Beaches, Buddhist monks and guinea pigs--oh my!

Because I know everyone is just dying to hear about our weekend . . . (Seriously, is anyone reading this? Leave me some comments so that I know I'm not just wasting my time here!)

My two best boys at the beach.

Logan and I picked Daddy up after work on Friday and we headed out for a couple hours of fun and relaxation at Tropical Beach.

Saturday we explored Camp Hansen (Jake's old stomping ground from the last time he was here, nothing worth taking a picture of there though) and then stopped in at this nearby Buddhist temple, Kin Kannon-do.

The story goes that a Buddhist monk was washed ashore after his boat sunk in a tsunami. In gratitude to the people of the village for helping him out, the monk rid the village of habu (snakes) and made them this golden statue of the Buddha.


The Buddha statue is housed in a cave beside the temple and most of the rest of the cave is used to store awamori (a locally-produced alcohol).

A monk was offering worship while we were there. I took the opportunity to observe (unobtrusively) for a little while; there was a lot of incense-waving, bowing, putting various things into a fire in front of the altar, and towards the end he rang a small bell several times. Not sure what it all meant, but it was interesting.

Not content with one adventure for the day, we decided to visit the zoo on our way back home. Ten points to whoever can correctly identify this animal.

We got to see part of a show where they had the elephants doing various tricks (pulling tires, dunking basketballs with their trunks, etc.)--here one of them is giving the trainer a high-five.

Logan enjoyed the petting zoo.

And, because it seems like the thing to do, I'll throw in another flower shot.

Lotus flower at the zoo.

Tomorrow's agenda: church and ???

Life is Good

For those who are interested in this sort of thing, Logan's naps have made a DRASTIC improvement since we've gotten settled into the house. Whereas the pre-nap routine used to be a solid 10+ minutes of fighting, it has morphed into a pleasant 1-2 minute snuggle. AND--this is the really amazing part!--his normal nap is now about an hour!!! Occasionally we still get 45 minute ones, but just as occasionally we get ones that are an hour and a half! Seems the boy responds well to having some remote amount of stability in his world :) It's good to have a home again.

More reasons life is good: I'm exercising again (and it feels GREAT), I'm reading again (I think I've completed five books just since we've been here), and I'm studying again (learning Japanese, and yes, I'm nerd but I think the studying feels good too). I'm meeting people in the neighborhood (military communities are so much friendlier than the real world--I love it) and the house is coming along really well (got half the living room painted last night and found fabric for my project yesterday). And that, my friends, is why life is good right now. Hope it's good to you too!

Does This Make Us Japanese Tourists?

I'm going to pretend I'm fully caught up now and dig into the real fun with photos of our first major excursion into Japanese/Okinawan culture (sans Logan even!). Jake and I took an all-day tour which included Shuri Castle, a stop at Kokusai-doori for lunch, Fukushu-en (Chinese garden), and Naminoue Shinto shrine.

Translation and explanation:

--Okinawa and the surrounding islands were once their own kingdom and Shuri castle was the home of the Ryukyu kings. Shuri Castle, along with every other castle on Okinawa, was destroyed during WWII but Shuri-jo has been entirely reconstructed as it stood in the 15th century.

--Kokusai-doori (Kokusai Street) is a bustling street in Naha (Okinawa's capital city) with a very international flavor--Indian and Mexican restaurants, a German pub, a Hawaiian steakhouse, etc., intermingled with lots of shopping. Jake and I chose to stick with a traditional Japanese meal this time around: shoes-off, cushion-on-the-floor, and, thankfully, pictures in the menu!

--Fukushu-en ("en" means garden) is a Chinese-style garden. The Ryukyu's did a lot of trading and political negotiation with the Chinese (as well as with Japan and other Southeast Asian countries) and this garden is one example of the Chinese cultural influence.

--A Shinto shrine's most characteristic feature is always the torii gate entrance. Shinto beliefs combine animism with ancestor worship, and it is quite common to find a bit of Buddhism mixed in as well.

