Much to no one's surprise, our very own Danielle Grace was named Student of the Month for Courage and Problem Solving. To celebrate, she invited Daddy to her lunch where she ate pizza and candy (Daddy had to pack a lunch). We're all very proud of Danielle for her intelligence and leadership.

Mommy and Cordy got to take a field trip to the aquarium on Myajima, where the "wild" deer walk up to you to be fed. There Cordy got to pet a penguin and Mommy got chased by an octopus for not turning off her camera flash. They also got to see the floating torri and a five-story pagoda.

Ever have that experience where not a lot happens for a long time and then -- Wham! -- lots of things happen at the same time? We did. So someone at work offered us tickets to the Iwakuni Guitar and Mandolin Society concert, and I thought with Dan taking guitar lessons it would be perfect. So we got all dolled up and had a wonderful evening at the Iwakuni Symphonia listening to some very beautiful music. They threw us for a loop by adding some dancing to the second act. The program and narration all in Japanese added a whole "surprise" element to the night. I wondered why one guy in the audience kept holding the program to his face, but Brenda figured out there were scented cards inside. We still have no idea why.

The next morning was our long-anticipated trip to the

Yamaguchi Flea Market. It's only done once a month and people come from miles around to attend. Unfortunately, it rained. So after getting up at 5 and taking a two-hour bus trip, we braved the torrential downpour for about half an hour before giving up. The girls each got a used coat and a new umbrella out of the trip, but it was little compensation as far as Dan was concerned for dragging her new shoes through the ankle-deep mud. We wandered to downtown Yamaguchi and found the covered shopping outdoor mall area. Of course, it opened at 11, so if you want to know what the outside of a lot of Yamaguchi stores look like, well, you know who to ask.

The second part of the journey was a trip to the historic 5-storied Pagoda and Buddhist temple. The pagoda was built in 1442. We were told it is opened only every 500 years. The girls watched a woman and daughter ceremonially wash a Buddha statue and wanted to do it as well, which we allowed.

There was also a huge prayer-bead pull the locals

were lining up to do, which we respectfully watched and went around. We climbed the hill behind the pagoda for a better view, but the rain really started coming down hard. When Cordy fell and hit the ground hard (like big bruise on the tush hard), we headed back to the bus. So overall it was a semi-successful adventure. We didn't have the fun we anticipated, but we made it out and back, experiencing some culture along the way.

Halloween, as always, is a huge and multi-day event in our household, even here in the land of the rising sun, where the holiday is received with bewildered amusement as another strange but fun American custom. Once again, Brenda showed me up with her pumpkin carving skills.

Of course, like macabre fashionistas our girls (mommy included) simply can't be seen in the same outfit more than once. So for the base-sponsored "Halloween on the Green" Cordy was The Bride of Dracula, Dan was a Renaissance Princess, while Mommy was Little Red Riding Hood.

On the Green we enjoyed inflatable slides and bounce houses, a dance show by a local girls dance studio, and lots of candy thrown to the crowd from the stage. We endured the rain that scared off most ghouls and goblins and we enjoyed the event. If you look closely, you can see Dan in the middle of the scrum for candy in this picture:

For actual trick or treating night, Danielle went as Secret Agent Dan, complete with trench coat, briefcase and dark glasses; Cordelia made an amazing Wednesday Adams in a braided black wig; but it was Mommy who went as a "homicidal maniac" (That's an Adams Family joke: "they look just like everybody else"). Now that the holiday is over, Brenda and I get to eat all the candy!