Nice to Have Some Help

Hirano san at Yamaguchi Temporary Housing.

The tanks and plumbing of Takata's temporary gas station.

After a few trips to Iwate by myself during the summer, I am getting some helpers lately. This time my wife came along to visit one of my first contacts, a Chinese lady whose requests for furniture got me started in the temporary housing projects. I had a number of orders, so I contacted Hirano-san, a young man who is part of an NPO that does a lot of mobile cafe/counselling work. I am glad he was able to come and lend a hand today (and tomrrow, too, thankfully).I first met him because he saw my decks while doing cafes, and wanted to learn how to make them. Now, he is good enough at it that he makes them himself. When we get together, we can really turn them out; a double and 5 singles today, despite the loss of about an hour while he tried to find me in Rikuzen Takata.
Usually I would have been fussing over the lost time, but this time I just took the opportunity to talk to the people at Japan's only (as far as I know) temporary gas station.
As their former location was near the 3 story Takata High School, their escape was harrowing (the school was completely innundated). The man I talked to said he figured he had time, so he stayed to finish up a few things before moving to higher ground.
"Hear that thumping? (a backhoe was packing dirt on a new road behind us, making an oddly metallic sound).
"Thats what it sounded like- the power poles being snapped off. That's when I knew I was in trouble. I jumped into my 4-wheel drive car and headed out. The wave actally caught me and lifted the car for a minute, but I got away. I have nightmares about it every night."
" I have 2 teenagers,. We live in temporary housing at the Sport's Dome. It's about one sixth the size of our house that was destroyed."
I asked him what he planned to do about housing long term.
"I don't know. I can't even imagine what I will do. I don't know if this job will last. I can't begin to plan. Everything is so uncertain."
And here I had been thinking this cheerful, upbeat crew were well on the way to recovery. Somehow they had managed to put together this jury-rigged, much-needed gas station on the twisting hill road which has become Takata's man artery. It seemed they were in the right place at the right time. The faciliy is temporary, but isn't it a step to a permanent one, a business with a future? Not so, apparently.
It's not over yet.

Chairs Revisited

A new home for the family.

In May through July, with a lot of help from friends, about 300 table and chair sets were produced for people in shelters. By the end of July the shelters were closed. What became of all that furniture?
While most of the sets went to people in Rikuzen Takata, the next trips I made were to Ofunato. This past week I got back to Takata for the first time since mid summer- and met several who said, "Remember me? I got one of your tables."
One family let me take a picture of their set (complete with cushion provided by a friend's church in Kanto). They say it is great for elderly guests who find it hard to sit on the floor.
Recently fellow missionaries who are working a bit father north said it would be good to have a slightly larger chair. I made 11. Hopefully they will find good homes, too.
Meanwhile, I have several more orders for decks- it's not over yet.

A Good Day's Work

Sawdust flying at the cram school shed.

Two double decks with extender benches- a good day's work.

This week's helper, Andy Carlson and I started the day with preparation of the pieces for today's decks at the cram school shed; that way we didn't have to pack the bulky cutting set-up to the site. First stop was Higashi Machi Kouen, to deliver an entryway shelf to the 88 year old woman featured in yesterday's post. Then, on to the Yamaguchi project to do another double deck. As it turned out, this family decided they also wanted benches like the next door neighbors got the day before, so we had to get some more wood and go back to the shed to cut it. We did a single deck as well, and the day was mostly gone- as was the lumber. We got another lot for tomorrow, but the stores were running out! We had to buy 12 foot boards and cut them in half. We also got 3 more orders.
Since there was no time to build anything in Rikuzen Takakta, I took Andy on a short tour, then we visited the sites there, got measurements in preparation for tomorrow, and also got 2 more orders. The ladies who ordered the decks were very chatty once they discovered what we were there for. It was the same old refrain; "I have nothing left; it was all washed away".
Driving through Takata with Andy, describing what happened..... I will never get used to the devastation. Over and over and over; loss and destruction and lingering fears just under the cheerful, "ganbaru" (hang in there) facade.
It's not over yet.

