Monday, February 29, 2016

Japanese White Eye Strikes Another Pose

Mejiro, bird, White-eye,cherry blossoms

  Same Bird Seen in Yesterday's Photo

 

 

These little devils hop from branch to branch in a just split second.

This camera settings used, were exactly the same in, taking both images.

The only difference, is the  branch the bird posed on and, it happened to be, 27 seconds later.

If, it seems like, I'm in a rush, to get out of here tonight, you're right.

Tomorrow a sweetheart of mine graduates from high school and, I don't want to miss it.

The last time I saw her graduate, I had to shoot everybody, to  make sure, I didn't miss !

See:  Finding Marin in Okinawa if, you don't believe me !

Sunday, February 28, 2016

Cherry Blossoms with a Bird and Blue Sky

A Japanese White Eye


It was one of those days, people shouldn't be indoors, wasting their lives away.

The legs seemed a little rubbery from weaving in and out of bars last night.

So, I stayed close to the office, updated stuff and practiced, using my sleeping bag.

It was a good thing, I kept sneaking out back to catch some sun rays.


Mejiro, bird, Japanese White Eye, cherry blossoms, Kin Town, Okinawa


Recently, one of those Android phones, came into my life.

It needed 34 updates, I discovered, after having it a whole week.

Don't ask why but, I figured, it would update lots faster if, we were outdoors.

There's no sense telling everybody, how many hours it took, to get this shot.

When that Mejiro, posed for a split second in the cherry blossoms, I was ready.

It turned out to be, not such a bad day, for the old guy, after-all.

Camera: Pentax K3

Lens:  Pentax 300MM with 1.4 converter -- Focal Length 420MM

Exposure:  f/6.3   f/1250   ISO 100

Location:  Kin Town, Okinawa, Japan

Latitude: 26.454

Longitude:  127.921

Date and Time:  FEB 28  2016   4:36PM

Saturday, February 27, 2016

Grabbing a Burger at 50's Cafe from California

New Improved Location

 

 

Lots of my foodie friends were disappointed when the old hamburger shack closed down.

At a busy intersection along the highway, there was very limited parking available.

Sonovagun if they didn't pack-up and, move into a big shopping mall !


Don Quijote, shopping center, Uruma, storefront, ドン・キホーテ
 
The 50's Cafe is now located in the Uruma City Don Quijote store.  Yay !

Several hundred cars can probably fit in the parking lot, over there.

That would be a great place to send somebody shopping, while you get to go eat.


hamburgers, menu, kitchen, prices
 The owner and his wife let me shoot anything, I wanted to, in the place.

So, I thought it would be nice to let everyone see what the joint looks like.


50's Cafe, interior, front counter

 It's a little bit tricky, taking photos without any people in the scene.

Who wants to be bothered by a cameraman when they're eating ?


burgers, 100% beef,restaurant, cafe

After placing my order, I ran all around the place with the tripod and camera.

Every few minutes, I had to run outside, to get the GPS, turned back on.


sign, 50's Cafe, store

Beyond this sign, is the tax free shopping center, which I, kept out of just, because.

Some people might enjoy shopping.  They should go in there; not me.

Chesterfield cigarettes, sign, Dodge, advertisement, antique

Remember the 1950's ?  Men were men and women were ladies, back in the old days.

Smoking was good and, they even had 2-way cigarettes.

Chesterfield was the best one for you, according to this sign.  Hah !

And, if you go for the big, strong, silent type --  Hop into a Dodge.  Oops: 1963 Dodge.


management sign, ordering, chili cheeseburger, onion, pickles

This sign, in English and Japanese, is for fussy customers.

Most people, around here, just trust the chef, to feed them, whatever is right.

If they want to "have it their way" they should go to another country to eat, I think.

Cafe sign, hours of operation, burger images

The sign says, "Burgers The Way They Should Be" and, I take their word for it.

It's a good thing, I don't run the place.  I'd tell fussy customers to "Git."

