Tokyo in a Day

When we were mapping out our schedule, I truly thought we had four days planned for Tokyo. Somehow with transfers, and a planned day trip to Mt. Fuji, that has turned into a day and a half. Since yesterday was raining, and we had to leave by 3:30 for a baseball game, that left today to explore Tokyo. By the time we woke up, had breakfast and started our adventures, that left 12 hours. You get the idea. We just did not have a lot of time to fully explore Tokyo, so here are our adventures in a nutshell.

We gave up on the 2-day metro card I was proud of myself for buying at the Tokyo airport. It works on a bunch of lines, none of which were convenient to what we were doing until we broke down and bough the OTHER pass. Suddenly everything we wanted to do was on the first pass. Oy vey!

I designed a quick tour of Tokyo.

UENO PARK

This looked like the Central Park of Tokyo – great for walking around, lots of things to do. We kept seeing signs with pandas on them, so we followed them. This led us to the Ueno Zoo. My pre-trip research discouraged me from

going there. Our favorite zoo is the National Zoo where animal have wide open spaces. I was warned the animals would be in tiny cages. Yes, this was true. The cost was much less than anticipated (600 YEN for Don and I ($6.50), and Ashley was free). From the main gate we could see the panda area. The female panda is in seclusion as she is on a baby watch, but her mate was on display. The first time we saw him he was sleeping. We went back a couple of hours ago and he was putting on quite a show chomping on bamboo – stripping off the bad parts first, of course. The zoo also had a very cute red panda who we caught eating dinner, then saw him sleeping in a tree. The human benefit to the smaller cages is that the animals are up close. I’d still rather see them have space. The giraffe was reaching his neck into the okapi space to eat his bushes. Man do they have long necks! We saw a bearded dragon in the reptile area that made us think of Sandy, and other animals we tend to see at the Churchville Nature Center. Ashley found some cute chameleon earrings and a panda i-Pod case. We actually enjoyed it.

SENSO-JI TEMPLE

As previously stated, we were a bit templed-out by this point. The same feeling would have prevailed about churches in Italy or Paris. So when we stumbled upon this temple, we took a few pictures and kept walking. In hindsight, I should have stopped to visit the Nakamise-dori (street of traditional souvenirs). I love the vivid reds and bright colors. The blue sky (such a rarity on our trip) was a nice treat, too.

ASAKUSA 

We successfully walked down to Asakusa and an area that was not destroyed by earthquakes or WWII. Everything here is much older. Felt soothing. We planned to catch a boat cruise down the river, but our timing was off. Instead we caught a subway to GINZA. We enjoyed a stroll along the river that took us past the

building that looks like it has a turd coming out of it. It has been a lot of fun seeing things in person that before this we only saw in pictures. For Don seeing the landmarks used in the Panasonic camera owners’ manuals has been a treat.

GINZA

The Ginza district is like the Times Square of Tokyo, plus lots of department stores. Ashley loved the Sony Building. We saw a 200-inch 4K TV set showing images of World Heritage Sites that made you feel as if you were

visiting the sites yourself. We took lots of pictures of the area at dusk. I loved walking through Printemps Department Store and hearing a little bit of French. The price tags were enough to keep me from buying anything.

ROOPONGI

We wanted to explore Roopongi (where Hard Rock Café is located) when it wasn’t raining. Well, since it was nighttime, that also changed the atmosphere. We found  a cheap Italian place (dinner for the three of us for less than $20) and skeddadled back to the metro. We caught a train back to Shinjuku. This was our first experience with a super crowded train. Can’t say that any of us liked it! This was at 10PM, we dread seeing it at 7 AM tomorrow when we are heading to Mt. Fuji – the newest World Heritage Site.

It might not sound like much, but at the end of the day I had 32,000 steps on my pedometer. One day isn't enough.

Ashley was hoping for an early bedtime. We got her to bed by 11. That’s early, right? She did ask for 3 meals today instead of our usual 2. We managed that successfully. We also nearly made it through the day without ice cream being a meal. If only her lunch at the zoo (pancakes) did not also include a dollop of ice cream and a piece of chocolate shaped like a panda. We’ll do a better job about eating veggies once we get back to NJ. I promise! We’ll also sleep for more than 5 hours a night when we get home. (So far, jet lag has robbed us of that opportunity.)

More pictures of Tokyo

Our Latest Pet

How many of you can guess this animal? Keep thinking about your answer as you continue to read this blog post.

Readers know we have quite a zoo: three cats, a Betta fish, and a bearded dragon. I suppose a bird would help round out the collection, as well as keep Kitty Lucy entertained (and possibly fed), but Ashley is a reptile girl. Her dream next pet would be a ball python.

