Art and an Artist

Here is the great artist, Allen West!  We recently visited his studio and he was kind enough to show us around.  He and his wife are wonderful people and he is a famous artist.  He is also our home teacher.  In the LDS church, that means he checks up on us every month to see how we are doing and to see if there is anything that he can do to help us. So this time we went to be visited at his studio.  He has had shows everywhere

and in famous museums like the Smithsonian. He has been commissioned by many people to do specific works of art for them.  If you would like to see some of the beautiful work that he does with gold leaf and silver, just google Allen West and put in Japan or artist and you can read all about him and see more of his beautiful work.

Here I am meditating and enjoying the beautiful painted

screens that he has so meticulously painted.  I'm hoping

that we can buy something small before we go home

although his work is very pricey.

How is this for an artistic display?

This was just on the street where

we were walking.

Speaking of works of art,

Here is a beautiful door hanging made

especially for the New Year and given

to us by some of the sweet secretaries

at our office.

Here is another door hanging

which is not quite as  elaborate

but still very beautiful.



A New Year fan ornament





Yet another New Years door hanging.

I'm sure this little guy must have something

to do with New Years, too.

While we're looking at beautiful things, I thought you

might enjoy seeing my oriental jewelry box.

These are kind of like make a wish or a hope arrows.  They can be purchased at shrines. I've heard that you were supposed to take the one you got the previous year back to make another wish.  The people who were in our apartment before us, apparently didn't know that.

This is pretty kimono hanging, too, wouldn't you say?

This was made by some sweet relief society sisters in Sapporo.

Here is the great person I especially enjoy seeing in the     apartment and at the office!  Elder Chandler and I recently

finished reading, I will lead you along, The life of Henry B.Eyring. If you get a chance to read this book, I think you would really enjoy it, too.

Sayonara for now!

Happy New Year

To start off the new year, we went with some of the senior couples to the Kichijoji chapel and watched the people in the ward there make Mochii or Mochiko the traditional way, and then we got to eat some of it.  It was really interesting to see them make the mochii as they take hot cooked rice in a huge barrel and then they take wooden hammers and hammer it until it becomes a dough.  It is hard work and lots of pounding for them to do that.  Elder Chandler (Gary) helped and he said it was hard work.  There was a lady who would keep moving the rice to where it needed to be in between strikes with the hammers. (She had a dangerous job!)  Then they would form the dough into balls.  The Japanese especially loved these mochii and they would put it with radish which tastes like turnips, or with Asugi beans loaded with a sugar syrup, or with fermented soy type beans which I heard tasted not so good so I didn’t try that.  They also had some giant pots of soup with bean curd and vegetables and mostly chicken skin in the pot.  Elder Gary really liked all of this food as he is very adventurous and I liked some of it.

Elder Chandler making mochii or  mochiiko

Great soup 

Some of the young missionaries got in on the action

Some of the older ones

watching and eating

some of the kids, too!  Watch out!

Yummy

Yes, even some of the senior missionaries took a turn jumping!

                           明けましておめでとうございます

                                               Akemashite omedetōgozaimasu

                                               "Happy New Year" in Japanese

Beautiful Guam

 

The Area Offices close down for about one and one-half weeks from Christmas to into the New Year so we had the opportunity to go to Guam for a week.  Christmas isn't a holiday in Japan but of course our offices are closed.  Here people know about Christmas, Santa Claus and giving gifts but there is no Christ in Christmas.  We were excited to back to Guam since it has been 40 years since we lived there when Gary was in the Army.  We never thought we would go back but it is in our area so the Area Presidency approved our trip--at our expense or course.  It was wonderful to go back to see how the island has changed and how much the church has grown.  When we were there Guam was part of the Hawaii Mission (3500 miles away) and there were two missionaries serving there.  We had one ward, mostly military and school teachers, which was part of the a stake in Hawaii.  Now Guam has a mission which includes all the islands in the area and a stake just on Guam.

Guam has changed dramatically since we were there.  We went crazy in the stores, especially grocery stores, just seeing all the stuff we like but can't get in Japan or in some cases we can get but the cost is outrageous.  There are big malls and very busy and wide highways.  Guam is a huge tropical destination from Japan being about a 3 1/2 hour flight direct to Tokyo and several other cities in Japan as well as Seoul, Korea. We had lots of opportunities to talk to people about the church and everyone was very nice to us old missionaries.  We did finally take our badges off when we were shopping at Macy's in the mall because people kept asking us to help them find something.  We enjoyed the American restaurants and the fact that we could talk to everyone.  But we were happy to get back to Tokyo where we belong. 

Delta flight attendant at the Marriott Hotel

Santa Claus at the Marriott--it was very Christmassy in Guam

View across Tumon Bay from our hotel room on the 19th floor

 

View of "two lovers" point from our hotel--the ancient legend is that two lovers whose families
wouldn't let them marry leaped from this point



Hotels along Tumon Bay

View of the beach and swimming pool from our hotel room



Wind surfers on the bay

 

Home of first church members in Guam who owned the apartments where we lived next door. 
The apartments are gone with nice homes in their place.  Victor and Gwen Olsen are also long gone.

Group of missionaries in front of the mission office.

Our original church in Guam.  It was new when we were there 40 years ago
 and has been expanded so that now it is a stake center.

 

Yigo chapel near Anderson Air Force Base

A Guam bomb as we used to call the beat up old cars in Guam. 
There are still a few driving around on the roads.

Tumon Bay hotels after dark.

Latte Stone Park--Carol with Naoko Kawahara from our office in Tokyo.

This is Elder and Sister Chandler at Latte Stone Park.

The lattes tones were actually part of the structure to hold up the ancient homes as shown below.

Caves and shelters occupied by the Japanese soldiers during WWII

 

Agana Bay and the city of Agana, now called Hagatna.
 It is much changed from when we lived there.

U.S. Naval Hospital where our daughter Kris was born.

View of Apra Harbor and the Naval Base from Nimitz Hill

Gary at Two Lovers Point

Viewing platform at Two Lovers Leap--the cliffs are about 200 feet straight down to the ocean.

 

Carol standing between the trees

Our hotel as viewed with telephoto lens from Two Lovers Leap

Just more hotels on Tumon Bay

Beautiful flowers and missionary

 



Another LDS chapel in Santa Rita--I like the outdoor style

U.S. Naval Magazine where Gary worked when we lived in Guam

Old Spanish bridge on southern end of the island near Inarajan where Magellan landed in 1541

Bay where Magellan landed and planted a cross for Spain--of course the cross shown above is not the original.

 

Interesting trees on the drive around Guam

Beautiful flowers along the way

Great swimming and snorkeling areas

 

 

 

Just a little reminder about Christmas
 

 



WWII tanks can still be found on the island

 

Agana Harbor

 

 

 

Adios for now beautiful Guam.