Happy New Year
!!
It's already 2006, the Year
of the Dog, in Japan !
************************************
Photo Highlights of
2005
January
The "Feeling the Wind"
statue
March
Conveyor-belt sushi in
Shimo-Kitazawa
May
Enjoyed the
magnificent shibazakura
cherry blossoms in Chichibu
Volunteered to
assist with the
Tokyo English Life Line Charity Runathon
Tex was invited to be
a guest
teacher at a Tokyo elementary school
June
Was blessed with the
opportunity to sing
with the visiting youth gospel choir
from
Honolulu's New
Hope Church
July
Threw a mid-summer
party at the
Fiddler British pub for Laura,
who failed to show, by
the way...
August
Made my annual sojourn
into Japan's
spectacular alpine country, this time
to the Northern
Alps in an unsuccessful
attempt to scale Mt. Kashimayari-ga-take,
elev. 2889m, Japan's 23rd highest peak
September
Met up with my
half-brother in Florida
for the first time in over 30
years
A reunion in "sunny"
Hurricane-Wilma's-headed-your-way south
Florida
Authentic home-cooked
Maine lobsters
with my aunt and cousin
A Houston
reunion with some friends
from our days in Phoenix,
Arizona
Visited the U.S.
Capital for the
first time in 37 years
An awesome hike
to Mt. Izu-ga-take
in Chichibu
Moved to a 2-bedroom
apartment
in my same neighborhood
Iraq's ex-president
paid a surprise
visit to a Tokyo Halloween costume
party
Dancin' Cowboy Gary
made
his internet debut
November
Served as a judge at a
kid's
English speech contest
At my student's
wedding reception
Oh boy. The joys
of morning crush hour
in the world's largest
metropolis.
My new girlfriend
(just kidding)
A return visit to the
breathtakingly
beautiful fall colors of Yoro Keikoku,
Chiba
December
A year-end reunion
party in my
former "living room," a neighborhood
bar near my former home in
Chofu
Surprised Mom in
Houston for Xmas
(she didn't know I was coming).
She said I was
her "bestest" present !
My niece with some of
her
MANY Xmas
presents
A reunion Xmas party
with my old
Texas Exes runnin'
buddies from Phoenix.
Hook 'em Horns
!!!
A sunrise breakfast of
blueberry
pancakes in Crawford, Texas,
the site of the western White
House
The next-to-last
sunset of 2005
from the window of my 747, just before
touching down in
Tokyo's Narita Airport
Won the Texas
all-state bull riding championship in
Billy Bob's Texas, the
world's largest country and western
nightclub in Ft.
Worth !! (And
if you believe THAT,
I want to talk to you about some prime Florida
real estate!)
Yee hah
!!!
Have a GREAT year of the
dog, y'all !!! Woof, Woof....
Cheers,
Gary
