T$ meets Ella

Tricia made her third trip to Okinawa to meet Ella this week. We had a great time and Ella really likes T$!

We pretty much spent the week eating. We had some Teppanyaki steak, King Tacos, Pizza, Sushi, and Sashimi!

And of course, we got nine scoops of ice cream on the 19th, where Tricia went into the 25 degree Celsius cooler to check out the ice cream first hand.

We did manage to fit some exercise into our schedule. We did a lot of walking and even played some racquetball, which Trish was a pro at.

Trish and Ella spent a lot of time together at the apartment too. It was a bit cramped with Trish sleeping in the kitchen, but we managed.

As usual, Ella was very popular wherever we went.  I'm not sure if Ella or the locals are more excited to meet each other.

We had a great visit and were sad to see Trish go, but we are looking forward to our next visitors. Mom and Dad White are coming in a couple of weeks!

Adventure in Poland

A few weeks ago we went on another trip.  This time to Poland for an amphipod conference. Ella was a pleasant traveler as usual, but she was a bit discombobulated once we finally arrived in Krakow.

 Krakow is a beautiful city with lots of fresh berries, mushrooms, and windows full of perogies!

 You can also buy delicious pretzel-bread from street vendors on just about every corner.

After one night and half a day in Krakow, we headed to Szczawnica for the meeting. Upon arrival, we checked into the hotel, which interestingly enough, had a mirror on the ceiling! It was quite a place! We ate dinner at the same restaurant on all of our free nights because it was the only place in walking distance. There were sheep by the fire place and plenty of sheep wandering around in the hills. The food and beer were delicious. Lots of fresh vegetables, cheese, and bread! We were very excited coming from Japan, where these things are quite different than they are in the Western world.

 The members of the meeting all went on an excursion to see some castles and went rafting down a river. It was beautiful, but a bit chilly!

At the formal conference dinner, there was plenty of food, including this after-dinner buffet!  There was also a lot of homemade vodka, which made the party quite interesting.

There was a traditional bbq on the last night of the meeting, which was a lot of fun.  It was great to visit with old friends, eat more delicious food, and drink homemade beer.

 

Ella was quite a hit among the meeting participants, quickly becoming the meeting mascot with her own amphipod onesie!

The trip home was long, but Ella got her own bassinet on the airplane and was quite smiley the whole time.
 

She was very happy to be at home again,though!