Oh, and about the pictures: I tend to find the details more interesting than the standard, full-frame, guidebook-style shots. If you want to see the full front of Shuri Castle, check out Jake's album on Facebook. And thanks for reading!

A Shisa lion guards the entrance to the castle. Btw, you see these things EVERYWHERE in Okinawa!

The front on Shuri Castle's main building, the Seiden, where the king conducted business.

The Shurei-mon or Shurei Gate at the castle--one of many impressive gates.


One of the central features of Fukushu-en is a waterfall down the front of this pile of rocks--the waterfall is just around the corner, you can see the base of it in this picture, where the woman is standing.


A piece of cool statuary on a bridge in the garden.


One of four dragon pillars decoarating one of the garden buildings.


After the bird of paradise shot and then this one (a hibiscus), I've decided that floral photography may be the one area of photography I actually have any knack for--I'm certainly no good capturing portraits or landscapes!


The rather imposing torii gate at the entrance to the shrine.


This is the same sort of drum used in eisa dance--another Okinawan tradition. I'm not really sure what role it plays in Shinto rituals but it was there in the . . . sanctuary? (not sure what to call it) along with the other religious items.


Statue of the Buddha on the grounds of the Shinto shrine.

Thought for the Day

You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life.
--John 5:39-40 NIV

Still catching up--Hawaii 2

Hey all!

Those of you reading this obviously know me, so you should understand why I want you to see this: turtle pics! I just have to go back and show everyone because this was one of the best experiences ever. For those of you who don't share my turtle fascination, there are other amazing Hawaii shots here too.

This is the beach on base, walking distance from L & S's house--what a dream!

(You can walk to the beach from our house here in Oki too; it's not quite as picturesque as this but it has an amazing pirate ship playground!)

And this is Lanikai beach, maybe you've heard of it.

Turtle! Turtle Beach, up on the North Shore, is a natural hang out for these guys. They nibble on the algae then make their way onto the beach to bask in the sun. They don't even seem to notice the people that flock to see them.

We'll get back to more turtle pictures in a minute--I was drawing from multiple cameras so things aren't quite in order here, sorry! In the meantime, this is Logan and I enjoying the water!

Unspeakable cuteness!

Logan and Elena, our two little blond beach babies, chillin' together.

This and the next picture are courtesy of Sarah's super-cool underwater camera. No zoom here; they were literally close enough to touch. Did I mention that this was absolutely amazing?

Great times with great friends

Next stop: Okinawa, Japan . . .

Catching up, Pt. 2--Hawaii

I never thought that Hawaii could actually be as gorgeous as all the pictures I had seen, but it absolutely was and moreso. The island took my breath away so many times, and we had a great, relaxing visit on our way to Japan. If it's not on your list of places to go before you die, it should be!

This would be us when we arrived on the island, in case there is any confusion.

I was in awe of the texture of the mountains the whole time I was there.

Love this shot from the Pearl Harbor memorial.

And my favorite picture--I can't believe I took this--a glorious bird of paradise.

The view from the top of our hike.

The plumeria trees were everywhere, in shades from white to yellow, pink, orange, and deep red.

This is actually looking out over the base--not bad!

Thanks to our fabulous tour guide. It was amazing seeing Hawaii, but getting to see you guys again was best of all!

And our secondary tour guide/zoological expert--thanks to you too!

Coolest thing not picture here: swimming with the sea turtles. Those pics are on Jake's computer right now and I'm not messing with trying to get them transferred tonight. If you want, you can check out on awesome video of me with the turtles on Facebook (thanks again, Sarah!) Maybe I'll get back around to posting a second round of Hawaii pics, maybe I'll skip on ahead to our own Pacific island . . . we'll have to see what kind of a mood I'm in next time. Until then, have a good one!

Catching up, Pt. 1--Logan's 1st Birthday

Check out Logan's first pair of shoes!

Classic smear-the-cake shot--it was ice cream cake.

The after-effects of the ice cream cake on Logan's birthday shirt.

Thanks to all the family who came out for the event!