Quick Picture Update

So, I haven't posted any pictures in a while because I was too lazy to download them off our 3 cameras. So, in no particular order, here are some pictures of what we've been doing the last couple months.

Here we are at the Mt. Yaedake Cherry Blossom Festival (sorry for the shadowing). We went to Mt. Yaedake (on the northern part of the island) this past weekend. This is the first cherry blossom festival of the year so it might be a little too early, but the trees were still in bloom. I'm not sure if the festivals on the mainland are different, but this one was not quite what we expected. There was a basically a street with tents of all kinds of fair food (both American and Japanese) and carnival games that kids can play to win prizes. There was a stage for performances and we heard the last couple minutes of some singing. I think there might have been more events (like a kite flying competition) on Saturday, but when we went Sunday it was pretty low key. I know it's a stereotype, but the Japanese really are obsessed with taking pictures. People either had huge cameras with massive lenses or would just take shots with their cell phones. After Chris had a corndog and I ate some squid (not as yummy as it sounds) we decided to drive up the mountain to get a better view and to try to find an organic bakery that I had read about. We found the bakery and I got a whole wheat roll with blueberry filling - it was delicious! It was part of an organic farm so we got potatoes, green onions, and oranges for way cheaper than we can get on base. It was an absolutely beautiful day and it was great to see another side of the island.

We don't actually know this guy, but he agreed to a picture - I love doggles! Don't forget to take time to smell the cherry blossoms!

Going back a little further in time... A few days after Christmas we went to the Southeast Botanical Gardens for their holiday light show. It was beautiful and I'm glad we went, but it was a little pricey for what it was. There was a pretty cool laser show as well though. Sorry some of the pics are blurry - it's hard getting night shots.

Since Chris had some days off around Christmas and New Years we explored the island by geocacheing and hiking:

So, once again we headed north on the island to do some geocacheing. This was a day or two after Christmas and we're in shorts - it was great weather. The more we explore the island the more we notice that there are a lot of signs that you can put your head through for a picture. This one is at the Family Mart, basically a 7-11. The next couple shots are the lunch that Chris and I got at this little cafe on our way to hike. Chris ordered the 'Big Sandwich'. It had vertical slices in it and was cut in 4 pieces. Each piece had a different filling. The last section (the far left in the picture) was the dessert part of the sandwich - whipped cream, kiwi, and a little chocolate syrup. So, you get a whole meal. I ordered the pizza and it came out with sliced hot dog, squid, and corn. I was a little leery, but it was yummy. The last picture is just the cutest dog in the world! Alrighty, that's enough to keep our throngs of fans happy for now. I'll try to get more posted within the next week.