December

Dirtbiking in Saitama  (36 images) - Travus' first time to see and ride a motorcross dirtbike! Goes without saying (though I will anyway) that he had a great time, and couldn't get enough time "in the saddle". Jim from CTS was *most* kind to invite us out for a day in the dirt. Found out that kids start as early as 4 years of age. Don't think I'll be putting Travus in the seat that soon, but it won't be long before father and son are out on the track more often!

Disneyland (48 images) - Chizuko took Travus for a full day (8am-8pm) of excitement at Tokyo Disneyland.

Hokkaido (63 images) - First trip of the season. What made this different was the fact that it was just Chizuko and I without Travus. We decided it would be good to get one trip in with just the two of us, as we had yet to spend more than 24 hours on our own since Travus' birth. Chizuko's Mom, Dad, and brother were more than happy to take care of Travus over the weekend (so much that if our flight was cancelled and we remained in Tokyo over the weekend, they still weren't going to let us see Travus!). Base was pretty low with only about 100cm at the bottom, and 150cm at the top. That didn't stop us from getting some *great* powder both days; albeit with some extra grass and twigs to deal with out of bounds!

Hokkaido Powder (73 images) - Shots of us in the powder on the Annupuri side of Niseko.  As you can see from the pics, base wasn't so deep.

2004-12-Christmas (100 images) - Travus was now old enough to understand (somewhat) the concept of Santa Claus and Christmas. He knew that he had to be a good boy in order to get what he wanted from Santa (Apple Pie, and a Shinkansen). No doubt we played the "Be a good boy or else Santa won't..." card often well before Christmas! His school (Buddy) put on a Christmas production, and Travus did his part in singing the Xmas songs (he practiced frequently at home singing out loud all the time!). Travus got a Electric motorbike (as he now loves motorbiking over all other activities!), an electric keyboard, and his most used toy now: a 3-wheeled kickboard.

November

Just now updating the page after almost three months.  Reason for the delay is I spent a lot of time trying to designing a new webpage using several blog services (blogger and movabletype).  After a *lot* of effort and redesign, I decided to stick with the old format (go figure).  If I updated this page daily, then a blog would be a must.

The only thing I'm doing different now is I'm using Google's free software:  Picasa.  Great piece of software for organizing photos.  Also has an easy "export to web" feature that now allows me to quickly create a webpage based off a custom photo album.  As a result of this, I'm now going to be posting pretty much *all* the photos I take going forward.  I know its a lot to look at (Mom and Dad), but am certain you'll prefer too many pictures to look at than too few.

Big trip of the month was to New Zealand!  This was a last minute trip I had to make for personal reasons.  Chizuko and Travus came as well even though it was for 3.5 days. 

Trip was as follows:

Arrived in Auckland on day one, and went straight to the bank.  That evening Nick and Jo were most kind to take us to one of the "top" restaurants in Auckland (pun intended as its also the highest restaurant in Auckland, as its at the top of the Sky Tower!).

Next day we drove to Rotorua and did the gondola to one of the local peaks; then proceeded to take a street luge down to the bottom with Travus!  That evening was spent at the Polynesian Spa, which is a natural hot springs resort (similar to Onsens in Japan).

On the third day we saw the sheep show at the Agrodome, and finished Rotorua off by viewing the natural hot springs (too hot for us to get in).  Best part of the day was chartering a helicopter to fly us around several of the lakes in the region.  Travus' and Chizuko's first time in a helicopter.

That afternoon we drove to Mt. Maunganui (a surf town of 100k people that I compare to Shimoda, but with more people) to see the ocean.

Last day we spent the morning at the beach, then drove back to Auckland to visit downtown.  We were on the plane the next morning.

Certainly a short trip, but didn't feel like it, as we were constantly on the move!

Now to use the fancy "export to web" feature in Picasa as follows:

PICTURES OF THE NZ TRIP

Two weekends after our NZ trip, we went up to the mountains for a little easy hiking (Travus is still getting his hiking legs built up).  Went to a place called Mt. Takao, which is about a 1 hour drive West of Tokyo.

MT TAKAO PICTURES

Next day Oliver and his son Rio came over for a "Boy's day out" (we told our respective wives to go off someplace else and enjoy doing their own thing for the day).

BOY'S DAY OUT PICTURES

Had a National Holiday on the 23rd.  I was able to squeeze in a quick morning surf session with Jason from work.  Afternoon was spent over at the inlaws.

OVER AT GRANDPARENTS PICTURES

Takatori Mtn. (24 images) -  Went to a small mountain (more like large hill) in Miura hanto called "Takatori yama". Used to be a spot that Robert, Yagam, and I used to rock climb at *years* ago (like 12-13 years back!). Took Travus up there to look around, as the weather was incredible with views to the horizon. Was also a pretty easy hike for Travus, but long enough to tire him out by the end of it.

October

Since I'm using Picasa now for the photos, will just link to the page first, followed by an explanation of the photos within.  This will most likely lead to less commentary, and more photos...

• Buddy Undo Taikai - Travus has been going to a Sport school now for a few months, and his first Undo Taikai (Sports Competition) took place this month.
  
