Holy Mackerel! Lookit What I'm Doin' Now

 March Is Sneaking Up

It's almost the end of February and the blog hasn't been touched.  It's time to update.

Not much outdoor activity has been going on due to poor health and the weather.

The health is improving and the weather almost seemed like spring for a few days.

Then winter came once again.

So Let's Get On A Health Kick

Pretty much hanging around the house and not exercising fattens folks up.

One day fumbling around on Google I discovered the benefits of canned fish.

Yeah, I consume a couple of cans of tuna each week but, here's something new.

A can of Saba Misoni is Mackerel simmered in Miso.

What the heck is Miso?  It's a paste made by fermenting soybeans in Japan.

Between mackerel and miso, there are all sorts of health benefits.

Like lowering blood pressure and cholesterol while boosting the body's immune system.

Supposedly, canned mackerel is more powerful than tuna.

During warm weather, I BBQ mackerel and think it tastes better than canned fish.

The canned stuff is like the first time you tasted beer. An acquired taste is required.

Part II Nothing to See Here

There won't be any images or videos posted, just use some imagination.

Since early September, I've had to take things easy. No lifting and no long walks.

A broken disk in the back makes life kind of miserable.  Things are slowly improving.

For the first few months, a back brace had to be worn, all day long.

No long walks and no heavy lifting were the doctor's orders.

Weekly rehabilitation visits and all sorts of therapy took place.

They even microwaved my bones!

Now that the broken disk has healed, muscles and nerves need some fine-tuning.

The painkillers I was taking (opiates) are no longer required. Amen.

Slowly getting back into an exercise routine, I still have to take it easy.

The left hip seems to malfunction frequently. Sometimes, it locks up.

Range of motion stretches and massage, along with heat therapy seems to help.

The Funny Part

Sometimes it's difficult for a therapist to determine what a patient needs to do.

Last Friday the guy says, "Mike walk on your fingers."

That seemed odd but, I bent over and started to kick my feet in the air, to do a handstand.

"No, your foot fingers."  He's Japanese. He meant to step with my toes down before my heels.

If he would have said, "Ashi no yubi," I would have understood. Now he knows, "toes."

Can you imagine what an old bearded guy looks like walking on his tip toes?

Well, I like to walk early in the morning. Before sunup, there are not a lot of people around.

Thinking I'd look like a fool, I only walked on the toes of the left foot.

That way, I'd only look like I was half crazy. Don't you think?

Whenever I spotted a car coming or someone walking their dog, I walked normally.

Tiptoes on both feet. Can you picture a ballerina in yellow flip-flops?

Anyhow, this therapy might be working. Let's wait and see.

12 Scenes from the Kin Town 2019 Nuchigusui Festival

Mental and Physical Good Health

That's what it's really all about, nuchigusui - Okinawan language for well being.

Take a sip of a healthy, refreshing drink or, chomp down on some delicious Ryukyuan food.

Sniff the air and get a whiff of some soothing flowers and say, "Nuchigusui yaasa."

That'd be like saying, "Feels good."  What about seeing some boobs?  Wait 'til later.

Shortly after 10 AM, on a Sunday when the weather was predicted to turn, here's the entrance.

Anytime the sun shines in December, I'm feeling nuchigusui with that!

A light jacket or long-sleeved shirt would be all that's required on a day like this.

On the way to the festival food and flower displays, I spotted these caged chickens.

Dozens of roosters and hens were there but, really didn't cooperate with the camera.

Some fancy varieties of chickens were there and, I don't think they were for eating.

Hoping to see some of the "other white meat" I walked around looking for some piglets.

Nope, no porker would be seen. Pigs would have posed. I get along just fine with pigs.

Moving along to the main attractions, I knew I would be indoors or, under a roof outdoors.

On the second floor of a community center, I spotted firemen training families.

Here, a father has his children learning how to use an AED machine.

That's a pretty neat skill for children to know. They could save a life someday!

Members of the Ryukyu Rehabilitation Academy maintained stations in several areas.

Here they were doing some sort of posture analytics on volunteers. I declined.

With an aching back from over-exercising the night before, I had another plan.

There were about a dozen massage tables set up and, I could sure use a free massage.

Too many volunteers were waiting at the massage area so, I had to move along.

Mental and physical nuchigusui stuff was out of the way for today.

 Next, it was time to go downstairs to check out the foods and flowers.

The location was outdoors, sort of in a huge parking area. Windy but not wet.

