Dragonboat Racing in Chatan

Well we finally got back from seeing the folks and enjoying our visit back in the States. Getting back to the swing of things here in Okinawa we were treated to a "nicer" view than when we left courtesy of Okinawa Public Works and a few guys with chainsaws. We can now see the water...errr at least see some of the marina and water!!!!! Anywho, there was a lot of commotion this weekend as they setup tents for the local Dragonboat races just a few hundred feet from our balcony...We hopped on the bikes, grabbed a few plates of sushi and enjoyed the festivities. We even saw 10 happy people take a dunk in the bay.

You can tell summer is coming because the first of many fireworks festivals was this weekend. We were lucky enough to be able to see it from our balcony and enjoy it with a bottle of wine. (La Segreta for your oenophiles).

"Ryukyu Kaiensai Festival 2009 will be held in Ginowan Kaihin Park in Okinawa on April 18^th 2009. This festival of fire and color has been presented by JAL (Japan Air Line) for the past 5 years. You will get to see over 10,000 fireworks exploding in the sky combined with music and Okinawan culture".

Here's a little video...you can hear Ang rambling in the background after downing a few glasses.

Sounds of progress

Beautiful nature sounds of Okinawa...Not. They tore this house down pretty quickly and now they crushing rocks...it was cool for the first few hours...Ratatatatatatatat!!!!! Wouldn't it be nice to have a park for Maddie to play in?

Whale Watching... or should I say "Whale Chasing??"

This past Saturday we went Whale Watching out of Naha Port. It was AMAZING... we saw a lot of whales up close and personal. We even got to see 3 breach. 1 by it's self and then 2 together... of course the 2 at the same time we have no pictures of because our boat was screaming across the water trying to get there... we were hanging on for dear life!!! Literally... we were on the bow of the boat... that picture would have been worth a 1000.o0... Hugs to all and hope you enjoy!

Surf's Up!!!!!

It's definitely starting to warm up a bit which means summer is just around the corner here. During our walk this morning with the mutt, we saw a group of people around the seawall watching what appeared to be a surf contest. Music was blaring through loudspeakers and tons of people sitting on the wall watching the surf action. Our favorite littler surfer was even entered in the contest. He seriously is about 6-8 years old and was surfing with the big boys... literally... he did great!

Cherry Blossoms on Mt. Yaedake

We had the incredible opportunity to wander through endless cherry blossom trees on Mt. Yaedake in Nago. North of where we live. It was AMAZING!!! We literally treked up the mountain, not too strenuous but about 4-5 miles long, and just took pictures and took in the incredible view. Here are some of our photos... ENJOY!!!!!

Sesoko Island

We finally had a nice weekend so we took a drive up North on Saturday to Sesoko Island. It is one of the few islands that you can get to via a bridge. Here are some neat photos of a cool little beach we found. We saw starfish, sea cucumbers, bottles buried in the water and ladies fishing for something in a unique way.