• Halloween - Travus dressed up as a horse, which fits the animal in the year he was born (Year of the Horse).
  
• Kieran's Wedding - Good friend of ours from work got married this month.  Never thought it would/could happen, but it did!  Congratulations to both of you!
  
• Lisa's Stayover - The 2yr old daughter of one of our neighbors came over for a slumber party with Travus.
  
• Tsukuba Mtn - Travus and I went up to a mountain about an hour Northeast of Tokyo.
  
• Yagam's house party - "Brah" invited us and some others we haven't seen in *years* to his house for drink, food, and good conversation.

Biggest news for me this month is I've been granted NEW ZEALAND RESIDENCY for the whole family.  I won't go into details on how I got it, but suffice to say we're one step closer to having the opportunity to move to NZ someday.  There are no immediate plans to do so, but the option is now there.

September

• Shimoda - Surfing, hot baths, and great food.  Great trip as always.
  
• Wakeboarding at Kawaguchi-ko - Travus and I went up to the lake with some others from work and my brother.  Difference this time around was we could rent and drive a real wakeboard boat.  A bit expensive (60k JPY/day) but well worth it if you get enough people.
  

August

• Yokohama Pool - Day out at a public pool in Yokohama.
  
• Trip to Yamanaka-ko - Big family trip with Chizuko's parents and brother.  Was a *great* trip, and we did a lot.  Look forward to more of these!
  
• Summer Fireworks - Fireworks are a *big* deal in Japan during the Summer months.  Photos of several firework displays we watched this month.
  
• At the Beach - Various photos of us at various beaches this month.
  
• Matsuuri - (festival).  My first time to attend the local Matsuuri in Chizuko's parent's neighborhood.  Was Travus' first time to dressup in the full kit.  He was *most* cute, and put all his effort into it!
  

July

HAWAII July 2-18.  This was our annual trip back "home" to Hawaii ("home" as in we consider it our second home now).  Though it seems as though this little tropical island is becoming more like a large city clog every time we go back.

Shawn and I, along with our families were the only members of the "surf posse" to be there this time around.  Seems like most of the others either no longer live in Japan, or don't have interest in surfing in Hawaii anymore (more like SE Asia it seems).

Robert, my brother, came out as well with his family.  Was great to have them there at the same time, as we could all hang out at the pool and beach together.  He even went out a few times for some surfing and took Lynn (his oldest daughter) out for a few waves.

Chizuko's brother came along with us, and it was his first vacation longer than 3 days ever I believe.  Needless to say he:  1) had a *great* time 2) will be taking longer vacations from now on!  It was certainly quite the good experience for him to enjoy lots of eating, shopping, activities, and beautiful scenery.

We got a great floor this time around at the Imperial of Waikiki condo of which I have a two week ownership in a 2-br/2-ba unit.  We were on the 23rd floor, and had great views of not only the ocean, but the Hawaii Hilton Friday night fireworks.

Goes without saying (though I will in detail anyway) that Travus and I (mostly I) did a lot of surfing.  He's large enough now that he can lie down on the board.  This makes it easier for me to paddle us into waves now, whereas before he could only sit up, and I had to use one hand to hold onto him, thus making it almost impossible to catch a wave.  Even though we had one bad wipeout (another beginner surfer ran into us), he came up fine, and wanted to go out for more.  I don't know if I should be worried now, because he want's to surf anything that remotely resembles a surfboard!  He even picked up body boarding, but doesn't like it as much as surfing (that's my boy!).

A big part of the trip for us was Altus and Marian coming out to see their grandchildren.  I know it was tough to get them to have to come suffer the hardships of staying in such a dreadful locale, but we couldn't keep them away from their grandkids (and us as well I'd like to think ;-).

The most important part of the trip (for me at least) was the celebration of our TEN YEAR WEDDING ANNIVERSARY!  I had a ring custom-made in New Zealand and shipped direct to Hawaii.  I took Chizuko out to Diamond Head Grill for dinner on our anniversary day, and surprised her on the beach on the way walking to the restaurant.  The Hawaii Hilton was even having their fireworks display while I surprised her with the ring.  She got all teary-eyed (me as well), so guess she was truly surprised and most happy!

Now for other various photos from the trip:

• At the bar atop the Sheraton Moana Surfrider hotel.
• At the KoOlina Luau.
• Beautiful ocean shot of the three of us.
• Travus walking barefoot in the grass (a rare experience in Tokyo!).
• The three of us out at the Dole Plantation.
• At the Polyenisian Cultural Center.
• My new board (a Southpoint 9'6" E3 epoxy board) next to Shawn's 11' surftech.
• Us on the beach with Diamond Head in the background.
• In the water with Diamond Head in the background.
• Mamoru and Travus.
• Looking out at the Ocean.
• Chizuko and I in a hug pose on the beach.
• Shawn and his family at the Hilton lagoon.
• Us at the Hilton lagoon.
  
• Heading home.
  

ALL HAWAII TRIP PHOTOS

mid May - June

Had to split May in half as we did quite a bit from the mid part on as well.

