Wyoming Breezes

playing cards circa 1979 The night before my surgery, Brenda, Marilyn and I passed the time by playing Nerts in the hospital Guest House. We had to scrounge for three decks of cards: I found two decks in my car and Marilyn had one in her vehicle. The cards from my car were certainly not "normal": one deck (Betsy Clark) was a mini deck, and the other deck was from Northwest Orient airlines. Cards were frequently given to those flying to help pass the time during a long flight. In the days before Smart Phones and instant translators, airlines tried to assist travelers any way that they could. The insert in this deck states, "Pick a card, any card! Pick a language any language! Northwest Orient Airlines has printed this deck of playing cards with 53 useful English phrases . . . and their Japanese, Korean, and Chinese translations (in that order) to help you get along a little better wherever you go in our part of the world. Just show the card with the phrase you wi...

photographs taken when I was in Japan 1979 (autumn) - 1981 (spring) Nearly all of the photos in this box have been shared with you on Foreign Friday posts from October 1, 2010  to this post on April 7, 2017 - well over 300 Foreign Friday posts in all. It was a treat to see all of my photos again and to share them and my memories of my DODDS (Dept of Defense Dependent Schools) days with you. It's time to close the lid on the photo box and say farewell to Foreign Fridays.

Miyajiama, Japan April1980

Bangkok, Thailand December 1979

Government apartments Singapore December 1979

Beppu, Japan Spring 1980

Taipei countryside Taipei, Taiwan December 1979

Holiday display Taipei, Taiwan December 1979

roof gable Japan 1980

building gable Japan 1980

Taipei, Taiwan Grand Hotel in upper right corner December 1979

Autumn Festival ornate float Misawa, Japan Autumn 1979

Cemetery Misawa, Japan Autumn 1979

monk school Bangkok, Thailand December 1979 Last week's photo prompted some questions about the young monks, so I checked my travel journal to see if I had written anything about them. According to our group's tour guide in 1979, every Thai male was required to become a monk for three months. They were also required to serve in the military for three years. I don't know if these are still requirements.

young monks Bangkok, Thailand December 1979

Walking trail near Lake Towada, Japan Autumn 1979

Misawa in Winter Misawa AFB Misawa, Japan 1981

In two earlier posts, I've shared whimsical and traditional nativity displays from the Nativity Walk held at the Riverton LDS church. Many of the nativities on display were from other countries or cultures, no doubt obtained while on missions, and it's appropriate to share them in this Foreign Friday post. Christianity covers the globe and so does God's love for His people.  Merry Christmas

Dairy Cows Southern Japan April 1980 It's been said, that you can take the girl off of the farm, but you can't take the farm away from the girl. I grew up on a dairy farm and knew my mother and brother would enjoy seeing photos of this Japanese dairy barn and the cows. The cows were well tended, but I didn't understand why they all had nose rings, as I had only seen nose rings on bulls at home.

west of Misawa AFB Misawa, Japan December 1979 The mountains (dormant volcanoes) in the photo were to the west of Misawa, and to view them I had to drive to the lake area on base. They are not as close as they appear, as the image was taken with a telephoto lens. I grew up around mountains and missed seeing them everyday. On weekends, I would drive to the northern section of the base and look west at the distant peaks.