I must say, Ashley is very good around all animals, but especially reptiles. I've learned not to be so grossed out by them and to at least touch them. I'm not as brave as Ashley is and willing to let the snake wrap himself around me, though.

So when she asked about adopting a (are you ready?) a blue-tongued skink, I was a bit apprehensive. Do we really need another tank and the responsibility of keeping another reptile alive? After all, we've finally figured out how to take care of Sandy the Dragon.

Then I learned the full scoop. Through Churchville Nature Center we can adopt an animal. For only a few dollars each month, we pay for his food, have visitation rights on Sunday afternoons, and get naming rights. Ashley named him Blue. 

Critters are always cuter when someone else is responsible for keeping them alive!

There are other animals up for adoption. It makes a great gift for the hard to shop for animal lover.

Bird Training at Disney

Over the years one of the things I have loved about Disney is the ability for people of all ages to find something to enjoy. Even in the 10 1/2 years we have been taking Ashley to Disney we have watched her interests grow. At first the changes were which was her favorite character (first Pooh, then Princesses, and then Alice and the Hatter). On the last trip we noticed her love of drawing and spent much time learning how to draw Disney characters.

This past trip, though, her interest in animals was shining. We spent our first day of the trip at the Animal Kingdom to let her explore this passion. We noticed birds in a tree, and she saw the Flights of Wonder show twice, but we only stopped to pose with one character (Rafiki) and that was at my mom's request.

While hanging out at Planet Rafiki, Ashley and Don made a beeline to see the reptiles and ask the keeper about bearded dragons (yup, we are still learning about how to take care of Sandy). The cast member told Ashley they were doing something with a bird and would she like to help. Ashley said "of course!" My parents were invited to join us and we were each handed buttons to identify us as the family chosen to train the bird.

We were told to meet his co-cast member (Jennifer) at a specific gate while he picked up the bird. Jennifer escorted us back stage to a classroom. Our only rule was we were not allowed to take any pictures. That was a really tough rule for me to adhere to, but I did.

In the classroom, Jennifer and the other cast member (whose name escapes me) told us about Kevin, the bird. Kevin is a member of the Road Runner family. He was named after Kevin from the Pixar movie Up!

As part of Kevin's training, Don and Ashley were asked to hold sticks with a landing pad so Kevin could practice flying to new people. 

Yes, it was hard to not take any pictures! Especially hard when Kevin opted to land on my mom's head. Even she agreed it would have made a nice profile picture.

Ashley's response: "It was so cool! It was really amazing!"

My response: it is amazing that after all these trips to Disney, we are still finding new forms of magic. 

In addition to this we also dressed in our Dapper clothes and I ran the Princess Half Marathon.

New Additions

In 2012 our quiet family of three humans and two cats grew to an active family of three humans and five pets.

We started the year with 2 pets -- Ariel Cat (7) and Charlie Cat (6). Ariel came into our lives about a year after Pumpkin Cat died from old age. At the time we adopted Charles I, but he didn't last a year (sleeping in the middle of the street will do that to you). Charles II came to us through FreeCycle. 

Ariel Cat and Charlie Cat

Loyal readers know that Ashley spent about a year and a half petitioning for a bearded dragon. Sandy Claws joined the family in June. 

Sandy Claws

As neither one of us ever owned a dragon before, we've had a steep learning curve with Sandy. There are times I'm amazed he has lived this long (like when he went 4 weeks without pooping), but I am glad he is still here. Through him, I have broken many of my "mom rules" -- such as there is no way he is living in the kitchen (you guessed it, last week we moved his tank to the kitchen) and there is no way I am bringing living meal worms into the kitchen (they now live in our fridge and I still live in fear that they will move to Don's flour supply). He is a lot more cuddly than I would have imagined. Feel free to come over and pet him if you don't believe me.

Last year we lost our Betta fish, Benny the Broomstick Boy Betta. I missed him more than anyone else. We tried to get a new Betta, but they kept dying within the two week return policy. It was just too much. Thanksgiving weekend Don brought home Fishy #4. I refused to name him until he lived past the two week return period.

Phineas Fish

He survived and is now called Phineas the Fish (I wanted a boy name that started with an F, but didn't think he looked like a Frank). No plans to add a Ferb as male Bettas are very territorial and will fight each other.

That brings us to our latest addition. Lucy. 

Lucy Kitten

 Lucy was born on September 9, 2012 to my friend Kim's cat, Trouble. Lucy won my heart when she spent most of the afternoon sitting on my lap and purring. She is a very friendly kitten.

