Dancers and Characters at the Hamahiga (綱引き) Tug-O-War

Tug-O-Wars are Held Everywhere in Okinawa

 

 Last night, on Hamahiga Island we witnessed the usual Ryukyu style tug-o-war.

Except for the size of the rope used, they are all pretty much the same.

Some challenges are made, before the ends of the ropes are looped together.

Teams from the east side of town pull against those from the west.

What made this one different, was the people we met along the way.

Young gals who were proud of making themselves look like old hags.

There was a little guy making believe he was the village idiot.

Not sure if this was a man or, woman, I kept my distance.

They were, all friendly people and didn't mind the camera, being pointed their way.

This gal was so proud of her blackened tooth, I had to take a second photo of her.

People were decked-out in all kinds of bright colors and dancing in the streets.

This sweetheart was heading into her house by the time I caught-up with her.

But, she ran back out the gate so I could take her picture, dancing outside the yard.

The gal on the far left had some huge Dolly Parton-looking boobs on earlier.

She kept apologizing because they disappeared, somewhere along the way.

So, I told her not to worry.  I don't have any boobs, either.

That got them all laughing.

Somebody told me one of those characters was Michael Jackson.  I'd have never guessed.

Late in the evening, way after the tug-o-war, formal dances took place.

Some of these same gals might have been characters, earlier.

Face recognition, is something I must have been born without.

 That means, I'll probably never get hired by the FBI.

Seeing all the costumes and, watching the dances, was more fun than the tug-o-war.

The tsunahiki (綱引き) is an annual tradition in many villages throughout Okinawa.

They are held in the belief it will be a prosperous year for crops and good health.

The people of Hamahiga just, know how to do it in style !

Internet Doomsday: What if the Sky is Really Falling ?

Don't PANIC !

The sky ain't falling.

Breaking news came across my internet wires today.

They're talking about some internet blackout/doomsday/virus stuff.

Malware checker dudes, FBI, Facebook, McAfee and some DNS Changer Group 

ALL WANT TO HELP YOU

They say you can go online and get a FREE CHECKUP HERE 

HAH !

Well, I don't think the sky is really falling so, I ain't doing nuthin' right now.

But, if you don't hear from me tomorrow...

... it's probably because I'm hiding in here.

Sooner, or later, if people keep it up, one of these doomsday predictions could come true !

Flowers and New Shoes (Photos) Good News and Bad News

What a day this turned out to be, no wildlife shots but, one heck of a busy day and I got a lot accomplished with the help of my shooting buddy, Doc.  We're doing a Wednesday weekly shooting day from now on, as long as the wives don't put the clamps on our activities.  That's good news.

Today's story will unfold in the sequence I shot these pictures but, plenty of things happened while the cameras were safely locked-up in the car.

Just so you know we weren't drinking, the first flower is a pink hibiscus.  I shot it while Doc was hauling his bag of concrete out of the DIY Store and breaking his back loading up the car.  I asked a salesgirl if I could shoot photos of the flowers and she told me to go ahead.  That's good news.

Some stores are afraid of industrial espionage, especially when the see a DSLR in your hands.

Remind me, someday, it'd be a good idea for me to buy a little Point and Shoot for those type operations.



Next, I shot this Multi-colored Hibiscus.  It looked unreal, to me.  Like I figured somebody painted it or put foodcoloring in the planter to make it that way but, Doc said they grow that color naturally.



When he saw me shooting these furry caterpillar-looking things, he said he'd never seen a plant like that before.  I see them all the time when I'm walking my dogs.  I call them caterpillar-looking flowers. 

Today I shot the sign that says, Benihimo 1980 Yen and Googled it.  My Wikipedia connections tell me it is a Chenille Plant (Acalypha hispida).



On the way out of the DIY Store's Flower and Garden Center I shot this wide angle scene just because it was there. We'll have to get a translator to read all that fancy kanji that was imported from China, years ago. I only read the simple stuff. I'll find out the names of all the flowers I shot today, eventually and hope I can escape with the information for you, without having to buy any of them.  Er, that'd be bad news.

