Dear Mrs. Butler,

I don't recall having a conversation with you in D.C. but I just noticed that you are located in Sacramento. Last week I was up there with my Japanese partners. Matsuyama is twinned with Sacramento, so they put their heads together and arranged for us to get the keys to the city. My guys went back to Japan with Arnold Schwartzenegger's business card and some other fond memories of a day in the Capitol.
How was your week with partners? One of my guys said his favorite outing was the U.C. Marine Lab and Reserve in Bodega Bay. The other partner liked our wine country outing and the hot soak in Calistoga best. There's no way of knowing what activity will work the magic.
It's hard to believe that we only have 9 more weeks of instruction left. I look forward to the Japan trip and only wish that I could bring along the California climate.
All the best, Jim McElroy

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Jim,

Please call me Cassidy.

The keys to the city and Arnold's business card ...that is quite an experience. I am impressed! I wish I had known you and the MTP visitors would come to Sacramento. I would have enjoyed meeting you and your guests, but I will see you in D.C.

Hideki, Akio and I had a lot of fun during the week. I think the highlight of the trip was Tuesday. We went to Napa and returned to Sacramento for a Kings game. I will tell you about our adventures at the game when we meet in Tokyo!

Hideki and Akio also went with the sixth grade class to Sly Park in the El Dorado National Forest for the 6th grade camp experience. It sounds like they had a great time getting to know the students, hiking, rock wall climbing and spending time with the US teachers.

Looking forward to meeting you in Tokyo!

Dear Cassidy,

Thanks for the letter. Wow, you went to Napa and we went to Sacramento! I should have studied the directory learned who we were.
Kiwame reflected on his experiences here and delighted most in our afternoon out on Bodega Head. We were allowed to tour the Marine Lab and Reserve with Peter Connors. He's been picking around that landscape for over 20 years and can key out just about anything.
Koji reckoned that he was in "seventh heaven" soaking in the magical hot waters of the Calistoga Spa. That was a nice transition between wine tasting and dinner.
It's hard to say what I enjoyed best. I tried to set up a schedule of things that my partners would enjoy, but without meeting them or communicating, I gave it my best shot. It was a joy to have the faculty over for a bar-b-que. This is my first year at H.S. level, after a career in elementary education, so I wanted to make sure everything went according to Hoyle.
It looks like Japanese lessons and insect collecting are just around the corner. I hope that goes well. I'm having a hard time with all the user names and passwords, not to mention all the problems getting things to work. I'm afraid I'm driving my tech guy nuts.
As I count the days, we'll be gathering in SF in 64 days (9 weeks)! Plenty of water will flow over weirs and under bridges before we put on those surgical sox and fly west...

Best, Jim

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