Cannon's clock showing the temperature in his room. 62 degrees!
Friday, December 31, 2010
Clackity-clack
Cannon's clock showing the temperature in his room. 62 degrees!
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Ferris Wheel
If you've ever paid any attention to the photos I've posted of sunsets, you will see that there is a giant Ferris wheel silhouetted against the setting sun. Down in a part of Okinawa called "American Village" (conveniently located just outside our base) there sits an enormous Ferris wheel which makes its slow, continuous turns all day, every day. At night it's lit up by ever changing colored lights, and during the day, it's a proud red and white landmark set off by a giant "Coca-cola" sign in the middle.
Way back when we first came on island, we took a spin on the Ferris wheel at night. We thought it would be neat to see the lights of the island from the top of the wheel. It was fun, with probably the most fun being Stevie's face as he bravely faced (with the help of a few cocktails) his fear of heights. Ever since then, I've been meaning to go back during daylight hours to check out the real view.
So today was a beautifully clear (albeit breezy) day and I decided to take the kids around the wheel again. Conveniently, Stevie was working so he didn't have to go again! The views were beautiful as we took in the sights from 45 meters in the air (about 150 feet)! The complete rotation of the wheel takes 15 minutes so you get plenty of time to look around.
As always, the signs had to say something funny. When the kids asked me what the man was doing, I told them he was showing the other guy his "willy". So London interprets the sign as "no taking pictures of willies" (at least while on the Ferris wheel)! The other funny thing is that there were signs everywhere cautioning you not to take food or drink on the Ferris wheel, but there were cup holders in the cages!
Way back when we first came on island, we took a spin on the Ferris wheel at night. We thought it would be neat to see the lights of the island from the top of the wheel. It was fun, with probably the most fun being Stevie's face as he bravely faced (with the help of a few cocktails) his fear of heights. Ever since then, I've been meaning to go back during daylight hours to check out the real view.
So today was a beautifully clear (albeit breezy) day and I decided to take the kids around the wheel again. Conveniently, Stevie was working so he didn't have to go again! The views were beautiful as we took in the sights from 45 meters in the air (about 150 feet)! The complete rotation of the wheel takes 15 minutes so you get plenty of time to look around.
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| Going up... |
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| London's not looking so sure of this ride? |
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| Mommy and Emmy having fun! |
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| View south toward Naha |
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| View east - you can see our house in the very top left corner, right in front of a patch of dark green trees. |
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| View west out over the East China Sea |
As always, the signs had to say something funny. When the kids asked me what the man was doing, I told them he was showing the other guy his "willy". So London interprets the sign as "no taking pictures of willies" (at least while on the Ferris wheel)! The other funny thing is that there were signs everywhere cautioning you not to take food or drink on the Ferris wheel, but there were cup holders in the cages!
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| One of the signs going into the Ferris wheel. |
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Christmas Day '10
Merry Christmas everyone! It was another successful Christmas for us - those kids must have been good at some point this year when Santa was watching!
All three of the kids got what they asked Santa for. A "Belle" (from Beauty and the Beast) doll for Emmy.
London got a huge transformer.
And a Bakugan Wii game for Cannon. He also got a Kindle! What else do you get a kid who always has his nose stuck in a book???
My favorite present were the three kokeshi dolls that the kids bought (and wrapped!) for me. Kokeshi dolls are Japanese wood dolls and I've begun a collection. I love that I now have an Emmy, London and Cannon kokeshi too!
Steve got a nice framed drawing from Cannon.
Emmy got her first bike that she was quite excited to ride, except it was a cool, rainy day so we only got a short ride on it. We'll have to watch her as we live on the top of a rather steep hill - I hope I never see her speeding off the edge!
We had a really nice dinner with one of Stevie's corpsmen joining us who was alone. I was glad that he decided to join us and get out of the barracks. The younger enlisted guys get a raw deal over here and are really limited in their priveledges so I was glad this guy got a home cooked meal on Christmas.
After dinner we had an assortment of neighbors over for desserts and a bonfire. With the cool weather, it really was beginning to feel a lot like Christmas...
All three of the kids got what they asked Santa for. A "Belle" (from Beauty and the Beast) doll for Emmy.
London got a huge transformer.
And a Bakugan Wii game for Cannon. He also got a Kindle! What else do you get a kid who always has his nose stuck in a book???
