Ren's Footprints

So long Japan! Thanks for treating me nice, and making me feel like a part of your family! You changed my life, again!

My two semesters at Waseda University have come to an end, and I have moved back to California to finish school next semester at San Francisco State University. My last week in Japan was spent in Chiba with Miho. We had a great time playing Nintendo Wii, cooking, eating, playing tennis, throwing water balloons, ETC. I flew out of Narita International Airport on July 29th.

After a layover in San Francisco, I flew up to Humboldt via a propeller driven aircraft. The pilot pointed out numerous fires burning in the Northern Californian mountains as we flew.

I stayed in Humboldt for a little over a week. I was hired to film at Reggae Rising music festival again so I spend 5 days working there. I had a good time and got to meet one of the musicians that I have been listening to the most the last 5 years, Gentleman, from Germany. He was really polite and full of personality in person. I have been around many celebrities in my life but this is probably the first time I have been star struck.

I turned 23 on August 6th, and spent the day working in the yard at my Dad's house. I am honored to have lived this long and hope that I will live to quadruple this age!

Right before leaving Humboldt I went on a hike with long time friends Robert, Kenny, and Morgan. We drove to Bear Harbor State Park and hiked the Lost Coast Trail to Wheeler Beach.

When we first arrived I was excited to see elk for the first time in a long time. However, by the end of the trip I was wishing they were nowhere near me! It was around dusk when the hike ended and as we were approaching the parking lot we realized that we were surrounded by elk who were hidden in the tall grass. They were also in the trail, and in the parking lot as well. The one in the trail was the one with the biggest antlers so we were really nervous getting around him.

Check out the video from the hike. If you go to YouTube to watch it, I believe you can see it in high quality.

I am currently in Ukiah where I am staying as I get ready for the Fall semester to begin. Saturday was my sister's bridal shower so I got to hang out with my whole family in one place. The next day some of us had a barbecue and took some fun pool shots with the camera's timer feature. It took a while before we got the timing right, as you will see.