From rice paddies to grape vines

Hello, and welcome back! Thanks for following us from our adventures in northern Japan to our time in northern California. We're so glad to be back stateside!  First thing we did once we landed in Cali was head to Napa....'cause, well, we could. And Hannah Jane had fun.

Actually, our move back to the states was a bit circuitous, starting with a trip in the opposite direction to China:

We spent 9 days  in Beijing and Shanghai with a personal tour guide in each city. Here we are in Tienanmen square enjoying the fabulous air quality that China is known for (Mary and Hannah Jane wore masks to guard against lung infection. Oddly enough, while masks are commonplace in Japan--most Japanese wear them in the winter in particular--they are a bit of an oddity in China, making it even easier for us to "blend in.")
After China we headed back to Japan to check out of the air base "Hotel Misawa", and then, after 4 years in Asia, we were stateside bound. We stopped off in Hawaii first for a little R&R for a few days where we just kicked back for a bit:  

From there we headed to Seattle where we'd chosen to pick up our car which had been in storage for four years. (Important Safety Tip: it's best not to pick up your left-side drive, stick-shifting car that's been in storage for four years after getting off a red-eye flight where you've slept exactly 7 minutes, and then have to relearn to drive...and to drive on the right side of the road.) We made it safely downtown to hotel where we slept a few hours and then got up to readjust and enjoy Seattle for a night. Here's Hannah Jane feeding the seagulls from the waterfront not far from Pike's Place Market:

The next morning we began a meandering drive south through Oregon where we enjoyed the coastal area and a cute little mountain town for 2 nights. On the third night we made it to base where in typical military fashion we were told there was "no room at the Inn."  It's like we'd just arrived in Japan! Here though, we had the benefit of finding our own housing using American Internet and a GPS that spoke english to us....bonus!

Within a few days of arriving we were able to find a great house to rent, complete with a palm tree out front:

Here's Hannah Jane in front, on her way to "Pretty Pretty Princess Camp"

We have a guestroom and plenty of space for visitors -- please come see us! We're about 2 hours from San Francisco, 2 hours from Yosemite, an hour from Napa, and an hour from Lake Tahoe. We'll be here for two years, so......hope to see you!