Right after getting back from Shimoda we celebrated BOYS DAY.  Similar concept to Mother's or Father's day except you celeberate your children besides just their birthday (sounds fair right?).  In addition to celebrating Boy's Day, we took the opportunity to celebrate Travus' second birthday again (even though it was in late April).  No surprise if I say it was the Grandparents idea!

Was also Mother's Day shortly thereafter so Travus was most kind to get Mom a huge bouquet of flowers and present for Baba (grandmother).

Next up was a trip to Hong Kong for the wedding of a former colleague of mine at the Tokyo office (who has since moved to HK).  Was a fantastic trip.  Stayed for three full days and got to see the town and eat a lot.  Was such a good trip in fact that we're going to do something similar again next year, but to Singapore for a long weekend.  We were concerned that perhaps Travus would start to get antsy in planes (being in his "terrible twos" and all), but we've had *no* problems traveling with him so far (knock on wood).

ALL HK TRIP PHOTOS

Lastly I've started putting Travus on a skateboard and taking him with me more often to Komazawa park for practice.  Have to say he *loves* the sport almost as much as surfing.  I now have another tool to keep him in line when he's acting up (such as:  "be a good boy, or no skating for you at the park tomorrow"!).  Note that skating is not the only thing he does at the park.  He has been known to do some "extreme bubbles" from time to time!


ALL KOMAZAWA PHOTOS

June surprisingly wasn't filled with as much activity as you'd expect.  Probably due to the fact that we knew we were off to over two weeks in Hawaii first week of July, so took it easy for most of the month.  Will just throw the pictures in from the month:

• Looking cool in his shades while pretending to drive.
• Beat from a hard day of playing.
  
• Closeup of his face.
  
• Playing with Baba and Jiji at the park.
  
• The two of us on an INDO BALANCE BOARD (he loves this a lot as well!)
  
• Getting a little more verticle on the board.
  
• Three stitches in my right shin from another surfer's board (refer to the photos below as to how crowded the breaks are here).
• On Baba's back after dinner.
  
• Shawn, Kieran, and I at his farewell party (went back to the UK).
  
• Chihiro and Kieran.
  
• Oliver, Tomoko, and Rio at the party as well.
  
• Travus doing a little surfing "image training".
  

March - early May

Lumping up three months in a row as there are some ski shots that span two months, and just got back from our Golden Week vacation which I'll go ahead and throw in now.

Snowboarding season was over for us in March, but ski season was still going strong for Travus.  Even bought a pair of shortskis for myself so he and I could ski together.  This turned out to be a good choice [2Mb video clip], as now we can both go top to bottom together at a fairly consistent pace.

I took him up to Yeti (a ski hill on Mt. Fuji) a couple times to get him further accustomed to being on the snow and skis.  Best trip was up to Kurumayama (about 3 hours West of Tokyo) for a day.  Even got some fresh snow the following morning (this in mid-March).

April was a big month for Travus, as it marks his SECOND BIRTHDAY.  The week leading up to his birthday was filled with parties with lots of his friends, family (Chizuko's and Robert as well this time around),  and trips out to the zoo and park.

I think the present he loved most was the skateboard Chizuko and I bought him.  He hasn't stopped asking to play with it, and if he could, probably would have it in bed with him!

One thing that is of slight concern to me is that Travus doesn't enjoy watching children's videos anymore.  The only thing he's willing to sit down and watch in full are snowboard, skateboard, or surfing videos (his preference in that order).  In fact the first thing he said one morning  in May was:  "Daddy...snowboard DVD" (his way of saying he wants to watch one of the snowboard DVDs).  This was said about 10 seconds after he awoke!  He's quite insistent, and gets upset if we don't at least put it on for a few minutes for him to get his 'fix'! 

Am not sure if I'm supposed to be proud...or worried...

His speaking is coming along *great*.  He's capable of speaking mostly in rudimentary Japanese, with the occasional English thrown in.  Not complete sentences mind you, but simple stuff like:  "Change my diaper", "I'm thirsty/hungry/sleepy", "I don't want to do this, or go there" (his favorite saying!). 

"Terrible Two's" are starting to set in, but we find that taking the time to explain why he should/shouldn't do something generally works after the first or second times.  Also positive reinforcement when he does what he is told goes a *long* way.  Children (as Adults no doubt) love to be admired and will be (mostly) angels when showered with praise.

Another important part of the month was the preparation of his shrine before BOYS DAY (May 5th).

Before that date, we went down to Shimoda for Golden Week (as usual).  Waves weren't that great (as usual), and weather was on and off (again as usual).  Nonetheless we had a great time with family and friends.  Best part of the trip was the surf session I had with Travus.  Some shots:

• Putting on his wetsuit
• Walking out to the break
• In the water heading toward the break
• Paddling for a wave (note he's paddling too!)
• Riding a wave.
• Giving some "stink-eye"
• Going back out for another session.
  

ALL SHIMODA PHOTOS


Lastly two good friends of our got married.  Was quite a beautiful ceremony at the Grand Hyatt in Roppongi Hills.

February

More snowboarding this month.  Got two more trips up to Hokkaido.  One trip I went up solo the first day (without Chizuko and Travus) and was joined by others in a group that Sacha organized.  Was one of the best trips I've ever had in terms of consistent powder.  In fact the other group stayed up a total of 5 days, and one person in the group (a former ski instructor in France) said it was the best conditions she's *ever* had in her life!

