Although we've been members of the sports club next door for nearly a year and a half (so that Brian and Calvin could take swimming lessons), we've never gone there as a family. Now we have.

Since that summer day at the beach in Fukui-ken with the Bender family, Michelle has been a dedicated duck. At the pool this day, she refused to leave the water. If we took her out, she went right back in. And having watched her older siblings during swimming lessons twice a week for over a year, she knew exactly what she wanted to do: scoot along the water on that kickboard. So mommy and daddy alternated pushing her around the pool. Whew! Ever walk through chest-deep water for 10 minutes? It's quite an aerobic workout!

B and Calvin, of course, played and paddled and played some more and had a grand time of it.

Where's the picture of Yoko? Well, she took the three pictures show here -- and ran out of film. We'll get her next time.

In the fall, Calvin's school put on a carnival. Each class created and manned a carnival attraction, from ring-toss games to haunted houses to games of chance. Materials consisted of paper, cardboard, plastic bottles and other recycled items, but the creativity that went into building their attractions was very impressive. Even the game prizes were all hand-made. Quite a lesson in recycling.

Script were created and each child's family received a certain amount. The famlies were supposed to go around the school and choose attractions to try. At the end of the day, the classes with the most script (i.e., the most popular attractions) won a special prize.

Calvin's class did various ring-toss games. They made the rings out of old newspaper and the posts out of 1.5-litre plastic soda bottles. Here, Calvin is helping B with the ring-toss concept.

Behind Calvin and Brian, and to the right of Yoko, is Calvin's teacher.

Michelle sitting in one of the first-grade chairs, watching the ring-toss action.

See the look in her eyes? Can you guess what she is thinking. Yep! Moments later, she was right in the thick of things and had to be quickly hauled out before she could be mistaken for a ring-toss post and end up with a newspaper lei around her neck.