My favorite present were the three kokeshi dolls that the kids bought (and wrapped!) for me. Kokeshi dolls are Japanese wood dolls and I've begun a collection. I love that I now have an Emmy, London and Cannon kokeshi too!
Steve got a nice framed drawing from Cannon.
Emmy got her first bike that she was quite excited to ride, except it was a cool, rainy day so we only got a short ride on it. We'll have to watch her as we live on the top of a rather steep hill - I hope I never see her speeding off the edge!
We had a really nice dinner with one of Stevie's corpsmen joining us who was alone. I was glad that he decided to join us and get out of the barracks. The younger enlisted guys get a raw deal over here and are really limited in their priveledges so I was glad this guy got a home cooked meal on Christmas.
After dinner we had an assortment of neighbors over for desserts and a bonfire. With the cool weather, it really was beginning to feel a lot like Christmas...
Friday, December 24, 2010
Christmas Eve '10
Our neighbors - ie. our family away from family – decided to do a progressive dinner this Christmas Eve, but for lunch instead of dinner. We have such wonderful neighbors and friends here and we have lots of get-togethers (impromptu and planned) and this was another wonderful effort. Joe, aka Papa Joe, made his famous grilled turkey which is unbelievably good and everyone else made the sides. Then we ventured over to Liz and Don’s to have a smorgous board of desserts.
It’s so nice to have such a friendly neighborhood where everyone chips in to help everyone else. Of all the places we’ve lived, we’ve never experienced such a camaraderie and it’s going to be hard to leave this in the summer. Right now, we’re thankful for what we have, which is a true community of caring, friendly neighbors. Thank you neighbors!
After a bonfire and light supper, we prepared the kids for bed tonight. They are SOOO excited for Santa to come. I've never had so many questions about his habits and methods as London bombards me with. It is a very fun time! We had our usual routine of reading "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" (next year, Grandpa, it will be you who reads it!) and "'Twas the Night Before Christmas" then laid out Santa's cookies along with a really sweet card from London.
London and Emmy, sprinkled the yard with reindeer feed (Ms. Kelly's yard, too, so she would get presents!).
Then we checked NORAD (http://www.noradsanta.org/) one last time before sending them all to bed. Santa starts in this part of the world so we have to get to bed extra early. He was already in Fiji by the time I tucked them in! I'd better get to bed soon too, I think I might have an extra early wake up call tomorrow...
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| Looking festive |
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| Ain't no thing but a chicken wing! |
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| Yes, the weather is that nice that the little ones could eat outside! |
It’s so nice to have such a friendly neighborhood where everyone chips in to help everyone else. Of all the places we’ve lived, we’ve never experienced such a camaraderie and it’s going to be hard to leave this in the summer. Right now, we’re thankful for what we have, which is a true community of caring, friendly neighbors. Thank you neighbors!
After a bonfire and light supper, we prepared the kids for bed tonight. They are SOOO excited for Santa to come. I've never had so many questions about his habits and methods as London bombards me with. It is a very fun time! We had our usual routine of reading "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" (next year, Grandpa, it will be you who reads it!) and "'Twas the Night Before Christmas" then laid out Santa's cookies along with a really sweet card from London.
London and Emmy, sprinkled the yard with reindeer feed (Ms. Kelly's yard, too, so she would get presents!).
Then we checked NORAD (http://www.noradsanta.org/) one last time before sending them all to bed. Santa starts in this part of the world so we have to get to bed extra early. He was already in Fiji by the time I tucked them in! I'd better get to bed soon too, I think I might have an extra early wake up call tomorrow...
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Japanese Parks
Japanese parks are fun. Old fashioned, yes. Dated, yes. Unsafe, yes. Fun, yes. I know I've written about them before, but it's worth mentioning again since we found a new park this week with our friends Liz and Lydia.
A few months ago Okinawa Living magazine featured an article about parks on the island and I realized there were quite a few that we hadn't visited yet so since the kids are off school and the weather is fine, we searched out an unfamiliar one today - Manta Park.
With a little twisting and turning and a few U-turns, we made it to the park which was an island in the middle of some Japanese housing. At first glance, it looked fairly benign with one, albeit giant, roller slide in the middle.
But there was more fun to be had there than you would expect. The central staircase/pavilion leading up to the roller slide had all kinds of fun things to do. Like a concrete slide that was FAST!