Second trip we went to Rusutsu for the first time.  Have to say I like the mountain better than Niseko (didn't think that possible).  Reason being that the terrain is more consistent with steeper sections, whereas Niseko (at least Annupuri) has good sections, with quite a few flat parts that require a bit of slogging along.  Also the hotels are much more family-friendly.

Even though it was a better mountain, the conditions sucked for most of the trip (actually rained!).  Got better at then end.  So much in fact that we got snowed in at the hotel, and were a day late getting back to Tokyo.  Good for us, as conditions were markedly better that night, and the next morning!

Went up with Nick and his family.  Chizuko's Mom came along too, for more fun excitement with us and Travus at the resort.  Also got the chance to get Travus on the skis a few more times.  Have to say Travus really enjoyed his time with Miki (as she did as well!).

Snowboarding wasn't the only activity we did this month (though it is the one we enjoy most!).  Went out to Chiba one weekend and picked some strawberries.  Earlier in the month we went to Samukawa jinja (temple) to pay our respects and to wish for a healthy and happy 2004.

Travus also got the chance to spend some quality time with the grandparents both at their home, and ours.

ALL SKI SEASON PHOTOS

January

Snowboard season is upon us now.  We had two trips up to Hokkaido for three days this month.  Biggest event for us was Travus' first experience on skis at the ripe old age of 1yr and 9mo!

Some shots and vids from the first trip:

• He and I just before going out for a "nighta" (night session).
• Getting his skis ready in the powder conditions.
• Showing how much powder there was.
• Trying to get past the lift gate to take a chair up (he really wanted to go up; kept pointing at the chair and up the mountain!).
• Near the lift line.
• The three of us after his first ski session.
• Playing with his friend Miki.
• Buried under his first avalanche!
• In the locker room after a grueling day.
• VIDEO - His first skiing (went about 3-4 meters).
• VIDEO - Trying to get through the lift gate to get on the lift up!
  

Some shots from the second trip (Chizuko's Mom and brother joined us):

• In the airplane on the way up.
• Another shot in the airplane
  
• Posing outside the hotel after one of his ski sessions.
• Uncle, Travus, and a fox in the background.
• Sacha and I at the top after hiking up.
• In the hotel lounge.
• Travus in classic beginner ski pose!
  

Will keep him on skis for another 2-3 seasons, then put him on the board when he's 5 years old or so.

Before heading up to Hokkaido, we paid a visit to the Shino cemetery, and paid homage to all our ancestors.

Lastly, his groucho marx pose and cowboy boots!

December

NEW ZEALAND.  That was the big event of the month.  We were supposed to go over the New Year's holidays, but I had one of my co-workers transfer to our HK office, thus leaving me short-handed at the end of December onwards.  Thus we moved our trip to NZ ahead by 3 weeks.

As expected, our expectations were quite high, and they were exceeded.  Even Chizuko, being the more critical of the two of us couldn't find much at fault with the Country and its people.

Now for a complete recap of our trip:

Flew into Christchurch direct from Tokyo (only on Saturdays) and spent three days visiting our good friend Richard and his family and relatives.  The city has a population of about 500,000 people (including the Greater area suburbs), though you wouldn't know it, given how quiet the city is. 

Some pics around town:

• View of the bay behind town.
• Downtown across from the Botanical Gardens.
• Town square.
• War memorial.
• Rose garden in the Botanical Gardens.
• Chizuko looking pretty as ever with roses around her!
• Good shot of roses.
• Chizuko showing how good the food there was (taken at the Old University campus)
• Travus enjoying looking (and riding) the trams.
• A sample of the gardening the city is famous for.

After our visit there, we spent the fourth day of our trip driving up to Nelson on the northern tip of the Southern island.  Travus got his first chance to see sheep up close, and even had the chance do some shopping in Nelson at one of the skate/snow/surf stores (he put the helmet on his head on his own without us asking him to!).

The next day (our fifth day) we spent driving around the different wineries in the Marlborough region.  Have to say Highfield Estates was our favorite, as it had the best view across the whole valley.

That evening we spent in Picton, which is the town the ferries to/from the North Island depart/arrive from.  We took a highspeed catamaran to Wellington that cut the normal time (3 hours) off by about 45 minutes.

The next four days were spent with Richard's older brother Peter and his family in Wellington.  Have to say Wellington was the prettiest city on the entire trip.  Reminds us a lot of a combination of HK and San Francisco (without the crowds!).

Highlight for Chizuko was getting to visit her Sensei (teacher) from when she was a middle-school student.  Her Sensei emigrated to NZ years ago, along with her husband.  Was great for Chizuko and I to get to visit with them and enjoy their hospitality and great family.

After four days in Wellington, we flew up to Auckland (decided against the two days of driving it would take for Travus' sake!). for the remainder of our trip.

We stayed at a great hotel called "The Heritage" in Auckland.   Even though it was a Hotel, we were able to get a great condo-like room with full amenities for great rates.   That's the beauty of NZ, its so cheap down there versus the dollar (not so much now I might add when typing this in January!).

