Okinawa Lily - Oct. 25, 2012

Lily may be in preschool, but we still like to do crafts here at home. It does not FEEL like fall or halloween here in Japan, but we can still have some halloween fun! Pumpkins are hard to come by around here. They are frozen and shipped over. We bought a medium pumpkin carve and this little gord for Lily to paint.

 

She is so serious about her art work these days.

 

 

 

"This paint brush is cramping my style"

 

 

"Hands work MUCH better"

 

 

"Pretty!"

 

 

Happy Fall!

Okinawa Lily - Oct. 21, 2012

Jeff gave me my anniversary gift early this year! A really nice DSLR camera. It's complicated and has a couple of advanced interchangable lenses, but i'm up for the challange and may even take a class or two. I've been practicing all weekend. Here are a few of my best shots edited.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is how i have to carry her from the beach every time we go. She loves the beach and hates to leave.

 

 

 

I still have a LOT of practicing to do and I've already got my eye on a few different lenses I want to buy....but for right now, I'll just keep working with what I have!

 

Okinawa Lily - Oct. 18, 2012

Last weekend Jeff and I found ourselves at the bottom of the island....not very hard to do since the bottom of the island is only 20 miles away from us. We visited some castle ruins, the capital city, a huge outlet mall...just general adventuring, as usual. Here are some pictures from our day...

Trust me when I say, this place was WAY off the beaten path! Through sugar cane fields and down dirt roads...

 

 

 

This use to be a walkway leading down to the beach at the castle ruins...it has long since caved in. There are stairs and tombs down there too...had we not had Lily with us, Jeff and I might have climbed down there to investigate.

 

 

The waves were huge that day....

I also realize that everyone who reads this blog does NOT have facebook....So, here are a few candid photos that I have posted on to facebook of our day to day life...

Lily loves the playground. We go on the days she does not have school. Weather permitting.

 

She walked out of her closet like this. :-)

 

 

 

 

We are part of a group called "Adventure Moms and Dads" here on the island. Tonight was their family bowling night. This is Lily Grace's first time bowling....SHE LOVED IT! Check out the itty bitty bowling shoes. They make me giggle.

 

 

 

Okinawa Lily - Columbus Weekend Part II

On Columbus Day, we loaded up in the car and took the scenic route to Ocean Expo Park and Aquarium. It was an hour and a half drive, but the view on the way did NOT disappoint.

We stopped at a famous place called Sky Pizza on the way there. Sky Pizza is a restaurant situated on a cliff, way off the beaten path. The wait was an HOUR, but the view was nice and once we were seated and served, the food was DELICIOUS. Lily LOVES pizza, so, this was an extra treat for her.

Breathtaking

The View was SPECTACULAR

Sky Pizza al fresco dining

odd looking pizza, but it was delicious, the cheese here in Japan is European quality. DELICIOUS.

Enjoying her pizza and the view

By the time we reached the aquarium it was an hour and a half passed Lily's nap time. She, of course, is a little trooper and stayed awake just long enough to see the biggest exhibits, then passed out in the carrier on my back. To be honest, it was kind of nice to just walk around quietly with Jeff after she fell asleep. The aquarium is so tranquil and relaxing.

entrance to the aquarium

Okinawa Aquarium is the second largest aquarium in the world! featuring TWO whale sharks. I believe, they are the largest marine animals in captivity.

It was AMAZING. The tanks were UNREAL.

Lily Grace is STILL happy and soaking up SO much knowledge and culture at an almost alarming speed. We will continue to expose her to as much of the island and culture here as we can.

Okinawa Lily - Columbus Day weekend

We had a BUSY weekend! Jeff had the day off from work and Lily Grace had the day off from school, so as usual, we did a little exploring. 

First, we went to the RyukuMura pottery village. It is a tourist attraction that is part historical monuments with houses from the 1400s and very old tombs, part cultural and environmental education facility. And like every other place in Japan, there is PLENTY of shopping.

These two.....hehehee...

This gentleman was sitting in a silk spinning house playing this beautiful instrument and singing traditional Okinawan songs.

This woman was dressed in traditional clothing, serving tea and handmade sweets in a restored tea house. 

Lily and I in the tea house.

After the pottery village we went to Cape Zanpa. After this last typhoon, someone was tragically swept away by a giant wave while standing on the cliffs. It is a tragic reminder that we should not underestimate the power of the sea that surrounds us. Jeff, Lily and I stayed far away from the cliffs closest to the sea, but there were some brave fisherman sitting right on the edge. Lily actually loved this little adventure because of the high winds and occasional sea spray. I wish I had captured her giggles and squeals.

These are the brave fishermen...I'm sure they were soaked from the spray...

All and all it was an amazing, busy day. Stay tuned for more Columbus Day Weekend Adventures.....