And ropes to climb up and repel off, and rocks to climb, and a fake tree (concrete, of course) to climb. All these then led up to the entrance to the roller slide, which I estimated was on par with the fourth floor of the surrounding apartment buildings. Yes, I let my kids (even the four year old) go down a slide that started four floors off the ground! But they're fun!!! Especially if you have a piece of cardboard under your rear to buffer the friction from your, ahem, delicate parts... The US has got to get some of these slides!
A few months ago Okinawa Living magazine featured an article about parks on the island and I realized there were quite a few that we hadn't visited yet so since the kids are off school and the weather is fine, we searched out an unfamiliar one today - Manta Park.
With a little twisting and turning and a few U-turns, we made it to the park which was an island in the middle of some Japanese housing. At first glance, it looked fairly benign with one, albeit giant, roller slide in the middle.
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| A view from the top. |
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| A view from the bottom. |
But there was more fun to be had there than you would expect. The central staircase/pavilion leading up to the roller slide had all kinds of fun things to do. Like a concrete slide that was FAST!
And ropes to climb up and repel off, and rocks to climb, and a fake tree (concrete, of course) to climb. All these then led up to the entrance to the roller slide, which I estimated was on par with the fourth floor of the surrounding apartment buildings. Yes, I let my kids (even the four year old) go down a slide that started four floors off the ground! But they're fun!!! Especially if you have a piece of cardboard under your rear to buffer the friction from your, ahem, delicate parts... The US has got to get some of these slides!
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| We put Emmy and Lydia in boxes and sent them down like they were FedEx packages! |
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| I don't think Emmy liked her brothers pushing her out of the way! |
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| Lydia and Emmy |
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| Classic Japanese park sign! |
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Pottery
Okinawa has some beautiful pottery and I happen to be a big fan of pottery. A few weeks ago, the family, along with our neighbor Kelly, ventured down to an area known for its pottery just off of the famed Kokusai Street. They were having a sale in the sports grounds of a Japanese school with lots and lots of booths set up from different potters and studios. I was in hog heaven, the trouble is it’s so hard to decide on what to buy, everything is so cool. We did invest in one piece there – a unique tea pot in one of the local styles.
This weekend we headed out to the other well-known spot on the island for pottery – Yomitan Pottery Center. I’ve written about this before as it’s one of my favorite places to visit (and take company!) This unique little place is a cooperative of potters who each have their own studio in this tiny village and they share a kiln which is fired up four times a year. The kiln is built on an incline and is fired by a huge wood fire. This weekend was their once a year “sale” where not only could you pick up a slight discount (the Japanese idea of a sale is 5-20% off, not like the Americans 50-75% off) but there is much more variety of items during this time. Last year we had an awesome experience as London and Emmy were invited into the inner circle of one of the potters and fed Okinawan donuts, candy and tea.
Inspired by all this awesome pottery, I finally did something in November that I’ve been wanting to do for a long time – take a pottery class! Two of my neighbors, Liz and Kelly, signed up with me and together we went every Wednesday night to learn how to use the pottery wheel. I ended up making quite a few pieces and am quite impressed with the results. Now if I could only find time to go back and do some more…
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| Emmy with Ms. Kelly looking at the shisa dogs |
This weekend we headed out to the other well-known spot on the island for pottery – Yomitan Pottery Center. I’ve written about this before as it’s one of my favorite places to visit (and take company!) This unique little place is a cooperative of potters who each have their own studio in this tiny village and they share a kiln which is fired up four times a year. The kiln is built on an incline and is fired by a huge wood fire. This weekend was their once a year “sale” where not only could you pick up a slight discount (the Japanese idea of a sale is 5-20% off, not like the Americans 50-75% off) but there is much more variety of items during this time. Last year we had an awesome experience as London and Emmy were invited into the inner circle of one of the potters and fed Okinawan donuts, candy and tea.
Inspired by all this awesome pottery, I finally did something in November that I’ve been wanting to do for a long time – take a pottery class! Two of my neighbors, Liz and Kelly, signed up with me and together we went every Wednesday night to learn how to use the pottery wheel. I ended up making quite a few pieces and am quite impressed with the results. Now if I could only find time to go back and do some more…
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| Me at the wheel. |
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| My first (unfinished) piece! |
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| Kelly and Liz |
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| Some of my finished pieces. |
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| More of my finished pieces. |
Kids say the darndest things…
I was volunteering in London’s class two weeks ago when I noticed their bulletin board outside the class. It read “Bright Wishes for the Holiday Season” and each child had written their wish on an index card which was stapled on the board.
