matt0ne

Thanks for the moderators patience and toleration in this thread. Its been very good to walk with Lenton in this process and to know he's doing all right. It is off-topic, but he is C&V after all!

Mike Mills

I hadn't heard the news but am very glad if Lenton58 and his family are now safe. There are many, many more who are still at risk but it is good to know one of BF's own is now safe.

The Corporation I work for has already donated $0.5M. They also set up a matching grant program, whereby employee contributions will be matched 1:1 up to another $0.5M. Corporation + employee contributions would total $1.5M. I sent in a sizable contribution immediately, so it will get matched.

We have a LOT of people who live and work over there. We had a lot of people on business travel there, too. And, of course, lots of employees have their extended family in Japan.

snarkypup

Our students were brainstorming ideas in their advisory groups today for fundraisers. I think you'll see a response, but it will be slower than the Indonesian Tsunami. At first, the size of the crisis was horrible, but something the local government could theoretically deal with. The meltdown aspect has made the crisis greater and folks are just now starting to take action.

Captain Blight

I would just like to chime in and say that now that at least one runway's open at Sendai airport, it is the crying shame of all the world that there is not an airliner landing or taking off every two or three minutes? This is a fixable problem. Some problems are cheaper to solve than to manage, and I think this falls into that category. Every soul spirited away from that region NOW is one more person who won't need to have food, water, and shelter transported to the disaster zone where they are trying to survive. In both the short and the long haul, mass evacuation to outside the Hot Zone is the cheapest thing to do.

rootboy 

Very glad to hear a C&V member is now out of immediate danger. He has a way to keep us updated on his progress. I think this thread has served its function and run its course.

Lenton58 

Hello Friends,

Yesterday we dug up some tickets and rooted through our accounts for cash because the travel agency would not accept credit cards. Don't know why. Anyway, tomorrow we fly to Seattle and then to Vancouver. Its time to get my boy more acquainted with his half-sister and his Canadian aunt and uncles.

We met up with a close Sendai friend yesterday night in our hotel. This morning he bussed up to Sendai. This must be easier than bussing down. He went up there to rescue his wife who had been stranded in a small town north of Sendai called Kashimaidai where she and her parents have been for a week without food, power or gas in freezing temperatures.

Rod used our car in which we had conserved nearly a full tank of fuel. (Yeah bicycles!) He and his liberated wife also located some other relatives who were living in a house full of mud that had been flooded by the tsunami. Rod was able to take in supplies for these folks. They phoned down to Tokyo to report a very excellent outcome — some good news from the very bleak and disturbed city of Sendai
Everything went very smoothy.

Tokyo is much safer due to the greater distance, and despite some reports, Mari and I have not sensed panic or disturbance. There might have been in the early days of the crisis. This could change, but people seem to be thinking that danger or risk is not an issue.

Today my family and I spent the day with Dawes-man and his partner. Their supreme kindness and hospitality was so sunny as as to lift us right out of anxiety. All of you should be so lucky as to meet these people some day. Thanks, Hugo and Yuka!

At the same time my wife and I feel more than a little bit guilty about leaving so many people we know in Sendai. And we never forget the thousands of struggling communities North of Sendai. Even in Sendai — as I speak — many people are living in refuge shelters, including good Japanese friends of mine.

Tokyo is another planet compared to the north, and even the climate is different. But, people understand what has happened up North and have a lot of empathy for their fellow countrymen.

I have not been able to follow this thread carefully but nevertheless I have been encouraged and touched by the your support and suggestions. As is often the case on BF/CV there has been some articulate and intelligent discussion and sometimes conflicting points of view — such as any good discussion uncovers.

I am now asking the moderator if I should move this thread to BF's discussion forum — not because I am seeing the issues being discussed as any less important than they were but rather because the OT factor might see it more appropriately placed at this time.

BTW, I have a Miyata in storage in Vancouver. I may not have time to service it and ride — but it's there. I would love to ship it to Sendai, but even in the month we plan to stay (assuming a good outcome at the nuke) I don't know if the logistics will support such a thing. That is less than a minor detail compared to everything else. I appreciate the offers made, and it will make me more sensitive to the situation of other members as they may (hopefully not) arise.

Perhaps I will see you all in the general discussion where we can take the focus off my family and direct it on issues that we having to refrain from here.

We are hoping to return to our home in due course to continue our lives, but some of that issue is still to pan out. Whatever the outcome, your compassion for our situation in particular, and for your warm-hearted feelings of the Japanese people in general has made, and will make everything better to bear.

