Okinawa Hikers & Space A

This is NOT an unusual sight here. As many friends can attest.

This photo was taken on the rocks at Cape Manzamo:



Let's zoom in for the footwear, shall we? (Not that the guy's flip-flops are the best choice, and not that they were in for a day of hiking or anything - but REALLY? THESE!?)I remember seeing many pairs of spiked heels on the Japanese women at Shuri Castle and other attractions here in Okinawa; attractions where a lot of walking, climbing of stairs, and hiking are happening. And comfortable shoes are a must for me on those types of days. Well - whatever. Bless their little vertically-challenged hearts. I guess they want to make their legs look longer.

In other news. I should be gone right now. Yesterday our family of three sat at the space A terminal for a while, hoping to hop to Hawaii. I have to admit - the terminal is nice (tvs, a snack bar with good unhealthy foods, a kids' room with cartoons playing...) and the wait wasn't torturous, we met nice people and such.

For those who don't know the space A game - a quick lesson. You get on a list via paperwork from hubby's (or spouse's) command when you want to take a space-available flight somewhere. For example, we want to go to Hawaii. There are categories of priority (a basic list, there are other people in these categories - full list here):
Category 1: emergency leave/medical or active duty on orders
Category 2: active duty or DoDDS teachers on leave flying alone or with family members (in our case, he is coming WITH us so we're all there together and we're higher priority to fly because he's coming along)
Category 3: family members of an active duty member who is deployed, or active duty people going to house hunt, etc.
Category 4: family members flying without active duty member (would be Mia & me if Craig wasn't joining us)
Category 5: retirees & family members

We were in great shape. Another factor is that Craig has to be on leave to get on the list, the longer you're on the list, the higher priority you get (so if we showed up and some other active duty member just got on leave on July 5th - the fact that we've been on leave since the 28th bodes very well for us - we'd go first if there were enough seats).

So - seats are a factor, priority/category, and flights. The reason you go through this little dance and play the waiting game and potentially not get on? IT IS FREE. A free flight to Hawaii is totally worth a little dancing.

For all of us it's our first time doing this space A thing. SO...we show up, check in, and they announce there's a big plane leaving soon with 35 available seats. WOO HOO! That's a lot of seats. We were hopeful.

They called up an emergency leave family and a family who was ahead of us via category 2, and then they called us! WOW - amazing. We got boarding passes. We ordered meals. We checked our bags. And we went to the gate. This is awesome! Mia was jumping up and down, and I was right there with her! Then it happened. As they were checking in the family in front of us, we hear, "They're not going to Hawaii anymore." WHAT? In the next few minutes we heard everything from "it's flying to Iwakuni [mainland Japan] and on to Elmendorf, Alaska" to "they just don't feel like going to Hawaii" to "it's landing in Iwakuni as the final destination", but the point was... we got our meal money back and our bags off the plane,and realized we just had the biggest tease of our lives.

I've heard of people getting stuck in places, having a crazy circuitous trip around the world to try to get home, or just not getting to fly out at all - but HAVING BOARDING PASSES IN HAND, BAGS ON PLANE AND THEN - POOF - NADA!? That was a first. We went back to the terminal and another flight was called with very few seats and that category two family in front of us got to go. That was pretty heart-breaking too. Then Mia started to cry when I explained we wouldn't be leaving today. I wanted to cry with her, but I didn't. I just explained we'd try again next time. I sure hope it happens for us because we have a great trip planned. It's going to be really hard not to be disappointed if it doesn't.

But by the evening we were watching So You Think You Can Dance (HOORAY, best show ever!) and enjoying dinner with wonderful friends. As Mia kissed me goodnight she said, "Let's hope we get on the next plane, ok, Mama?" Yes, let's.

Macau Engrish

My favorite sign on my Hong Kong/Macau journey was at Fernando's in Macau. After quite a bit of wine and sangria, I headed to the bathroom. I went back for my camera to take this photo of the sign on the back of the door.


Apparently incoherent people are common in the bathroom in Macau. Makes sense.

And a quick shot that I've posted on Facebook already of Mia in the pouring rain with the sunset behind her. Typical Okinawa summer. The sunsets are killer once again - but a little more rain would make them even better!

LOVE this.

Thank you Creme de la Mode - for this funness...

Make your own MUPPET!

That might even be worth $90...

