Niseko Rocks!

Over the long President's Day weekend we traveled to Niseko, Japan with some of the other pilots from Burr's squadron. It was in incredible trip. First we flew from Okinawa to Tokyo, then on to Hakkaido (sp?), the northernmost island of Japan. Upon our arrival at the airport, we boarded a bus and settled in for the three hour ride to the Annupurri Lodge. We were absolutely giddy as the snow fell... gearing up for what promised to be a great day of skiing on Saturday!

The lodge in which we stayed was very neat. I can best describe it as a hostel for adults! We stayed in rooms of five, had breakfast in the dining room every morning, and waited in line for a chance in one of the two showers! The American who ran the Lodge was beyond helpful, and our new Australian friends were quite fun.

Now, on to the important things... here are some pictures of the trip! Click the link on the left to see even more.














Grace and Peace,
Rachel

San Francisco!

We spent the weekend in San Francisco, CA visiting my aunt and uncle. There is nothing like visiting a city when you are taken around by the locals! We went down to the beach Saturday morning and had a great view of the Golden Gate Bridge. Next, we toured a Civil War (yes, Civil War) fort that is underneath the bridge. It was great fun, but very windy and cool! Instead of hitting the downtown on Saturday, we went across the bay up into the hills and got some great pictures looking back on the city. Very Cool! We had lunch in Mill Valley (would have to be one of the best places on earth to live), then returned to the city for some more sight-seeing. Our dinner out on Saturday night was fantastic - and again I say - always follow the locals advice on where to eat! Jane and Hal took us to one of their favorite restaurants and it was really wonderful. Great atmosphere, ambiance, and food! We never would have found it if we were on our own.

Sunday morning was nice and relaxed. Jane prepared a wonderful brunch for us, then we hit the downtown sights around noon. By 2:30 it was time to head back to the airport, but it was still a great day. On Hal's suggestion we sought out a Thai restaurant in San Diego on our way home from the airport. For those of you in the San Diego area, let me recommend "Saffron" on India Street. Soooo yummy!

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend too! Be on the lookout for our San Francisco pictures this week. (Not today, because we had to use that "old fashioned" film! It's being developed today...)

All my best, and good wishes for a happy Monday!
rmf