Adventure #1 - Kurihara Flower World

Jean had a great night's sleep....John not so good.  We have a 13 hour time change so our days and nights are really mixed up!  John wandered over to the field near the house where "the guys" were camping.  Three families spent the night in tents after a feast of hot dogs and somores.  Can't ask for more.  It was a beautiful night for them.

Since they were all sleeping I joined John and we wandered the neighborhood a little, enjoying the beautiful cherry blossoms

and the camellia in Jill's front yard.

Morning colors played throughout the base.

Rise and shine and out they come.

A little box sledding down the hill...

and then home for breakfast and get dressed for Adventure #1 for 2013!  We're off to Yokosuka to visit with old friends of Jill and Dave's who have just moved here from Virginia Beach.

 Dave's phone allowed us to keep up

with the Friday night basket ball scores.

 

 and after horrendous traffic, we arrived at the 

Navy  Lodge and a crazy reunion with

 Carol and Jason and twins Carter and Ethan.

 

We walked to the shuttle bus stop (loved the mail box next to the shelter!) and caught a ride to the Main gate and then walked to the train station just a few blocks away.  Before we went up to get lessons on how to get tickets for the trains, we stopped to pick up lunch at the Vive la France shop...

Tough decisions...tray after tray of great looking food!

Then up the steps to the Pasmo ticket machine... 

then through the gates and up the steps to the platform..

we need the 12:12 which will leave at exactly that time!

Here's the train...right on time!  We are heading for Kurihara Flower World.  It is a large seasonal park that features huge fields of poppies in the spring and cosmos in the fall.  As we walked from the station (it was the 4th stop) we ran into a small park where lots of families were having their lunch next to a small playground so we joined them...

teeter totters...

and great food!  The on down the street to the entrance...

 

and checked out the map...then headed up the hill.

We were too early for the poppies blossoms, 

though there were a few...

It must be magnificent in May!!

We walked by a nice picnic deck

where Japanese families were enjoying lunch.

Then around the corner and there's Godzilla!

 There is actually a slide inside his tail!

 

and a huge hill behind him loaded with slides,

rope bridges and forts to climb in, on and around!

Needless to say, the kids had a BALL!!!

 And the Dad's did okay on the roller slide too!

Stopped at the convenient ice cream store...

and headed back down the hill...

onto the train...

and back to the bus and the Lodge

Ryan took a short power nap on the way back!

Said good-bye to all and headed back to Atsugi...traffic again bad, but Dave found some shortcuts through neighborhoods that saved us probably 30 minutes.  Jill got dropped off for her farewell dinner for one of the squadron wives on the way home.  Dave headed out to pick up pizzas while we regrouped at home.  Had dinner and we followed the boys to bed.  Great day!!!