Holly-san Bags Fuji-san

This week Holly had the chance to fly to Tokyo to climb Japan's tallest mountain, Mt. Fuji, with her friend Shiloh. Holly and Shiloh had a great time with lots of adventure.....

Taking time for a cheeser during the 2 hour bus ride from Tokyo to the trailhead.

Shiloh is on the left and Holly is on the right. Actually, I don't know why I wrote that. If you didn't know which one was Holly, you probably shouldn't be reading this blog -- LOG OFF, GET A LIFE and QUIT READING THE BLOGS OF PEOPLE YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW!!!

10:30 p.m. at the Trailhead Ready to Start the All-Night Hike

In the case of Mt. Fuji, the words trailhead, shopping center, mountain hut, nasty toilets you have to pay to use, and convenience store can all be used interchangeably.






Nice Gear... and Check Out that Tight Can!!!

4:15 a.m. Inside a Noodle Hut

This mountain hut is located a few hundred vertical feet from the volcanoe's summit rim. If you are wondering why Holly and Shiloh would want to cram into a Japanese Noodle Hut at 4:15 a.m., then see the picture below.

Yes, it was Windy!!!

The wind kicked up a fair amount of dust. Holly and Shiloh tried to pass the time until sunrise by counting sheep. Unfortunately, they weren't able to fall asleep by counting sheep with their eyes closed, but they were able to spot a few blowing by when they would open their eyes.

Victory!!!

Holly at the summit trying to stand up in the wind.

Monument and Bell Holder at the Summit

What mountain summit is complete without a monument leaning in the wind and a holder for your souvenir hiking bell?

Sunrise Shot

360-degree video of the crater, sunrise and summit

If you really want to feel like you were there when you watch this video, crank the sound up when you watch it.

When the Sun Finally Came Up they Realized they Weren't Alone

Surpisingly, out of all the people there near the summit, only six went the extra few hundred feet to see the sunrise from the summit. However, the fact that Holly and Shiloh had to practically crawl up to the summit because of the strong winds, may help explain their lack of company.

Please Take a Number and You Will See the Summit when your Number is Called

When Holly and Shiloh started back down, they found a long line of people waiting their turn to see the top of the mountain. Some Stewart exaggeration may be involved, but Holly claims that this picture was taken after they had already hiked down about a half a mile. Can you imagine waiting in that line?

Nature Shot on the Hike Down

Daylight View of Mt. Fuji from the Trailhead

Good Job To A Very Dirty Holly!!!

This was just the light-duty version of the trip report. For those with a stomach for more, you can read a more thorough trip report on Shiloh's Blog:

http://web.mac.com/croftfam/Site/Shilohs_Blog/Entries/2008/8/21_Mt._Fuji.html

THANKS SHILOH!

McCall Rocks and Jason is an Old Man

As Denver grows up he has already wanted to pursue many different career paths. First he wanted to be a janitor, then a Wal-Mar associate, then a paleontologist, then an aircraft inspector at Hill AFB, and now he wants to be an F-22 Raptor pilot. So far however, McCall has been as steadfast as a rock in her career aspirations. She can't say the word yet, but we are positive that she wants to be a geologist. She is fascinated with rocks. Everywhere we walk she is consistently about ten yards behind us collecting rocks. She takes her new career goal so seriously that she now sleeps with her rocks...

Could a Girl Possibly be Happier?

Handkerchief Shirt

One of our friends made some handkerchief shirts for McCall. Needless to say, McCall thinks she is pretty cool in her new shirts.

This week my beloved husband and dedicated father Jason had another thirty-something birthday. I know when you look at him it is hard to believe that he is in his thirties. The secret to his youthful complexion is the same anti-aging cream that the Chinese women's gymnastic team uses to make them look as if they are much younger than 16 years old...

Denver's Balloon Wiener Dogs

Denver surprised Jason for his birthday by creating a multitude of twisty balloon creations. It was his idea and for hours he studied the diagrams that came with the balloon package. Just as with the birthday cake decorating last week, the silence was very enjoyable and we were impressed with the outcome. Maybe this will inspire him to again change career paths and become a circus worker.

Jason and His Birthday T-Shirt

This is just one of the many wonderful gifts that Jason received for his birthday. This picture is copywrighted by Denver Dalpias Photography 2008.

Zoom In on the Birthday T-Shirt

D-Dawg's Birthday and Weekend Exploring

In case you haven't spoken with Denver anytime in the last six months, we wanted to let you know on his behalf that his birthday is August 6th...

Preparing the Cake Du Jour
Denver reminded us that last year we promised him that he could help decorate his own cake. He took his cake-decorating duties very seriously. Our household experienced an amazing half-hour of silence from Denver as he placed all of the orange frosting on his own.

Off to a Slow Start

For his party Denver took a few friends to the water park. We arrived at the water park just in time for a thunderstorm and we had to wait about 30 minutes to swim. The english at the bottom of this sign at the water park states: "Now weather is bad for a thunder. So pool condition is bad. You can't swim now."

On the Long Ride Home from the Water Park

Denver after Blowing Out the Candles on His Scooby Snack

Unveiling of the Birthday Bike

Now we are ready to go and find some sweet jumps!

We spent this weekend at some cottages at Camp Schwab up north. We had a great time and we spent Saturday afternoon exploring the northeastern portion of the island...

We told McCall to Take a Hike!

Don't Even Think of Helping her Up the Stairs!

Denver on the Lookout for Snakes

McCall's Special Job

The trail we hiked on ended up being a little more overgrown than we had anticipated. Some parts were too thick for McCall to hike through on her own, so I carried her on my shoulders. After a few minutes she decided that it was her special job to move all of the bushes and trees out of my way as we hiked. Once this special job started, I was privileged to hear the phrase "I Got It" approximately 1,297 times. At one point during the hike, my face came within about six inches of plowing through a spiderweb with a little six-inch diameter spider on it.

Replenising and Rehydrating after the Big Hike

Dinner at a Roadside Japanese Cafe

We found a wonderful little roadside cafe for dinner. Dinner included Salad (greens with miso paste dressing), Okinawan Pilaf Rice, Gyoza (dumplings) and Okinawa Soba (pork, green onions and wheat noodles in a pork broth). Delicious!!!

Miss Manners Devouring her Noodles

Our Children and Their Skills...

Rather than bore you all again this week with pictures of our beach and pool visits, we thought we would instead bore you with some miscellaneous movie clips we have collected over the last few months:

Denver and His Bowling Skills -

McCall and Her Sliding Skills -

Denver and McCall and Their Trash Fish Feeding Skills -

McCall and Her Zipline Skills -

Denver and McCall and Their Singing Skills -