Training

The Survivor's shoes

Today started with the production of 2 special extra-wide benches. Having trained Bryan Thompson in the art yesterday, I had the satisfaction of seeing him assemble them almost single handedly. Too bad he had to leave before lunch!
The person who drove away with him left me a new helper, an MK (missionary kid) called Andy. Today I had to slow down and take time to train Andy, but by sunset he was really catching on. He should be here for 2 more days, and really speed things up.
Wouldn't it be nice to have someone who could stay longer after being trained? I think virtually every relief agency feels that way. However, it is not only the work we get done for tsunami victims that counts, but also the work God does in the hearts of those who come to help, even for a short time. The "victims" teach us, as well.
Take the lady we talked to this morning, for instance. We made a deck for her yesterday, and today I was measuring her entryway for a shelf. Part way through, she started explaining about some of the things I had to work around.
"I'm sorry about all this stuff. It came from relief supplies. Most of it was good, but there was some weird stuff, too. Look at these boots. These are motorcyclist's boots!"
I suggested she and her husband could take up motorcycling.
"Ha! Me and gramps there on a motorcycle!"
She pulled out another pair of shoes.
"These are the ones I wore when I fled the tsunami. They're wreaked from the wet, but I can't bring myself to throw them out."
"That day, we left for higher ground as soon as the earthquake was over. Some of our neighbors stayed to gather stuff they wanted to save. They're all dead. I got to the stairs going up to the temple. I had to crawl up on my hands and knees- I'm 88, after all. We have nothing left. Afterwards, I crawled around on the piles of flotasm looking to see if there was anything I coluld save. I did find the nameplate from our house later. That's all we have."
Later in the day, we were at another project building a double deck to join two units. It was dark when we finished, and the lady of the house gave us coffee and snacks. As we ate, she told us her story.
"This is a nice project. These units are built better than most. And, we have this big open space back here. I won't tell anyone about it, though. Most of them don't have so much space, so they can't have a nice big deck like this. It will be so great to be able to air our bedding finally! It's nice being here in the highest units. More space- and those ones at the bottom- well, the tsunami came right up to there. I feel better up here, let me tell you. Before the tsunami, the house we were in was right by the shore- it was practically in the water. So, as soon as it stopped shaking, we got out. There was no doubt there would be a tsunami, and no doubt we would get flooded. But, we never thought it would go that high. We lost everything. Everything. But, I have to be thankful for what we have- we have a roof over us, and this place will at least be warm this winter."
Training- I guess 3/11 is training all of us.
It's not over yet.

More of the Same

The new saw table an improvement.

Thanks to Bryan Thompson's help-deck #5 for today.

So far, the only things new on this trip to the coast are a helper (who leaves tomorrow), the location (a 13-unit project in a park) and a cut-off saw and table set-up (which is making life a lot easier).

We hope these decks make life easier for the residents. Most of them are elderly and can barely reach the clothes line with the deck in place.

The lady who is caretaker/administrator of the project does not live in temporary housing herself. On March 11, she went home from her office right after the earthquake. She and the rest of her family were at home (in a place above the high-water mark) when the tsunami hit. So, she had a home and family, but no job- the office was washed away.

She has since become a town employee, and has a rather high-stress job taking care of the highly stressed people in the project.

Everyone wishes their lives would become easier.

It's not over yet.

Remind Me to Slow Down

Decks- a double and a single in Ofunato's Yamaguchi housing project.

Kyousuke goes solo on a deck.

