Saint Paul MN - Winter dinner before the break

Finals week.  Despite the papers, exams, snow and cold we found a slot of time to get together and all catch up before everyone heads off to break or the new term.

Tokyo Japan - Last day

Finished up my Friday meetings and had about 30 minutes before my bus took me to the airport.  62F and sunny so the only option was to sit on the planter out front and take it in.
I arrived home to 12F and a pending snow storm.  And then sub zero the next week.

Tokyo Japan - Random moments thru the week

Great weather for December all week - even the cooler days.
Out and about here and there and lots of Christmas and other interesting things in my path.
Even got to prepare my own Wasabi from the root vegetable - very cool to see where it comes from.

Tokyo Japan - Great winter day

Arrived Sunday afternoon to 60F and sunshine.  A great winter day.  I think they are having above normal weather as well.  
Christmas decorations always seem a bit odd when you don't even have a jacket on as you wander the streets.
A bit of Christmas in Ginza.  On the weekends they close off some of the main shopping streets so it is all open to pedestrians.  Still lots of people filling both the sidewalks and the streets.
Supposed to be a warm and sunny week - rainy last month so this is a nice finish for my last trip of the year.

Saint Paul MN - After Thanksgiving Lasagna Night

Lots of things going on this year so we gathered a much smaller group for our annual after Thanksgiving Lasagna evening.
The weather was great - which isn't usually the case.  So there were no excuses there.
Still a great night and we got so involved in the conversation we forgot to record the group - but it was a quick clean up.

Elkton MN - An old Thanksgiving experience new once again

When I grew up we would rotate Thanksgiving and Christmas between my mother's house and her sister's.  The numbers got big and along the way moved our separate ways.
Mom and I have been heading out to the East Coast for the Thanksgiving week for 15years or more as near as I can figure.  This year it was not meant to be.
Instead Mom, Qifan, Kristijan, Nam and me all headed to Elkton to enjoy the day with my Aunt, cousins and their families.
We even found time for a trip to John's cabin in the woods and to see 6000 pigs......

New York NY - Last day of fall and the first day of winter

I arrived and had the same great weather for day one.
Day two a blustery winter day arrived.  When the wind blows in NYC you know it.  It zooms down those long streets of Manhattan and goes right through you.
Got to enjoy time with several friends - a great long weekend.