Back to School!!August 31, 2009
Monday morning dawned bright and beautiful and after a summer of lazy mornings and late nights, the boys got up surprising well.
This year Matt is a Junior in High School.
David is in 7th grade in Middle School.
September 3, 2009
First Day of School
Back to School!!August 31, 2009
Monday morning dawned bright and beautiful and after a summer of lazy mornings and late nights, the boys got up surprising well.
This year Matt is a Junior in High School.
David is in 7th grade in Middle School.
June 19, 2009
Such Happy Happy Faces
Smile, Please!
I drug the boys out to take some pictures the other day. They were less then willing...the high humidity and empty stomachs were not the best combination.
Regardless, it at least gave me a chance to try out a new place to play around.
The same picture can look very different- here is the same picture of David in color, Black and White and Antique.
I liked the wooden background here. Notice how sweaty David is- you can see the sweat beaded all over his face!
I liked the look of the stone steps.
The boys had dashed off, otherwise I would have put them right under this arch. I love the rock formations in Okinawa!
The beach was very littered due to the recent storms, but still very cool looking.
Matt not too thrilled- the water just washed over his foot.
David was favoring me with smiles at least!
There's the smile- because he knew mom was about done! :)
Thanks guys- having a mom who loves to take
pictures is just a curse you have to bear!!
Okay- the story behind the picture.... As we left the car to wander around David took the Burger King cup with him to throw away. We quickly realized there was no trash cans in the area so i suggested to David that he take the cup back to the car. He declined- even though the car was only about 50 yards away. Well, no skin off my nose...if he wanted to carry it around, so be it! So he carries this cup all over the place. At the final area (with the cool rock arches) he had set the cup down. As we were leaving I happened to notice and sent him back to get it. He went back down to the beach, retrieved the cup and came back to where Matt and I were waiting. When he got to the fence, he tossed the cup over and climbed over. Just as his feet hit the ground the wind kicks up and starts blowing the cup...right back through the fence. Matt and I cracked up!! It was just too perfect. David just stood there for a long moment "You have got to be kidding me.". So back over the fence...the look on his face says it all!
I was the first down the roller slide. Not one of the fastest ones we have gone on...not to mention stopping midway down.
Here Matt is sad- he just stopped going. My standing at the bottom with the camera wasn't encouraging him to come down. The other photo- he just looks so tall and grown up! (as he is waiting to harass David as he comes down)
David was really a sitting duck here...
Better go faster David, Matt is going for the ball!
David thinking he is out of danger...but not yet! Silly boy to turn his back on his bro. (Matt missed...but not by much!)
I drug the boys out to take some pictures the other day. They were less then willing...the high humidity and empty stomachs were not the best combination.
Regardless, it at least gave me a chance to try out a new place to play around.
The same picture can look very different- here is the same picture of David in color, Black and White and Antique.
I liked the wooden background here. Notice how sweaty David is- you can see the sweat beaded all over his face!
I liked the look of the stone steps.
The boys had dashed off, otherwise I would have put them right under this arch. I love the rock formations in Okinawa!
The beach was very littered due to the recent storms, but still very cool looking.
Matt not too thrilled- the water just washed over his foot.
David was favoring me with smiles at least!
There's the smile- because he knew mom was about done! :)
Thanks guys- having a mom who loves to take
pictures is just a curse you have to bear!!Okay- the story behind the picture.... As we left the car to wander around David took the Burger King cup with him to throw away. We quickly realized there was no trash cans in the area so i suggested to David that he take the cup back to the car. He declined- even though the car was only about 50 yards away. Well, no skin off my nose...if he wanted to carry it around, so be it! So he carries this cup all over the place. At the final area (with the cool rock arches) he had set the cup down. As we were leaving I happened to notice and sent him back to get it. He went back down to the beach, retrieved the cup and came back to where Matt and I were waiting. When he got to the fence, he tossed the cup over and climbed over. Just as his feet hit the ground the wind kicks up and starts blowing the cup...right back through the fence. Matt and I cracked up!! It was just too perfect. David just stood there for a long moment "You have got to be kidding me.". So back over the fence...the look on his face says it all!
I was the first down the roller slide. Not one of the fastest ones we have gone on...not to mention stopping midway down.
Here Matt is sad- he just stopped going. My standing at the bottom with the camera wasn't encouraging him to come down. The other photo- he just looks so tall and grown up! (as he is waiting to harass David as he comes down)
David was really a sitting duck here...
Better go faster David, Matt is going for the ball!
David thinking he is out of danger...but not yet! Silly boy to turn his back on his bro. (Matt missed...but not by much!)
June 18, 2009
The Rainy Season
Still Raining...
Our view from the hill has looked like this for days and days now...
It is the "Rainy Season" here in Okinawa, and rain it has! Now, coming from Pacific Northwest, we thought "Rainy Season? Big deal! We're used to rain!". Well, let me te
ll ya, Okinawa rain is a bit different! When it rains, it RAINS. It can go from nothing to torrential downpour in mere seconds. A downpour here is rain coming down so hard and fast you can't even see- and there is often a wind driving the wind sideways so umbrellas are next to useless.