Auckland is a beautiful city. Reminds me of a mix of San Antonio (with the tower and "country-like" atmosphere), Austin (with the hills to the West), LA (with the urban sprawl, less the large Highways, but with the traffic),  and Seattle (being on the water with lots of Islands around).

Didn't do any exciting sports-related activities (as we'd normally do) as we were more interested in exploring and getting a feel for the cities and Country.

As I said, was better than we all expected, and am certain we'll be heading down there again next year (2004).

After the trip to NZ, we did a little snowboard gear shopping (even bought him little skis, which he *loves* to jump on; again, no prompting from me I swear!), lots of Christmas shopping!

Highlight at the very end of the month was making mochi over at Chizuko's parents house.  Was a lot of fun to watch Travus make his own batch!

November

Similar to October, just a bunch of little things going on, with no major event like a vacation or surfing/snowboarding (though I did manage to squeeze a surf day at Kamogawa just like in October).

Some shots from the month:

• Makiko and JJ on the lift up Mt. Takao
• Posing in front of the main contributors plaques to the temple.
• Travus and I at "Umihotaru".  This is the parking area in the middle of Tokyo bay, just as the Tokyo "Aqualine" toll road passes under the water into a 10k tunnel.
• Travus driving a toy ride out at Picnic Land  (near Mt. Takao).
• Both of us taking a chairlift to the top of the hill at Picnic Land.  Travus' first time on a chairlift, and certainly not his *last*!
• Mom and Travus in the ferris wheel at the top of that same hill.
• Travus showing off his new toy car that Grandpa and Grandma Shino bought him.
• Travus watching the planes take off from Haneda.  Nice park just across from the airport allows for great views.
• The two of us at a Theme-Onsen in Odaiba.  This is an onsen that sets to recreate taking an onsen in the Edo-jidai period (several hundred years ago).  Quite the experience, though I doubt it's real onsen water, as its built on reclaimed land in the middle of Tokyo bay!

Lastly,  we had Thanksgiving dinner with friends from work, and managed to visit with other friends and family at the new Starbucks in Futakotamagawa (very baby friendly Starbucks, complete with children's playroom!).  Finally some cute photos of Travus eating Strawberries.

October

Major event of this month was the birth of Robert and Keiko's second child:  May!  Also Oliver and Tomoko had their first child:  Rio! 

Quite a few different activities this month, so will just throw out the photos with some explanations:

• Went to a school fair for the first time.  This gave Travus the chance to try fun kid games for the first time.
• Travus looking suave with his new shades on!
• Dinner with Chizuko's parents at Aya (one of our favorite places to eat).
• Grandpa Shino and Travus.
• A typical meal Chizuko prepares for Travus.  I might add that she's an *awesome* chef (not cook)!
• Travus turns 1 and half years old!
• Mom and Travus at Seaworld in Kamogawa (Daddy was surfing at the time just down the beach!).
• Travus's first Halloween trick-or-treatin'!!
  

September

This was a much better month than the previous three because we went to Hawaii for two and a half weeks!  Trip was made even nicer because Chizuko's Mom and Aunt came along, and my Mom made it as well from Maui!

Also had Stu, JJ, Makiko, Tim, and another Tim (from England) all together on the trip.  All of us stayed at the Imperial of Waikiki condo, as I was able to secure them reservations in great rooms at a 40% discount (owners get a discount on rooms they reserve).

I say "owner" because we didn't stay at the usual place (Outrigger Waikiki Shore) since I had made a purchase earlier in the year of two weeks worth of a condo timeshare at the Imperial of Waikiki.  This is only a few hundred meters away from where we normally stay, so put us in the best place for us to be in Waikiki. 

The best part of the trip for me (besides the obvious surfing and being with friends and family) was the fact that TRAVUS LOVES THE OCEAN.  Makes me most proud as a father who loves the ocean so much to have a 1 1/2 year old that loves it just as much as me, and isn't intimidated the least bit to be in the water.  In fact he's probably a bit too enthusiastic in that we have to keep a constant eye on him, lest he run off into deep water!  He even enjoyed being paddled out on my board a 100m+ offshore.  Was quite the attraction on the beach as most people and especially parents couldn't believe such a young baby was unfazed by being in the water, much less on a surfboard way offshore!  He even FELL ASLEEP ON THE BOARD WHILE OFFSHORE!!  That's how comfortable he was to be on the board in the water (said as tear of joy falls down my cheek!) 

Waves were so-so the entire trip (around waist-high) with only 3-4 days of shoulder to head-high surf.  Sadly (or luckily as I look at it) I was injured on the last wave on the last day (lucky because it was the last wave on the last day!).  Had a beginner drop in on me (after I had been on the wave for at least 5-10 seconds from the "outside") and wipe out.  His board came right at me and slammed across both my shins.  Heard the bone crack in my left shin, and had two nice parallel cuts (from the edges of his board breaking) that bled pretty good.  Luckily  it wasn't a compound fracture, and I'm able to put full weight on it.  Am certain there has to be a hairline crack, given the tenderness in the area, and the force of the impact.  Will have to do light training for the next 2-3 months while I work on getting a full recovery before snowboard season.