As I stood reading the wishes I was reminded how innocent childhood could be with wishes like, “I wish for some rollerskates.” Or “I wish diamonds would fall from the sky.” But then there were some more disturbing ones like, “I wish no one would hit any more.” And “I wish for a new bed.” Then there was the most disturbing: “I wish for a safe house.” I wondered, hadn’t Mrs. Murray flagged this student and sent them to the counselor??? Who doesn't have a safe home in London's class???
So I made a comment to her about how some of the wishes were a bit strange. Really, she said, like which ones? Well, the one about the safe house, says me. “Oh,” she says, “That was London’s!” What???? She said he mentioned something about a bomb shelter? Ohhhhh, Stevie calls our house a bomb shelter all the time! I guess we need to watch what we say!
As I stood reading the wishes I was reminded how innocent childhood could be with wishes like, “I wish for some rollerskates.” Or “I wish diamonds would fall from the sky.” But then there were some more disturbing ones like, “I wish no one would hit any more.” And “I wish for a new bed.” Then there was the most disturbing: “I wish for a safe house.” I wondered, hadn’t Mrs. Murray flagged this student and sent them to the counselor??? Who doesn't have a safe home in London's class???
So I made a comment to her about how some of the wishes were a bit strange. Really, she said, like which ones? Well, the one about the safe house, says me. “Oh,” she says, “That was London’s!” What???? She said he mentioned something about a bomb shelter? Ohhhhh, Stevie calls our house a bomb shelter all the time! I guess we need to watch what we say!
Friday, December 17, 2010
Preschool Christmas Program
You gotta love having a preschooler at Christmas time, they get to do such stinkin’ cute things! Emmy didn’t disappoint this year as her preschool ended the semester with an all-too-cute Christmas Program. All the kiddos were dressed up in their red and green finery and sang just the cutest songs around. Emmy’s class performed 4 songs, two of which were in Japanese. (Yes, one was Deck the Halls which is really funny if you’ve ever seen the movie "Christmas Vacation"! Fa, ra, ra, ra, ra)
After all the singing, Emmy got to visit with Santa who gave her a present (a book).
Did I see right, does Santa look a bit, umm, oriental?
After all the singing, Emmy got to visit with Santa who gave her a present (a book).
Did I see right, does Santa look a bit, umm, oriental?
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| Who's that peeking behind the book? |
Monday, December 13, 2010
Uncle Charles in Japan
A week ago on Saturday we were fortunate enough to have another family member make the long journey half way around the world to visit us – Uncle Charles!
It’s been great having him here and we’ve been so busy entertaining him that I haven’t made any posts yet! Actually, Stevie’s been doing the majority of the sight-seeing since he took the week off work and I was still home schooling Cannon.
On Sunday we took him to Maeda Flats to see the beautiful beaches that we have here on Okinawa. Because we went at low tide, we were able to walk out across the coral beach and peer down into the tidal pools to see brilliant blue fish, feather stars, mantis shrimp, sea urchins and sea cucumbers. It’s a great way to see the sea life when you can’t get in the water!
On Monday Stevie took Charles to Kokusai Street to see the touristy, kitschy products that Okinawa offers plus the incredible fish and meat market.
On Tuesday, they went to Shuri Castle, the only castle that has been rebuilt after the bombings of the Battle of Okinawa. It’s an impressive sight with all the red and gold and dragons and finery.
On Wednesday they went to the Naval Underground museum and Okinawa World. The Naval Underground is an eerie place where the Japanese military hung out during the Battle of Okinawa. The tunnels were built by forced Okinawan civilian labor by hand and pick ax. The creepiest part is the room that is riddled with shrapnel from the suicidal grenades of the Japanese officers.
On Thursday we all headed up island to one of our favorite places – Okuma! We love this laid back family military resort for all its simple fun. The first thing we did was head to the go-carts for a friendly competitive race between the brothers. Their poor passengers (Emmy with Charles and Cannon with Stevie) could only hold on and scream.