Before we hit the DIY Store, all kinds of things got accomplished.  Doc and I were on a mission.  I had to do some shopping for frames to mail photos to my contest winners.  And, to avoid firing my printer up to make photos for the frames, I went to a print shop.

With a whole hour to kill, waiting for the prints, we wandered off and started looking at cameras, computers and all kinds of other stuff we really didn't need.

The good news: I found a pair of shoes.  I need new shoes, the kind you can go over rough terrain in. 

I found a pair of rugged-looking shoes that are supposed to cost around a hundred US Dollars, on sale for only about 25 bucks.  So, I bought them, even if they're a half size too large for my feet.

Like I told Doc, just wear more socks, until they fit.  I can buy plenty of socks with the 75 dollars I saved.  Right ?



There they are. That's my new shoes, never been worn and a DVD even came with them.  Hah !
How many times have you ever bought a pair of shoes and got a DVD included in the box with them ?

So, when I got back here, to my office, I had to wait for these PCs to wake up and get scanned before I could download my camera.  That's when I got the bright idea to shoot my shoes.  I could do something like a product review on them.  You know, like a one month, blow by blow account of me and my new shoes going over rough terrain and stuff like that.  I'll put them through some rugged tests.

I don't have time to watch a DVD and I'm pretty sure I know what I'm doing when it comes to shoes. 

I'll start testing these suckers in a few minutes.  I'm leaving my flip-flops at the bar and I'll be heading to the beach with the dogs, shortly.

Just to make sure these shoes didn't get put on sale because some company went extinct, I googled them.  They're good to go.

Then, I started reading some of the literature that came in the box.  This is more bad news.

There's a WARNING:
"The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal.  Criminal copyright infringement, including without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000."  YIKES !

So, it's probably best that I don't tell you any of what I see on the DVD or read in the book until I get authorization from the proper authorities.  I could email the company, I guess.  Or should I just shred the book, DVD, the box and everything that came with it ?  I'm pretty sure I can wear the things and walk alright without anyone's advice.  What would you do, worry about goin to jail ?

What's Wrong With That Picture ? (Photo) The Aliens are Back !

The thought had crossed my mind.  Making What's Wrong With That Picture a regular weekly feature here.  But, I'm not sure I'd be able to come up with enough material.  There's a lot of bizarre, whacky and unusual stuff going on in the world.  Where on the tiny island of Okinawa would I ever find the photos needed to introduce these off the wall and sometimes, unbelieveable tidbits of news that come across the wires ? 

Well, this baby just fell into my lap today.  Aliens.  I have a photo in my pocket.  It's on my cell phone.

This photo was snapped in March of 2007.  Here is proof that aliens exist on the island of Okinawa, Japan. 

I have a picture and two witnesses.  They held the rascal still so I could snap the photo and pretty soon they'll be old enough to testify or whatever scientsts have you do.

They are my Grandkids.  We were walking the dogs when I spotted the alien.  I asked them to grab it so I could get a quick photo of them standing alongside it. That would give it a sense of scale.

The one on the right, she's my Granddaughter.  I can't get her to go dumpster diving anymore.

She's a teenager now.  You know girls.  Once they hit a certain age, dumpster diving is only for guys.

If we spot another alien, us men will have to grab it.  Girls might take the photo, if we're lucky.

Enough about my picture.  I don't need anyone telling me what's wrong with this picture. 

I'll give you a link to these guys who call themselves the Furious Fanboys.

They got the goods on the FBI, aliens and the whole Roswell, New Mexico UFO Incident. 

You have to see the evidence they presented and make your own decision. 

Good old conspiracy theories just give me goose bumps.  I'm having flashbacks thinking about those FBI cartoonish characters Scully and Mulder from the X-Files TV Series. 

They used to say stuff like "Trust no one" and "The truth is out there".  Wooooo.  This is good !

If you have any kind of extraterrestrial music lying around the house, put it on and crank it up real loud. Then go have a peek at Oops! FBI Confirms Roswell UFO Incident.

If you're lucky enough to not get abducted either by aliens or the FBI, I'd like to hear from you again. 

Just your opinion.  What's wrong with that picture ?


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