Wordless Wednesday: No Stairway to Heaven

Camera Position 

Wordless Wednesday: Stare at Some Stairs

Valley of Gangala

Wordless Wednesday: A Spiral Not Out of Control

Just Looking Down at Some Clouds

The thought had occurred to me. This could have been done a lot easier with a drone.

However, I'd probably have to take some tests and get an aviation license of some sort.

It was one of those days, I thought a simple image of skies and clouds, would be interesting.

The timing had to be right.  The sun in the right position behind me and shining.

And, the right formation of clouds, needed to blow through the photo frame.

Sometimes, terrific formations appeared but, the sunshine got blocked by clouds behind me.

There was plenty of work, to do in the office so, when skies turned grey I went back inside.

The steps, to the roof of my building, kind of zig-zag up to the roof.

Some are normal sized, others like some kind of giant steps. I have no idea why.

One of these days, I should count and see how many steps it takes, to get to the rooftop.

It's probably great exercise for the legs and, saves me the money, I'd have to spend on a drone.

This afternoon, I looked at this image and it reminded me of the muscle workout.

So, I laid down on my sleeping bag and took a four hour, recovery nap.

The photo was created on JAN 27, 2017 ! 

Wordless Wednesday

Travel Photo: Winding Stairs of Katsuren Castle

Camera: Pentax K3

Lens: Pentax 50mm

Exposure: f/11   1/125   ISO 100

Also see  -- Travel Shots: Prayer at Katsuren Castle

Special Trees and Another Sacred Grove

Natural Monument of Okinawa Prefecture

 

 

Today day was spent searching for the special trees in the Ryukyu culture.

A little hike up a hill, led to Kami-ashagi, in the Hiji area of Okinawa.

The goal, for me, was to locate this tree, called an Akagi (Bischofia) that's on my list.

The large trees in this grove are over 250 years old.

The trail, leading to the top of the hill was well maintained.

It was warm enough for the mosquitoes to come out so, we used some repellant.

The autumn leaves around here, don't crunch under your feet.

In the forest, they compost real fast and, smell woodsy.

When, I get home maybe, I'll hose my feet and flip-flops down over a flowerpot.

Tell the missus, I'm fertilizing her plants.

The trail, led to this place of worship, Kami-ashagi.

It is extremely important to know, you never enter one of these structures.

I maintain my distance and photograph them but, would only enter one by invitation.

They are used for cultural rituals and, in many villages, only women may enter them.

A sign, nearby, gave some history about the area.

A photo of the English portion, will come in handy for future reference.

Having taken photos of the trees, I was after, the return trip began.

Going downhill was much more enjoyable.

We were blessed with warm weather and blue skies, all this week.

So, I made sure to capture as much with the camera as possible, during the descent.

People, living in snow country, might appreciate all this greenery.

Any day now, we will start getting temperatures in the 60's and I will be freezing !

Note to those who followed this far:

Tomorrow, I will be going to a hospital for a short visit and, will be offline.

Automotively speaking, I guess you could say, something popped in my exhaust manifold.

And, they have to open my engine compartment up, to put a patch inside.

Lucky, for me, it's an up front repair and not, a broken tailpipe.

See you next week !

Today I went Down Some Spooky, Old Stairs: Photo Essay

Originally Published OCT 2011

 

 

 

Reviving this popular post may be a good idea.

It happens, the Map It Okinawa dude and, I are going on a ghost hunt tonight.

Enjoy this old Halloween tale just in case we don't make it back before sunrise !

In order to get in the good old Halloween spirit I have come back and edited this post.

Halloween doesn't really have the meaning, over in my part of the world, that it does for most western cultures.  In fact, if it hadn't been for a great friend on StumbleUpon (LINDARAMA)  sending me mail when she read this, I wouldn't have known Halloween was just around the corner.

On the outer islands of Okinawa, Japan there are many old caves and sacred wells.

Some of them are pretty cool and they make great subjects for photography.

It's best to make sure you don't disturb anything when you go to them.

There are a few places where the stairs are so old they are crumbling.

Wherever I go, I try to get the best possible photos without disturbing anything.

That plastic ladle just didn't seem right next to those old coins I wanted to shoot.

So, I moved it out of the scene for a few seconds.

Then, put it back exactly where I found it.

People in Okinawa believe there are spirits in these old caves and wells.  Many of them come to worship and make offerings at the sites.  So,  I like to make sure nothing has been changed by my presence.  You should do the same, anywhere you go.

YOU NEVER KNOW WHEN SOMETHING LIKE THIS MIGHT COME OUT OF A CAVE OR SOME OTHER DARK PLACE AND GRAB YOU.  DO YOU ?

The culture of Okinawa consists of a strong belief in spirits.  So strong, that something like Halloween is really unnecessary.  Spirits are felt and communicated with on a daily basis.

While I may have been raised as a Christian in my early years, I have also studied some Confucianism, Buddhism, Shintoism, Taoism, Animism and even a bit of alcoholism.  We happen to have a little bit of all those here, along with a strong belief in ancestor worship.  There are gods of the sea, mountains, rocks, wind, trees, earth, fire and all of nature (called kami sama) you'd rather see smiling than frowning upon you.  That's in addition to any departed members of the family tree.

So, on any given day you may see me raise my eyes towards the sky and and talk to "Kachan" (departed mother-in-law) and thank her spirit for my good fortune.

Or, I might say something like, "What are you trying to do to me?"

Whenever I find myself going to some sacred site in Okinawa, Japan like those spooky old stairs, it's not the ghosts or goblins of Halloween I'm thinking of; it's the spirits of someone else's ancestors I have to worry about.  Some people had mean old mother-in-laws, you know.

I wouldn't want to cross paths with their spirits.

There's really no such thing as ghosts.

OR IS THERE ?

WHEREVER YOU ARE, HAVE A SAFE AND HAPPY HALLOWEEN !

To get yourself in the Halloween spirit, or add your goulish story to an already excellent collection, visit my good friend in Australia, LINDA HEAPHY, she'll get the hair standing up on the back of your neck !

Sharing this post with Budget Travelers Sandbox will be my contribution to the world of travel photographers for TRAVEL PHOTO THURSDAY

MORE ON THE RYUKYU ISLAND OF KUDAKA JIMA

Photo Essay: The Surprise at Tachigaa Waterfalls in Okinawa

Going down the stairs to see the waterfall there is plenty of shade in the forest.

It takes a few minutes to find the waterfall but, you can hear it, somewhere off in the distance.

There are a couple of places along the way where you can step out in the sun and view the falls.

All the way down at ground level is the best place to take wide angle photos.

Getting up a little closer could get a person and their camera wet.

But,  that's where you discover the surprise.  There is a cabin off to the right of the falls.

And, if you weren't so busy looking for the falls on your way down the stairs, you would have noticed it then.

Not a problem, just take some photos on the way back up.

But, keep your eyes open for A REAL ANGRY CATERPILLAR along the way.

MORE INFORMATION ON TACHIGAA WATERFALLS