Orders just keep coming in. But, not in huge lumps. This time around, I've been reminding myself to slow down on the things and give some time to people. I drank a lot of tea today.
I wasn't going to be here (Ofunato again) until next week, but when I checked with Kessen Junior High School about going to finish the chair project there (60 kids! See my post,"A New Twist on Chairs", July 5-8)), we decided this week would work out better. Tomorrow is chair day; yesterday and today I was making decks.
Among others, I had 3 orders for decks that join 2 units, and requests for 2 more. Some people have family next door, and being able to scoot around on the deck (rather than put your shoes on and go next door) is attractive to them.
As a bonus, I had a young man, Kyousuke Hirano, to help me today, for the second time. He is a long time volunteer with a group from the town of Touno, in the mountains (where we stayed in the early days before we fixed the church). The group is an NPO run by Touno; they set up a tent for tea and coffee at housing projects, and talk to the residents. Kyousuke has been to all the places I go to, saw the decks, and wanted to learn how to make them. Today he made one all by himself. It will be nice to get someone else involved, but he will be going back to Kyushu in a month. All the volunteer organizations have the problem of high turnover. Our mission would like to get involved in the furniture building, too, but- where to get the people.?
Perhaps you wonder if the need is still so great. Today I was able to spend time with residents of housing projects, and hear what they had to say.
At noon the NPO Kyousuke works with held one of their "tea parties" at the project where we were working. I was sat down with some of the residents, and remarked that there was a nice view of the harbor from the project. They informed me it was a much view better since the tsunami washed so many houses out of the road (probably including their own). The backround for this converastion was the racket being made by numerous backhoes, jack hammering concrete and crushing buildings to continue in the massive cleanup. Many places have been scraped down to the ground. What comes next?
Later in the day I discussed this with some other people over tea (I think it was my fifth tea-time for the day). What to do? Build on higher ground? Where? There is precious little flat ground to be had around here, in these mountain-bound cities. Move to - where? Is there anyplace you would want to go if your community was destroyed? Re-build on the land you own? A lot of people are fixing houses that were flooded, but not crushed. However, there is a persistant rumor that the coast is in for another bad shake in a year or two, as happened after the big Christmas tsunami in South East Asia. Some figure they had better sit tight and see what happens. The second one may not be as big, but now there is no seawall left in most places- they are wide open. And, the entire coast has dropped at least a meter. High tides threaten to wash over roads and docks; some people's lots are now under water- no rebuilding there.
And, of course- who will pay for all this? It's daunting enough to think of taking out a loan when your workplace is gone (probably for good), but on top of that, many, many people are left with car loans for wreaked cars and mortgages for houses that are not there.
Meanwhile, they have a roof over their heads (no insulation in the floor), food, water and electricity. Some have jobs. Many have cars. It will all work out eventually. But, how many will not make it?
One woman had been talking to her friends in next-door Takata (70% destroyed as I remember it, compared to Ofunato's 10%) . They remarked that the official reports given to the TV news and newspapers are more upbeat than the reality. It is hard to get a feel for the real situation; hard to know what to do to help.
In the meanwhile, my drop in the bucket is making life a bit easier for a few. For the rest, I pray.

Home Again

The once uniform lineup is getting increasingly customized.

Everyone was discussing rooves; this couple got a carpenter to actually build one.

Usually I try to get away early on Saturday. Before I could leave this time I first had to organize the shed and the materials left from the week's work. I loaded one deck's worth to go to Rikuzen Takata to fill an order there, as I won't be back until mid-October.
On the way I dropped off the empty lunch box Mrs. Murakami gave me yesterday, filled with a delicious stir fry as a thank you for the work I did for her family. I was leaving it with our mutual friend Kazumi, who then invited me to lunch. I went to Takata, but the lady there wasn't home; I returned to Ofunato, off loaded the materials, and went to what turned out to be a long lunch and several fix-it jobs. Kazumi's friend Nana was there with her husband, who had also been drafted for repairs. It was 2:00 by the time I hit the road, and with a stop to see an NPO volunteer center in Touno, my return was rather late.
While at Kazumi's place in Hassendo, I took some pictures of the customizing being done by recipiants of my decks. Staining, joining multiple units, and adding a roof were the resident's accomplishments this week. It's nice to see everyone getting into doing for themselves again.
The lady across the street from the church told me that she got the courage to go ahead and start fixing her house when she saw us fixing the church. There was so much destruction that everyone was stunned at first; they didn't know where to start. What some of them needed most was a push in the right direction.
I also stopped to chat with some volunteers from an NPO called Helping Hands. They were repairing the fence around a park we helped to clean up in April. One of them has been in Ofunato for 5 months. He says they cleaned drains and sidewalks for 15 kilometers of road. It was a low priority for the overstrained city government, but what a difference it made to have it done! It was a great morale booster for everyone.
He was also involved in cleaning up the horrific mess of rotting fish at a processing plant near the harbour. Thigh deep and the size of several tennis courts, the pile sat and stank up the whole city for months while the company and the government tried to decide who got to stop the buck. Finally the job was handed to the volunteers. Thanks to them, "The Camelia City" stopped smelling like- a big pile of rotting fish.
One step at a time.
It's not over yet.

Truck Stuff

What..?

Ah...

I love my Kei truck.
Once I get a lot of lumber in the back, I prefer to leave it there. But, what if it rains tonight? I could put it in the shed, but it's so much work....
A rather clunky solution.
I thank God for the members of the Ofunato Baptist Church, who let me stay here, right on the coast (this is the church we fixed up in April). Obviously, housing is at a premium, and many volunteers commute an hour or more.
I am thankful to my brother-in-law, Martin Ghent, who arranged for the use of a shed just across an empty lot from the church. The owner is glad to have volunteers use it. I keep tools and materials there, and work inside if it's raining. So many blessings!

Beds

The girls had the beds made up before I got the next project done!