But, the mom and pop, that run this joint are real nice people.

 Probably, it wouldn't be a good idea to complain about anything, while I'm in there.

movie star, photos, posters, 1950's, beer

Somebody from Jehovah's Witnesses business tried inviting me to an event.

Being, the polite person I am, the best thing to do was say, " Sorry, I'm busy that day."

Then, I got far away, in the corner and, shot some movie star's photos.

iced tea, fries, bacon and cheese burger


This was what I had for lunch yesterday and it was scrumptious.

After all that work, taking photos and, telling a fib to the holy people, I was starved.

Restaurants are where people go to eat and, I love this one.

People can practice whatever religion they want and talk to any god, they feel like.

It just isn't a good idea to try and convert me when, I'm waiting for my chow.  Amen.


 Website: Don Quijote

Directions and Map Courtesy of Goya Republic

Friday, February 26, 2016

Bird Images: Avocet (Recurvirostra avosetta) in Okinawa

Named After Lawyers

 

 

Some places in the world, attorneys wore black caps that resembled this bird's head.

Only, the ambulance chasers were called, advocates.

Now, I'm wondering if those dudes had crooked beaks, too.


Avocet, bird, black and white, curved bill, wetlands, water


This one was spotted in Tomigusuku, Okinawa this morning.

It didn't stand still very often so, I shot a few gigabytes of photos to capture it.


bird, Avocet, water, webbed foot


They like feeding in wetlands and will eat fish, invertebrates, bugs and worms.

In this species the male and female, take turns, incubating the eggs.

Since this was the only bird like this in the open, maybe another one was stuck egg-sitting.


Learn more about Avocets at ARKive.

Wednesday, February 24, 2016

Wordless Wednesday

birds in flight, Cormorants, GIF



Tuesday, February 23, 2016

Mejiro Chirping in Cherry Blossoms



These Birds Love the Sakura Flowers

 

The best time to catch Japanese White Eyes is when they are in these trees.

After Cherry Blossoms disappear, the birds become more skittish.

Flocks of them, migrate to the pine trees, searching for bugs to consume.

During sakura season it seems, they remain stationary a bit longer, visiting these flowers.

This photo was captured in a tree, not far from my office.  See: 16 Steps for more.

bird, Japanese White Eye, mejiro,flowers, cherry tree


Camera: Pentax K3

Lens: Pentax 300MM + 1.4 converter  Focal Length 420MM

Exposure:  f/7.1   1/800   ISO 400

Location:  Kin Town, Okinawa, Japan

Date and Time:  FEB 16  2016   1:46PM

Monday, February 22, 2016

FEB 2016 Full Moon Over Okinawa Japan

astronomy, full moon, Japan


 It Appeared Momentarily



 Swift moving clouds covered the moon every few seconds.


From 7:30 on tonight, I ran outdoors, hoping the clouds would allow a clear shot.

It took about 76 snaps of the shutter to catch a few good frames of this rascal.

Camera:  Pentax K3

Lens:  Sigma 50-500 + 1.4 converter  --  Focal length 700MM

Exposure:  f/16   1/50   ISO 100

Location:  Kin Town, Okinawa, Japan

Date and Time:  FEB 22 2016  7:51PM

Sunday, February 21, 2016

Maybe Full Moon Over Okinawa FEB 2016

moon, image, 98% full

Iffy Looking Weather this Month

 

 

The moon has been ducking in and out of cloudy skies tonight.

With unpredictable weather in the skies, it's best to shoot the moon whenever it appears.

My sources say the full moon will happen at about 0329 on the 23rd of February.

That's really, the evening of the 22nd, the way we do things around here.  It's tomorrow night.

So, I grabbed a tripod, camera with a humongous lens and, took a few shots.

Camera:  Pentax K3

Lens:  Sigma 50-500 and 1'4 converter -- Focal Length 700MM

Exposure:  f/11   1/40   ISO 100

Location:  Kin Town, Okinawa, Japan

Date and Time:  FEB 21 2016  6:57PM 



Visit Moon Giant for dates and times for the full moon in your location.