Every kind of healthy festival food you could imagine was being cooked and served.

When hauling around a camera, I'm not really interested in eating.

Everybody was friendly and some tried to give me free samples but, I couldn't eat.

Ever try operating chopsticks and shooting a DSLR at the same time? Me neither.

Looking at colorful flowers, smelling them or, gardening, I'm not sure which is healthy.

Maybe, all three. All I know, for sure is, the prices for buying them weren't all that much.

The wife wasn't allowed to see this photo until the day after. Too late to buy any now!

What About the Boobs?

That part comes a little bit later. This is a festival sort of event, not pole dancing. OK?

Making the rounds under fairly horrible lighting conditions, I was bouncing around.

I'm deciding what to photograph with families continuously moving through scenes.

It seemed impossible to get a photo of this farmer's food and displays.

He was selling Okinawa's prized Agu Pig Pork servings, freshly grilled in his booth.

Noticing a photo of him posing with  Hidehiko Ishizuka, I asked if he could near it.

Ishizuka is sort of a comedian, food sampler, traveler, TV star in Japan.

Wouldn't it be neat if, he went drinking with me someday?

Here's what the open-air-sorta-garage looked like.

Families are seated at folding tables and chairs, sampling the health foods.

The food, flower and plant booths surround the tables and other displays.

My favorite activity would take place here, not outdoors as usual.

The closest thing to natural, outdoor lighting, was this display.

Pictured in the background, are the Taimo fields of Kin Town.

On display are some taimo plants (sweet potato) and produce.

Titty and Nipples Are You Ready?

Before anyone goes screaming off to the police station, let me explain.

This is supposed to be a blog the whole family could read.

Some fruits and plants must be Nuchigusui, just to look at.

What some people call Fox Fruit is in the photo above. They are poison so, don't eat any.

Titty Fruit, Nipple Fruit, and Cow's Udder are some of the other names for this plant.

Learn more about this yellow fruit from a lady at Japan Times.

My favorite part of the Nuchigusui Fest is featured here.

Better than carving a Thanksgiving Turkey is the cutting of a maguro.

Each year this knife-wielding chef, butchers a tuna, right before your eyes.

It doesn't take 10 minutes for him to hack that fish to pieces.

He's talking through a microphone so, you can learn how to carve a fish, too.

When he's done, the fish gets carried away and cut into smaller servings.

Then, the crowd line up, to get some maguro sashimi, for free!

Osprey the Bird Bringing Home Lunch

Three Hour Hike

Out with the camera and a heavy lens, I decided it was time for a long walk.

There wasn't much activity down in the fields. I was headed home when this Osprey appeared.

It wouldn't be until the camera was downloaded that I noticed the fish.

The camera was tripod-mounted but, used as a monopod for shooting this scene.

Camera: Pentax K1

Lens: Pentax 300 MM 1.4 Converter for focal length 420 MM

Exposure:  f/5.6   1/8000   ISO 800

Location: Kin Town, Okinawa, Japan

Date and Time: MAR 29 2018   11:06 AM

This Will Be a Short Dam Report

End of November

The weather is quickly changing from autumn to winter on this island, dammit.

It was the first time since March, I had to put socks on, along with the flip-flops.

When it gets below 20 degrees Celsius, that's something like the high 60's Fahrenheit.

Socks, bluejeans, flannel shirts and wool-lined jackets, ain't really my style.

But, I had to bundle-up to go work in my freezing office. I don't want to turn the heat on, yet.

All of a sudden, I stepped outside the office and the sun was shining. Whoa, baby!

A backpack got stuffed with cameras, lenses, lunch and a camping chair.

The jacket got chucked and, I hiked to see how the dam birds were doing.

The Ospreys were flying around Kin Dam, looking for fish. It must have been lunchtime.

The birds, don't exactly pose for the camera and, they move fairly quickly.

From the dam, also know an Okukubu, they search the Okukubi River, all the way to the ocean.

It might take 150 snaps of the shutter button, to catch a bird's golden eye.

If, the eye isn't lit up by the sun, just right, I usually throw the photo away.

Things got so busy, for a while, I forgot about eating the lunch I had packed away.

Who wants cheese, crackers, and canned tuna fish, anyhow?  Yuck.

Here's a photo of an Osprey, bragging about the fish it caught.

It would have been much nicer if, the bird was flying in blue skies and looked towards the sun.