The lady of the house was thrilled to learn how to use a drill-driver. This rather random looking item is my answer to entryway clutter. Answer? Well, it helps a bit....

Temporary housing is just that.
It's way better than sitting on a gym floor with half the town for two or three months, but big challenges remain for those who are now in the temporary units. It is incredible how fast the projects came together, but limitations imposed by time and cost restraints are obvious. Many companies were involved- there are different styles, qualities, sizes and surroundings. One place is a dozen units overlooking a green valley, and near stores. Another is a teeming, close-set 300+ units crowded into a school ground high up the mountainside and far from services.
Today I was building for a family that live on the beautiful Hirota Penninsula in Rikuzen Takata.
Only two buildings are standing in their village, which had 40 houses.The family of 4 has 4 small rooms in a project of 100 some units on a school ground. The floors and ceiling are uninsulated. So much moisture comes up through the floor that the carpet is molding. The outside walls are thin metal panels with a bit of insulation; they sweat on cold days. Winter is coming.
The mother wanted beds. I built a bunk bed for the two girls, and a sleeping platform with storage room undeneath for the parents. That, along with a shelf in a closet and a storage unit in the entry, took me until evening to complete.
As I left, the family came to see me off. The mother was nearly in tears. She confided that she hopes their health holds out until they can get into something better.
'At last I have a bed! I feel like it's a home now. At least, now we have nice beds in this shack.'
Many are working hard to overcome the disaster.
It's not over yet.

That Sinking Feeling

The low stone barrier thrown up first is now being topped with huge bags of sand to keep the Pacific off Route 45.

This section is not done yet. In the distance is what is left of the massive seawall that failed to stem the once-in-a-millenium tsunami.

How I got lost. All four directions are Route 38?!

Most of the coastline of North Eastern Japan sank a meter- more or less- on March 11, 2011.
What does that mean? Here is the initial work being done in Rikuzen Takada, Iwate, in preparation for storms and surge tides. This temporary barrier protects Route 45, the coast road.
This trip, I was on roads that were under water from recent rains (the drains don't run downhill any more), or that were literally inches above sea level. I discovered that the beautiful Hirota Penninsula (Takata) became and island during the tsunami, as it has a low spot where it joins the mainland. It was a bit creepy driving through there on the way home this evening, especially as I got lost, and came back onto the main road past a sign that said the bumpy, patched-up bit I had been on was closed!

Another Busy Day

Mrs. Oda's deck was finished today, but not before her baby almost fell off!

First on the work agenda today was 3 benches, delivered to Ikawa Elementary School on the way to Maeda Kouen to build a second deck for a resident there. Why two? This one had to be 5 cm narrower, to go through the door. The resident apparently thinks it will make a good bed, and when I suggested leaving the railings off, she insisted they would come in handy!
Beds are on the horizon. I did a single and a double deck today (and ended up with requests for 5 more), but the first cool days of fall have a lot of peole worried they will freeze if they sleep on the damp (mostly uninsulated) floors, so decks may take a back seat to beds for awhile. Even more worrisome was hearing a woman say there have been big sales of unvented kerosene heaters that don't need electricity. Everyone remembers the cold weeks with no power this spring, and the temporary housing units have electric heat pumps for both cooling and heating. But, if people try to heat these tiny, well sealed units with an unvented oil heater, they will die, plain and simple.
Tomorrow I am to build a bunk bed and a semi-single bed for a friend of a friend, to get them off the floor, which is molding in places. It is hard to find beds the right size in the stores. The temporary housing they live in has four tiny rooms. Neither the AC or the heat works outside the room the unit is in.
The first impression upon driving into the disaster area is that things are coming under control. To a large extent, that is true. The government, volunteer organizations, and the victims themselves have been working long and hard. But, the problem is too big to be solved so quickly. There are lots of gaps to plug.
It's not over yet.

Sept. 28-30

Another bench for "the lady across the street"- Mrs. Kanno.

Mrs. Oda and her neighbor try out my first-ever "double deck".

