Wyoming Breezes

Misawa AFB Misawa, Japan March 1980

Koto players October 2018 In addition to the Taiko performance , the Japanese Festival included a few traditional Japanese songs played on the Koto . I actually remembered the songs, and they triggered some wonderful memories. The instrument, similar to a harp, has a distinctive sound.

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...

Miyajiama, Japan April1980

Beppu, Japan Spring 1980

roof gable Japan 1980

building gable Japan 1980

Autumn Festival ornate float Misawa, Japan Autumn 1979

Cemetery Misawa, Japan Autumn 1979

Walking trail near Lake Towada, Japan Autumn 1979

Misawa in Winter Misawa AFB Misawa, Japan 1981

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.

beginning of Autumn Misawa, Japan 1979

a creek on the Lake Towada Trail Japan Autumn 1979 Because of the high humidity and frequent rains, moss was common in Japan. It grew on rocks, sidewalks, in the cracks of the parking lots, and basically anything that didn't move.

tour guide, Paul Gsell April 1980 I didn't write about the deer in my travel journal, so I don't know specifics of the location, but the deer roamed the grounds of this area freely and welcomed being fed by the tourists.  I went on several of Paul Gsell's trips in the two years I was in Japan. Here's one entry from my travel journal: Thurs., April 3, 1980 - Last night we took a walking tour of Kumamoto with Paul and discovered a small restaurant. We ate whale and horse meat (raw and dipped in soya sauce), drank potato wine, which was very bitter. The owners of the sushi and sake bar ( see this post ) took a liking to our group and gave us gifts (I still have the wooden sake cup) and entertained us. We drank beer and sake. As our meal was being prepared, Judy L. took a position behind the counter and "helped" cook. She spilled potatoes everywhere much to everyone's amusement. Judy L. and Judith K. became known as "cucumber" because the o...

Autumn Festival Float Misawa, Japan Autumn 1979

Billeting office Misawa AFB Misawa, Japan August 1979 When I arrived at Misawa AFB, I was taken to the Billeting Office for temporary lodging. I was allowed to stay in billeting for 30 days, while I searched for off-base housing. The building in the photo offered rooms with two beds: my roommate was Carol Ackerson, a DODDS teacher who had transferred from Germany. Carol gave me tips on dealing with the military red-tape. I grew to appreciate her advice. The rooms were small and had a small wardrobe. We had things piled everywhere as we had luggage that contained items we'd need until our household items arrived on base, which could take more than a month. The restroom was down the hall and resembled a dorm bathroom with numerous stalls and showers. Carol advised me to add my name to the list for BOQ (on-base single housing). BOQ's were assigned by rank: whenever my name got close to the top of the list, officers ranking higher than me would transfer in and bump me down th...

Tokyo fish market Tokyo, Japan 1979 I was elected a representative for the Overseas Education Association, which held its meetings in Tokyo. The representatives from Misawa AFB flew to Tokyo for the weekend and sometimes were able to do a bit of site-seeing and shopping. One trip resulted in an outing to a fish market -- lots of fresh fish of EVERY kind were displayed on ice. No doubt these fish were purchased that morning at the Tokyo Fish Market .

Autumn 1979 Misawa AFB Misawa, Japan My first autumn in Japan was a fun time to explore and snap photos. This road was on the north and west side of the base and led to the golf course and the lake.