We Interrupt This Blog For A Rainbow Photo...

The NEXT post will have the rest of the photos from our trip up north.

This morning I was on my way home from the gym and saw the biggest brightest rainbow I'd ever seen. It had gotten significantly lamer by the time I ran upstairs and ran back down with my camera, but I felt the need to capture the rainbow - and with it, the amazing mural that Derek painted on the sea wall the day before the Neathery fam PCSed.


Thanks for leaving us with this masterpiece, Derek.... this won't be the last photo I take of your work of art. I already have some creative ideas...

It's Getting A Little Sad Outside...

The Neathermove has been happening all day. (Here you go, Kenny - a visual!)

It's all a bit too real. They'd better be seriously ready for me to be using my Vonage line to call them while they're in the states. Hopefully I'll remember the time difference. And yeah, their stuff is filling those trucks. It's amazing watching Japanese movers work. I'm rather bummed I missed them carrying the mammoth dining room table down the stairs.

No typhoon... SIGH. Some wind, some rain. I'm hoping we see more rain.

Off to get some cleaning supplies, not sure what's up tonight. Our plans were canceled because of the possible typhoon. Maybe some Wii bowling is in order....

Wa Wa WAAAAAA....

(meant to sound like that trumpet of disappointment)

The bad news is we will probably get some wind and rain, but not a direct hit from a typhoon. The GOOD news is, maybe tomorrow's photo shoot is still on! And maybe we won't be locked in our house so I can still have a fun weekend. Maybe.

But seriously, you'd think the worst storm in history was going to hit if you saw the commissary yesterday - dang, people. You might get stuck at home for a day.... not a month. And if you're power goes out it won't be for long. Just charge up the cell phones, the PSPs and DSes and chill - we live in the concrete jungle, we'll be ok.

I'm disappointed. Oh well.

Nothing For A Year

...and today I get 5 emails and a phone call about this:

Potential category 3 on Friday... HA. Of course, on the weekend. DOH. I can't help but think my "I DON'T THINK..." in this post had something to do with this....

Playing In The Rain

I had so much fun on Thursday. It was Mia's last day of school, and we had plans to go to a Erin's house to take a few pictures of her & her daughters. She's pregnant with #3 - and THIS time it's a boy! I had to post this picture. It's one of my favorites of the day; Erin's older daughter thought of this sign they had upstairs. How perfectly appropriate.

So anyway - of course Mia was with me, and I know she was jealous of the girls having their pictures taken. (although if we go out she's completely over it - ONLY when I'm taking other people's photos does she get jealous)

It started to storm outside, and I love playing in the rain on a warm day. (Something we didn't really get to do in San Diego.)

And I guess I got to show off her cute new layered bob - EVEN shorter this time for the hot sticky summer. Anyway... more soon. I'm hoping to hear from friends of ours that are leaving for Hawaii, I'd love to get to see them one more time. The amount of moving trucks around here is getting downright depressing.

Rain & Food

It was a lovely day. And as I got up from the computer to get ready to pick up the kid at the bus stop, I heard something. RAIN, and wind, and RAIN. So before heading out, I opened the screen door and shot this from there - I couldn't get the camera wet. So it's down through the railing bars on my balcony. Somehow this doesn't depict just how hard it's really raining here right now. Let's just say our jackets & pants are hanging over the shower curtain rod to dry.

70mm, f2.8, ISO 100, SS 1/200
Side note - the "PoR" (Period of Reflection) will continue and will be reassessed on March 3rd. I figured. Here's a tidbit I saw in Japan Update today though - way to go, out-in-town-restaurant people!

Local restaurant fires up the food, delivery services to bases
The lockdown on military bases has some GI’s and family members salivating for some off-base cuisine, and an innovative restaurant owner has stepped up with a delivery service to quench those desires.
Sauce Live Restaurant, popular with those who have a yearning for spicy foods, is now offering delivery service from noon to midnight each day. The service isn’t being offered island-wide, but is available to central bases. The minimum order is dinner for two, the restaurant says, and delivery fees do apply.
Orders can be placed noon to 6.p.m. by calling 090-3954-7833, and to 098-936-0204 from 6 p.m. to midnight. Sauce Live Restaurant says each delivery order will include a free bottle of Sauce Live original hot sauce courtesy of Sauceman.

Thanks, Sauceman!!

