Hawaii: The 12th Annual Hawaiian Vaudeville and Juggling Festival in February was 8 days of camping right next to a beautiful beach, north of Kona, on the Big Island, and we're hooked. We swam (sometimes with dolphins and sea turtles), hiked, kayaked, picked mangos, ate catered meals, made friends, watched vaudeville shows, and even juggled sometimes. With lots of playmates (some bilingual - Japanese and English) his age, Beau loved it, and so did Megumi and Nathan, so we're going again!
California: The highlight of our trips to the mountains was a 3-day backpacking trip to the Little Lakes Valley in the Sierra Nevada. This was the first backpacking trip where Beau walked all the way (imagine trumpets sounding!), managing the 4 mile hike to camp the first day, often leading the way with his Grandma, and sometimes running up the trail. Like last year, his favorite part of the trip was the snowball fights. With the flowers in full bloom, the trip was fun, beautiful, relaxing.
Nepal: Nathan's climbing trek to Mera Peak (21,200' 6461m) was a real success. I left California on Oct. 27, and spent 8 days in Kathmandu buying equipment and food, hiring porters and Sherpas, and completing paperwork. Finally, we flew to the town of Tumlingtar (dirt airstrip, no cars/roads). Our team of 32 assembled there: 7 Californians, 19 porters, 3 cook boys, and 3 Sherpas, leader, guide and cook. The first 5 days of the approach, we hiked on an established route through villages, but for the following week, were on a rarely used, faint sheep herders' "trail," where we saw no one . It was a high altitude traverse going over many passes with dangerous sections, cutting steps in steep snow, hacking through bamboo jungles, and even a freezing bridge-less river crossing. We worried for our porters, some of whom hiked in bare feet, even on the steep icy snow, carrying up to 100 pounds. But they all made it to basecamp at Mera Pass at 17,500'. Lyle and I passed clubs at over 16,000', and I juggled 5 clubs at over 15,000' and 5 balls on the summit. We entertained many villages with club passing - the Nepalis really liked it!
Mera Peak: On Nov. 19 we awoke at 2am, ate a quick breakfast, strapped on crampons, tied into ropes, and climbed into the night! It was so exciting I couldn't sleep during the previous night. By 5:30am, pink light glowed on the peaks of Mt Everest and Makalu! At the end of one of the ropes, I walked backwards watching the light get brighter. So beautiful it actually brought tears to my eyes! The climb is mostly just walking up snow, avoiding crevasses. Our pace decreased as we walked higher, and got really slow above 20,000'. The people who climb Mt Everest without oxygen must be crazy. The last 100' was a 40° snow slope that seemed vertical. We could only take about 10 steps at a time before resting, panting hard. After a 7 hour climb, we fell onto the summit. A perfect day, with light wind, not too cold, and few clouds. We could see five of the world's six highest peaks! That night, in camp at 16,000', the air actually felt thick. I could hold my breath, count 10, and breathe normally. After the ascent, we walked for 3 days to the town of Lukla, then hiked up towards Mt Everest to about 14,000'. We shared the trails with many people and yaks for about a week, before flying back to Kathmandu. Then on to Thailand for some low altitude fun, and finally home on Dec. 8. Accomplishing this trip, which I'd been dreaming about for over 12 years with my friend Geoff, was fantastic!
Beau: I'm "four and three-quarters" years old, and have lots of friends. I can swim from mommy to daddy (about 8'), read lots ("Oakland," "280 north," "road narrows"), sign my name, and love the electric train set Santa brought me for Christmas. I also love riding the Trail-A-Bike that hitches on to mommy and daddy's bikes. I was a bat for Halloween, just like my daddy. I'm going to Los Gatos Parent Nursery School now, and mommy comes once a week, too. Next year I'm going to kindergarten!
Nathan: Besides the trip to Nepal, I changed jobs at HAL Computer Systems in August, now spending even more time managing and less time actually working. Back in software after 4 years doing more hardware related work, the change has been good. We're busy designing HAL's next computer: faster, cheaper, better, dices, slices etc.
Megumi (a.k.a. Grace): I've closed my private practice this year to focus on things I want to do more, like... Storytelling: I'm, telling stories at more schools, libraries, festivals, and museums than ever. Highlight last year -- telling Japanese American Internment Experience stories . Looking forward to -- collaborating with a Mexican dance troupe. Garden: Having installed a sand box (7' x 7') and a new lawn, I'm planning to put in raised beds for vegetables. Family: Making time for myself continues to be a challenge, but I squeeze that in somewhere in my life of loving friends and family, especially Beau and Nathan!
105 Apricot Lane, Los Gatos, CA 95030 (408) 395-7488/9588
nathan_at_movaris.com
megumi_at_MegumiTales.com
Also check out some juggling photos