Altus and Chizuko's Webpage

November

Well, I finally bit the bullet, and have setup a blogger page. I tried once before earlier this year, but the technology was still at the point where it was better for me to maintain this page via manual HTML coding. Well, with the joining of FLICKR and BLOGGER to where I can take a picture with my mobile phone, then email it to an autodaemon where the picture is automatically put up on the web (blogger) page, its a no-brainer to start using it (as thousands of others have done).

I'll still maintain this page, but will no longer keep the pics local to the hosting server, and instead will use FLICKR, with links to it from here. For those that want the latest pics (Mom and Dad), then the BLOG page ( http://altusp.blogspot.com ) will be the best place to look first from now on .

2005-11-Shinkansen (12 images) - Travus and I headed out to Odawara to look around. Spent some time watching the Shinkansen (bullet trains) go by at the station.

2005-11-DisneySea (82 images) - Bro and I took our families to Disney Sea, which is next door to Tokyo Disneyland. Much better experience with the kids, as Disney Sea is at *most* 1/10th as crowded as Disneyland. We actually spent most of our time enjoying the scenery and attractions; unlike Disneyland which involves 4hr+ waits in line, and dodging hordes of people from one attraction to the next!

2005-11-Chiba (100 images) - Travus and I spent the day out in Chiba doing some hiking on the West side of the penisula. Was perfect weather all day long, and took the ferry back home for the first time (versus the Aqualine which we normally take).

2005-11-SeaParadise (31 images) - Bro and I went out with our families to Yokohama Sea Paradise. Didn't really do the attractions so much as enjoy the weather and let the kids run around the place and make mischief.

2005-11-YokohamaZoo (66 images) - Went to Yokohama's Zoorasia. Pretty good deal for only 600 JPY per adult (Travus was free). Have to say a lot better than what you get for your money at all the other zoo's I've been to both in the US and Japan.

2005-11-Komazawa (45 images) - Spent the day out at the Komazawa Park ramps. Travus *really* likes the minipipe! Got Austin out as well to enjoy the weather, and to get some sun on him.

2005-11-Austin (18 images) - Austin is almost 3 months old now, and weighs in at 4.9kg. He's been an *awesome* baby so far, as he sleeps pretty much through the entire night, giving all of us a full night of rest (we all sleep together in the same room; including Travus)! Travus was the same when he was a baby. Guess we really lucked out in the gene department when it comes to length of time between feedings!

2005-11-27-Hakone (121 images) - Spent the day out at Hakone to enjoy the weather and the changing of the leaves. Highlight for us was the *great* Kaiseki meal at the Fujiya Hotel set in a very traditional environment; complete with the Japanese garden just outside the window from our table.

October

2005-10-Halloween (39 images) - Travus dressed up as his favorite character: Green Majiranger! This is a TV show that pits good against evil (what children's show generally don't?!). Note that the Green Majiranger's symbol is the LONGHORN (in reference to me having gone to UT)!!

2005-10-Samukawa (105 images) - This was a big day for Austin, as it is customary to go to a temple and get the newborn blessed by the spirits. We all dressed up (me less so, as Chizuko didn't mention that the inlaws were going to wear suits!) Was perfect weather, and Mt. Fuji was easy to see in the distance (rare occurance!).

2005-10-Austin (106 images) - Austin is a real trooper! Six weeks since his birth,and he's been a delight to take care of (relatively speaking of course!). He now pretty much sleeps 5-7 hours in a stretch, with about 3-4 hours of wake time every day. Means we only have to wake up once in the night (generally around 2-3 am) to change diapers and feed him. I find that sometimes I have to wake him up in order to ensure he has clean diapers, and gets fed so he can keep the weight gain going (remember, he was an underweight premie at birth). He's now just around 4kg (8.8lbs), and is actually putting on weight at a faster clip than Travus did (comparing notes between the two)! Very *low* maintenance baby! How'd we get so lucky?! Travus was the same way when he was a baby. Must be a lot of that uptight Type-A personality from me rubbing off on the two of them. Austin is blood-type 'AB', and Travus 'A', so that makes me an 'A' or 'AB' (don't know which), since Chizuko is a 'B'.

2005-10-Chiba (82 images) - Hit the beach several times both before and after Austin was born. Took Travus to the beach several times out in Chiba for some "quality time with Dad". This was to help him adjust to Austin being in the household by showing that he's still special to us, and that we care enough to get him out to go play and do the things he (and me!) like to do. Seems to have worked quite well, as there has been almost no visible problems with Travus adjusting to his new baby brother. Found an *awesome* hotel in Chiba that is unlike anything else (for the money) that I've stayed at before in Japan. Never going to Tatado again after finding this place. So much better overall as a place to hang out and surf!