Now for lots-o-pics from the trip:

• Travus and Chizuko enjoying the business-class seats.
• Showing how happy they are to be in Hawaii!
• At the Aloha Tower Market Place.
• Travus in his car seat in the rental van.
• Atop our condo in Waikiki.
• Travus' first full meal (BLT and Margarita!).
• Sunday brunch at the Halekulani.
• Luau with everyone at the Sheraton.
• Grandma (Mary) holding Travus.
• Chizuko, Travus, and I at the Luau (great photo).
• Three of us at Diamond Head.
• At Dole plantation.
• Everyone at the Polynesian Center.
• Three of us in a banana orchard.
• Travus giving some upper-lip (courtesy of Uncle Stu teaching him how to do it!!).
• The 'gang' after a Halekulani Sunday brunch.
• Travus showing his mean side (GREAT PHOTO!)!!
• Travus' first car date!
• Aunt Makiko with Little T at Dole Plantation.
• Uncle Stu showing Trav how to fly a kite (for future kitesurfing no-less!).
• Three of us at Strong Current.
• The 'gang' at the Kahala Oriental Mandarin Resort for breakfast.
• Travus and I on the windward side.
• Travus and a turtle at the aquarium.
• Three of us after I get back from an afternoon surf session.
• Stu and I playing "TOSS THE BABY"!
• In the jacuzzi at the condo (on the top floor).

Lastly, Travus is 1yr 5mo old now, and still looking cute as ever (in fact I think cuter!).

August

Not a lot of activities this month given that the weather continues to be poor.  Did manage to get Travus out to a good park near Tokyo called Kodomo-no-kuni.  Has several acres of land that kids can play outside in nature, at a pool, or various rides.

Though its still way too early, did manage to get Travus on a bike, and skateboard given his excitement over them.  He isn't actually biking or skating, just siting/standing while we push!

Lastly, Travus and Chizuko went with her family to an onsen a few hours North of Tokyo.

July

Has been a pretty dismal Summer (weather-wise), so haven't had the chance to get out as much as we'd like to the beach and mountains.  The weather has been cool and wet for most of the month.  Did manage to do some things though, so am going to keep this month simple by just listing the photos with descriptions.  Note that this months photos are larger in filesize (~100k on average versus 50k) than previous months, as I'd like to have higher quality photos on the web to view.

• Travus trying to eat a tomato.
• Travus playing with a friends toy car.
  
• Trying on a baby life jacket at the store.
  
• Mom and Travus biking out at the park after Supper.
  
• Travus and I out past the break in Shimoda.
  
• Family shot at the beach.
  
• Another good family shot down in Shimoda.
  
• Uncle Tim and Aunt Serene with Little T.
  
• Travus wondering around the beach with his gear on (one of my favorite pictures)!
  
• Travus gets some sand on his face.
  
• Putting on a yukata to welcome the ancestors home.
  
• Carrying a lantern to show them the way.
  
• Wondering what he's supposed to do with the lantern.
  
• Happy to receive it!
  
• At the family shrine; giving thanks to his ancestors.
  
• Picking vegetables in the garden with Grandpa.
  
• Making bubbles with Grandma.
  
• Paying respect to the ancestors again (a daily occurrence at the Shino house).
  
• The family shrine.
  
• On a family bike (that you rent) out at Komazawa park.
  
• In a large ferris wheel in Yokohama.
  
• Travus eating PIZZA for the first time.
  
• Travus wondering what that girl is looking at.
  
• Gavin, Chizuko, and Stu at Stu's farewell party.
  
• Me and Stu at Stu's last surf session before heading back home to Canada.
  
• Over at Peter's place (at the NZ embassy in Tokyo) for his farewell party.
  
• Travus pretending to be like Daddy at the computer (he LOVES to play on the computer).
  

June

Now for an update on some of Travus' traits/features:

• Can use sign-language to denote:  when he is hungry, wants more food, wants to drink, is happy, "where is it?"
• Has no problem walking up/down small sized steps.
• Says: "Ma-ma", "wan-wan" (dog) quite frequently, but can say other words, such as:  "kore" (what's this/that?), Da-da (daddy), ne-ne (wants to sleep), poi (garbage).
• Understands a *lot* of what we're saying to him.  Example:  Chizuko asked Travus (while looking *only* at him, and not pointing) to go to the other side of the room, get the yellow ball (among other toys), and take it to Daddy (I was sitting away from Chizuko and the ball.  He promptly did just that!  Many more examples, but that being the best thus far!  Note that this goes for both Japanese *and* English.
  
• Still sleeps through the night for 10-11 hours.  Goes to sleep around 8pm and wakes up between 6-7am.
• Gets about an hour nap in the morning, and one in the afternoon, whereas on the weekends he only gets one nap in the morning (as we're busy out and about!).
• Can give either of us a kiss on the cheek when we ask for it either in Japanese or English.
• Is absolutely fixated on anything that goes around (mostly wheels).  He'll drop whatever he's doing if he has the chance to grab anything that spins!
• Can dribble a soccer ball, albeit at a walking pace.
  

