I can't believe it: It didn't rain this weekend! Well, more accurately, the rain didn't start until about a half hour ago, but its already 8pm on Sunday night. It was a hot, sunny, perfectly clear weather weekend. It was beautiful. I could see all the way to the tippy-tops of the mountains for the first time in weeks (months?). It was a relief to know they are still there and still as amazing and huge as I remembered them. I was actually a bit shocked to see just how big Mt. Jonen (the mountain I climbed half of in the pouring rain last weekend, and intend to climb with our 1st/7th graders) is- wow.

So, I didn't get much studying done, but that's all right. Danielle and I spent a bunch of time on the road yesterday, with the intent of going hiking but ended up doing a sightseeing road trip instead. It was really fun. We headed south to the Kiso Valley and the towns Agematsu and Tsumago. I'd been to both towns before, but I went to Agematsu my second day in Nagano on the tailend of being kidnapped for two days by my Board of Ed. and the family of one of my teachers (its a long story) and needless to say I was a bit too crabby to fully appreciate it. My parents and I spent a night in Tsumago on the tail end of our tour of Japan this spring, but it was rainy and I had been looking for a chance to go back. Saturday was a perfect day for it. Agematsu is famous for several things, but the two we were able to check out were Mezame no Toko (literally- "Wake Up Rock" as translated by the drunk head teacher at a staff party on Friday), a section of water-smoothed out/carved rocks in a bend in the river, and the 2900m peak, Kiso-Komagatake. Both were impressive, and I promise to keep working on connecting you all to my digital pictures. ;) Tsumago was flooded with Japanese tourists, and hot.. but still beautiful. The town is preseved as an example of the old towns on the road from Edo (Tokyo) to Kyoto, before they built the train and abandoned the road. It is small, but really pretty and they have an abundance of kaki-gori (a high class snow cone in a dish)... which really hit the spot. The drive was especially gorgeous since it was so clear. We even intentionally took the long way for a while, simply to enjoy the view (and, I admit, so we could catch the freeway back).

This morning we hit the trail again, and though we ended up feeling like broiled tofu (I swear, its not pleasant), it was a beautiful morning to be outside blading towards the mountains. I've also finally realized that its due to my beloved Alps that it gets dark here so early (pitch black before 7pm in the summer!?). I don't know why this just occured to me (probably because I grew up in the midwest), but boy when the sun hits those mountains, the lights just go out. It still feels strange. And I don't know why the other set of mountains (I'm sandwiched between the Northern and Southern Alps) couldn't do me a favor and work the same mystery in the morning... but no, it is bright out by 4am. Hmm....

I was browsing on Big Daikon, a forum for JETs and other folks living in/interested in Japan.. and found this "gem" that helps me clarify a section of my current sense of indecision about my future. "You chose JET because you chose freedom and challenge over security and normalcy back home. But certainly, after 2 years on JET the experience itself becomes security and normalcy. So now you have to choose again- freedom and challenge elsewhere or security and normalcy as you have become used to it here in Japan". I think I'm feeling the reverse (this next choice of freedom/challenge over security/normalcy even more keenly than I did the first time. Frankly, I had a lot clearer vision of what I was getting into when I applied to come here than I do now. How scary is that?!

Well, tomorrow its back to school. I'm having a hard time adjusting to my vacations being back to only 2 days (instead of 3 weeks), but I will slog on. Enjoy those last Sunday hours, those of you back in those later time zones!