Deer Hearding

August 13, 2015

This morning Josh and Jack departed back to Houston. Josh had a much earlier flight so we didn't get a chance to see him off. Jack had a flight later in the afternoon so we had lunch with him before he left. Josh and Jack are my brother's friends. I just happened to know them because me and Andrews are only a year apart and grew up together so most all of his friends know me and I know most all of them. Josh I knew a little bit better because of high school but Jack was a face I saw very seldom. After these past two weeks I think I know them better and can definitely consider them my friends too. I am so thankful they weren't a handful and very easy going with anything I chose or planned. I really enjoyed having then join me and my family on this trip and look forward to seeing them in December. Thanks for the visit boys!

After we said bye to Jack, my sisters and Andrews headed to Nara Park. I've been to Nara Park a handful of times but visitors always want to go because of the deer. If you remember from earlier posts, Nara Park has a lot of deer. A lot. They just roam around where ever waiting for deer snacks or just being a nuisance and eating people's maps...like mine a year ago. But my siblings were insistent on going so why not.

We got there a little past noon. The weather was a bit grey and the grounds were moist and muddy from the rain before. It made for a mess on your shoes, the mixture of mud and deer poop. When we got to the park, my siblings immediately bought deer crackers. I never have bought them nor feed the deer. I just like to watch from afar and see how the deer want to act that day. Today they weren't so aggressive. We spent the first part of the afternoon feeding deer and taking photos. There are many things to see in Nara Park and many places to walk but we only saw a few sites, one of them being Todaiji. As you know, Todaji is one of my favorite places to go. Its just how big the Buddha is that is so mesmerizing. My siblings enjoyed it too. We took our usual photos and walked around inside. I told them about the column's hole the size of Buddha's nostril. Apparently, if you can fit through this hole its good luck. Tempted, Andrews wanted to try so he got in line. Christina wanted to also but as we got closer, she doubted she would fit. I really wanted to see if Andrews could fit so I urged him to stay. The hole does look rather small and my brother is a wide guy. As his turn was next, he looked at the hole, assessed it, and went for it. For my surprise, he didn't get stuck!! It was a funny sight to see and I'm sure on lookers were thinking he would get stuck too.

Currently it is Obon season. So Nara Park had food stalls set up for the festivities. On this particular day it was also the Tokae Light Festival. I had gone to this last year with Yuko and thought it would be nice to stick around till night fall so my siblings could see it too. Once it got dark, we walked around the park grounds looking at the different colored candles and their arrangement around the park. Some were in swirls, hearts, and even outlined Japanese foods like kakigori.

When we were done with the lights and tired of stepping in deer poop, we went looking for dinner. We found a small spot with good prices near the station. Just simple Japanese food that was no fuss, quick and cheap. We then departed to our own places. This will be the first night Andrews is staying alone. My brother can be a chicken sometimes so I wonder how he will handle it.

I can't believe all that we have already done in the time they have been here. I've been stressed and restless trying to keep everyone happy but I am glad for the company and having my family around. Just a few more days until the long good-bye. Oh no!!



xx
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