I keep meaning to write about life in Ajigasawa as well, but it never seems to happen. I am back in Iwate for a few days, doing some promised work.
Since I was here last, there was a cold spell. It looks like the temporary housing is not going to be very good in cold weather. I hope all the relief agencies are on the ball, preparing cold weather stuff for the weeks ahead.
As for me, I was building decks and benches today.
This morning early, I made a second bench for Mrs. Konno, the lady across from the Ofunato Baptist Church. She wanted to have more capacity to invite passing volunteers into her yard for tea. I also made a new top for the table she had been using; a cast aluminum base with a plastic tray balanced on top (both scrounged from the flotsam around her place). The base now has a new wooden top; I'm not sure what the fate of the plastic tray will be.
The next stop was a new place, Ikawa Kouen (park), not too far away from the place I was at the last time. Mrs. Oda, a young mother, wanted her deck to stretch across to her next-door neighbor's place. The neighbor is a young mom, too; I guess they will do some trading of babysitting. Anyway, it took time to work out the modified plans and get it done. As you can see from the photo, it was late afternoon by the time I finished. I was worried about another contact at the Ikawa Elementary school, as I had promided to see them today as well. After a brief consultation about closing in the porches at Ikawa Kouen for 3 people, I finally headed for the elementary school. The whole playground is covered with temporary housing- as are most of the school playgrounds on the coast. I had made a second bench in the morning for this place, and ended up with orders for 3 more.
There are two more new places to visit this time, and I came up with yet another. It came about in a strange way. I had stopped in a convienience store to get a toothbrush (I always forget something), and inadvertantly let out a big sigh as the cashier rang it up. He was very sympathetic, and asked what I had been doing to get so tired out.
When I told him, he immediately asked me to make a deck for one of his relatives! Which I did. It needed to be yet another innovation, as this place, Undou Kouen ("Sports Park") has windows instead of sliding doors in the back walls of the units. I ended up making a low floor with a single bar on front to dry bedding. I wasn't very impressed, but 2 other residents were, so- two more orders.
The Sports Park and the elementary school are both much bigger than the places I have been so far; 300 units, compared to a dozen or so in each of the 3 other places. In both of these large projects gangs of carpenters (where did they all come from?) were busy building acess ramps for handicapped residents. I also saw a lot of benches that were provided by an NPO. All of them were brightly painted, as that was the condition under which they were given- the recipiants had to decorate them.
Tomorrow looks like another busy day. I have 2 more new places to visit, and some unfinished business in the previous ones.
It's not over yet....

Five Months Later

Garbage plile across from the Ofunato Bible Baptist Church, March 2011. Junk from flooded houses.

The same view, September 2011.

Interior of the house across the street from the church. The lady who lives in this house clung to a cabinet in this room for over an hour until the 7 feet of frigid, filthy water drained away.

Benches built for another neighbor of the church. These are the custom, extra-wide model.

Five Months Later

I was just getting into my truck in the parking lot of the Ofunato Bible Baptist Church, Iwate Prefecture,to go home after 3 days of relief work, and reflecting how late it had gotten, when the lady across the street waved and called to me. With a big smile, she bowed and thanked me again for the bench I had made for her. "Won't you come over for a cup of tea?" she asked.

Since one of the aims of doing relief work is to talk to victims of the tsunami, it seemed silly for me to beg off. I went across the street, and sat on the bench. It is right outside her patio doors (in Japan, there is usually an 18 inch step down to the ground).

"This bench is great", she said. "Now, when volunteers walk by, I can ask them to stop and chat without having to invite them in. Most of them are too shy to come in. Just yesterday, there was a whole group of them here. We talked for two hours. It's great to be able to get to know them and thank them for all they are doing for us here."

She looked thoughtful "But I think I have to ask someone to put a roof over here. They were out in the sun, and it was really hot. It would be good for when it's raining, too. But, all the carpenters are busy. They are working on the new hospital, so I guess I can't complain; we really need it. But I wish I could get my floors finished in here. And my walls. They pulled the floors up and cleaned out underneath, but they only finished this one little room. In the room I sleep in, they threw the old plywood back down and we put a carpet over it. It still smells like the tsunami. You know that smell?. The black mud from the harbor bottom? (Don't I! I shoveled enough of it!). I go to sleep for about an hour, then I wake up in a panic with that smell in my nostrils. I go on like that until about 3:00 a.m., then just give up, and listen to the radio or the TV. Then I sit around here all day half asleep. Every time there is an aftershock, or just a loud noise, I break out in goose bumps."

"But, one good thing, the tsunami brought us together. I never did much with the neighbors before, but now we make extra when we're cooking and take it to each other. And, now I know what a front yard is for. I can talk to people when they pass, and invite them in for tea. I use this table, here. See, I just put this tray on top. The tsunami took the top off it and carried it off some where. Can you make me a new top for it? And, can you make me another bench? Some of my guests had to stand the last time."

