帰省 ２０１４年 / Visiting Family and Friends in Japan 2014

２０１４年１１月私たち夫婦は
賢たち親子３人、恵たち親子３人を連れて
総勢８人で日本の家族や友達を訪問し
リンカーンとジェイを紹介しました。

１１月８日
前年と同じフィニックスからサンフランシスコ経由で
羽田に１１月９日に着いて１泊して
１０日東京スカイツリーでお友達と再会して
羽田から北九州空港へ向かいました。

小倉では妹と甥の達浩が２台の車で迎えに来てくれました。
妹宅に２泊して小倉の街で買い物をして
私たち夫婦は１２日若松の叔母の家へ。
賢たち恵たちは広島に１泊旅行に出かけました。
結局賢たちは２泊して恵たちだけ先に若松に帰ってきました。
この旅を計画したのは
祖母に曾孫を見せるためでしたが
８月に祖母が亡くなり
リンカーンとジェイに会わせる事ができませんでした。
それでも叔母は喜んでくれました。
若松には３泊させてもらい
飯塚の高校時代の恩師を訪ねたり
３０年ぶりに会う教会の友達が
長崎から私たち家族を訪ねてきてくれ
地元の教会の友達も一緒に
昼食をしたりと
有意義な時間を過ごせました。

１１月１５日
いよいよ首を長くして待つ両親のいる佐伯へ向かいました。
佐伯では７泊して
家族でいい思い出を作れました。
父の操縦する船で大入島に１泊で遊びに行ったり
乗り物の大好きなリンカーンは大喜びでした。
もっと遠出ができればよかったのですが
母の具合がまだいまいちだったので
近場の旅でした。
２人の曾孫に囲まれ
幸せな両親でした。

１１月２２日
小倉に戻り両親とはお別れでした。
２３日長崎から２０年ぶりくらいの
友達が訪ねてきてくれました。
彼女たちはアリゾナにご主人が
心臓外科の研究に１年間家族を連れて
留学していらして
そのときに知り合いました。
今はご夫妻で開業医をしていらして
（ご主人が内科で奥さんが小児科だと思います）
２３日夜
また妹と甥の見送りで北九州空港へ。
若松や門司の叔母たち家族も見送りに来てくれました。


１枚目は賢たち、恵たちの家の前で
お迎えの車の運転手に撮ってもらいました。
（マディーはまだ準備中でした）

２枚目はフィニックス・スカイハーバー空港で

３枚目は東京スカイツリーで
教会の友達４人が来てくださいました。

４枚目は小倉城前で


５枚目は若戸大橋をバックに

６枚目は高校時代の恩師と奥さん、お嬢さんと

７枚目は一足先に広島から帰ってきたジェイと会ったおば

８枚目はやっと若松に着いたリンカーンと

９枚目は若松に帰ると必ず食べに行く「赤提灯」で
教会の友達と昼食会をしました。

１０枚目も「赤提灯」で

１１枚目は賢たちが小学５年生６年生のときに
お世話になった佐伯の加奈子さんとお嬢さんのはるかちゃんの
訪問を受けて

１２枚目は父の船で

１３枚目は大入島で

１４枚目はいよいよ北九州に戻る日

１５枚目は佐伯駅で

１６枚目は小倉駅で長崎からのお友達と再会した時

１７枚目は妹宅に従兄弟の家族が訪問してくれて

１８枚目は北九州空港で

In November 2014, we took Ken's family and Kay's family to Japan to
introduce Lincoln and Jay to my family and friends.

We left home on November 8th,
We flew from Phoenix to San Francisco, then Haneda airport in Tokyo
We got to Haneda on November 9th, so we stayed in a hotel at the airport that night.
On the 10th, we went to Tokyo Skytree to meet my friends from church.
That evening, we took another plane from Haneda to Kitakyushu.
At Kitakyushu Airport, my sister and her son came to pick us up with 2 cars.

We stayed at my sister's home for 2 nights.
Ken's family and Kay's family went to Hiroshima for sightseeing.
Kay's stayed 1 night, but Ken's stayed 2 nights at Hiroshima.
Dave and I went to Wakamatsu to visit my aunt.
This trip was planned to also visit my grandmother,
But she passed away 2 months before our visit.
Still my aunt welcomed us to let us stay at her home 3 nights.
While we were there, Dave and I visited my teacher from high school.
We also had nice lunch with my church freinds at Akachochin, my family's favorite restaurant in Wakamatsu.

On November 15th, we finally went to my parents home in Saiki.
They were waiting for us patiently.
We stayed there for 7 nights and we made great memories with my parents.
We went to Onyujima with my father's boat and stayed 1 night.
Since my mother's condition was not so great yet,
we couldn't go anywhere farther.
Still they were so happy to see their two great grandsons.

On November 22nd,  we headed back to Kitakyushu,
and had to say good bye to my parents.
We stayed at my sister's home one more night,
on the 23rd, we met our friends from Nagasaki at Kokura station.
They came to Arizona for studying   heart surgery for a year about 20 years ago.
Now they have a clinic in Nagasaki, the husband is an internal doctor,
and wife is a　pediatric doctor.

That evening, my sister and her son took us to Kitakyushu airport.
We met my aunts and uncles, cousins and their children.
We took planes from there to Haneda, then San Francisco to Phoenix.

The first picture is at the front of Ken's home.
The limo driver took the picture for us.

The second is at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport.

The third is at Tokyo Skytree.

The fourth is at Kokura Castle.

The fifth is by Wakato-ohashi bridge.

The sixth is at my high school teacher's home in Iizuka with him, his wife and his daughter.

The seventh is  at my aunt's home.
She was so excited to see Jay.
Lincoln was still in Hiroshima at that time.

The eighth is at my aunt's home, too.
We slept on the Futon Mattresses like that.
Lincoln came back from Hiroshima.

The ninth is at "Akachouchin", our favorite restaurant.
We met my church friends for lunch.
One of them came all the way from Nagasaki to see us.

The tenth is at "Akachouchin', too.

The eleventh is at my parents' home.
Kanako, who was the teacher of Ken and Kay when they were 5th and 6th grade,
came to visit us with her daughter Haruka.

The twelfth is on my father's boat.

The thirteenth is in Onyujima.

The fourteenth is in Saiki.
It was time to say good bye to my aunt and other relatives,

The fifteenth is at Saiki Train Station.
It was time to say good bye to my parents.

The sixteenth is at Kokura Train Station.
We met our friends from Nagasaki.

The seventeenth is at my sister's home.
My cousin's family came to visit us.

The eighteenth is at Kitakyushu Airport.
My aunts , uncles, and cousins came to say good bye to us.