Saturday, February 20, 2016

Plant and Flower Photos: Cobra Lily

Musashi Abumi (ムサシアブミ) in Japan

 

 

The flower is shaped like an antique samuri stirrup used on warriors saddles.

In the Western world, it is said, to resemble a cobra snake, poised to strike.


flower, plant, Cobra Lily

The plants grow well in moist forest soil  and, are found in China, Japan, Korea and Taiwan.

This one, I should take a marker pen and, draw some eyes on for you.

It's potted in a planter at a shaded spot of the wife's garden and, I shot it with the Canon G12.


leaves, plant, garden, shaded


This plant was purchased at the Natural Stone Garden in Motobu, Okinawa. 

Learn More About the Japanese Cobra Lily at:




Friday, February 19, 2016

Okinawa's Cherry Blossom Season Will Soon Be Over

Flowers,leaves, cherry

A quick trip to the south of the island was made today, checking out the sakura blossoms.

 In the northern areas, pink flower petals are falling to the ground.

 Once the green leaves appear, flowers begin to disappear.

The image above, was taken in the hills of Yaese, where the Sakura Matsuri was held FEB 7th.


cherry tree, pink blossoms, fence

A good place to visit, right now is the back side of Yogi Park in Naha.

While it may not be in full bloom, some great photo opportunities still exist.


The next, big flower festival, to look forward to, will be the Higashi Village Azalea Festival.

That one, depending on Mother Nature, takes place, sometime during the month of March.

Wednesday, February 17, 2016

Bird in Cherry Blossoms on White Background

Japanese White Eye, bird, cherry blossoms

This Doesn't Happen Everyday

 

 

This photo was taken not far from yesterday's 16 steps position, only at a higher elevation.

So, maybe there were 40 steps involved, in getting up on the roof over my office.

The Mejiro (Japanese White Eye) is a fairly fast moving bird.

Luckily, it stopped for a split second in front of a white background, with plenty of sunshine.

That gave me a chance, to crank the shutter speed way up into the thousands.


Camera:  Pentax K3

Lens:  Sigma 50-500MM using a 1.4 converter.  Focal length 700MM

Exposure:  f/9  1/4000   ISO 200

Location:  Kin Town, Okinawa, Japan

Date and Time:  FEB 17 2016  3:42PM

Tuesday, February 16, 2016

16 Steps to Get this Bird in Cherry Blossoms

Japanese White Eye, mejiro, cherry blossoms, tree

Mejiro in Sakura

 

 

It's not that I'm going to write all sixteen steps down for reading.

That's just the number of steps, I had to walk outside my office door, to take this shot.

Camera:  Pentax K3

Lens:  Pentax 300MM + 1.4 converter  Focal length 420MM

Exposure:  f/7.1   1/800   ISO 400

Location:  Kin Town, Okinawa, Japan

Date and Time:  FEB 16 2016  1:46PM

Monday, February 15, 2016

Common House Sparrow and Banana Leaf

bird, House Sparrow, banana leaf, image

This image could have been saved for a Wordless Wednesday but, here it is now.

It's been sitting in the pending files for a few years and, I haven't got a lot of words to say.

The better part of the day was used, in getting an article typed and submitted.

So, I'll just tell you the scientific name is Passer domesticus.

And, the birds can be seen, almost anywhere in the world, lots of them in flocks.

Camera: Pentax K5

Lens:  Sigma 50-500 at 310MM

Exposure:  f/9  1/250   ISO 100

Location:  Kin Town, Okinawa, Japan

Date and Time:  MAR 13  2013 3:51PM



CORRECTION:

 

Thanks to an alert reader on Facebook, we have a better Identification.
The bird pictured above is a Eurasian Tree Sparrow (Passer montanus) not, a House Sparrow.
More at Audubon Field Guide


Resources to Learn More about Sparrows:


Saturday, February 13, 2016

Travel Shot: Lunar New Year Ritual at Hakugindo Shrine

Ken Uehara and Friends

 

 

 

Things move along quickly at some of the cultural events, I attend and it was one of those days.