Five hours out there with a heavy backpack and, I came home sweaty and sore.

End of the Dam Report

Visit Kin Dam

Want to Drive a Sushi Chef Crazy ?

Get One of These Fish Charts

 

That's right. There are 242 kinds of fish in the waters of Okinawa, Japan.

This wall chart has pictures and the names of the fish in Japanese, English and Okinawan.

The posters are sold at many touristy locations, throughout the Ryukyu Islands.

I've seen them go for anywhere from 1,000 to over 3,000 Yen. That's like ten to thirty bucks.

Get one HERE at a bargain. Tell the pretty gals, "A guy with a beard sent me."

The chart is really huge and comes all rolled up, wrapped in cellophane.

I tacked it to the wall and, to give you a better view, I chopped up and enlarged the photos.

That's way too many fish, to be hanging on my wall. Soon, I'll take it down.

For poor folks, who can't afford to buy the chart, go to Asia Pacific Fish I.D.

They have images of all the fish and, English as well as, Japanese.

There's even a guy in Tokyo, who gives you the same info for kosher and non-kosher dining. 

Shazam !

Many Sushi Chefs Don't Speak English

Saving the links above on your smartphone, might help you at the sushi bar.

Get an old deck of cards and, with this poster, you could have lots more fun.

Cut the thing up, into small pieces, paste and laminate them to the cards and, you're all set.

Instead of pointing to the fish, inside some glass case, do what I'm gonna do.

Buy the chef something to drink.  They usually, go for sake or beer. 

Shuffle the deck of fish cards, pull one out and say, "Got any of this ?"

Class Dismissed

Osprey the Bird and Toenails

If It Wasn't for Facebook

This old photo would not have been resurrected from the files. A friend sent me something.

We were in northern South Vietnam many moons ago and, haven't seen each other since.

With all the modern technology, available these days, we're hooked-up on Facebook, now.

It's kinda neat.  We can joke with each other anytime of the day or night.

It would be even more fun if, they'd serve booze on Facebook. Maybe, that's next.

Anyhow, he sent me this cartoon of an old guy whispering, that made me think.

"Please do not wear flip flops if your feet look like they could swoop out of the sky and snatch

 

your dinner from a lake."

So, I went and cut my toenails !

Wordless Wednesday at the Fish Market

Ever Wonder How Many Fish Are in the Ocean?

Tons Are Caught Every Day

No interesting birds got in the range of my lens today but, it was a blast, anyhow.

Out on the west coast of the island, the weather was beautiful.

There was 420MM of glass on the end of the camera so, I picked on this fishing boat.

Without a tripod, I figured, it would be best to sit on a rock, down at sea level.

To create a GIF, it's best to make sure the camera remains steady.

That was accomplished, by propping my elbows on top of my bony knees.

Then, I blasted away and shot a series of about 100 images, just for the fun of it.

At 8.6 frames per second, it doesn't take long to get enough photos to create an animation.

After I had my fill of photos, fresh sea breeze air and, scorching sunshine, I got thinking.

"Damn, it's hot down here."  So, I hurried off the beach looking for some shade.

There Should Be a Guinness World Record

If, they had one for the Worst Fisherman on Earth, I could probably win.

Fresh fish, I love especially, when they just came out of the ocean.

Throw them on a grill, the same day they were snagged and, they are delicious.

People who eat fish that was frozen for a few months, have no clue. That stuff stinks.

The folks, who work catching fish, are real heroes to me. I can't catch the darn things.

Not even with a net, when the critters are in an aquarium.

It's easier, to dump all the water out and, stomp on the little things, 'til they stop wiggling.

That's what kind of fisherman, I am.

Nobody Could Count All the Fish in the Sea

 

 

Maybe, they can do some estimates but, fish don't hold still very long.

In my never ending searches for the truth, I came up with a tidbit for y'all.

An average of twenty tons of fish, comes into a market, every day, down in Naha.

When, they have a lucky, day sometimes fifty tons, come into the same port.

That's a bunch of fish in my hillbilly opinion.  Check it out !

Koi or Carp Are Some Colorful Fish

Psychedelic Things in a Pond

 

 

These fish were spotted swimming behind a restaurant we stopped at for some lunch.

Doc and I were driving around the northern end of the island, doing what we usually do.

It consists of things like taking photos and, getting lost on the back mountain roads.

 We asked for permission, to shoot the establishment and, were good to go.

 After placing our order, we started looking around and, spotted this.