She is also a very energetic kitten! The house is certainly not quiet any more! Lots of strains of "Out of the TREE LUCY" can be heard, along with "hissing is not ladylike" (said to both Ariel and Lucy). 

A rare moment -- Ariel and Lucy snuggling with me.

Ariel is having troubles adjusting to life with a kitten. Charlie is having an eating contest with her. The kitten can out eat Charlie since she runs it all off, Charlie, meanwhile, is growing in size. For some reason, one extra kitten means we are going through three times as much food.

I believe this is the first time I have ever lived with a kitten. It is a learning experience. On the one hand, I should probably take down the Christmas trees (yes, plural -- we have three this year) so Lucy stops destroying the fake trees and more ornaments (fortunately Don is an expert with Super Glue). On the other hand, I don't know what she'll find to replace her climbing habit once the trees come down. I might leave one up just so she has her own personal tree.

Charlie Cat checking out Lucy Kitten

Ariel seems jealous of the kitten. She has decided to turn into a lap cat in hopes that Lucy goes away. Umm.. Ariel you snuggled with me once -- the time at the pound when you warmed up to me to say you wanted me to adopt you. I took you home and you ignored me for nearly 7 years choosing NOW to become my best friend?

Charlie is still checking her out. Christmas night they played hide and seek together inside the empty boxes. it was quite cute.

Lucy Kitten sniffing Sandy Claws

Lucy is quite inquisitive, as you would guess for a kitten. She is still trying to figure out what to make of Sandy. He has four legs, but does not have any fur? Sniffing is okay, swatting is not.

That is the news from the Pillsbury Menagerie. Stay tuned for more adventures from our zoo.

Sandy Claws

Growing up I did not have a pet last lasted more than a week, and that was a goldfish I won at a fair. My parents did not adopt Oreo Cat and Tigger Cat until I was in college. 

Not long after meeting Don, he adopted Pumpkin Cat. Don always had a cat growing up. Again, I never did.

If I were to list the types of pets I would want, a reptile would not even be on the list. 

It took Ashley well over a year to convince me she was serious about wanting a bearded dragon. That is over 1/10 of her life. That is a long time in a child's life.

The first time I met a bearded dragon was at the Delaware Museum of Natural History. Their dragon is a rescue dragon that is about 2 years old. I think I might have pet him that day.

A couple of months later my sister Rebecca told me an acquaintance of hers needed to get rid of her sister's bearded dragon. Would Ashley like him? Would she? Does a dragon like crickets? Of course!

A couple of days before adopting our dragon, we watched the movie "How to Train Your Dragon."

The day after school ended, we drove to Wyckoff, NJ to pick up the dragon. The beardie is 8 years old (their life span is 8-10 years, however others now tell me 8 is middle-aged for a dragon). His name was Nicco. We are told he is a male dragon. I have no reason to doubt them.
Ashley was a little apprehensive when she first met him. That only lasted a couple of seconds. The owner put "Nicco" on Ashley's chest and it was love at first sight -- for both of them.

We loaded the tank and all his treasures into the back of the car. Stopped off at Rebecca's house (she didn't want him inside -- oh well). Then we drove home. During the ride home Nicco was renamed Sandy Claws -- after the man in the red suit because he, too, has a beard, and because the dragon is sandy-colored and he has claws. It suits him.

The first night he came home he immediately pooped on Ashley. All I could do was laugh! To her credit, she cleaned it up. That was our first research question: how often do dragons poop? Once every 4-7 days. 

That was June. Sandy has had many adventures since coming home. Most days he spends more time out of his tank than inside of it. He sits with us when we have dinner (not on the table, but nearby).

Sandy often goes with Ashley to the Lenape Village at Churchville Nature Center. This summer he went with Ashley while she was a Junior Counselor. He was a big hit with all the kids. A think a couple of them went home and begged their parents for their own dragon.

Last week Father Vince blessed him at their annual Blessing of the Animals. A seventh grader, Lydia, also brought her bearded dragon. He was a big hit at school, and on the bus.

Yes, Sandy travels in our cat carrier. We're still trying to figure out the best way to take care of him. Ashley read a few books on taking care of a bearded dragon before we adopted Sandy. Just like all those books I read before Ashley was born, nothing compares to having a real-live dragon (or in our case, a real-live baby).

Fortunately we've met people who have their own bearded dragon and have been able to figure out what we are doing wrong. One issue was he was becoming even lazier, and had little appetite. He spends so much time out of his tank and UV light does not travel through our new windows, he was acting Vitamin D deprived. With the start of the school year, Sandy spends more time in his tank and he is perking up again.