One camera crashed, due to human error and, luckily, I had a backup one handy.

One of the uminchu (fisherman) said, "Mikesan come over here."


martial arts experts, weapons,Ken Uehara, Hakugindo Shrine

This was the first, sailing of the sabani boats, since the beginning of the Chinese New Year.

Prayers and offerings were made at the shrine and, it was time to go out to sea.

Three martial arts experts had performed in the shrine, just minutes earlier.

They were posed, for photos, being taken by a young lady and, I was trying to get closer.

It's really, not a good idea, for a bearded foreigner, to shove people out of the way.

The lens, I was using was a 10-20MM and, I needed to get right up front, to take this shot.

For a split second, I thought maybe, these dudes, would start whacking me with their weapons. 

Finally, Ken Uehara (right) told them, who I was and, what I do.

"Mikesan, gets our story in newspapers and on the internet," he told them.

So, I got out of there without a scratch and, had to hurry, on down to the ocean.

Doing stuff like this can give you goose bumps and make hairs stand up on your neck.

Maybe, they should assign a note taker/translator to me, to keep me out of trouble ! 





What the Heck Is a Sabani ? 



UPDATE:

 

From a martial arts establishment in Belgium, the friends above, were identified as:

"Yamashiro Kenichi Sensei with his son Takesi Yamasiro and his student Yuki."

Thanks to 
Federation Geido Tao Chi Kihon on Facebook for sharing this post !


Friday, February 12, 2016

Okinawa Common House Gecko Images

An Insect Eater

 

 

The National Institute for Environmental Studies calls them an Invasive Species.

Their scientific name is Hemidactylus frenatus.

They are called, yamori (やもり) in Japan.


Common House Gecko, black background

It took a few hours of coaxing, to get this guy to pose for me.

Nobody needs to see the mess in my office so, we'll just see the best photos, for now. 

Hemidactylus frenatus, gecko, white background

 Over a hundred shots of this character were taken, from several different angles.

Three tripods, a Swiss Army Knife and a few PET bottles, did the trick.

Oh yeah, Scotch Tape, external flash, a bar stool, step ladder and bruised knees, too.

No wild animals were harmed, in any way, making this production.


Starbucks Coffee, cup, gecko, window sill, latte


Just in case, you think I'm a sissy for drinking Caffe' Latte, I tell you, I'm not.

Some sweet girl bought it for me and, stuck it in my fridge.  I wouldn't waste it.

So, I drank the stuff and saved the cup, to catch lizards or, something.

Anyway, when the photo session ended,  I let the critter go, on the bathroom window sill.

If the dude is still here tomorrow morning maybe, we'll do some more shooting together.

While I go out for a few beers, I hope he catches a belly full of bugs.

The Smithsonian, could use some photos of these critters so, I might send them some.

Thursday, February 11, 2016

Boating Photo: Sabani Boats of Itoman


A Chinese New Year Tradition

 

 

Today the sailing sabani boats of Itoman, Okinawa were in a parade.

A procession, to Hakugindo Shrine was made by the sabani boat teams.

Prayers and offerings insure a safe and productive New Year.

Afterwards, the boats, decorated with colorful banners and flags, sailed around Itoman Port.

Camera:  Pentax K3

Lens:  Pentax 18-250 and 1.4 converter -- Focal Length 252MM

Exposure:  f/11   1/400   ISO 100

Date and Time:  FEB 11  2016  9:49AM


Wednesday, February 10, 2016

Wildlife Photo: Pair of Bean Geese

birds, bean goose, water, field, nature


Camera: Pentax K3

Lens:  Pentax 300MM with 1.4 converter = 420MM

Exposure:  f/6.3   1/1000   ISO 200

Location:  Kin Town, Okinawa, Japan

Date and Time:  FEB 10  2015   4:52PM

Tuesday, February 9, 2016

An Attractive Looking Island Restaurant

Looks Like a Fixer Upper

 

 

On my second day of the Lunar Calendar, I visited Kouri-jima.

