Monday, June 23, 2008

behind.... again

I know, I know, even my husband has been saying I haven't updated my blog in A WEEK! So it is time to play catch up.

I should start with last Sunday- After Chris's performance at church we came home, did house stuff then packed up to hit the beach and get dinner. Unfortunately, all the food joints at Torii Beach close at 7 pm (We got there just before 7). We let the kids play in the water anyway and said decided to stop at the base food court on our way home. Torii Beach is THE beach for sand glass, and the water is pretty calm so the kids could have a good time too. On our way out we saw a sight that made us miss ND- Sunflower fields- Three of them
On Monday, Steph's girl scout group met for dinner at Chili's and a movie. Chris and I tagged along for the movie portion since it was Kung Fu Panda. This movie is laugh out loud funny. Lyle wasn't able to go with us because of work, but I would see it again in a second!

Wednesday was Kid's Membership night at the club. There were games, clowns, prizes and dancing along with free dinner. Dinner was kid friendly spaghetti and hot dogs, but we all had a good time. Chris got called up to take part in a contest he has trained for all his life: Soda Chugging. He downed his whole can of Coke before anyone else even got half done! There was a split second we thought he might spray the audience, but he held it back and won a prize. Too bad I left the camera at home.

Saturday was our family outing day. I have wanted to go to a castle, any castle, standing or ruined, since we got here. Saturday was my day. We drove to Shuri Castle and spent the morning touring the grounds. The drive there was interesting:


You can't really tell from the pictures but this road is uphill for a few kilometers with a monorail track above us. It was a fun road, not too twisty or frightening (I have been a few of those already)







One of the things I find so amazing is how well the Japanese utilize the limited amount of space we have here. I see buildings like this one on every drive we take. There is a Key making shop in the lower part, and stairs on the back side that lead up to what I can only assume is a one room apartment on top.




Our morning at Shuri Castle:


The actual palace building has been destroyed and rebuilt many times. We were able to look through a glass floor to see the original foundation. While the outer walls have also been rebuilt you can see the difference in building materials from the original to the restoration. By far, the best part of this trip was the view:


There, a week wrapped up in a single post. I will try to do better this week.

4 comments:

Tanya said...

Sounds like you all are having a good time. Sure wish we were there too:(

Bev said...

:) That little building makes me glad the Japanese aren't in charge of on base housing...or...are they? LOL

MandySue said...

now thats a post! I loved the key shop building. That's great!

Eleanor said...

The view from the castle is magnificent! It reminds me of the view from the fort in Puerto Rico. They probably used the castle for a look-out for invaders, as Fort Christo did.