Whale Watching

Finally! After 3 tries, our "whale watching" tour took place this weekend. I meant we were going to see some whales--and by golly, we did! The highlight was a baby Humpback jumping up fully--or breeching--out of the water. It wasn't without its complications, however; the rain poured on us for about 3/4 of the trip and about 1/2 the people on board got sick. I didn't get any photos of the whales, unfortunately. But on the up side, we did some fun shopping afterward at Kokusai Street--an area known for shopping, dining, and watching street performers.

Bonfire

Last night we joined the Haynes family for a fire on the beach. Col Haynes is Ty's boss, his wife is my friend, their son babysits for the kids, they are our neighbors, and they sponsored us during our move to Okinawa. And I forgot... Mason idolizes (and Alaina is in love with) their two teenage boys. The older son showed Mason his "secret hideout" in the jungle near the beach last week. Complete with a wooden ladder leading into the treetops and a hammock at the top. Mason was in heaven! And he was again last night, shooting fireworks and roasting marshmallows with the big boys.

Supersize It

I tried my best to photograph these carrots and apples so you could see how BIG they are here. (That's a regular size baseball beside them.) I buy both every week at the commissary and they are locally grown and very sweet. The local lettuce is also good (right now at least--I guess this all may change seasonally). They even have a photograph on each package of the Okinawan farmer who grew it.

Weekly Adventure

This weekend we (again) had plans to go on the whale watching tour. And it (again) got cancelled due to rough seas. It's a seasonal activity that only happens during the whales' migration. So... we are crossing our fingers that the 3rd time is the charm and we can do it next weekend--otherwise we might have to wait another year. (I think the problem is we are entering the beginning of the rainy/typhoon season. Ugh.) Anyway, as our consolation activity we drove across the island to the army base, Torii Station. There we rented sea kayaks and explored the reef and blue waters. We got close-up views of the coral, brightly colored fish, and different kinds of starfish. It was so much fun--we are tempted to buy some kayaks for ourselves, but it's hard to beat the Army's $4 a piece rental fee!

Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium

We were scheduled for a whale watching tour this weekend, but it was cancelled due to the rough seas. (Hopefully, it will happen next weekend.) So, in keeping with the ocean theme, we decided to go to the famous Aquarium here instead. It's the largest in Japan and at one time was the largest in the world. It was amazing! We did have yucky weather, but it didn't stop us from enjoying a really neat day.

Shisa Dogs

I've been meaning to post a photo of a Shisa Dog. I think every single house on Okinawa has a pair of these monster-like guardian dogs out front. Most businesses have them also. When we first arrived on island we learned about these characters--some are quite humorous and some are quite scary--and how they guard and protect the homes here. Well, when Mason was first getting settled in his new room he felt a little lonely & uneasy. But he quickly came up with a plan to get some Shisa dogs for his room and then he wouldn't have anything to worry about. We found a small pair and put them in his room and it worked like a charm! This Shisa is the one that guards our apartment building.

Birthday Girl

There's a birthday girl in the house! And to celebrate we went to have our toenails done at a local salon where they handpaint these tiny flowers and designs on your nails! Alaina was in heaven! Between the Strawberry Shortcake cupcakes, all her packages that came in the mail, and these flowery toenails--the princess is having quite a day!