September

2005-09-AustinBirth (154 images) - Austin was born 4 weeks early at 6:03am on September 3rd; weighing in at 2.566kg (~5.5lbs). Given that he was technically a "premie" with only 36 weeks of gestation, he had underdeveloped lungs when he came out, and had excess residual fluid in them. This combination of smaller lungs, and fluid was too much for him to handle on his own, so he was moved immediately into ICU and put on assisted oxygen within an incubator. This lasted for 8 days. He remained for 3 more days after that (for a total of 11) within the hospital for observation. Gut wrenching for us both to witness him so fragile and in distress, but everything has worked out in the end, and he's home with us now!

August

2005-08-WakeboardWeekend (25 images) - First time up to the lake this year. Would've gone sooner this Summer (tried twice, but either Travus or Chizuko weren't well enough to head up). Was Travus' first time to: Sail, swim in the lake, and get towed behind a boat! He was *sooooo* excited about getting towed behind the boat in an innertube that he was actually - and I've never seen him do this before - shaking and stuttering with excitement! As my brother pointed out: "That's what a 3 year-old on adrenaline looks like!!! He enjoyed sailing as well, and was eager to get back in the boat as soon as we could after beaching for a bit on the other side of the lake to visit with other friends.. He also had no fear (in fact was overconfident) in wading out into the water to where it was deeper than his feet could reach (helps that he's more confident in his swimming/floating of course). Was also our first time to stay at the new pension of our friends (and owners) at Pro-Jam, which is the wakeboard shop/outfit we wakeboard with. Have to say *great* place they have for themselves, and we plan on going back as often as we can before Austin is born.

2005-08-WakeboardFireworks (49 images) - Was a *full* weekend for us, with a trip up to the lake Friday night (staying at Jamoo with Shawn and his family), then wakeboarding Saturday morning, and heading back to Tokyo for the Tokyo Bay fireworks that evening. Much thanks to Robert for having us over to his place for a perfect view and company!

2005-08-ObonVacation (167 images) - Took Friday off from work for the family Obon (Summer holiday) vacation. Went to Kamogawa and stayed at the Kamogawa Grand Hotel. Went to the "Mothers" animal farm, and Kamogawa Sea World.

2005-08-Matsuri (181 images) - This was the local matsuri of Chizuko's family. Saturday was for the children, and Sunday for the adults. I was asked to join this year, so had the chance to get fully decked out in the local garb.

July

2005-07-Shimoda (41 images) - Headed down for our second Shimoda trip of the season. Would go more often, but with Chizuko as pregnant as she is with Austin, not an option to travel often places more than 1.5 hours outside of Tokyo (about the max she can handle sitting in the car per day). Waves were *great* (sorry no photos) in that they were pretty much 1-1.5X overhead most of the weekend. Downside is that they were also mostly dumpers, so had to get an early drop-in in order to enjoy the wave.

2005-07-Matsuri (14 images) - Matsuri in Chizuko's family's neighborhood.

2005-07-BBQ (13 images) - BBQ at Colin's place (thank you Colin and Sammy!)

June

2005-06-Hawaii (541 images) - The yearly 2-week trip to Hawaii was a *bit* complicated this year. Chizuko was having some complications with her pregnancy (her and Austin are fine) and the Doctor would not clear her to fly to Hawaii. So....what we ended up doing was: I went anyway for the full 2-weeks while she stayed back at her parent's place. The first week her brother and a friend of his were there, then they went back home while her parents came out with Travus. In short I played tour-guide/translator for the brother the first week, then the parents with Travus the second week. Meanwhile she stayed back in Tokyo while her parents took care of her and Travus the first week, then was on her own (though her brother was with her at the parent's place) the second week. We both agree she got the better end of the deal in terms of rest and relaxation! Granted it was a lot of work taking care of the in-laws, but I at least got my 3-5 hours of daily surfing in! A bit complicated, but it all worked out great in the end. Also proved to me (and the in-laws) that we get along *GREAT*. I can honestly say I enjoy (and look forward to) the time we all spend together. How odd can that be coming from a son-in-law!

2005-06-Breakfast (13 images) - Chris pointed us to a real Western-style breakfast in Tokyo (with *great* coffee I might add). Place is called "Good Honest Grub" and is located in Harajuku. We've been going there just about every-other-weekend since!

