Cape Hedo

Cape Hedo was the kind of trip that I won't forget in a long time. Our trek north came at a very opportune time for me.

  Growing up on the east coast (with a brief stint in Illinois), I've been lucky enough to enjoy all four seasons every year - with fall being my favorite season of all.  To say I've been a bit mopey over the severe lack of fall in Okinawa is like saying Lady Gaga is a bit eccentric. I had a laundry list of gripes. I was bummed about buying pumpkins at the Commissary instead of going to a pumpkin patch. I am really missing out on Starbucks' Pumpkin Spice Lattes. I hate that it is nowhere near sweater and boot weather at the end of October. In short, I have not been a joy to be around lately. 

  Going up north never fails to set me straight. Northern Okinawa is less populated. It's lush and wild and scenic. We set out for Cape Hedo in the afternoon. Cape Hedo is the northernmost point in Okinawa. It faces the South China Sea on one side and the Pacific Ocean on the other.  We spent the day soaking in the sun and scenery and taking pictures. We even stopped at a nearby beach on the way home to search for sea glass.

   The trip up north was a simple one, but it was exactly what I needed to see to be able to appreciate that although I'm lacking some of the comforts and familiarities of home, I am lucky enough to have been given a chance to experience things most people don't. 

The drive up. Can't hate views like that.

Shrines on the side of the road.

Pretty sweet life in the passenger seat

Finally at Cape Hedo!

Cape Hedo in all its glory

Waves crashing against the Cape.

Beautiful water below

Beautiful

Perfect

I don't always understand why the Japanese do things a certain way. Therefore, seeing Super Chicken at the top of the Cape just made me laugh. After a little bit of research, I found out the monument is meant to honor the friendship between Kunigami Village (where Cape Hedo is) and Yoronjima (an island you can see from the shore).

We traveled up a narrow, winding road off to the side of the parking area. At the top, there was a HUGE kuina bird. They're considered an endangered animal here. There were so many roadside signs for them that I was a bit sad we didn't actually see one. At any rate, you could climb inside and get a view of Cape Hedo from the bird, but we passed on that.

We stopped at this little beach on the way home to hunt for sea glass.

Happiness :)

Perfect ending to a perfect trip.

 

Fukushu-En Chinese Garden

  What I like most about Okinawa is that there is always something new to explore and go do. I don't think we'll ever be able to see everything and I find that strangely comforting. One of the places I'd been wanting to check out was Fukushu-En Garden. 
  Yesterday, I had the opportunity to go. This quiet, peaceful Chinese garden is located right in the heart of Naha. I love the idea of a lush garden hidden in the middle of the city. It was a pretty fun outing!

Beautiful garden...surrounded by city!

The steep steps up to where I was taking pictures from.

Holy Toledo! The steps on the way down.

I loved the dragons. I thought they were so cool!

You can feed the turtles and the fish! I loved it!

Behind the waterfall. :)

So beautiful!

 

Australia!

 I was talking to my mom on the phone yesterday and she asked me why I haven't updated my blog lately. I couldn't really come up with a reason why I hadn't been motivated to write then and there, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized a simple truth: I haven't been that interesting lately. In all honesty, I've spent the past couple weeks teaching summer school and while I like it, it's not exactly newsworthy.

 So, what to write in the blog? I'm getting there, I promise. 

 For the past week, Douglas has been in Australia. He's having a good time and has informed me that he has NOT spotted any koalas, kangaroos, or Keith Urban. I'm pretty jealous that he gets to go, even though I know this doesn't exactly count as vacation time for him. Anyway, he's sent me some great pictures, so I figured I could pass that off as a blog and appease my mom. Enjoy. :)

Beautiful, isn't it?

Yeppoon Beach

Singing Ship Monument at Emu Park, Queensland

The view from his trip

  Not to be outdone and or let him forget just all the Japanese wonderment he was missing, I decided to send him a few snapshots of some of the local scenery.

I think he's really jealous.

That's what I love about Sunday...

 Okinawa is a beautiful island. 

    That's a fact that's a bit difficult for me to remember during rainy season and particularly difficult to remember as Super Typhoon Songda rolls into town in the next few hours. So, in the spirit of jogging my memory with happy thoughts, I figured I'd share some pictures from last Sunday. When it was not raining or typhoon-ing outside.

 It's been a pretty hectic month and we were both in need of some R&R. It's been raining a lot and we've been indoors most weekends. After a while, that gets pretty old and we were definitely craving less pavement and pachinko parlors and more peace and quiet. So, we loaded up in the car and headed up north. We spent the day working on our tans (err...sunburns), collecting sea glass and shells, and walking on the beach. It was a welcome retreat from rainy weather and end of the school year stress. It also reminded me how lucky I am to call this place my home.<3

A look into the last month...

These were a few pictures and stories I wanted to share, but didn't want to make an individual blog for each one. At any rate, enjoy!

 

The big 2-6. I came home to birthday goodies, a clean house, cute decorations, and a homemade birthday cake. I'm so grateful for a husband who goes out of his way to make my birthday special. We ended up eating dinner at an actual Japanese Japanese Steakhouse that evening. It was a GREAT day!

 

 

My friend, Melissa, and I went to one of the local beaches over my Spring Break. These are her two sweet little boys and one heck of an ocean view! We ended up finding a lot of starfish and sea glass. I'm so glad I had someone fun to hang out with over Spring Break! :)

 

A whole lotta slimy green, but such an amazing view.

Douglas and Mark at the Kadena Winefest - which was a great time. We ended up sampling a lot of wines from all over the world and bought a few to take home. (Also? No, they didn't plan the matching outfits - but I thought it was pretty funny.)