The Japanese people have proven to be truly heroic and forbearing. They have risen to unimaginable hardships and grief in a way that is astonishing as much as it is inspiring. Some of the families on the bus coming down the expressway two nights ago were optimistic that out of this tragedy will come positive things in regards to the polity. I watched graduation ceremonies on TV today — elementary, middle and high school. Some of the children were without family members to glow around the moment — lost in the malestrom ... principals on the edge of tears, crying teachers, the bravery of the children, and clearly the spirit of determination to not give up! Nihonjin wa gamate kudsai!



Best regards and see you later in our common passion — vintage bicycles

Very best regards, Lorne / Lenton58

ColonelJLloyd 

Great report, Lorne. Best to you and yours.

eddubal

Lorne,

You sound so much more rested and calm than your last few posts. It must be a huge relief to get your family out of harm's way.

It's good to hear that you are looking to return and continue your life in Sendai. I know too many people who would just abandon their home in a situation like that. Cheers to you. Good travels and best wishes.

Mike Mills

"Mr. Silk" - Dawes Man :clap:

Good luck to you, too, Lenton58.

CV-6 

An open runway does not necessarily mean that all the logistics to service said aircraft are in place. You cannot always just turn an aircraft around. Then there are the logistics of the people at the airport, passengers and workers.

USAZorro

Lorne,

I am very glad to learn you are safe, and on your way home. I will give some more thought to possibly moving this thread, but my initial inclination is to leave it here. There are no doubt some who have yet to hear your good news, and leaving the thread here will make it easier for them to find it. Also, there are other threads in other sub-forums dealing with essentially the same topic. I have no doubt everyone wishes for only the best for the people affected, and that everyone is doing what they feel they can to help out.

Cheers, and correct me if I'm wrong, but I seem to recall we ride nearly the same size bicycle 55- 57 cm. I think some people in Vancouver are eager to go for a ride with you.

sekaijin

Lorne,

So glad you, Mari and Shoh are safe and on your way. Life is full of unplanned twists and this is a big one with big adjustments ahead. I hope you'll have time to service and ride your Miyata in Vancouver. Your friends here may not be able to help with many things (although my hat is off to the shakers of Canadian cages) but we can help with the vintage cycling, so call on us for whatever you need in that department!

Lenton58 

Yes I am calmer and less stressed out. Long-time, Vancouver friends an family met us at he airport and we had lunch to celebrate.

I hope to have time to ride prepare and ride the Miyata, but I may be too busy with my family to do very much.

Thanks sekajin and others for the offers. (Yes, 56 or 57 may be my size for many frames But I have the Miyata. The tires must be 27 years old! (Amazing! Yes ... I owned then — tempus fugat/time flies!).

I am booking off to get some ZZZ'z Cheers and

the_don

This is crazy, Tokyo is fine.

We are too far for serious radiation here.

Ahh,

I saw Sendai, That's a lot closer than us.

To everyone else here in Japan, "Keep a stiff upper lip and ride this one out"

noglider 

Wonderful reporting, Lorne, and thank you for that. Get some rest!

canyoneagle

Good to hear you have gotten out of the hot zone and are headed home.

bikenut2011

Welcome home Lorne, Glad that you and you family are safe!!



andy

Pars 

Yes, well done getting your family out of there safely! You did the right thing.

Lenton58 

Some Canadians have stirred up quite a controversy here in Canada — and with a lot of help, that includes me.

Thank you very much. We have been surrounded by people like yourself wishing us well, as I am sure other Canadians and other nationals have been in their respective countries. But it appears that some Canadians are squarely opposed to what they refer to as our 'expectations'. Because of my press coverage, they have attacked me specifically for ‘expecting’ my government to help us get out. Actually I was not expecting anything it all. Instead I was hoping.

I understand their point; I'm not even saying that it is wrong. Nevertheless, I have wondered what they would have done if it had been them watching their spouse and child in one eye, and seeing the possibility of thousands and thousands of spent fuel rods poised over a reactor, (utter folly) short of water and for a time exposed in the other? What would they have done if it had been them imagining that these materials may be heating, boiling coolant dry and set to combust as the press seemed to be indicating. They might have said to themselves, (not alarming their respective families) "Hey, this could make hell look like a June day church picnic by comparison."