May

During her checkup this month, we were able to determine that #2 is going to be a BOY. We've already decided on a name: AUSTIN.

We're pretty excited, as this is what we planned for (and due date worked out as planned as well) as we wanted Travus to have a younger brother (and he and older brother) so they could play together similar to how my brother and I grew up with each other (in theory at least!). Besides, Chizuko said she doesn't want to have a daughter if she is going to be anything like when she was growing up!

2005-05-NZ (62 images) - This was our "Business" trip down to NZ. I say Business because in order to activate our NZ Resident status, we actually have to arrive in the Country and have our Passports stamped. Was a quick 4-day trip similar to the trip in November 2004, but still a lot of fun. Complication was that this time around Chizuko was pregnant with Austin, so wasn't as mobile as last time around.

2005-05-Shimoda (116 images) - A great Golden Week down in Shimoda. Weather *and* waves turned out to be good (generally we get one but not the other). Went down the first weekend of GW and were treated to no crowds (surprisingly) and perfect fun in the sun. Travus wasn't as keen this time around to actually surf (compared to last year), though he did get out for a few rides. Think he enjoyed playing in the sand more this time around. Robert and his family came down as well, along with some other friends. Stayed at Tatado Beach Inn as usual, as its perfect for the kids and has easy access to the beach.

2005-05-BoysDay (55 images) - Boys Day was a big celebration for Travus (as it is with most families with boys in Japan). Treated with more fanfare than a birthday, as there is a display setup in honor of the son. Travus got some presents, paid respects to the samurai display setup for him and got a dinner in his honor.

April

Big news this month is that CHIZUKO IS PREGNANT WITH #2! We broke the news during the Hanami weekend to most of our friends. Due date is END OF SEPTEMBER (that puts her just over 4 months into her term). We planned for this due date, so Chizuko doesn't miss a snowboard season this time around like she did with Travus! Should know if its a boy or a girl in mid-May.

Second piece of big news (actually this happened last month, but just now getting around to saying it): We now have NEW ZEALAND RESIDENCY. No immediate plans to move down there, but we have the option if/when we're ready. We're pretty excited, as NZ seems to offer the best of everything we like (sports, nature, education for the children, inexpensive, laid-back and easy going people/atmoshpere, etc...you get the idea!). Getting it however was rather anti-climatic, as we'll still be living in Japan for quite some time. Irrespective, will be spending more of our vacation time down there going forward.

2005-04-Hanami (48 images) - Was a great Hanami this year, as the weather held up during the peak week (evidenced by the amount of pollen that was deposited on my car!). We managed to attend several Hanami events during the week, and each time was perfect with sunny skies and warm temperatures. Only downside this week is that I was constantly doped up on antihistamines, as I'm extremely allergic to the pollen this time of year!

2005-04-Kawaguchiko (97 images) - Went out to Kawaguchi-ko (one of the lakes around Mt. Fuji) to spend the weekend at a hotel on the lake and enjoy the onsen and views. Did a bit of hiking, boating, and Amusement park'ing (Thomas Land of course for Travus!). [Included some shots of Komazawa park Sunday afternoon as well]

2005-04-TravusBirthday (49 images) - Travus turns 3! Hard to believe its been 3 years now. To state the more-than-obvious-to-those-with-kids: Time sure does fly by!

March

2005-03-Fujiten (19 images) -Travus and I went up two more times at the end of the month. Chizuko joined us on the last trip to watch and see how Travus is doing on the skiis. It was her first time to see him ski on his own (without being on a leash in front of me), and she was probably more excited than he was to see him do it! He's connecting turns pretty well now on his own. Problem is he likes to go faster than I'm comfortable with, so I'm constantly yelling at him to slow down, else I put him back on the leash (to control his speed from behind). That generally does the trick for a few dozen meters, then he starts speeding up again! Shawn and his family were out on our last trip, and Travus improved even more by skiing behind his kids, as they were setting a good example by connecting a lot of turns. Looking forward to see how he does next season as he'll be 3 YEARS OLD by then.

2005-03-Naeba (55 images) - The three of us went up to Naeba for two days of skiing/boarding. Saturday was spent mostly with Travus on the slopes, then we got about 30cm of fresh powder Saturday night, which made for a great Sunday morning session.