This restaurant had caught my eye, several times but, I had never entered the place before.

shack, 2 story,cafe and restaurant, Kouri-jima, island

Most people would figure, a fine establishment like this, might be a tourist trap.

Heck, it's right off the beach, as you enter the island by bridge.

It was so cold, this morning, I had worn socks with my flip-flops, leaving home.

But, by the time, we got to Kouri-jima, the socks were tucked away, in my back pocket.

It turned out, to be a beautiful, sunny day and, my toes needed some tanning.

lasagna, rice, cheese, bowl

Nowhere, on any island, have I ever seen lasagna and rice on a menu in this lifetime.

It was ordered, delivered and partially eaten, when I realized, I forgot to take a ;photo.

Anyway, now you can see the texture, a little better.  It was yummy and, hot.

Lasagna-wise, it was sorta "meh" but, it helped kill my appetite so, I guess that was good.

The price was around twelve bucks or so.  That seemed a bit on the costly side.

What the heck, lunacy is alright, when you're celebrating the Lunar New Year, I guess.


Up on the Second Floor

 

That's where you're seated for dining, on the veranda, overlooking the beach.

If you have to go pee, that's downstairs and, I checked it out.

Long, sloping stairs, embedded with seashells, lead the way up and down.

In the restrooms, they even have showers, in case you came from the beach, all sandy.

Not needing a shower, I didn't check, to see if it was free or, you have to pay.

The stuff I did, didn't cost a dime and, I was back in my seat, before the meal showed up.

Usually, I'm not crazy about pricey foods but, I'll probably go back here again, sometime.

The food, doesn't have to be all that great.  Atmosphere, is what you're really paying for.

Plus, I forgot to count the steps.  That's important, for lots of people, to know.

Some people, have step-o-phobia and, want to know things like that.

Now, I could, take all the grandchildren over there and let them, count the stairs.

But, if I bought them, each an ice cream cone, for counting steps, it'd cost me a fortune.

They'd all come back with different counts and, be arguing, while I lose 20 bucks.

So, I should go climb the stairs and, count them myself, for accuracy, I guess.


The place is called, Cafe and Restaurant Yoshika

And, you can visit them on Facebook

Monday, February 8, 2016

Chinese New Year's Day - A Visit to an Outer Island

Happy Lunar New Year!

 

 

A Quick trip to Hamahiga-jima was made with the camera today.

Map It Okinawa dude and I wanted to see if anything unusual was going on. 


fishing boats, flags, banners, port

Boats were all decked out with flags and banners at some fishing ports.

Not sure if we had missed an important cultural event, we went around asking questions.

It appears, tomorrow morning the boats will be blessed and, do some sailing.


trees, ropes, colored streamers, sacred site, stairs

 This is the trail leading to Shirumichu (シルミチュー) a sacred site.

It's been a few years since we last visited this spot so, we climbed up the stairs.

Bright colored streamers were strung on the ropes along the way.


stairs, streamers, torri, sacred site

In the heat of summer, I don't feel like climbing up all those stairs.

Today, it was sunny and cool outside so, up I went to take some photos.


young ladies, stairs, streamers, torii gate, ropes

Noticing the young ladies, coming up the stairs, I stopped.

Pretending I was taking photos, I let them pass by me so, I could rest.

Depending on where, you search, there are either 100 or, 108 steps, to climb.

Now, I'll have to go back and, hike up there again, to count them for everybody.

goddammit


See, I really don't like cussing, lying or, climbing stairs but we'll getterdun,  next time.


cave,candles, lights, pottery,altar

The gals took off their shoes, put on slippers and, went into the cave.

Most of the time, the cave entrance, is locked and, you can't go in there. 

So, after the gals exited, I squinched my feet into these tiny slippers and, went to have a look. 

