Okuma Rice Paddies and Farms

We went to Okuma for the EC Killin weekend of fun and I brought along my new toy that I got for Mother's Day-A new Rebel EOS T2i- an 18 megapixel SLR with 2 lenses! Thanks Family! I had a great time getting to know the basic functions of this awesome camera even in the rain. Here are some shots of my birding adventures. We saw many more birds but didn't get too many great shots. A great first weekend with my camera though overall. LOVE the clarity and I LOVE this part of the island!

Reflections

Wonderful things have changed since my last Blog entry..we moved from Nagahama to...Nagahama! We moved 3 minutes down the hill from a 4th floor apt. to a 2 level home. We are now nestled in an Okinawan village living in a 4 bedroom eclectic Okinawan house with a tatami room, rec-room and huge garage downstairs. We have just the right amount of yard to keep Zori busy chasing birds, Tim busy landscaping,the kids busy planning tree houses and forts, and me busy with my flowers. We really feel like we have a true home here and we can't complain about the one minute walk to the ocean! We enjoy sitting on our "lanai" gazing at the sea while we drink our coffee (or wine/beer depending on the time of day)when we make the time to unwind. We also love our daily walks to Nagahama Bay complete with seaweed farm and Nagahama Dam.
The best part of this move is that Mum, Kay and Steve came here to visit and helped to bring that warm, family atomosphere to this house! What a blessing it was to spend Easter-and 3 birthdays- with my family! I just love being in our home now and having memories of my family sharing this space with me!
Kay introduced me to the sport of bird watching during her visit and now I am pretty much hooked! I have always loved to capture birds on film but now I am learning how to actually provide those images with the correct labels. We spotted almost 30 different species during her visit (with the help or our birding guide, Dan Smith), including some that are only found here in Okinawa!...WOW!
Now that we are here on our own Tim, Zori, and I walk most mornings and watch the sunrise over the bay. The sea is always changing...low tide or high tide...gray skies or bright...rough seas or flat...but it is those flat-sea-days that have been captivating me and my camera lately. Those flat-sea mornings offer me a sort of peace that bring a calm to my soul before those hectic days of teaching begin. I usually capture the shots at the end of the walk when the sun creeps a bit higher in the sky. Tim and Zori are always ahead of me at that point. I am the one lagging behind stopping to point my camera at a bird or boat. I eventually turn a corner and there they are...waiting....and... reflecting???

Mican Picking and Cherry Blossoms '10

Whenever the transfer round starts I start to think about Europe. I check out the Facebook posts of my friends who have ventured to that distant continent before me. Their snowy pictures are so lovely and inviting. Sledding, skiing, bundling up in front of fireplaces...those images beckon-they truly do. BUT....then...the cherry blossoms start popping here in Okinawa. The sun peeks out and the coral reef shows off its glorious bounty in front of me. Spring really does seem to come here at the end of January each year and I am renewed and satisfied to stay here for..one more year...
We spent a few hours Saturday, Jan. 30th exploring the Nago area with Marti and her boys. We went mican (Okinawan orange) picking for the first time ever and then we hit the Nago Cherry Blosson festival for our yearly fix. Three Cheers for Another Lovely Day!

New Year's Resolutions-2010

I said I wasn't going to make a resolution this new year but I did end up doing just that to model a lesson for my third graders and now I have THREE! #1-Get to church on time! #2 Read and write two out of the three Japanese written languages-Hiragana and Katakana (the easier ones-maybe I will move on to Kanji next year to commemorate 20 years of living here!)and #3 Add to this blog at least once a month (to motivate me to work on my photography skills) So here I go blogging again!
Here are some photos I like from the last 6 months or so! Pictures of my 15th wedding anniversary trip to Italy and Switzerland (Tim gets the photo credit for the tiny purple alpine flower), our trip to Northwest Oregon this summer,a reflection on Mosquito Lake, natural Casey on the beach, Kyan's sunset silhouette,Jacy and Cam Fisk, Casey looking like a tropical beauty, the shed at my childhood home covered in snow, and one of Daddy from summer 2008 which reminds me to pray for all those who are afflicted with Alzheimer's Disease today. I miss you, Dad...