trip to the 100 yen store for more souvenirs. As we drove I looked at the van in front of us. It was a Toyota Grand Saloon Master Ace Surf. 'Nuff said.

We went to Jusco, a HUGE department store...covering a few square blocks. What fun to see the different items and mentally convert yen to dollars. Then my eyes popped. I saw hard-sided suitcases. The Samsonite converted to about $260, the price it was on the airbase. But I saw one that looked just like the Samsonite for 10,000 yen, about $80. It's a Club Jurdain (?????) and I thought if it lasts this one trip it will be worth it. So I bought it.

Went to a 100 yen store that was attached to a DIY (Do It Yourself) Store. Bought more pretty chopsticks for the family. Rob got Beata an easel at another attached store. Neat. We then went into Sega World and had our pictures taken in a machine. These are not the kind we have in regular malls back home. These machines are a spectacular adventure with numerous backgrounds, poses, movable cameras, etc. The best part is that we don't know what we're doing as the directions are all in Japanese. Rob said that's the best part of the adventure. I loved it. And the pics turned out nice too, considering we didn't know what we were doing. There was one button that said "OK" so Rob said when in doubt press OK.

We stopped and had a beer at Depot's Garden (Bea had a banana smoothie) while waiting for a restaurant to open at 3:30. We wanted a late lunch. When we finally were able to order, we had a table full of sundry items. We had pizza, cheese spring rolls, pork on a stick, tuna sashimi, and bread with honey butter. I ate a slice of pizza, bread, and spring rolls, but the other food was good too, I was told. We also had iced tea, with the liquid sugar provided on the side. I LOVE this place.

After the late lunch we went home to begin an evening of "fun stuff." We watched Zoolander--a totally stupid but hilarious movie that is becoming a family cult classic. Rob and I then played Playstation Golf while Beata baked delicious peanut butter cookies, Rob's favorites. We proceeded to play the world's longest game of trivial pursuit, then our favorite—Scrabble (Bea won again).

Then time for bed around 11:30 PM. Tomorrow (Thursday) I leave. Love Jer

Thursday, October 31, 2002. I set the alarm for 7 but woke up at 6:15 AM. So much to do in preparation for my trip home--pancakes, packing and pictures. Rob made pancakes. I packed. And we sat for final photos. I wanted to make sure to get good pics of Rob and Beata with their pets, Bobby and Adi.

I realized that there's so much I left out of my daily reports. About trips to Japanese food markets where the smells were both pleasant and repugnant to me. Most of the odors were wonderful--spicy, fresh, and aromatic. Then I'd pass the fish and meat sections, and well...I probably will say no more. I did love the tightly packed markets. The buildings were so small but contained so much. Fruits and vegetables were so fresh and beautiful.

I also didn't tell about the street workers. The men wore different colored coveralls, I think depending on what their job was. And all Okinawans cover up from head to toe when they are working outside. I asked Rob if it was to protect them from the sun or to protect them from getting dark. He thought it was a little of both. In many cultures, being very tan is a sign of being a peasant who has to work outdoors for a living. In the US and England it used to be that way also.

Another interesting piece of culture. Some of the traffic lights were red with a green arrow. We found those very confusing.

On the trip to the airport Beata regaled us with a story about her trip back to Denmark in March. It was supposed to take 24 hours but took 72. She definitely had a major adventure...and ended up having to stay in a hotel in Tokyo. The cab brought her to the wrong one and she walked several blocks down a street with all her luggage. In that area she was the only blonde and said she felt like a freak show with all the attention she got.

When we got to the airport I spilled a lot of water from my bottle and we rushed to clean it up. I think I was trying to stall, to make time slow down so I could spend more time with Rob and Bea. All three of us cried at our good-bye. And I sincerely felt that I wasn't just leaving a son, but was leaving a daughter as well. The good news is they'll move to the states in April or May so we won't be separated for long. Rob will probably find out where he'll be stationed by the end of this year.

I went through airport screening with tears streaming down my face and thought I might look suspicious, but noticed that many other people were crying too. It was hard leaving Rob and Beatka, but also hard leaving Okinawa, knowing I probably won't return there.

I love that Rob and Beata seem made for each other. They only had two disagreements while I was there. I told them they were both big babies who had to have the last word...and that it was wonderful to see that they make up within two minutes. I did get tired of seeing all their kissing and hugging though. :) What a blessing to see one's child so happy. And knowing my daughter is so happy as well---what more could I ask?

Sitting at the gate at Naha Airport waiting to board JAL flight 902 for Tokyo Haneda, I found myself praising God for the beauty that is us. In the 70's I was all for being colorblind and wished we'd all intermarry so we'd all be a beautiful brown color and would all be the same. But now I really value the beauty of our difference. The majestic faces of the original Ryukyu Islanders are virtually gone after becoming part of Japan, for example. I find that sad. I was the only non-Asian in our gate area and I hoped I wasn't rude, as I looked at the continuum of beauty inherent in the humans around me.

While sitting there I drank a Pocari Sweat just so I'd have the bottle to take home with me.

Oh, and my luggage weighed 30 kg instead of the 20 kg allowed, but I experienced no problem. What a relief.

I'd spoken in another note about drink vending machines everywhere. The combination of soft drinks offered is amazing. All Coke products and every kind of tea imaginable, including milk tea. Iced coffees abound and one vending machine might have 10 different varieties. There are so many fruit drinks included too. My favorites are all called Qoo.

We left Yomitan at 9:30 AM and I left Okinawa at 11:30 AM Thursday, which was 8:30 PM Wednesday back home. (Being able to calculate this at a moment's notice impresses the heck out of me.)

JAL has a camera on the airplane's nose so throughout the flight you can see what the pilot sees. Fascinating.

When I arrived at Haneda (pronounced Han a' dah in English and Han' ah dah in Japanese) I couldn't find the booth to buy a ticket for the limousine bus to take me to Narita Airport. The first young man who smiled--well, I walked right up to him and asked if he spoke English. He said yes, but I didn't understand a word he said. But we did manage to communicate. He walked me all the way to the ticket counter, and then went back to his original location--quite a detour for him. So kind.

I love the bowing, kindness, and respect of the Japanese people. Yet all that disappears when getting in line. You have to be a football player not to get pushed around. Needless to say, once I learned the system, I did not get pushed around. :)

On the bus ride we passed the Hotel Erotica. Hmmm...

Before arriving at Tokyo Narita Airport all vehicles must pass through a security checkpoint where all passports and baggage is checked. It was done efficiently and quickly.

I was able to go to the American Airlines Admirals Lounge while waiting for boarding. Traveled business class again, so I enjoyed the 11 hour flight. Saw Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood (loved it), Hollywood Ending (so-so), and Everybody Loves Raymond--5 episodes and I laughed out loud. As usual I didn't sleep on the trip (on purpose) and haven't been plagued with jet lag yet.

Cleared immigration and customs in Chicago with no problem...but some of the foreign visitors were a bit surprised at the costumes worn by airport staff on Halloween.

Arrived at my apartment in Milwaukee around 7 PM Thursday (10 AM Friday Okinawa time). Opened up my luggage and threw things everywhere. Saw that Beata's painting was not damaged (hooray) and that the purple-dyed bamboo candlesticks match some of the purple in the painting. Rob and Bea were so generous to me with gifts and activities. I also treasure my Torii Station Okinawa Scuba Locker hat, my diving booties, and other gifts.

I'm so happy to be home, but it's a bittersweet happiness. My memories will suffice. Love to all, a tired and happy Jer