Standing at the entrance, I pointed the camera down and, got this shot.

Special places like this, are where some people worship and perform rituals.

So, I don't want to mess things up being sacrilegious or, anything like that.

They say, some women, go in there praying for fertility.  Don't look at me.

See, I'm just an old cameraman and, I don't like climbing stairs.

Now, you know, what I did for the Lunar New Year.

More about this site, including directions, can be found at Map It Okinawa

Sunday, February 7, 2016

These Boots Ain't Made for Walking

Never a Dull Moment at a Festival

 

 

At the Kin Dam Matsuri yesterday it seemed like every band liked playing the same tune.

Or, it could be it's a requirement, to obtain a musicians license in Japan.  I don't know.

"Smoke on the Water"  is a catchy tune all right but, hearing it once is enough for me.

high heels, boots, laces, zippers, rock  band

After the third time, hearing that tune, I decided to do something different with the camera.

The heck with shooting teeny-bopped bands, I went for boots instead.

It was raining and, everything outside (including me) was soaking wet.

The shot had to be made, when this singer, wasn't bouncing around, too much on the stage.

Camera:  Pentax K3

Lens:  Pentax 18-250 at 230MM

Exposure:  f/6.3   1/30   ISO 200

Location: Kin Town, Okinawa, Japan

Date and Time:  FEB 6  2016  6:03PM

Plenty more shots of the action were taken, 635 of them, to be exact.

Maybe, one of these days, I'll create some GIFs of the event, to post here.

Meanwhile, I'll be resting up and, listening to some other sort of music..

Now I'm wondering if several cold beers might get that  guitar twanging, out of my head.

If you aren't familiar, with that tune, click on the link above.

That way, you can add to over 6 million other people, who listened to the song !

Saturday, February 6, 2016

Nature Photo: Fish Jumping Out of Water

fish, jumping out of water


This Beats Leapin' Lizards Batman !

 

 


It's really a lot more fun when there's a heron in the scene, to gobble down the suckers.

But, this was just one of those days, where nothing seemed to be going right.

Camera: Pentax K3

Lens: Pentax 300MM with 1.4 converter -- Focal length 420MM

Exposure:  f/6.3   1/1000   ISO 400

Location:  Kin Town, Okinawa, Japan

Latitude: 26.4421

Longitude: 127.9354

Date and Time:  JUN 13  2015  4:24PM



More in Photo Tips:  Fish Jumping Out of Water


Friday, February 5, 2016

Hay Man -- What Do You Know About Scarecrows ?

Spotted in Northern Okinawa

 

 

Scarecrows are really works of art and, you could become a scarecrow artist.

This one, caught my eye and, I just had to snap a quick photo of it.


countryside, scarecrow, Okinawa

Crows aren't really the dumbest birds on the planet so, this probably doesn't scare them.

But, it's an interesting subject so, I Googled it.

Camera: Pentax K3

Lens:  Pentax 18-250 at 39MM

Exposure:  f/11   1/15   ISO 100

Location: Sukunabaru, Okinawa, Japan

Latitude: 26.5733

Longitude: 128.1222

Date and Time: JAN 14 2016  1:07PM


A gal named Patti Wigington can tell you the history of scarecrows.

She's like an expert on Paganism and Wicca at About.com for your information.

Children and drunks, could throw rocks and, do a better job at scaring birds than statues.


Communists are using the things on the Russian/China border for guard duty.  Hah !

At the Telegraph UK, they say some gal put a smoking scarecrow in children's books.

Some parents and teachers got all riled-up over that, wouldn't ya know.

Read about the lives and times of scarecrows at Modern Farmer if, you like.

Over at Rocket News they have the most realistic scarecrows, you'll ever find.

And, learn how to make your own scarecrow, cheaply at The Queso.

From my experience, the best way to scare crows away, is with a double barrel shotgun !