February

2005-02-HokkaidoTrips 4-5 (55 images) - These were my two solo trips up (Chizuko went Feb 5-6 solo). First weekend was the usual "speed trails" for two days; that is cramming as many runs as possible into the time alloted! Highlight of the first day on Trip #4 was my adventure into the deeper parts of the Alpen bowl (to the right going down the mountain off the Alpen highspeed-quad). Spent ~30 minutes hiking out at the bottom. Put me near the bottom of the bottom-most two person chair on the Alpen side. Was a good run, and something to consider as the mountain continues to get more and more tracked out. The following weekend went up with friends from work and the business. Was four solid days of 30cm+ of fresh powder every day. Conditions ranked near the top of what Niseko has to offer. Sadly a fellow boarder hung out with us in the backbowls and slammed his forehead into a rather thick branch and ended up with 8 stitches. Had it not been for his helmet, he could have very well ended up with a self-inflicted scalping! Point being: ALWAYS WEAR A HELMET.

2005-02-Samukawa Jinjya (33 images) - We and the Grandparents went to Samukawa jinjya; a temple in northern Yokohama to turn in our 2004 good-luck sticks (charms), and renew them for new ones for 2005. Afterwards we went to the local onsen (hotbath).

2005-02-Fujiten (23 images) - Travus and I spent a couple weekends up at Fujiten resort on the slopes of Mt. Fuji. Pretty child friendly resort, and a very convienent 1.5 hours from our house in Tokyo. Granted it ain't Niseko or Naeba, but certainly good enough for getting Travus out on the slopes for a few hours. Good food and onsens nearby make for the perfect day trip.

January

HokkaidoTrip #3 (107 images) - This was our third trip up to Hokkaido (Travus' second). This time Grandma and Mamoru went up with us. All stayed at J-First (where else?) and had two hard and fast days in the Annupuri backbowls. Chizuko's brother had a great time again, as he was able to get in more powder in two days in Niseko than he gets in a whole season at the resorts near Tokyo! Grandma enjoyed herself as well, as her and Travus spent quality time together at Onsens and playing outdoors in the snow. We of course got Travus on the skis for two hours each day, bringing his total days on the slopes this season to 5.

Hokkaido Trip #2 (100 images) - Our second trip to Hokkaido for the season, and Travus' first. Had the hardcore crew up on this one, and was a pleasure to board in the back bowls with a group of such dedicated fanatics to the sport such as Chizuko and I. In a word, the conditions were: "biblical". Had on average 30-40+ cm of fresh powder *every* day/night while there. All of us had to move our bindings to the furthest back positions just to stay on top of everything (a first for all of us as well). That's no small thing considering that most of us have powder specialized boards! Highlight for Travus was that it was his first time on real skis (last season he started on plastic strap ons). Bought him real skis and boots, and put him on the slopes the first day. I had a lot of help this time around versus last season. I used a setup from www.kid-ski.com that allows me to tether him to me and steer him where I want to go (better to look at the photos as to how it fits/works). The most amazing thing of all was that Travus is a natural (okay, maybe not such a surprise given everything he's been through up until now)! He took right off the first time I let him go, and didn't fall for the first 10 minutes or so. In fact, he was getting *most* irritated by the fact that I had him on a leash, and wasn't going fast enough for him!! In Japanese he kep saying: "jibun-de" (let me go by myself), and "hayaku" (go faster)!! Exceed both of our most optimistic expectations on his ability to say the least!

Kusatsu Kokusai (87 images) - This was the family trip with the Shino family up to a ski resort (Kusatsu Kokusai) in Nagano-ken. I couldn't make it, as I had to be at work, but Jiji (grandpa), Baba (grandma), and Nini (uncle), along with Chizuko and Travus spent two days up on the slopes enjoying the snow and onsen (and the occasional video game for Travus!).

Oshogatsu (63 images) - Oshogatsu (New Year) was great as always (when is 4-5 days off from work not great?) Spent the night and two days over at Chizuko's parent's place. We did the requisite eating and drinking just up to the point of losing it all. Didn't help me at all that Chizuko's Uncle, who is a Sake expert, was adept in picking some incredible bottles of reishu (cold sake), and atsukan (hot sake). We ended up drinking about a bottle's worth each (1.8l per bottle). Was the most woozy I've been in a long time, but had absolutely no hangover the next morning (as it was great sake). Grandparents and Travus had a hoot getting time to visit with each other over at their house. In addition to spending the night there, we took time out to visit the local temple, and got some excitement in for Travus at Seibu-en (a park in West Tokyo).