Emerald Beach & Pizza in the Sky

On a whim last weekend, we trekked up to Emerald Beach. It's just north of the Churaumi Aquarium, and it's a gorgeous and friendly spot. (I blogged about the folks we met on the photography blog - too funny!)

I mean really. It's quiet, secluded - we paid 500¥ to rent a beach umbrella like this one and relaxed all afternoon.


Then we drove up a really big hill, through turns and twists I can't even explain - I think we turned around about 4 times because we said, "There's NO WAY this could be right.... look at this little street!"

Then we spotted some Y-plates and said, "FOLLOW THEM!" At the top of the hill, after parking and then coming around the corner and putting your name in at the front stand, you walk past the outdoor tables and see this.
Sesoko Island is there in the distance with the bridge, if you can see it. Obviously we know why this is referred to as "Pizza in the Sky". Gorgeous.

We sat with some friends and the couples they had arrived with - there were a good bunch of us, with a good bunch of kids. This is the menu:

Don't you just love that? And by the way... it's not kinds of pizza - it's just PIZZA. You get what they give you, in a small or medium pie. Done.

I ordered a guava juice for Mia - and it came in a glass cube.

Mmmm... this is the scrumptious salad. It was GOOD. Though we made the mistake of ordering one each (for Craig & I) and should've shared one!

Now tell me... wouldn't the world be a better place if iced tea were served with a little pinch-pot with tiny flowers and its own bingata place mat on this tray? More examples of Japanese presentation. So lovely (and yes, they laughed at me for taking a photo of it - but I mean really, look at it!).

Pizza. The rounds were somewhere between a hot dog and a sausage. Green pepper, corn (Of course - something about Japan is that pizza has corn on it. It just does.) and delicious sauce and cheese - wow. We ate too much.
In the evening while on our way back the sun began to set. And wow - it was a crying shame we couldn't pull over when we saw it go all the way down behind the silhouette of the hills and the ocean. It was incredible. But we did stop when we saw the amazing golden light in a marina on our way to the expressway.

There were a couple of guys out there fishing. And I'll tell you, there were fish literally JUMPING in this area. Mia, Craig and I were watching in amazement as rather large fish leapt from the water and splashed back down!

Such a pretty spot, isn't it? I've been meaning to take photos of this - so I was happy when we passed it at just the right time.
Hope you enjoyed this! I'm thinking the next photos you might see here are of Mia's first day of 1st grade.... heaven help me.

End Of Summer Fun

Hi there! A few things to report to you, wonderful readers who I've neglected quite a bit this summer. This post is about the last day of swim, then I'm doing one on Pizza in the Sky and Emerald Beach if I can finish before having to make dinner.

Due to the fact that I only posted a couple of animated gifs in the last post, I figured I'd give you a better look at the photos from the last day of swim class.

Much to our dismay, though she is a very strong swimmer - Mia is no diver.
Yeah, wow. Look at that form. Even Mia saw this and said, "My legs are supposed to be straight." No duh. However, when I saw Tara's daughter dive in, I felt a bit better about it....
It still cracks me up that my kid points her fingertips toward the water as if the perfect dive is going to happen - and then leaps in feet-first.

She WAS, however, very happy to receive her certificate.
Level 4 is a big jump from level 3. It's goes from 25 minutes to 50 minues, for one thing. And now the kids swim in the lanes. Mia was fine with this as long as it was for backstroke or for flirting with the boy students in the class.

The last day of swim was rather sad for the Camp Adventure swim teachers, most of whom were from Iowa and California. Much like others who are new here, they were amazed at the quality of the toenail art to be found at Cocok - so they took the trip just before returning home.

Eight girls, one guy - Prince Charming. Who struck this pose the moment I had the girls lie down on their tummies for this shot!

A bit bigger version fo the sideways swan dive. This was just so priceless - Prince Charming, you're a hoot!

Last Day of Swim!

The Camp Adventure staff at the pool on the last day of swim...Haha! how cool is this?

Or this (the princesses all pushed Prince Charming in, and this is what the result was):

Just having a little fun on this site. Thanks, Katherine & Shannan!

A few more from the day are very soon to come. I've been busy and your eyes shall benefit. The calm before the storm! (I hope.)