Thursday, February 4, 2016

Flower Photos: Fields of Cosmos in Igei Okinawa

Good for People with Brown Thumbs

 

 

These made the Top 10 Easy Plants to grow from seeds, EZ from Seed Org, tells me.

Researching the flowers was almost as much fun as photographing them, today.

blue sky, HWY overpass, fields, flowers, photographers


 For the unfortunates, living in snow country, I took a few snaps with the camera.

Visit About.com  when the spring thaw comes and,  you can learn how to grow your own.


fields, Cosmos, flowers, students, children, teachers

 It was a great day, for teachers, to let their little students loose in the sunshine today.

There are acres and acres of those pink, white, yellow and red flowers blooming.

According to the Old Farmer's Almanac, you can grow these things, just about anywhere. 


teacher, students, children, flowers, field

 They say, these plants originated in dry country of Mexico and there are 20 varieties.

I have news for them.  These flowers are thriving, in rice paddies.

We must have the breed, that loves lots of water !

close-up, Cosmos, flowers


To avoid, getting people, moving through the scene, I took this close-up shot.

The word Cosmos, comes from Greek and, means Balanced Universe.

They told me that at, The Flower Expert and, this, too:

There's a Cosmos astrosanguinea that smells like vanilla chocolate.  Yum !

flowers, Cosmos, fields

If you are thinking about growing your own Cosmos, I have a link for you.

Learn all about cosmos at the Burpee Seed Company, they are experts, in my opinion.

Did you know, you can even buy Burpless Cucumber seeds there, too ?

 

Wednesday, February 3, 2016

Wordless Wednesday

stairs, outdoors, children,handrail,climbing

Tuesday, February 2, 2016

Rain Can't Stop Cherry Blossom Lovers

Wet and Breezy on the Mountain

 

 

Just to keep everyone informed, another trip was made up Mt. Yae, yesterday.

Luckily, Map It Okinawa Dude was driving; that's too far of a hike, for me.

ferns, mountain, flowers, sakura, cherry trees

The higher up that ear-popping mountain, you go, the colder it gets.

Wind blowing and rain falling make photography more challenging than usual.

 I figured it would be a good idea, to jump out of the car and snap a few photos.

road sign, cherry blossoms, trees

Here's an image taken from almost the exact spot, I stood at, two weeks ago.

The shot couldn't be duplicated because, too many vehicles were coming up the road.

Standing with a tripod, in the middle of the street, can be dangerous.


3 girls, cherry blossoms, roadside, signs, Mt. Yae
 These young ladies, were out there in the rain, taking pictures and, doing selfies.

They saw the old man, with a furry face and posed for me.  Good girls.


cherry blossoms,raindrops

 Where a Pentax camera, come in handy, is when it's raining outside.

Other than, keeping raindrops off of the lens, I didn't have to worry about it getting wet.

Pentax K3, camera, raindrops,tripod

 The cell phone, I use is water resistant, too so, I snapped this photo.

The folks at the camera store know, I put their stuff through some rough tests.

They should send me free stuff and, see if it can be broken. I'd do a bang-up job for them !


cherry blossoms, rain, trees, mountainside

 The trees, sort of blossomed sporadically, this year and, I wouldn't say they are at full bloom, yet.

Maybe it's fifty percent at full bloom, at this point; there are lots of barren cherry trees.


flowers, pink blossoms, raindrops

 It would have been, much more enjoyable, up there on a sunny day.

Maybe in the next weekend or, two the whole mountain will busting out in pink flowers.


wet, sakura, raindrops, green veretation, background

Some of my camera-shooting friends live up there in Motubu.

They should do like, I do.  Sneak out of the house before the women wake up.

And, spend the whole day, snapping photos of cherry blossoms.


ferns, sakura, cherry trees, flowers

When, there's no blue skies, to add to the scene, I climb high and shoot down into the valley.

The colors and contrast make an interesting scene, I think.

Once my clothes were soaking wet and I was half frozen, it was time to get out of there.

Do you, love cherry blossoms enough, to visit them in the rain ?