ChanomiTalk

We hope you are all having a wonderful summer! Ours is going splendidly so far!!!! We are on a marathon vacation that has included a road trip up the California Coast, Oregon, and the Brazilian Pantanal. Here are some highlights:

6/12 Day with Grandma Vera in L.A.

6/13 Santa Barbara Tour, Andreé Clark Bird Refuge

6/14 Monterey Aquarium, Cannery Row

6/15 Elkhorn Slough National Wildlife Refuge, Santa Cruz Boardwalk

6/16 Six Flags Discovery Kingdom (Vallejo, CA)

6/17 San Fransisco City Tour, Bay Cruise (Alcatraz, Golden Gate)

6/18 Point Reyes Marine Sanctuary, Redwoods

6/19 Portland, Oregon Tour

6/20 Day w/Family in Salem, OR

6/21 “Uncle” (Christina’s Brother) Shawn’s Wedding in Salem

6/22 Enchanted Forest (Theme Park in Salem)

6/23 Travel: LA–>Mexico City–>Overnight in Plane

6/24 Arrive São Paulo–>Brasília–>Cuiabá

6/25 Tour Chapada dos Guimarães (The Mtn. Border Dividing the Pantanal & the Amazon)

6/26 Pantanal: Horseback Ride on the Floodplain, Night Safari

6/27 Pantanal: 5am Safari, Boating on the Rio Claro

6/28 Pantanal: Horseback Ride on the Floodplain, Safari Walk

6/29 Pantanal: Fishing for Piranha on the Rio Claro, Evening Safari

6/30 Pantanal: Horseback Ride on the Floodplain, Return to Cuiabá

7/1 TODAY! Cuiabá, Red-eye to Brasília–>São Paulo–>

7/2 We’ll arrive in Rio and stay with the kids’ grandparents for 2 1/2 weeks, then we’ll

return to São Paulo, hang out with Marlise (My–Christina’s– “host mom” from my

exchange to Brazil in ’94) for a couple of days, then on 7/23 we’ll return to Honolulu by

way of Panama City–>Mexico City–>Seattle (where we’ll meet up with Grandma Julie).

Obviously, we’ve done a lot! It’s been truly amazing. The Pantanal people said we’ve had the best luck of anyone they’ve seen in seeing rare animals and birds. We were able to see some that people try for weeks to spot in the Pantanal: giant river otter, jaguar, puma, king vulture, howler monkey, white-tufted marmocet, coati, tapir, anteater, capped heron, PLUS the ones that the Pantanal people just take for granted, like the cayman, capibara, rhea, rufescent tiger heron, jabiru, caracara, black-collared hawk, nunbirds, toco toucan, roseate spoonbill, capped heron, keel-billed toucan, burrowing owl, spectacled owl, etc. etc. etc. etc. … :0)

I’m attaching some pictures that we took in the Pantanal. Keep in mind that these were taken in the forest and on the floodplains, NOT in a zoo– that’s what makes them so unbelievable! We actually saw these guys in their natural habitat. Also keep in mind that I had to make the files smaller to be easily sent by email, so the quality is not what it is in the actual picture.

Hope you’ve enjoyed the update– sorry it was so long. Let us know what you’re up to, too!

Have a great day,

Aloha,

Christina, Elisa, Garrett

1. Us with 2 other visitors and our guide, Flavio, at the official entrance to the Pantanal

2. Toco Toucan

3. Coati

4. Howler Monkey Male

5. Howler Monkey Female

6. Giant River Otter

7. Capped Heron

8. Garrett with a Piranha

9. Cayman Eating a Water Snake

10. Keel-Billed Toucan

11. Rheas

12. Puma




13. Jaguar

夏休み中の子供達も、カヌーの練習をしていました。

練習を終えて、舟を運び上げてます。

おやっ、足元に注目！
皆さん、ゴムゾウリでカヌーをこぎましたか？

でなければ良いが. . . . 。

先週金曜日(27日)、今季2度目の大嵐がオマハの北半分から東南方面を直撃しました。

幸い、私の住む南中央区域は今回は大被害なしでしたが、第一回目は西南区域でしたから、残る南中央区域は3回目に？　といささか四面楚歌の気持ちです。

大嵐の去った後には倒れた木がいたるところに散らばっています。近くの公園の広い駐車場はこれらの木々の集積所になっているらしく、市のトラックがひっきりなしに木を運んできます。