OK This Blog Is Supposed to Be About Okinawa

  

 

Well That's Where This Photo Originated

 

 

Now, it's hanging on a wall at a place called Sleepy Hollow in Athens, New York.

And, a photo of the framed image was emailed to me this morning.

Original Photo by: Chris Willson

The mail, came from my sister and, I hope she doesn't mind me sharing it with you.

" Mick, 48 years ago you walked me down the aisle.  The sunlight was shining on your picture this morning, so I snapped this one for you.

Love ya,

Kathleen"

Sort of Stunned

 

Big sisters don't lie to their younger brothers but, I did the math anyway.

It got me thinking.  Um, 48 years ago, I would have been 20 years old. 

I was in the USA, after a year visiting a place, formerly known as French Indochina.

And, I was walking my big sister down the isle because, somehow, I was the man of the house.

Later that year, I would return, to the place formerly known as French Indochina.

It was like some sort of crazy internship, I was going through and, I traveled a lot.

Out of six siblings, this sister and I, are the farthest apart, geographically speaking.

But, in hearts, minds and spirits, it's like she's standing right next to me, all the time.

Well, I didn't want to get all mushy so, I sent her a quick reply:

"Wow.  Happy Anniversary!  Being a guy, I don't remember stuff like anniversaries.

 But, you just reminded me.  I think my current, upcoming one, is next week August 5th."

Back to the Island of Okinawa

 Fast forward a few years and, I went to model as the fisherman again.

Chris Wilson, wanted to take, a much more dramatic shot, of the fisherman.

He shot this image of me, with my camera, while taking a break.

See the finished product and equipment, he used on the Travel 67 Blog.

If, you desire, to have a portrait taken, visit Chris, in Motobu, Okinawa.

Just, don't try to steal the part of Old Man of the Sea er, I'll come and spit in yer eye !

Whoa Baby Let's Go to Kanucha Fun Fun Club !

The skies cleared over Okinawa today.

So, I told Doc Graff we should probably check out that resort up north.

And we did.  But, it was just a whirlwind tour.  I have to go back, again, someday.

They have a replica of the home Bill Clinton was born in.  Can you imagine that?

He was the guy who made, "I did not....with that woman" popular, I think.

I'm not too fond of politicians.  It doesn't matter if they are left, right, or undecided.

So, we decided to go get some lunch.

Over at the front office, we met some really nice people.

 Behind the front desk was a woman named Nyein Su.

When I asked where was a good place to eat a light lunch, she pointed me in the right direction.

She spoke English and gave us all sorts of literature about the resort.

For now, I'll just give you a link to the Kanucha English Homepage.

The Famigo Lounge was where we headed next.

 They said I could use my camera so, here's a view looking back out of the place.

 My favorite, Goya Chanpuru, was on the menu so that's what I ordered.

Doc didn't fool around taking pictures of his food.  He just dug in and started eating.

And, had a good laugh, when I couldn't finish all mine.

This plaque saying the resort is the Traveler's Choice Winner for 2012 caught my eye.

But, wait 'til I tell the Missus what else I saw at the Kanucha Resort.

DOGS ARE WELCOME THERE, TOO.

Whoa baby, guess where we're going for our anniversary?

A Year Later the Silence About Fukushima, Japan is Deafening

No.  The photo above is not the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

It's a coal burner in Kin Cho Kin Okinawa, Japan.

We're over 1,000 miles away from that nuclear disaster and today is the one year anniversary.

Around the country a few moments of silence are being held in commemoration.

The silence is deafening.

Not just in Japan.  The silence around the globe is deafening, to me.

The silence about nuclear power.  It's unbelievable.

Now, I've never been an activist.  And, don't think I have the time to become a good one, either.

The Fukushima incident convinced me.  Nuclear power is no good.

Greedy power companies and governments want to keep building them.

But, nobody wants one in their backyard.

No one wants the waste associated with them, either. Unless, they want to kill you.

The stuff has a shelf life (for killing) that must be a month of eternities long.

The people who create it aren't all that sure about how long they can safely contain it.

You might be surprised if you knew where the stuff goes.  So, I won't tell you.

Shortly after last year's disaster I became interested in SOLAR POWER.

And, I'm glad we never had any nuclear power plants on our islands.

We live far enough away from mainland Japan to keep attracting tourists.

The silence in memory of all those who lost lives and land in last year's disaster, I'll observe.

The silence about the nuclear power is deafening.

Is there any nuclear material nearby you ?