Huge, brightly colored fish, swimming in a pond, right behind the place.

Then, the woman, who took our order saw me trying to shoot through the windows.

She asked if, we wanted to go outside and, take photos from inside the fenced-in garden.

Out back, a guy gave us a cup of pellets, to feed the fish.  Holy Carp .

We had so much fun, we almost forgot to back inside and eat !

My Only Regret

 

 

Just before leaving the office, I was wondering if, I should bring the polarizing filter along.

And, decided, "Nah, there wouldn't be anything, I'd need it for today."

That filter, would have made these images much sharper; eliminating the reflections.

On the positive side, it gives me an excuse, to go back up there again.

Those fish, were so large, three of them, would fill up my bathtub and, drive the wife crazy ! 

Camera:  Pentax K1

Lens:  Pentax 18-250 at 50MM

Exposure:  f/7.1   1/250   ISO 800

Location:  Hentona, Okinawa, Japan やまびこいや  国頭

Date and Time:  JUL 29  2016  12:51PM 

Okinawa Folktale: Mibai and Octopus

Sketch by Atsushi Maezato

Unhealthy Widow and Caring Son

A feeble, ailing woman lived on the island, with her only son. As man of the house, it was his obligation, to provide medical support and nourishment for his sickly mother.

A talented outdoors-man, he would go to the mountains and hunt wild boar. The pork was nutritious and, one pig could sustain the family for weeks. He wasn't much of a farmer but, knew his mother had other dietary needs. She, tended a small vegetable garden. He, would gather the roots and bark of certain trees and, pluck fuchi-baa (mugwort) for her, to use in cooking and making herbal teas, while on his daily outings.  

He knew shellfish and fresh seafood were an important supplement in the Ryukyu diet. Sometimes, he would go, at low tide and, collect mollusks, bringing a small bucket of shells home for diner. He just, wasn't enthusiastic about the scent of the ocean, during the cycles of the tide, at that part of the day.

When the Tide Is Right

Late one afternoon a cool breeze and the sounds of the surf, jogged the lad's memory. He recalled the days when his father would say, “This is the best time, to land a fat, fresh fish, to bring home for supper.” Conditions seemed perfect.

There wasn't much fishing tackle, left from the days his father walked the earth. The boy hurried, to the shed, to see what he could use, to land some fresh fish. All, he could find was a coil of fishing line and one hook. His father, had called it, “The lucky fishing hook.”

He hurried, down to an outcropping of rocks, baited the hook and, tossed it into the sea. The sounds of the waves, gently breaking against the coral was relaxing. He felt as if, he could sit there, inhaling the salty air, forever. It was like receiving some sort of ocean-side therapy. It was comfortably calm.

Before, a minute went by, he felt a ferocious yank on the fishing line. If he hadn't braced himself quickly, he would have been hauled into the sea. The fish, taking the bait was a monster, thrashing wildly, left and right, nearly pulling the boy off the rocks. He didn't have a rod and reel. He struggled with the line, reeling it in, by wrapping it around his left hand, as he fought, to bring the fish ashore.

A few times, he caught a glimpse of what, he had caught. Centimeters, at at time he, was pulling the fish towards the rocks. He started thinking, of the smiles, it would bring mama; smelling this catch, roasting over the coals, hearing it sizzle, over tonight's fire. It was exciting. Just a few more tugs on the line. He hauled it up, until its tail, came out of the water and, got salty spray in his eyes. But, suddenly, his hopes and dreams, were dashed. The fish-line broke and, the thing, got away, with his one and only fish hook.

God Heard His Cries

The young man thought, how disappointed his mother would be and, he cried. All the boy would, return home with, was a broken string, wrapped around his hand, no fish for diner and, no more lucky fishing hook.

The Ryukyu God appeared and asked the youngster, why he was crying. The boy, told him the story, about the fish which, had escaped, with the hook. God, knew the son had always done, the best he could, in caring for his sickly mother.

All Inhabitants of the Sea

The God went off onto the sea and commanded all ocean-dwellers, to assemble in front of him.

Every form of sea-life, showed-up promptly, except for one creature. The mibai (grouper) was missing.

God, wanted to know why. An octopus, raised an appendage and gave an excuse, for the missing mibai. “The fish, asked me, to tell you, he isn't feeling well so, couldn't answer your call.”