So, I got home later than I wanted to, but happier than I would have been otherwise. The furniture I make is cheap, fast and "rustic", but it does the job. Great strides have been made in recovery, but these people in their partially repaired houses (often it is not obvious from the outside just how partially they are repaired) and their cramped temporary housing still have a long way to go. What I do is a drop in the bucket. But, after all, a full bucket is a bucketful of drops.

And speaking of pine trees....

The pine in front of our house here in Ajigasawa is gone, too, victim of a removal order from the power company. I told the story in a previous post. Here is a picture of what is left of our tree- no cuttings, but some cut-up firewood.
There is a little tree growing alogside the stump, though.

Hope Tree

The Hope Tree in Rikuzen Takata (Iwate Prefecture) is drying out, despite efforts to save it. The only survivor of a famous forest of 70,000 trees along the shore, it became the symbol for regeneration of the battered city. Cuttings have been taken, and the trees that grow from them will be planted here in a few years when the sunken, salty shoreline is repaired.
May the people of the Iwate coast also find a greater Hope- in Christ.

More to do

Decks and benches at the Hassendo temporary housing project, Ofunato, Iwate.

One of the things I have noticed about the recent tsunami disaster here is how quickly conditions change. You have to be nimble to keep up with changing needs.
A friend who moved into temporary housing asked me to make a small deck so she could hang the bedding out to air. This, and the smaller bench version, have proven to be very popular. Nearly everyone in this small housing project (11 units) now has either a deck or a bench. A visitor from a different housing project (Maeda Kouen) asked me to make one for her; now her neighbours are wanting them, too. It is great to see how these simple objects not only make hanging laundry easier and safer, but also make it possible for residents to be outside, and get to know each other (I have a photo of four ladies sitting on one of the new benches chatting, but am reluctant to post it. They were nor too sure about being photographed, as they were nor dressed up).

A Little Help From My Friends

Two skids of 1x4s.

Look like this when piled in the shed.

and like this after helpers make them into table tops.

Here is the portable cutting table.

And here is the delivery- in this case, the shelter in Rikuzen Takada Number One Junior High School.

A fellow OMFer from Tokyo got together with her church and bought colorful cushions for the chairs- a big hit!

At the height of the chair project, we had orders totaling over 200. Fortunately, several short-termers and volunteers pitched in to help. Some of them got very good at turning out a quality product.
By the end of July, shelters were all but closed. Temporary housing had been thrown up at a break-neck pace, and residents were urged to move out of the shelters. Not all of them wanted to! Usually they got sent to different places, as a lottery system was used to allot available units. The close-knit communities that developed in the shelters were broken up; food hand-outs ceased. Not everyone has a car, and some temporary housing projects are far from shopping. Those with jobs are getting on with life, but those still unemployed (and there are many, due to the destruction of many businesses) are in limbo. Finding those with needs, and addressing those needs has become difficult, now that individual conditions are so different, and they are not all in one big room.

A New twist On Chairs- July 5-8

Explaining chair construction.

Mr. Yamamichi; retired Jr. High shop teacher from Aomori City, came to help.

Near the waterfront in Rikuzen Takata. The tsunami broke windows to the fourth floor.

The gutted remains of Kessen Junior High School. The school moved to a recently decommissioned building in the mountains.

Since May, I have been making chair and table sets for children in shelters in the disaster area. I work in the towns of Ofunato and Rikuzen Takata. On one visit to a shelter, I met a Junior High School teacher who asked me to do chairs with the 60 first and second graders from Kessen Junior High School, as they had no money for the yearly "summer craft project'. It turns out that their school buiding was innundated, shortly after the whole student body and faculty fled up a steep mountain behind the school. He said he didn't even have time to get his wallet from the teacher's room. They stood on the hillside in the snow and watched the town wash out to sea.
The students were cheerful enough on this sunny July day; we had a great time working together.

Happy Birthday to Me

Yoshiya nearly made it into the photo, but Mary didn't. I wish all the kids and grandkids could have been there (and that I could be at the 3 grandkid birthdays coming up this month).

I thank God for my family, friends, and 58 years of protection and blessing.

End of our Pine Tree

Just the top cut out.

A long way up.

The last of the branches.

All that remains in front of the house.

What is behind the house.

I like trees. So, I was not happy about cutting the pine between our house and the church. However, it grew so large in the 16 years we have been here that it was threatening the power lines and the buildings. So, on Friday, it was transformed from a shade tree into a pile of firewood.
I hope to replace it with a Japanese maple, but it will be a long time before the front yard loses it's forlorn look.