Oh Deer

Well, my blog seems a lot more boring to me now that I'm back in America, mostly because the majority of my readers know what I'm doing on a day to day basis. Nevertheless, the urge to blog keeps me going, if only so my wife in Japan has some idea of what's going on here. I'm enjoying my time here for nothing more than the fact that I'm doing nothing other than relaxing and enjoying being in my own element. That's a very valuable thing for someone who spends the majority of their time NOT in their own element, regardless of how comfortable or routine that foreign element has become.

Today I slept late, looked at some suits with dad (for the impending wedding in November), went to the beach with my brother and flew my kite, and wrapped things up with a family cookout. It was nice because although I've been here more than a week, I'd yet to see a lot of my extended family. The novelty of 'me' has worn off since I've been back from Japan a few times. When I came back last summer, for the first time in 2 years, people flocked from miles around to see me. Since then I've been back more frequently, and managed to keep in touch with folks a bit better, so it's not such a big deal when I come home. That said, it's hard to see EVERYONE in two weeks, so when they all assemble in one place, it makes things easier. I only wish I had more time to talk to everyone, and a list of answers to the questions that I was inevitably asked over and over again. That comes with the territory though, no matter how often I come home.

Getting to the pictures--my dad, brother and I took in a (partial) Cape League game yesterday evening, between the Hyannis Mets and the Orleans something or others. I love going to these games. The caliber of baseball is unmatched below the AAA level, and at least some of the players we saw yesterday will end up in the big leagues. Jason Varitek and Mike Lowell are among the current Red Sox ranks who have played in the Cape League, and if you peruse the past rosters of Cape League teams you will find many familiar names. At the same time, there is something great about these games other than the knowledge that you are witnessing stars before they are stars. There are rabid fans who know the rosters through and through, the young kids racing to track down foul balls, the young girls madly in love with the players, the $2 hot dogs, the ocean within sight of the ball field. It's a Cape Cod experience, among many others, that bolsters my pride in this place.

I have no real loyalty to any Cape League team, though the closest thing to that is my fondness for the Cotuit Kettleers. My only attachment to that team is that I attended a summer baseball camp hosted by Kettleers players when I was young, and came to idolize several of them in the process. Alas, there was no Kettleers baseball to be had last night, so it was the Hyannis Mets. No complaints.





In pet news, here are the two cats my family maintains. We have Little Jerry on the left, whose name all you Seinfield aficionados will appreciate (don't count me among you), and Buster on the right. Little Jerry came to our family after I moved to Japan, and we have yet to ever bond. He meows a lot. Buster has been with us for a while. He'll be 15 this year. The unsettling thing is that he's been gone since last night, and he is never gone. He's taken to spending most of the day under my parent's bed, and the fact that he's been gone this long is definite cause for alarm. We have coyotes around here, and 15 year old cats make for good coyote food. So I'm hoping he'll be turning up here soon.



In other animal related news, my parents live on Deer Jump Hill Road. Given that name, one would assume there would be deer living around here, and they would be right. We don't often see deer though, especially given the expectations that living on such a road presents. However, there is evidence that they lurk in the night.

This is what a healthy Hosta plant looks like, of which my parents have many planted in and around their yard.



This, on the other hand, is what a Hosta plant looks like after a deer(s) have apparently taken it for a midnight snack.



We've yet to catch the culprits in action, and I for one will be hard pressed to do so, though my father seems pretty determined.

And that's all the mundane non-news from these parts. I continue to not have a lot on my agenda for the duration of my vacation, and that's just the way I like it. The Red Sox will be back in action tomorrow night, and I will certainly consider the date of the All Star game, and subsequent lack of Red Sox baseball, when I plan my trip home next summer. I'm hoping for more sun and less rain for the rest of my time here, as I'm hard at work on a nice tan to take back to Japan with me. Look for more riveting commentary on my vacation in the next few days!