Keep Away at the Park

Friday August 9th

We finished unpacking this morning.
Sally and I went to see some friends after we unpacked.
Then we went to the park with our friends' mom and met some more friends.
We played keep-away.
Keep away is like dodgeball, only the other way around.
-- Colin

We had fun at the park.
I missed Japan when we were in America, but now I miss America.
When we came home from the park, Dad had to go to where he works.
So we went with him, too.
Uhm, not our friends, just us.
-- Sally

I guess we should try to explain the game Keep-away?
-- Mom

Ohh-kay. (C&S)

How many played? (M)

Six. Konoka, Shunsuke, Jun, and Yumi. And Sally and me. (C)

Now why are you writing their names? (M)

You and Dad asked their moms and dads if we could. (C)

And they said OK. (S)

And, did you ask your friends, too? (M)

Of course! You were there, too, Mom. (S)

I know. What about our cousins? (M)

Dad said there were too many to ask everybody. (C)

So we just didn't write any names at all. (S)

Okay, back to Keep-away. Did you divide into teams? (M)

Not really. (S)

Sally and Jun and I were "it" first. (C)

"It"? Now, what's "it" mean? (M)

"It" is like "oni" (鬼) in Japanese games. (S)

We were in the middle. (C)

Konoka, Shunsuke, and Yumi ran around us, and they threw the ball to each other. (S)

And we tried to get the ball. (C)

I caught the ball when Konoka tried to throw it to Yumi. (S)

So I went out and Konoka went in. (C)

Then Konoka was it and you were not? (M)

Yeah. Then she threw the ball to Shunsuke, but I grabbed it. So we traded places. (S)

Then Yumi threw the ball too high over Jun, so they traded places. (C)

If you throw too high, you have to be "it"? (M)

Uhm, it depends on who's playing. (C)

Yumi can throw really high. (S)

She's on the basketball team at school. (C)

Okay, I think that explains the rules pretty well. (M)


[Grammar and vocabulary notes -- 文法及び単語の解釈:

• 「friends' mom」 == 「友人たちのお母さん」
  • friend == 友達、友人（一人）
  • friend's == （つまり、一人）友人の
  • friends == 友人たち（複数）
  • friends' == （つまり、複数）友人たちの
• keep away == 離れさせる、防御する
• (backwards == 逆)
• the other way around == 逆まわり、逆方針
• miss == 恋しく思う

]

Jet Lag

Thursday Evening August 8th

I woke up about seven thirty.
I got up for a drink of water.
Everyone else was asleep,
Mom and Dad, too.
Mom woke up when I started unpacking again.
-- Sally

Dad woke up when Mom opened the fridge.
He said, no cooking.
So we went to a restaurant nearby.
We had oden, rice, and fish.
Oden is like stewed vegetables,
but with meat and other good stuff, too.
-- Colin

Back to Kobe

Thursday Morning August 8th

We got to Kansai International Airport about 4:20 this morning.
It took us three hours to get through customs.
We rode the airport Limousine bus to Sannomiya,
and took a taxi home from there.
I'm tired.
--Sally

Dad said no trains coming back.
Mom and Dad are still unpacking.
Dad said we could take a long nap after we finished unpacking.
I don't think we are really finished, either,
but Mom said to get some sleep anyway.
-- Colin

Over Hawaii, Again

Early Wednesday Morning, I think.

It's dark outside and quiet inside.

Well, we can always hear the jet engines.

That's a good thing, Momma says.

I'm going back to sleep.

--

Sally

I'm trying to watch movies. 

But there isn't anything fun to watch.

Listening to music isn't fun, either.

Maybe I should go back to sleep, too.

-- 

Colin

(I think we are over Hawaii, now. 

But there are clouds below us, so we can't see. -- Dad)

(Get some sleep, Honey. -- Mom)

LA Airport at Night

Late Tuesday Evening, August 6th

We put our bags in lockers,
Then we ate dinner at an airport cafeteria.
We wandered around the airport for an hour.
I think we saw everything.
--
Colin


After that we tried to take naps.
Sleeping on airport benches is no fun.
Our next flight leaves in about an hour or so.
My knees hurt.
I'm so tired.
--
Sally

Buying Books and Coming to the Airport Again

Tuesday August 6th

When we got back from camping, Grandma June fed us lunch.
Then we packed up again. (C)

Grandpa Bill took Colin and me to the bookstore
while Mom and Dad finished their packing and checked our luggage. (S)

We needed some books about American history and government. (C)

The textbooks we study from in Japan are all about Japan, of course. (S)

And we got some fun books, too. (C)

It's time to go back. (S)

Grandma June and Grandpa Bill brought us to the airport. (S)

We are taking a night flight. (C)

We are all tired! (C & S & M & D)

-- Colin & Sally & Mom & Dad
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Dinosaurs and Camping!

Monday, August 5

It was a long day.
We got up early and went north, to Ogden.
There's a dinosaur museum in Ogden, called Eccles Dinosaur Park.
We saw lots of dinosaurs and ate lunch there.
Well, the dinosaurs were all replicas, of course.
It was very interesting.
-- Sally
~~~~~~~~

Then we went further north, to Honeyville.
There's a hot springs resort there, called Crystal Springs.
We swam all afternoon.
I think I got a little sunburned.
Then we set up a tent at the campsite and had dinner.
We are posting from inside the tent.
-- Colin
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