For the Birds

I should say for Ryan & my dad - the bird and bird photo enthusiasts. Ornithologists. Feather brains. Anyway...

My father sent this picture from the snowy yard this morning (hello, Mr. Cardinal!). Nice shot, and no - we don't have cardinals here. Nor snowstorms. Though with being stuck at home, I wouldn't mind if it were snowing!
Here are a few I took at Shuri Castle last weekend, all at 400mm, yeah - you read correctly (as I pore through my photos longing to go out and shoot today):

A duck.

A crane (?):

And a really cute little short & squat birdie I rather like. Perhaps a female rock thrush?

More telephone pole fun later. Any requests?

It poured this morning. And our office window was wide open all night long. Craig walked in to find everything that was sitting underneath the office window soaked through. THANK THE LORD our camera equipment & computer is NOT on that side of the room. And thanks to smart Suwanee & Annya putting their photographs in plastic, they were unharmed. Otherwise we are air drying some receipts and file cabinet items, but mostly it was just a pain in the rear. Now I'm running the dehumidifier too - still feels damp in here, and I don't need mold in wintertime. Or any time for that matter. I guess it will be inspiration to clean house a bit in between working on yearbook stuff and photos.

Sakura - Japan's National Flower

The Japanese gave a gift of cherry trees to Washington DC. They bloom every spring, much to the dismay of those with allergies. Cherry blossoms are a big deal in Japan, and Okinawa being sub-tropical - gets the first bunch of blooms. Yes, it's January - but they're in bloom here now.

We headed to Mount Yaedake (aka Mount Yae) for the festival yesterday. It was either raining or drizzling the whole time. Which bummed me out because the camera cannot be out in the rain without a jacket - which we do not have for it. Alas, using an umbrella, and early on "stepping between the raindrops" we got a few shots of the festival and the blossoms.

After we parked, this is the scene we approached; this was at the "base" of the mountain. There were booths with crafts, games, food, food, games... did I mention food?!

The wet blossoms.

Huge selection of fried and grilled ANYTHING (squid on a stick to pork ribs to yakisoba and takoyaki - basically octopus fritters), including soba (mmmm....soup) which I personally lunched on.

This tree had busy bees among its flowers, this is my favorite of the day - and trust me, there weren't many pictures.

I also love this lantern shot taken at the stand where we got lunch. The lanterns were lit and so warm & inviting on a chilly wet day.

As you drive up the mountain, the trees line the narrow windy street as it switchbacks up. The cars are often single-file to avoid hitting branches - and pedestrians with umbrellas!

More through the windshield. If it wasn't raining, I can't imagine how crowded it might've been!

Mount Yaedake is apparently the island’s second highest point at 453.4 meters (1487 feet), and has more than 4,000 Taiwan cherry trees. FYI, the Yaedake area is also the orchids capital of Okinawa. These cherry trees are different from the light pink blooms you see on mainland and in DC (as you can tell from the pictures). They're a darker pink, and they last longer - about a month. Along the streets on the way to and from the area, there are sakura for sale by the branch to put in vases at your home. There are also lots of mikan (tangerines) for sale since they're in season - DELICIOUS!

On the way back toward home (after frustration really ensued from having to take pictures from inside the car....) we promised to visit again on a clearer day, and also to visit Naha in February when the blooms moved south. We also stopped by the Nago City festival, but as it was raining pretty hard and the crowds were kind of crazy, we moved on. We'd had our festival fill for the day. Here's a shot of Nago City from a bridge above it where we definitely weren't allowed to stop. Suwanee rightfully stated a new mantra of mine - "It's easier to ask forgiveness than permission."

Some Photos & Some Happenings

First of all, I'd like to say that our thoughts are with Nick - his loyal and gorgeous 7-year-old basenji, Clyde, passed away quite suddenly on Friday evening after a very quick onset of a kidney problem. Our thoughts are also with Bonnie who will be rather lonely now. Rest in peace, Clyde - and enjoy all those big juicy steaks, places to run & play, and countless other doggie butts to sniff in heaven.

Here in Okinawa the Bowmans are doing just great. Largely because - wait - did you hear that? It's a dog barking nearby - and maybe a child laughing - why did I just hear that? BECAUSE OUR WINDOWS ARE OPEN! You read correctly, the air conditioning is OFF (Craig asked, not so tongue-in-cheek, what we're going to DO with all the utility money we'll save!) and the windows are open and it's downright delightful. That'll put anyone in a better mood! It'll certainly mean we're more likely to get out & about for general adventures and picture-taking and buffoonery, shennanigans, and other sorts of miscreant activity. The weekend was fabulously full of all of the above!