I thought that I had no choice if an option was available. Besides, they should know that I never wanted to leave Canada. And my wife and I have always wanted to come back, despite the fact that we love Japan very much. Mari and I have done the best we could with the hands that were dealt us. And our choice might have been different had we not had Shoh.

And, am I not an expatriate representing his country in the Japanese forum of education? Do these people advocate that everyone leaving the shores of their country become at risk of losing their citizenship by virtue of regulation and law? Or is it just a matter of riled-up unction? Could either of these dispositions be applied to people in diplomatic and consular duties? — after you are in-county for so long, you are either forcibly recalled, fired, laid off or liable to a fractional subtraction in the public opinion?

Other countries seem to be of the notion that their nationals abroad are extending the culture, character and in many cases the business of the nation into the world forum of exchanges. Perhaps Canada does too. It may be just very difficult to see sometimes in the light of current events and some notable stories. Some of them possess greater drama than ours, like the couple who could not get travel documents to get their three year old into Canada. The press reported that they had filed for the child's documents last November. Britain resolved the problem by offering them appropriate documents on the basis that the father had been borne in Britain.

People like me have been called nationals of convenience. New to me; personally speaking, there isn't now, and there has not been anything convenient about the last twenty years of my life, nor the years of my trying to stay employed in my own country before that. Convenience was not an issue. Economic reality and supporting a family was. And it may have been the same for a great many others working in Japan and elsewhere around the globe.

Enough said about that for now
____________________________________
We are chilling out here with our family. We have a lot of stuff to do ... friends to see ... business to do — some fun too.

The vast majority of my tools are here, and I want to arrange to have them shipped at a later date. And, I want to ship my Miyata back to Japan as well, but the logistics may not be able to handle shipments like this for some time. If I declare to Japanese customs that these goods will follow me, I wonder if there is a time period before which I have to have the goods in transit? I guess I’ll have an afternoon at Japanese consulate.

Yes, I will return. I have to return. If the nuke continues to be unstable and possibly harmful to our city 150 Km or so away, I will return and leave the family here. Someone has to go back and go to work and look after the house — radiation or no. Not convenient, but it may be in the cards.

Daveyates

I'm glad you got back to Canada safe and i think you made the right decision.
Good luck with the future and i hope you can return home and back to normality in the not so distant future.

strock 

Dear Lorne,

I want to say how happy I am that you and your family are safe and sound in Canada. I'm sure it's been a harrowing and grueling experience, and I hope you are able to find some time to relax and have a little fun. You certainly deserve it. I have never been in a situation such as the one you were in (and I hope never to be), but as a husband and father I do understand perfectly your belief that by remaining in Sendai you would have been exposing your wife and son, as well as yourself, to intolerable risks. If I am ever in such a situation, I hope that I will be able to act as wisely as I believe you have done.

As an American, I feel awkward commenting on the backlash that has been directed at you and others by certain of your countrymen. I will say just three things: (1) that I am sorry that you are having to deal with such crap, (2) that I trust those who feel the way that you have described are a small minority, and (3) regrettably, that the same sort of attitude can be found south of the border.

noglider 

I'm learning a lot from you, Lorne. Perhaps I'll learn more from you about these things.

If you risk your health or life by going back, please consider giving up your job and property to stay safe. I know we can't always afford to, but I hope I would make that decision. Think of all the immigrants to Canada and the US who give up everything to come here. I can barely imagine doing that, but that's because I've had the luxury of not needing to.

Kobe 

You did the right thing. Reading your posts I tried to put myself in your place and getting my family as far away from harm as possible would have been my priority. None of these detractors can put them self in your place and understand the fear you felt for your family.

I live within 5 miles of a nuclear reactor and never gave it much thought. Sure we have the Potassium Iodine pills in the medicine cabinet and we do have an escape plan. But when all hell broke loose like it did for you I wonder how we will react. Hopefully I will never find out.

Welcome Back!

Little Darwin

I have been following the thread, and keeping you in my thoughts Lorne...

I hope that you are able to fully enjoy your family during this time, and that thigs get straightened out in Japan for you and the others that are impacted.

clubman 

FWIW, Lorne, no Canadians I know have expressed anything but satisfaction that our government did something meaningful for Canadians in a very difficult situation. Japan was (and is) struggling with thousands dead and missing, unmeasurable damages, lack of food and water, a worsening nuclear crisis...I'm sure they were relieved to have the international community step in to help their own too.

You were in the news so it makes you a mark. It's just water off a duck's back, move on, take care of yourself and family and do what you need to do.