Calmer life on the Kanto Plain of Japan

The first week on the job has quickly settled into a much calmer life.  As a matter of fact, an extra hour before class at the naval port allowed some prep time  in the view of some of the ships.

After the second week, we used Saturday to drive down to the area near Mt. Fuji for some sightseeing on a sunny day following a snow Friday.  As a matter of fact, the Friday lab became "optional attendance" when many of the students started inquiring about the safety of getting to the evening lab.  He decided they could do most of the sensory experiments at home, which apparently gave some of the students the opportunity to do the science with their children.

The trip to Mt. Fuji was enjoyable with a drive around one of the five lakes in the area as well as a drive along the west side of the mountain on a fairly rural road lined with snow covered trees.

We have pretty much completed all of the logistic work involved with moving.  The last task was getting new license plates for our car, which involved three trips to the registration office and a trip to the "insurance" company which took the paperwork to the Land Transportation Office for the new plates (for a pricey fee!).

Ellen also had the opportunity to take a tour to the textile area near Tokyo, Nippori.  This obviously meant that she needed to add a number of fabric samples to her growing collection.  As a matter of fact, while Doug was attending a fall workshop this weekend, held at the New Sanno Hotel in Tokyo, she managed to make a return trip to the area via subway and train and found more beautiful fabric.

Some of this fabric is working its way into quilts such as this wall hanging.