Thursday evening was lovely, and we decided to take a walk on the sea wall after a yummy dinner on base. Time for another cool sunset shot - the clouds let some orange rays through, pretty neat:


So cool out there that we had to WEAR A JACKET! I know, I'm seriously in awe that I even typed that. I found this particular one Mia is wearing at the local San-A department store - gotta love it!

At the north end of the Sunabe Sea Wall, there's a little place called the Hearth Cafe - they put together the words "heart" and "earth" to form the name, and I think it's sweet. The food - incredible. I've had a shrimp avocado and cream cheese sandwich on walnut bread that was to DIE for. Anne tells me the rice bowls are delicious. But their coffees & sweets are fabulous too - here's the kid about to dig into some ice cream:
And here is a plate of hearth toast next to my caramel cream latte - that toast is buttered, toasted, and served with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, and maple syrup. Oh jeez. And I had a chocolate cake that was pretty darn wonderful as well - with some berries.

After dessert it was pretty much dark out. Since we had the Canon with us, we started playing using the sea wall as a tripod. We left the shutter open for a few exposures and here's what we got:

Really cool how the ocean looks so soft, because the waves were moving the whole time.
Friday evening the Neathery fam talked us into pitching in (a glorious $2.50/hour for our kid) to get a babysitter and we all headed to Somchai, a Thai restaurant nearby. Derek is in the Army, and has traveled to Thailand several times. I took their word for it when they told me this was some of the best Thai food ever; better than some food they'd eaten in Thailand for sure.

We ate like kings and queens and LOVED it. Hands down the best Thai food I've ever had. I'm going for lunch tomorrow - I will bring my camera to show you the happy goodness that is produced at Somchai. We had a fabulous evening - I have to say, that Neathery family is just our kind of bunch, such fun.

Saturday morning I had a couple of great shoots and enjoyed the company of my wonderful cohort Meredith and assistant Erin. Poor Meredith was excited to escape her home where her boys, 1 and 2 1/2, passed lovely hand foot & mouth disease to each other and were generally miserable and keeping their cooties under lock and key for over a week. I was so happy that not only were they doing better, but that she had the chance to escape!

Then I went to Mia's soccer game for the 2nd half, and then we came home, changed up and I took Mia to a doggie wash benefiting the Okinawan American Animal Rescue Society (OAARS). We presented Ms. Owen, the treasurer of the organization, with the $100 donation from Mia's birthday party. She was thrilled, and explained to Mia that the money goes toward taking care of the doggies and kitties and other animals that come there and need shots and other medical attention. She was just happy she got to pet animals and hold leashes for a while. It ends up that Ms. Owen is a kindergarten teacher at BHPS and her class is across the hall from Mia's class! Today she brought by a thank you note for Mia - hand decorated with stickers & stuff - so sweet!

Sunday we decided to walk around Gate 2 street area (behind Kadena Air Base) and play with the camera.




Then we hit a park up on a hill on our way back - had a pretty nice view:
And a roller slide that massaged my bootie. Lovely. And yep - I chopped the hair again - and I'm so happy with the cut! I should've done it weeks ago.
All the pictures can be found here.

Snorkeling Pictures

Bless those Neathery people. They have an under-water digital camera. Here are a few shots - the first couple are from right here by our very own half a block away sea wall area, snorkeling around on Friday afternoon. Then on Saturday we went to Maeda Flats - huge area up north, but the tide was rather low so the water was shallow. We'll go exploring again very soon - we have to get our time in because the air and the water will get colder soon.

It's so much FUN! It's the closest I'll get to diving with Mia out here, but that's ok, I love doing this with her - she's always so into it she doesn't want to leave.

Here's my kid - assuming a position she's going to be in for the next hour.
Here's me! This is straight out from the sea wall:

Anne swam underneath the kid to get this one
These guys are so bright blue I'm pretty sure they glow in the dark:
Butterfly fish (one of the few names I know, I gotta get me a reference book...)

