cooking outside

Luckily the rain didn't start until after the cooking was finished.

Here Uncle N is stirring the bamboo shoots, which will be sent back with Kyosuke's family to Tokyo.  The local relative can have bamboo shoots daily.

Iizuka kids at party

During Golden Week we had a BBQ at Jack's aunts house.  Here are some photos of the party.

Above are Jack's father's 2 sisters and the one's great granddaughter.  First great grandchild in the family.  She is a precious.
Above is Kyosuke Ono family with their 2 soccer playing sons and wife's mother.  They come out from Tokyo every Golden Week.  His mother was another Iizuka sister who died of internal cancer 26 years ago.
4 generations of Iizuka's.  The little girl is a twin to Nami our granddaughter.  Both were born on September 9, 2008.  Her father and grandfather are beauticians who have a popular beauty shop in our town.
These Iizuka's were not at the party, but their baby is another new addition to the Iizuka clan.  This one is a boy however and this photo was taken at his dedication.  His father is a policeman and a cousin to Jack....but age wise is closer to our sons.

Chiba University Hospital

Last Tuesday I returned to Chiba University Hospital to get the results of the biopsy on my ESD surgery of last month.  Well it was cancerous but they are almost sure it is all removed.  I have to go back in July for another endoscope to make sure there are no changes.  So far so good.  Above I took a photo with my doctor.  She was such a great help and encouragement to me.  The 10 days of hospital stay were made more interesting by her visits and some of the other nurses and head doctors.This was funny.  The nurse who was to explain to me how to take the medication for the next endoscope was taking me to her station to explain.  Andy and Waka were going along to translate for me.  Both Waka and the nurse started laughing and screaming each other's name.  Come to find out they were classmates in nursing school about 10 years before.

Rumung and Mary Goodbye

Here you see Andy's head in the boat and we are leaving Rumung and Mary standing waiving goodbye.  
Jordan translating for Mary and I.  I asked her how many grandchildren she had and she said she had too many she really didn't know!  Later I asked Jordan's mother her daughter how many brothers and sisters she had and she also didn't want to answer as it is so mixed up with so many different husbands.  Mary is such a sweet dear lady who has helped so many people on the island of Rumung.  Her husband who we knew died last year and now she is living and helping another old man on the island.  
Below I'm hugging Mary goodbye and behind her are other Rumung island natives.  Maybe they are grandchildren too?  This island is so rich in love and beauty...you can't buy that with money...only love in return.

Mary's home in Rumung

This was the house we visited in Rumung on our first visit.  It belonged to the then chief and his wife Mary.  He has now died and she still lives on Rumung but not here.  This house she wants the church to make into a chapel for the people of Rumung.

Jordan is Mary's grandson.  Here he is getting us coconuts.

We love fresh coconuts.Tomorrow I'll show you Mary.

Rumung again

    See why we love Rumung?  It is just so beautiful and peaceful.  This road was a real road during the war, but after the ware when all foreigners were forced to leave Yap, Rumung people declared that Rumung was off limits to even other Yap people.    This trail is so pretty.  No cars, telephone or electrical wires or even bikes.Bananas grow in abundance here too.   Very few foreigners can now travel here and when we do we must have a Rumung guide and obey their rules.
Other parts of the road around the island are rock.  Here Jack is resting his feet in a stream by sitting on a rock.
Here we are with our guide Jordan at the meeting place for the villagers.  Below the kids are posing by a stone money.  These are very precious to the Yap people.  The largest are here on this island, but Jordan would not let us take a photo there.

Rumung

One of our highlights when we visit Yap is to visit the island of Rumung.  It is called the forbidden island because visitors are not welcome.  We had special permission to go there and could only go certain places and see only what they wanted us to.  Above is a father proud of his cute little son.  Notice I'm carrying a branch.  This is custom to show that I come in peace.
Can you see the pig?
Above is a shower.  This was quite inventive and works!  I've used worse camping.
Here we are getting out of the boat that brought us to Rumung.  The boy behind Andy is Jordan who was our boatman and guide.  He is a student at the SDA school and is from Rumung.  Below his mother waves goodbye from the main island.  It takes us about 30 minutes to get to the island.  Someday they plan to make a bridge but there is still opposition to that too.