New Year's Eve and New Year Day 2014

Often Chieko and I eat toshi koshi soba (buckwheat noodles dipped in a light sauce--it's a New Year's tradition in Japan) and sit around watching for the Times Square ball to drop on TV for our (boring) New Year's Eve gala. Once or twice we've bought a large sushi plate and taken it to the Weavers'. This year the Austins are back in town, so we all gathered at the Weavers' with our sushi and a number of dishes Sara and Jamie provided. We also added in a chat with

Chieko's mother, brother and sister-in-law via Skype to the party. And we had a great time. 

Here's Chieko and Jackson talking to Obaachan (Grandma), Noboru-kun and Shizue-san. 

This is most of our dinner on the left, and on the right is the Sato traditional New Year's o-sechi ryori, which Shizue-san, who's a master chef, made in Japan. 

Digging in. 

After dinner we played a bunch of games, including drawing christmas trees with fireplace and presents on a paper plate on our head. 

We also did a little leg wrestling, slap fighting, wasabi eating and some board games. Sara used to be the leg-wrestling queen who could beat any woman or man, and she proved she's still go it. I'm pretty sure Jared was the slap-fighting champion. I think Brian and I tied at wasabi eating (Jared lost by two watery eyes and a near-run for the sink). I'm not sure about the board games. I think Brian won one and Jared won one. 

On New Year's Day, we took down our Christmas decorations, including the American Flyer train and tree. The tree went to the compost pile in Murray Park. I then drove to Promontory Point to see if there were any eagles in their nesting trees. There were not, but there's always something interesting to see when you go to the desert. 

This is the kissing ball Mialisa and John sent us. These are a tradition Back East, and it was fun for us to add it to our front porch. 

This is looking across the north end of the Great Salt Lake from Promontory Mountain. The fog and smog that covers the Wasatch front didn't make it to this side of the lake. 

I was fascinated by the ice crystal forests growing on the edge of the lake. 

Kind of an ice mountain. 

And little ice trees. 

I hiked to the end of a little peninsula hoping I could get to this ice bank, but this is as close as I got. I'm not sure what was under the frozenness between me and the chunks of ice, but there was no flora growing through it, and I didn't really feel like going for a swim. 

I did enjoy the ice dunes. 

And ice outcrops. 

And all the diamonds lying about.