Another issue we have had is that he is no longer pooping every week. He is pooping every 2-3 weeks. We met a woman at Churchville Nature Center who gave us some advice. We're now seeing an increase in appetite, so hopefully "output" will soon follow.

We are still trying to figure out what Charlie Cat and Ariel Cat think of Sandy. For the most part they have kept their distance, which is a good thing. This picture is one of the rare times Ariel and Sandy were next to each other.

Columbus Day weekend we took Sandy to Peddler's Village in Lahaska, PA. We couldn't resist taking a picture of Sandy Claws with a Santa Claws scarecrow (Sandy is next to the gourd on the straw).

Sandy resting on the first day of school. Too pooped to eat.















Sandy in the bay window in the kitchen. He likes to crawl into tiny nooks to hide.

Overall, his favorite spot to be is snuggled up with Ashley. I'm a close second, though. He will snuggle with me while I read books. 

He is a great dragon. he has turned this reptile-detester into a dragon-lover. The jury is still out on the rest of the reptiles, though she seems to be admiring the blue-tongued skink. 

Only one reptile at a time, please!!!

National Zoo

On our way home from Virginia we detoured to visit the panda bears at the National Zoo. We love the National Zoo! First of all, it is free, which is always nice. The layout of the park was designed by Olmsted making it extremely visually appealing.

The zoo is trying to keep up with the times. They are currently installing an elephant walk so the elephants can roam "free" in a "natural" setting rather than being cooped up in a circa 1950s space. It will be worth returning in 2013 when that is finished.

This time, though we did not have a lot of time to visit. We parked on one side of Olmsted Way and walked most of the 8/10 of a mile path to the highlight for Ashley: the panda bears! Mei Xiang and Tian Tian  were inside when we visited. I'm not sure if that was because it was raining out, or for some other reason. The rain kept the crowds down (yeah!) and the indoor viewing meant they were a lot closer to us, so we did not complain. While Tian Tian was cute, he was napping. On the other hand, Mei Xiang was eating and mugging for the cameras, so she was a lot more fun to watch. Well, until she decided to take a nap. Since coming home we have watched them on the Panda Cam: http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/GiantPandas/default.cfm

As we did not arrive until after 4, we were pleased to find out the buildings stay open until 6. After leaving the pandas we went to visit the orangutans. The last time we visited the zoo (a few years ago) we were mesmerized by the work being done in the Think Tank: http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/ThinkTank/ Here scientists and researchers are testing the orangutans' memorization skills. It is fascinating research. Even without the "show," it was still fun watching them play.

The grounds stay open until 8. We still had lots of time to see some other animals. None are as cute (in Ashley's eyes) as the pandas.

Kate Gorrie Butterfly House

The Kate Gorrie Butterfly House in the Stony Brook Watershed in Hopewell, NJ is one of those fun hidden treasures in our area. The entire Watershed is a great place to bring children to learn about nature. The Butterfly House feels like an oasis.

The day we went it was raining, which means the smart butterflies were hiding to keep their wings dry. A few others popped out. We knew this going into it, but we had just learned about their Monday morning talks and decided to give it a try.

I'm so glad we did. Our guide (whose name escapes me -- Katie?) gave us an enthusiastic talk about butterflies. She answered all sorts of questions from us and the other family in our group including one that has bothered me. If butterflies only live for about 3 weeks, how do they make the journey South to Mexico and back North to lay their eggs for the next generation?

Our naturalist said every few generations of butterflies produces a super strength of butterfly that lives for 7-8 months -- long enough to make the journey and return part of the way to lay eggs. Nature is amazing.

Listening to her talk I was thinking about a children's book I read recently called the "Prince of Butterflies" (http://www.flashlightworthybooks.com/The-Giverny-Award-for-Childrens-Science-Picture-Books/378) by Bruce Coville. An inspirational tale of how a child's life can be changed by nature. 

A few more comments about the place:

• The entire garden is filled with native plants
• It is open from dawn to dusk every day and is open to the public
• It is open from June until October when the netting is opened and the butterflies are free to leave
• All butterflies are tagged (as part of a national tagging system) before they are released
• The caterpillars are brought inside to have a chance to change in a safer environment, and to make it easier for people to watch the life cycle happening live

The nature center is also free to visit and a great place to go with kids, even on rainy days. Trails are open to the public and are also free to use.

http://www.thewatershed.org/conservation/kate-gorie-butterfly-house/