Construction Worker

Just THINK how much money we'd save if we stopped paying that one guy to wave traffic by. If we just made these guys:
His right arm swings back and forth with a light on the end so that from a little way back you can see there's a lane closure ahead. I'd bet his arm never gets tired!

Thanks to Val for the photograph; I was driving.

Hi there, Stranger.

Well - the biz has launched. And thankfully between that and some other commitments - I'm busy. But I miss blogging, dangit! So here I am. There WILL be photos of a recent trip up waaaaay north with 3 new photog friends. We had a very good time and I'm happy to say that with the 2nd of a few photog friends leaving this week (sniff), and a 3rd on her way in December - I'm VERY happy to find others I'm having fun shooting with.

So. More on that when I get to editing those photos after the paid stuff is done. (My priorities are in the right place.)

I saw something on Jasmine Star's blog that made me want to give it a shot. Humor me. (The stuff in caps is there, but I fill in the rest.)

I AM … a thirty-something mom, wife, daughter, and friend.
I WANT… a healthy family and an endless supply of sushi.
I HAVE … an adoring amazing hubby and a kid, parents, and friends that support me and love me. I'm lucky.
I KEEP … sentimental crap that I should probably throw away. Sigh.
I WISH I COULD … fly. Wouldn't that be cool? Or just put more hours in a day - or make it so that eating everything you wanted wouldn't make you gain a pound. I'm working on that.
I HATE … mean people.
I FEAR … large hairy spiders and death. I don't want to die before I can enjoy every bit of this life.
I HEAR … my husband playing the drums with his fingers and my daughter reading out loud.
I DON’T THINK … we're going to get a typhoon this year. (HA, see? I want one so I figured I'd make that prediction.)
I REGRET … not having more time with my grandparents.
I LOVE …so many things... the smell of Mia's hair and how it feels to hug her, being in my husbands arms, going out to eat with my family or friends and laughing and talking and laughing. And I love taking pictures.
I AM NOT … a reader. I want to be. But I'm a skimmer now - I don't have the patience. I miss books.
I DANCE … when great 80's or 90's music comes on and makes me think of high school and college days.
I SING … in the car. All the time. And every other chance I get.
I NEVER … thought I'd be living in Okinawa!
I RARELY … exercise. But that's about to change (more on that later).
I CRY WHEN I WATCH … ok, this list is very long - any sad movie, long distance commercial, my kid do something grown-up, weddings, babies being born....
I AM NOT ALWAYS … good at being politically correct and sensitive. I have strong opinions.
I HATE THAT … time is going by so fast I feel like it's zooming. Stop!
I’M CONFUSED ABOUT … investments. I want to be a grown-up, but I don't know anything about the stock market or mutual funds or any of that. Thankfully Craig does.
I NEED … (technically food, water, sleep and that's it... but, it's ME we're talking about) a Canon fisheye lens, about 5 more hours in a day, more live music, a bigger external hard drive, and a clothes shopping spree.
I SHOULD … spend more time playing with Mia. When I do it - I love it.

Well, that was fun. Try it if you like.

In other news, Craig shaved his head. He said he'll let me take a picture tomorrow. I'm NOT used to it, and I hope he'll grow back what little there was. It's surprising that shaving off a small amount of hair makes that much of a difference in the way he looks.

He told me over the phone, and I didn't tell Mia - so when he walked in the door from work and took off his cover I heard, (........silence) "What happened to your hair, buddy?!?" Who IS this kid?!

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.)

This Is So Cool!

Thanks, Mom.... This is so amazing!

I'm slacking again, I know. The time I get in front of the computer is being used to put together MANY things for the biz. I'll be back soon, I promise!

Mia's last day of swim is tomorrow - sniff - and we're getting haircuts. We'll definitely share some photos of that.

And this week is Obon - a very big deal Okinawan holiday. (you may remember last year's festivities) So I'm certain there will be more interesting things to photograph this year! We will seek it out.

Tonight Before Dinner

Craig was putting away Connect Four after a rousing game with Mia, and saw the Scrabble box in the closet. Some smack-talkin' began, and I asked if he cared to make it interesting. We have a bet going now, and let's just say it's DEFINITELY interesting. We'll see if it happens.

So as I was finishing putting together dinner, and the smack-talking was in full force, he said...

"I will beat you due to my DEVASTATING..... ah....... what's the word......."


"VOCABULARY!"

