Today this eaglet left his Yokosuka nest for the first time. With Ronda acting as navigator, I drove from Yokosuka Naval Base to Yokota Air Force Base. As mentioned in earlier posts, only 45 miles separate these two points on the map, but the drive time is a hard-to-fathom 2+ hours. Too much traffic, too many twists and turns, too much stop-and-go, too unbelievable, but we arrived safely.Ronda, Renie, their little Larissa, and a co-worker of Rene's and his wife made the drive over from Yokota to Yokosuka this morning to have a close-up look at the U.S.S. George Washington. Because they had to drive back anyway it was a good opportunity follow behind and introduce myself to the Japanese driving public.
Once at Yokota we checked into the Kanto Lodge. It's the military hotel on base. This trip was an over-nighter. I was not about to tempt my good fortune by turning around and heading back to Yokosuka on the same day. After a little rest we climbed into the Saenz' van for the obligatory commercial excursion and then sought out some Japanese-styled fast food. Ronda zipped through the streets like a long-time Japanese native. She credits her gifted driving ability to confidence. I give all the credit to Providence.
A pair of chopsticks and my right hand had never been introduced to each other until this evening. After a couple of tips on technique from Ronda I was picking and chopping away at my food like the patrons around me. Mindful of her table manners, Melba opted to use the silverware provided for the chopstick challenged.
After more than a year in Japan the Saenz family have become old hands using two wooden sticks to bring food up to their mouths at dinner time.