What it means on a daily basis: walking through ankle deep water to take out the trash...having a dog who doesn't want to go out in the soggy, squishy backyard... wiping up muddy dog prints off the floors...remembering to bring umbrellas in from the car (irritating to be in the house ready to leave and realize it is POURING
and all of the umbrellas are in the car)...
According to today's Stars and Stripes newspaper, we have received nearly 13 inches of rain in the last week alone. Since the start of the rainy season on May 18th almost 20 inches of rain have fallen. There had been talk of water rationing due to low reservoir levels, but those fears have eased a bit. We are still "drier than usual" and the rainy season is predicted to end next week.
The thought of water rationing while living on a subtropical island seems strange- everything is so green and lush! Since we've been here, we have not been allowed to water the lawns or wash the cars in housing areas.
I'm going to enjoy the rain while it lasts though...welcome breath of fresh air from the humidity and heat.
Our view from the hill has looked like this for days and days now...
It is the "Rainy Season" here in Okinawa, and rain it has! Now, coming from Pacific Northwest, we thought "Rainy Season? Big deal! We're used to rain!". Well, let me te
ll ya, Okinawa rain is a bit different! When it rains, it RAINS. It can go from nothing to torrential downpour in mere seconds. A downpour here is rain coming down so hard and fast you can't even see- and there is often a wind driving the wind sideways so umbrellas are next to useless.What it means on a daily basis: walking through ankle deep water to take out the trash...having a dog who doesn't want to go out in the soggy, squishy backyard... wiping up muddy dog prints off the floors...remembering to bring umbrellas in from the car (irritating to be in the house ready to leave and realize it is POURING
and all of the umbrellas are in the car)...According to today's Stars and Stripes newspaper, we have received nearly 13 inches of rain in the last week alone. Since the start of the rainy season on May 18th almost 20 inches of rain have fallen. There had been talk of water rationing due to low reservoir levels, but those fears have eased a bit. We are still "drier than usual" and the rainy season is predicted to end next week.
The thought of water rationing while living on a subtropical island seems strange- everything is so green and lush! Since we've been here, we have not been allowed to water the lawns or wash the cars in housing areas.
I'm going to enjoy the rain while it lasts though...welcome breath of fresh air from the humidity and heat.
June 17, 2009
June 18, 2009
HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAVID!!
Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday Dear David...Happy Birthday to you!
Our "baby" is already 12...where has the time gone?
You came into the world June 18, 1997 at 10:00 PM at the Bremerton Naval H
ospital, Washington. 7 lbs, 11 oz and 20 inches long....hard to believe now that you were EVER that small! At 5 feet 2 inches, you will probably be taller then me before long.You have always been so kind, caring helpful. Now at 12 years old you like skateboarding, paintball, reading historical books and tormenting your big brother (some things haven't changed!).
We love ya, kiddo!
(picture of Matt and David was taken on David's first Easter- Easter 1998)
May 11, 2009
Happy Mother's Day 2009
I had a great Mother's Day!Actually got to sleep in a bit and then had breakfast in bed prepared and served by David (a fantastic Breakfast Burrito- David is turning into quite a good cook). Willie and Ty stayed close by....just in case some of the breakfast fell (or was slipped to them while Mike wasn't looking!)
After breakfast we loaded up the Delica, stopped for coffee at the shoppette and hit the road headed North. The boys are not thrilled with my love for road trips (heading to "Chipmonk Rapids" as they call it), but having a DVD player in the van certainly eases their pain.
The weather was glorious and the roads clear so we made good time. Our destination- Hiji Falls tow
ards the north end of the Island.We tried a shortcut through Nago, taking Highway 71 instead of staying on 58. Seemed to save a bit of time, and was a ni
ce change of scenery.
On the way up Highway 58 we saw lots of locals out on the beach and in the water. Not sure what they were collection off the beach- 
crabs, shell fish??I had seen this Veggie/Fruit Stand on the way to Okuma last time we were up in this area. I jumped up and down in my seat until Mike agreed to stop (of course we had passed it by then, but he was able to back up- there was actually parking along the road)
These are Daikons, or Asian Radishes. The look lovely all piled up. We tried one a while back and I wasn't too thrilled, even though I like rad
ishes. We will have to try one again. They are very popular here.The pineapples looked too good to pass up so we bought one (only 250 Y) and carved it up right there on the side of the road. Simply delicious!
The Watermelons they had looked good too, but not willing to shell out 1200 Y ($12) for one...This sign for "Crab Crossing" cracks me up every time I see it.
At the junction of 58 and the turnoffs for Okuma and Hiji Falls is this sunflower field.
It was in full bloom last weekend, but still enough blooms this week to beg to stop. I had fun wandering along taking a few photos (of course, the boys opted to stay in the van and watch the movie- flowers is not exactly their cup of tea!).
Part 2- Hiji Falls
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