Spottings In Hawaii In the Small World Category

So the Turner family moved to Hawaii. As you may know. I'm in touch with Kanoe of course via email as my plan is to go visit. Definitely. More than one family to visit (HI, Edith!)

I got an email from Kanoe yesterday. The house they're renting in Hawaii? It belongs to my neighbor Maggie's aunt.

Kanoe headed to the landlady's house to pay the rent and Maggie happens to be there visiting with Chuck (her hubby) and her two daughters and spotted Ella and recognized her from my photos!

Craig and I about died when we got that email. The world keeps shrinking.

In other news - I'm busy! DUH.

Mia is loving t-ball and swimming, and is also playing piano begrudgingly. I hope she starts getting it soon, I'm tired of being the bad guy when I say, "Time to practice!"

This weekend is full with not one but TWO photo shoots and I can't wait! More to come on that on my photography blog (which I WILL update soon, promise!).

I went snorkeling yesterday with Anne and had such an amazing time we're bringing the kids today! (Wonderful Derek took the kids ALL FIVE OF THEM to t-ball practice, so we had a couple of hours to go play..... oh it was heaven!) Today we'll take their camera that we can use underwater and hopefully I can hook you up with some local snorkeling scenery. Let's just say there were plenty of moorish idols, parrot fish, tangs, clown fish, butterfly fish, wrasses, giant clams, and triggers to name a few. And the coral.... wow.

Things That Make You Go, "Mmmmm?"

Every so often (ok, almost every single time) at the grocery stores out in town, you'll pass by a Japanese twist on some American candy creation. As my friend Jen says... the saying in Okinawa is, "Why not?"

Hot soba soup on a 90 degree sticky sub tropical day? Why not?
Garlicky pasta restaurant and an ice cream parlor under one roof? Why not?


Chocolatey KitKat goodness - in watermelon flavor? Why not?

I was intrigued, to say the least. I like chocolate, I like watermelon - how bad could it be? I mean they do have curry-flavored Pringles, and wasabe-flavored Doritos out here.

So I opened the bag, and instantly it smelled of sweet watermelon Jolly Ranchers. These little snacky dudes came out:


What's inside looks like a regular KitKat snack bar, but since there is no smellivison yet - world wide sniff? Monodor... ooh, I like that one - I'll tell you. It's a kit kat that has watermelon flavor in it. I can't describe it, that's just what it is. And it's odd - but yet, still chocolatey enough to be kind of good. Will I buy another bag? Probably not.

Interesting side note - the other day as I was coming upstairs, a homeless man came up to me. He was holding a small bottle of that bright blue Gatorade. He was pointing and asking, "Drinku? Drinku?"

Finally I pieced it together and said, "YES! You drink that, it's ok to drink. Hai."

Honestly - the stuff could be a Windex refill, I mean nothing naturally occurs in that color - and the bottle was in English.

Poor Piggies

(I've mentioned a couple of times that pork is kind of a popular thing here in Oki....)

Don't you think this should be on an Okinawan funny page somewhere? If the locals understood this they'd laugh their heads off. 

Unbelievable Coincidence

I have blogged about this tiny tiny island and how everyone seems to know each other. So much so that we end up spending holidays with folks we meet randomly at lunch several weeks prior.

But the coincidence thing is just getting out of hand. Ever mention something totally random and weird, like say - fried Twinkies - and then it comes up in a couple of other ways? That happens to Craig & I on a very VERY regular basis. I could cite examples, but this most recent one takes the freaking cake.

This past Sunday afternoon, as we were driving, we saw cars stopped in the middle of a road on base. As it turns out, there was a kitten out there and they were trying to grab him to get him out of the busy street. (I DO hope he made it out ok) It made me recall and tell a story about saving a turtle. I was in Maryland in the mid-90's and was driving probably to my friend Julie's house in Gaithersburg, and I saw a turtle in the middle of a rural road. He (or she) was going so slowly, I figured some speeding maniac would hit the little guy. So I pulled to the side and lifted him up and placed him in the grass on the side of the road. Small victory for an animal lover.

This morning as I was about to wake Mia for her 3rd-to-last day of school, my cell phone rang. It was Craig. And he states with a smile in his voice that he just got back into the car on route 26 after moving a turtle he saw in the middle of the road. We laughed a bit and then I had to go get the kid up. (I also referred to the ongoing joke of, "we should buy a lottery ticket".)