The Ryukyu God, didn't believe the octopus's story and, let him know. “Get me that rascal fish, right now.” Red-faced, the octopus swam away and, soon returned with the mibai. God, asked if the fish, had taken a hook, away from the boy, who was trying to get food for his sickly mother. The mibai, admitted, “Yes God but, it's stuck inside my cheek.” God, took his walking stick, pried the fish's mouth open and, twisted the fish hook free.

Next, it was time, to punish the octopus, for telling a lie. He took his staff and, whacked all the octopus's arms, beating them to a pulp.

Ever since that time, the octopus, has no bones in its tentacles. And, mibai fish, have big mouths.

The Ryukyu God, returned the lucky fishing hook to the young boy. His mother, overcame her sickness and, the son became a highly successful fisherman.

REFERENCE:

Okinawan Folk Stories ISBN978-4-99009-146-0

Adapted from: The Story of the Mibai and the Octopus P.180


MORE OKINAWA FOLKLORE

Catch of the Day -- Kids Fishing

Here's a Scene You Don't Run Across Every Day

 

 

These youngsters had a fishing pole and, knew how to use it.

Instead of walking around, glued to smart phones, they went down to the river.

They enjoyed the fresh air provided by nature and, caught some fish.

Camera:  Pentax K3

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

Exposure:  f/6.3   1/1000   ISO 100  

Location:  Okukubi River, Kin Town, Okinawa, Japan

Date and Time:  APR 28  2016  4:08PM

Travel Photo: A Ritual on Henza Island

She's Preparing to Spear One of the Fish

 

A few hundred people were standing around this tent, hoping to see the action.

Prayers and offerings were made, minutes before the woman made this bow.

An external flash, bounced off the ceiling of the white tent, captured this image.

Camera:  Pentax K3

Lens:  Pentax 18-250 at 25MM

Exposure:  f/7.1   1/160   ISO 200

Location:  Henza-jima, Okinawa, Japan

Date and Time:  10 APR 2016  1:18PM 

More photos will be processed and details gathered, to explain the tradition.

Meanwhile, you can read one version of the story at Okinawa Clip.

How the Osprey Does Lunch -- 10 Bird Images

Shortly Before Noon

 

 

It was one of rare days, in January, when the sun shined and weather warmed up.

Comfortable in flip-flops, I stuffed a pair of socks in my pocket, just in case.

Having celebrated the New Year for several nights in a row, I needed some exercise.

It had been months, since I walked around the Kin Dam and, I decided the time was right.

 Standing on a dirt bank, above the dam, I saw the bird circling overhead.

Then, it took a steep dive towards the water, directly in front of me.

The bird was staring at the water, with it's talons itching, to grab something.

Sometimes, they go home empty handed so, it can be a hit or miss operation.

 Ospreys have an extra eyelid, they can use as goggles, to see underwater.

But, this one, didn't seem to want to get its hair wet and, kept its head out of the water.

Maybe, it was a girl.  They worry about their appearance, in the people world, anyway. 

 It's times like this, you never know what's gonna happen.

Auto focus, I'm cussing at it, while shooting at 8 frames plus, per second.

If that bird, doesn't come up with a fish, I just wasted a gigabyte of my SD card.

Birds aren't the only critters, that get hungry around lunchtime; I'm starving by now.

OK.  Osprey, show us what you got !

 Now, I can see the bird has something hanging down from one talon.

Stuck at 420MM, I'm wishing I had of brought the big zoom lens, at this point.

The bird and fish, keep getting smaller and smaller the further away from me they went.

Hang tight.  The osprey, likes to do a victory lap and, show-off the catch.

It circles the area, while adjusting the fish so, it's facing forward.

It makes life easier for the bird, to get the fish in an aerodynamic position. 

Then, the bird squawks loudly, announcing to the rest of the world.

Osprey speak:  "I caught a fish everybody, ha, ha, ha.  How are you doing today?"

That's what makes me think, it might have been a guy osprey.  Girls, don't brag like that.

 The bird and fish, quickly buzz across to the other side of the dam.

And, I'm thinking, "It's time for me to get outta here, to go buy some lunch for myself."

Well, I should of known better.  The osprey wasn't done showing, his catch, yet.

After, disappearing out of sight, he turned around and circled the dam again.

 "Look here, y'all non-fishing ospreys.  I got me something for lunch!"

Ospreys are some of the coolest birds in the world, I only wish I could speak their language.

"Dude catch me a fish and, I'll buy you a beer," that's what I'd say !


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