Cool stripey fish & sea urchins:
This is a great one Anne shot of a stonefish. I think you can figure out why that's what it's called. It does have venomous spikes, you don't want to step on it.
I don't remember what this is, but it's everywhere - really cool colors. I think there's some kind of snake under it. These next few are from Maeda Flats - an area about 25-30 minutes north of us.
These last ones oI shot one of Mia & Anne. That kid won't even take her head out of the water to listen for photographic direction. Sheesh.



Let me also report that the weather has been spectacular this past few days- downright San Diego-esque. 78 and less humid! Perfect for snorkeling and I actually OPENED MY WINDOWS today! I am so happy there's an end to summer... they tell me I'll be "cold" soon. I'll believe it when I see it. More pictures soon - I won't ignore the blog this week.

Out Of The Mouths Of Babes

As I sit here lamenting our pathetic Norv Turner-coached Chargers, I remembered I wanted to share the Mia quote of the weekend.

In case this typhoon came over us and was worse than expected, I hit the local grocery store for milk and some other non-perishable items, to include chips & chocolate. Friday morning when Mia got home on the bus at 10:30am, I explained that in case we were stuck inside we had charged up the Nintendo DS, the portable DVD, and I'd gotten some junk food - NOT to be consumed as soon as we got home. (I had an apple and some pretzels for her morning snack!)

We hung around inside the house, keeping tabs on "Nari" to see if she'd come our way, and at one dark & rainy point around 2:30 pm, Mia came into the living room, hand on hip, head cocked to the side and declared,

"I suppose we could eat some junk food...."

Here We Go Again

It's unbelievable how this always happens on a weekend, and by the locals' accounts, it's always that way. We're hunkerin' down for Typhoon Nari. Though after Man-Yi, this one's looking rather lame. (that long island to the northwest of the cloud blob would be us) 75mph winds? PSHAW, I say... after enduring 100mph winds, that just doesn't seem eventful.
Of course, it won't hit until about 9 or 10 tonight - it's only 12:30pm now. Craig & Mia are both home. Mia actually went to school on the bus and was brought back at 10:30. I don't know what category this sucker is, but since I didn't even know about it until this morning, I figure it can't be that horrible. I just hope we don't get our power knocked out overnight. It's going to be hard to sleep through the winds anyway.

I'm thinking of my poor neighbors, Anne & Derek - she's due with kid #4, boy #3 in the next 2 weeks and so tired of being pregnant. She hoped for a typhoon because she figured it meant she'd go into labor. Unfortunately, the doctors are making her come in to the hospital to stay there for the night. And Derek (hubby) isn't allowed to sleep there, so if she delivers overnight he won't be with her. THAT sucks. So Anne have that little boy, but just hold him in until we're back to TC-Recovery status, ok?

Movies and pictures of Nari to come...

It'll Never Get Old

I peeked outside when I caught a glimpse of the light at sunset this evening through our kitchen window. We'd had an early dinner, so I grabbed the 17-55 lens and ran downstairs and out to the sea wall.

If I could only decorate my walls here.... sigh.... the prints would be everywhere!

It had been raining throughout the late afternoon. It cleared just at sunset time, but there was another storm to the north of us on its way down. Lightning flashed on the purple-black part of the sky and it faded into the sunset hues on the clearer part. But the clear part was still host to some storm clouds leftover. The weather can make for some very cool lighting out there. Hope you enjoy these. Nothing can convey the beauty of light, but these are pretty close to what I saw tonight. They're all pretty good size pictures here, if you want to click on them to check them out closer. A few are grainy due to low light, but I still think they're pretty good.

This one was looking toward the south. Those towers toward the middle right are by Camp Kinser. I rested the camera close to the sea wall in the foreground, but not on it - it was really wet.

This one pointed directly toward the setting sun. You can see the rain falling in the distance from one of the clouds, and the breaks between them too.

This is looking back at our street from the sea wall. Almost looks like a different night with all that blue sky. It wasn't really that dark right over us, otherwise I wouldn't have risked the camera being out in the rain. You can see the reflection of the sunset on the windows on the left. Our building is the beach one behind it.

And this really shows the storm heading down. The sun had gone down a little more by the time I shot this, but that storm was brewing and there was lightning and thunder coming from it - so I didn't stay out much longer.


And I shot this from the street behind the sea wall, just looking up. I couldn't get enough of the colors and the clouds!
On the way back, I shot this at the vending machine by the dive shop next door. I like this picture.