Funny coincidence - but not done yet. Hold on to your shorts, people.

I dropped off Mia at the bus stop, and returned home to read up on my Google Reader (it is how I keep up with the photography blogs, mommy blogs, and friend blogs - it just lists them and puts up the new posts), and I came to Elizabeth's blog. E, a fabulous photog from gorgeous upstate NY, found me through another photographer's blog I follow, super duper Marine wife and talented photog Deb Schwedhelm's. (You put your link in the comments, and voila - you've found someone else to blurk. blog+lurk=blurk.) I digress.

Today's post had some beautiful family photos and scenery around the area, and almost as an aside, ended with this:

It's just totally random weird life kinda stuff, but I mean really - WHO is trying to tell me WHAT about flippin' TURTLE SAVING!?

I'm Not Sure Where To Begin With This One...

Nee Poo

We were walking in historic Zoar Village in Ohio with Mia, Craig, my brother-in-law Ridge, and his girlfriend Jaime. Mia is a great reader now. She takes every opportunity to practice her new skill and shows off as well. As we were walking down the main street of the tiny town on a gorgeous spring day, Mia proclaimed:

"That sign says NEE POO!"

We were in the middle of a conversation, so the others didn't really hear her or give it much thought, but I was thinking to myself... nee poo? How on earth would she mispronounce something that would end up sounding like that. Nee poo. Neh po. No. Doesn't make sense. She said it again, which prompted me to turn around, and I saw one of these.

We were still walking up to it from behind when she read the flag as that bright sun shined right on through.

The word "nee poo" has now been inducted into the Bowman vernacular. And we may have to test her for dyslexia.

Random Thought...

What kind of gifts do you think Dr. Phil gives to Oprah? What exactly says, "Thank you for giving me a life!"

Can You Tell Me How To Get...

First of all, notcot.org is a fun site. Just putting that out there - I got the dish stickers from it, and now this gem.

I love Sesame Street. And I remember vividly this first clip (#3) on this post - about visual thinking. The other two - I do not, but you can see the evolution. I'm really considering picking up those "Old School" Sesame Street videos for Mia. Notcot, I have no idea why people don't make great shows like this anymore - probably because Jim Henson and Frank Oz aren't involved in television anymore. I'm with you, though, Kermit is a cool cat. Frog. Whatever.

Think We'd Get In Trouble For This?

Some brilliant soul decided to make DISH STICKERS!! Too bad this is kind of gay-pride rainbow, otherwise I would seriously get one (Not that there's anything wrong with that.... don't ask don't tell). Just to see the look on the guy who took back my satellite dish at the end of our tour here. What, dude? It came like that.

Improv Everywhere

I follow this group because I think what they do is interesting and often very funny and fun. The latest project is a masterpiece; over 200 improv everywhere people froze in place at the same moment for 5 minutes at Grand Central Station's main terminal. 

BRILLIANT!

Click here to view the movie, story & stills.

Garbage - or Ice Cream?

I've been DYING to post this. There are a few things here that I want to post but can't seem to catch when I have my P&S handy (since it has a video camera). Today was the day.

Behold - the sounds of garbage collection day in Japan:



The regular trash truck is larger and looks like a white mini-version of an American garbage truck with a hibiscus flower painted on it. The engine is also almost silent, just the sounds of this same ice cream truck song. Imagine our disappointment when there were no bomb pops.

Last Night

Each school day, Mia brings home a library book of her choice. Part of her homework is to read said book, or sometimes if it's complicated, we help out. She tends to guess at words by looking at pictures instead of sounding them out. So a page with a big mouse on it that says he's going to the "movies" reads "going to the mmmmmmouse??"

It's frustrating because we KNOW she can do this reading thing, but she keeps guessing instead of just sounding out the word. So last night, Craig was having her read the book and I heard the same thing happening and made a decision. "Mia - we're going to find some kindergarten-level books with no pictures so that you will try to sound out the words and not guess what they are."

"Noooooooooo! I don't like books like that! I like the pictures! That's BORING!"

"What do you mean? I'm not saying we're never reading books with pictures, I'm saying we'll get a couple of simple books that will be easy for you to read - with a few challenging words to sound out. Just no pictures."

(Sarcastic tone ensues.)

"...what's the book gonna be called, 'The Blank Page'???"

Thanks, Mom. The curse you laid on me to have a child just like me, you'll be happy to know that worked.