At the beginning of the month Chizuko and her family went up to Nikko for a few days of vacationing.  Travus even got to drive a bit (well at least sit behind the wheel!), even though he should have been in the baby seat!

One weekend we drove  out to the CostCo in Chiba for some serious shopping and serious pizza eating outside.

In the middle of the month we went down to Shimoda again with friends for some even better surf and better weather than during Golden Week!  Travus really *loves* the ocean.  We had to constantly keep a close eye on him, else he'd run off into the pounding surf!  He even got his first surfing experience (I held him while lying down on the board surfing in on a small broken wave).  All that activity at the beach wore him down so much he fell asleep during Dinner (amazing given the fact that he is *always* good to eat food if he sees it!!).  One point of note:  the person who maintains a website with daily photos of Tatado beach snapped a shot of Travus and I down at the beach early one morning.

Some more pics from June:

• Playing with Lisa (a child in our apartment that is about the same age as Travus).
• Playing with his tractor/shovel toy.
• Walking with Grandad after a good dinner of Soba.
• Swimming at the local pool with Mom.
• Drinking milk out at the park.
• Showing off his squinting smile.
• Cute shot from above.
• Chizuko making funny hairdos.
• Another funny hairdo.
• Yet another one.
• Shopping with Mom.

May

As with every Golden Week holiday, we went down to Shimoda for some surf and sun.  Surf was actually surfable for the first time in many years during the holiday weekend.  Another bonus was that there were hardly any crowds.  A combination of fewer days off during the week this year, along with a bad economy (less people traveling) made for almost no crowds.  Highlight for Travus was the SeaWorld-like attraction in Shimoda.

On the way back from Shimoda we made a stop over at some friends at the NZ embassy.  Was good to see them again, since it had been over a year since we last saw them.  Next day was BOY'S DAY.  This is a big deal in Japan with the boys of all family's having a special celebration.  Chizuko's family came over and had a great time playing with Travus.

Some other pictures from May:

• Picnic at the park with friends.
• Travus getting some soccer playing tips from his Uncle.
• Travus with his full-body rash guard!
• Visiting Pat and Ayumi at the Hospital with their first baby!
• Travus enjoying eating yogurt on his own.
• Dinner over at the Shino's house (my *first* time).
• Travus wearing a traditional underwear wrap.
• Travus showing off his laughing smile.

Hooked up with a friend from Australia that contacted me via this website.  He and his wife have a daughter a little younger than Travus, and they came across our website a few months back.  Turns out the Mike makes it up to Tokyo a few times a year, so I offered to take him surfing.  However, conditions were less than ideal, so we got some good food at Cardena's instead.  We'll make it out for some surf next time around.

Lastly, the only thing I did super-action-wise (not including surfing) was wargames(as usual!).

April

An activity for me this month was a solo trip down to New Zealand.  This was a "fact finding" mission that had to made, as we've been considering immigrating there in the future.  Because of this, we have some financial obligations down there now, that required some immediate attention to, thus my "emergency" trip down there.  The 10-hour flight was considered a bit too long for us to make with Travus at this time, thus the solo nature of the trip.  At least we'll know exactly where to go next time when we go in January for a week or so.

Main attraction of the month was Travus' birthday!  Some other pics of his birthday celebration:

• Making mochi with Grandpa, Grandma, and Uncle (its tradition to carry 2kg on Travus' back on his first birthday to signify strength).
• With Grandpa in front of a sign denoting his first birthday.
• In his birthday suit (not what you think).
• With Mom and Dad.
• With the whole Shino family!
• Another shot with Mom and Dad.
• Me helping Travus out with starting the walk with 2kg of mochi tied to his back.
• Travus overseeing the Birthday dinner.
• Everyone enjoying the dinner.
• Wearing a "Momotaro" outfit.
• Another cute shot with the Momotaro outfit.
• Visiting the Shino shrine (where all the relatives ashes are buried) a few days before his birthday celebration.
  

In addition to his birthday, there were some other activities, such as swinging out in the park, enjoying lunch out at the park,  playing with his toys at home, and visiting with other baby friends.

March

Not a lot of sports activities to report for us this month, as our focus on the weekends have been Travus.  He did get to spend some quality time back at his Grandparents (on Chizuko's side) house playing with Grandma, Grandpa, and Uncle.  Some more pics of Travus over at the Shino home:

• Playing the traditional Japanese flute (that Mr. Shino hand-made).
• Travus out in the yard with Grandpa.
• Getting behind the wheel of a real car (not just the toy one at home!).
• Playing with the wheel of a toy car.
• Getting to do some yard work with a tractor-crane.
• Grandpa pouring Travus some beer!
• Showing how long/tall Travus is.

Perhaps the biggest highlight for Travus was the day spent at the Yokohama aquarium with Uncle Robert, Aunt Keiko, and cousin Lynn.  Lastly Kato-san was happy to come over and see Little-T a bit bigger than the last time she saw him!

February

Chizuko was most kind to let me head to Hokkaido twice for trips with the guys (she and Travus visited family and relatives while I was away)..  Picture I have of interest (besides the ones showing us in  awesome conditions, during nightskiing at  Annupuri) is the one of the airport the day we landed on the second trip of the season.  Almost didn't make the landing, as there was enough snow on the runway to cross country ski on.