We had a big camp fire that night with hobo packets for dinner – apparently Charles and Stevie didn’t do much camping or boy scouting growing up so this was a new thing for them. On Friday we woke to clear skies and calm winds – two important conditions for the guys to go deep sea fishing! Yes, Thursday’s wind was howling but Friday was beautiful and after Cannon’s favorite breakfast in the restaurant, they headed out to try their hand at catching a mahi-mahi or tuna. Emmy and I enjoyed a mommy/daughter day while they were gone (including watching Sleeping Beauty!) and then met them at the beach as they returned. They had a great time and reeled in 2 good sized mahi mahi, 6 yellow fin tuna and one bonito! We enjoyed a little of the catch over the fire for dinner (along with beanie weenies!)
After another big American breakfast (Okuma is one of the only places on island to go out for biscuits and gravy!), we headed off to see some more sights. I’ve heard a lot about a place called Sachi’s – it’s a
mainland Japanese antiques store and I thought they might have some cool stuff for Charles to see since Okinawa is quite different from mainland Japan. Turns out they didn’t, but it was still an interesting set up with a beautiful view.
We went on from there to the Aquarium, another family favorite. I never do get tired of seeing the whale sharks and rays swim around in a massive aquarium tanks. Apparently Charles was also impressed by the fish, but especially the rays.
It’s been great having him here and we’ve been so busy entertaining him that I haven’t made any posts yet! Actually, Stevie’s been doing the majority of the sight-seeing since he took the week off work and I was still home schooling Cannon.
On Sunday we took him to Maeda Flats to see the beautiful beaches that we have here on Okinawa. Because we went at low tide, we were able to walk out across the coral beach and peer down into the tidal pools to see brilliant blue fish, feather stars, mantis shrimp, sea urchins and sea cucumbers. It’s a great way to see the sea life when you can’t get in the water!
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| Yes, the water was still warm enough to walk in. |
On Monday Stevie took Charles to Kokusai Street to see the touristy, kitschy products that Okinawa offers plus the incredible fish and meat market.
On Tuesday, they went to Shuri Castle, the only castle that has been rebuilt after the bombings of the Battle of Okinawa. It’s an impressive sight with all the red and gold and dragons and finery.
On Wednesday they went to the Naval Underground museum and Okinawa World. The Naval Underground is an eerie place where the Japanese military hung out during the Battle of Okinawa. The tunnels were built by forced Okinawan civilian labor by hand and pick ax. The creepiest part is the room that is riddled with shrapnel from the suicidal grenades of the Japanese officers.
On Thursday we all headed up island to one of our favorite places – Okuma! We love this laid back family military resort for all its simple fun. The first thing we did was head to the go-carts for a friendly competitive race between the brothers. Their poor passengers (Emmy with Charles and Cannon with Stevie) could only hold on and scream.
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| It's a race between brothers! |
We had a big camp fire that night with hobo packets for dinner – apparently Charles and Stevie didn’t do much camping or boy scouting growing up so this was a new thing for them. On Friday we woke to clear skies and calm winds – two important conditions for the guys to go deep sea fishing! Yes, Thursday’s wind was howling but Friday was beautiful and after Cannon’s favorite breakfast in the restaurant, they headed out to try their hand at catching a mahi-mahi or tuna. Emmy and I enjoyed a mommy/daughter day while they were gone (including watching Sleeping Beauty!) and then met them at the beach as they returned. They had a great time and reeled in 2 good sized mahi mahi, 6 yellow fin tuna and one bonito! We enjoyed a little of the catch over the fire for dinner (along with beanie weenies!)
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| Ready to go! |
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| Beautiful mahi mahi. |
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| Uncle Charles teaching London how to fish. |
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| Proudly displaying part of the catch. |
After another big American breakfast (Okuma is one of the only places on island to go out for biscuits and gravy!), we headed off to see some more sights. I’ve heard a lot about a place called Sachi’s – it’s a
mainland Japanese antiques store and I thought they might have some cool stuff for Charles to see since Okinawa is quite different from mainland Japan. Turns out they didn’t, but it was still an interesting set up with a beautiful view.
We went on from there to the Aquarium, another family favorite. I never do get tired of seeing the whale sharks and rays swim around in a massive aquarium tanks. Apparently Charles was also impressed by the fish, but especially the rays.
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