On the third trip of the season, the three of us went up to Hokkaido together again, and stayed at J-First.  Was a great trip, as Chizuko was able to get some of the best powder of the season on the last day, while I took care of Travus (I went solo with the guys again for the fourth trip, so was more than happy to take care of Travus while Chizuko scored some great powder).

Also managed to get another day of  Strawberry picking with Robert (brother), and Robert (from work).

Finally lots-o-pictures of cute Travus and friends:

• Smiling just before eating a dekopon (orange-tangerine hybrid fruit).
• Smiling just after having had one!
• Grandpa and Grandma showing Travus how to play with his Anpan-man car.
• Standing with the car in his diapers.
• Getting ready to stand.
• Another diapers on with car shot.
• Travus and Erina over at Shawn's house.
• Erina, Michi, Chizuko, and Travus over at the Bardong's.
  

January

At the end of December - beginning of January, I took some time off from the office to take advantage of the numerous Japanese New Year's holidays to get about three weeks off in Hawaii visiting Mom and getting some quality waves in.  Was great to be back; especially since we missed going during the Summer due to the job change.  Stu, Tim, and Tetsu made it out as well, which made for some great surf sessions with the gang.

Travus was a fantastic baby on the trip.  He fell asleep *during* takeoff on the way to Hawaii, and slept until a two hours before landing!  He generally didn't fidget, and didn't require much attention.  The first couple days were rough, as we all were adjusting to a new way of doing things (different sleep times, different food, different activities, etc...).  

Biggest worry of the trip was Chizuko's milk production.  American restaurant food is horrendous, and served in too large a quantity.  She went down to producing about 50% of her daily output simply because the food being eaten was too oily, and unbalanced.  Once we got back in Japan and started eating normal food, her production went right back to 100% within 2-3 days.

Now for lots-o-pictures of the trip:

• Getting on the plane (Travus' first plane ride).
• Travus with Grandma!
• Having a family meal.
• Shot by the ocean in Maui.
• Travus' first visit to Wal-Mart.
• View to the right from Mom's house.
• View to the left.
• Out whale watching.
• Christmas with Grandma!
• Flying to Oahu from Maui.
• Our condo in Waikiki.
• Mom feeding Travus on the balcony.
• Dad and Travus on the balcony.
• Beautiful shot with rainbow in the background.
• Stu at breakfast.
• Travus practicing his snap on the surfboard.
• Out in the water (Travus' first time in the ocean).
• Water was a bit cold.
• Travus learning to paddle on the board.
• Daddy and Travus on the board together.
• Playing at the beach.
• Out at Sunset beach.
  
• Waiting for a wave at Waikiki.
• Tim, Stu, and I waiting for a wave.
• Tim surfing.
• Sunset on Dec 31st.
• Another shot of Travus playing at the beach.
• Stu at Diamond head.
• Me at Diamond head.
• Mom, Travus, and Dad at a Luau at the Sheraton.
• Travus in the crib provided by the hotel.
• Learning to stand!
• At the Halekulani.
• Breakfast at the Royal Hawaiian (Sheraton).
• Travus and Dad with Diamond Head in the background (taken from the front of our condo building).
• Mom and Travus with Diamond Head in the background.
• Heading back to the airport.
• Shot of the plane we took back.

Once we were back, we wasted no time in getting packed for Travus' first snowboard trip!  Actually, he didn't snowboard; nor did I (that much).  Chizuko did.  I mostly took care of Travus, while she and the others got first tracks in the back bowls of Annupuri!  Not that I'm complaining, since I got a few good trips in last season on my own, while she was pregnant (refer to 2002 season photos below).  

The plan this season is that the first and last trip is hers to snowboard as much as she wants, while I take care of  Travus back at the hotel.  The second and third trips are mine to go solo on (while she visits with her parents during that time) in order to get some quality powder time in as well.  

Had quite a good posse on this trip.  Stu, Tim, James, OliverD, OliverM, SharonC, SharonL, Sacha, Jason, Danny,  Chizuko, Travus, and I went up for the weekend to Annupuri, and got some good snow (at least everyone else did) for the entire trip.  Wasn't super-fresh everyday, but plenty to go around the whole time.

Some pics:

• In the airplane on the way up (Travus was a good baby again).
• In the chartered bus on the way to the resort Friday night.
• Dinner in the hotel.
• Travus' first time out in the snow!
• Mom with Travus.
• Daddy with Travus (note I'm not wearing snowboarding gear like Mommy was!).
• Part of the group.
• Mom and Travus again (note she's still wearing her snowboarding gear).
• On the bus on the way back to the airport (Mt. Yotei in the background).
• Part of the gang in the bus.

Chizuko and Travus made it back for a visit with the grandparents (here in Tokyo), and even had the chance to make some mochi while there.  A good time was had by all.  

Note that Travus is 9 months old as of this month.  Three more to go until his first birthday!

Lastly, we made it out for some Strawberry picking, as it is the season to do so (Jan-Mar).