Surfin' at the Beach Okinawa Style. That's What I Wanted To Do.

This dude caught my attention today when I had my camera at the beach.

It looks like something I could do, I was thinkin'.

Probably, I'd have to go to town and buy some surfin' clothes like he's wearing.

They'd make fun of the redneck stuff I usually wear.

This dude was really good.

So, I'd try and get an outfit like his, that fit me, and learn to surf just like that.

If you mastered all the surfboard moves like this dude, you could visit all the islands in Okinawa, practically free, I was thinking.

Then, he fell and went in there, somewhere. 

That made me change my mind.

I think I'll just keep on doing what I've been doing.

And let other people surf Okinawan style.

Then and Now Photos: Naminoue Shrine ( 波上宮 ) Torii Gates

Some of the photos in an Okinawa Then and Now Series cannot easily be duplicated.

These six photos show the Naminoue Shrine ( 波上宮 ) Torii Gates over the decades.

This is a photo of the road leading to the shrine taken in 1931.

The staff at the Naminoue Shrine office gave consent to take a photo of their print hanging on the wall.

This photo provided by REMEMBERING OKINAWA was taken in 1945.

Another scene of the same site from the office walls is dated 1954.

This bird's eye view by RyukyuRusty was taken March 10, 2012.

Here's a final shot I took from a different elevation on March 10, 2012.

More on the history on Naminoue Shrine may be seen in THE SAMURAI ARCHIVES.

More Then and Now Photos

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 ?



Sometimes Shooting A Band Drives Me Crazy (Photo Essay)

Here's the Live House I went to take photos at last Wednesday night.

Right close to the stage is where I like to set up and take a practice shot.

When they start playing and singing I have to be ready.

There aren't too many split seconds where anyone on stage holds still.

Watching the subject's eyes is what I always do.

The girl's eyes, I made my subject.  That's mostly because I'm a guy.

But this girl, she likes to jump around a lot.

Like a chicken that knows his head is gonna get cut off.

So, you have to really concentrate, if you want to catch her eyes.

It might take over 300 shots just to get a few dozen good ones.

After awhile it was driving me crazy so, I got away from the stage.

Over by the bar, you can smell the beer.  And just shoot the TV monitor.  Hah !

Then, when the band is ready to leave, catch them outside.

And, if they won't hold still there, here's what I do.

Get a hold of the boss man. He's the guy in the black cowboy hat.

THAT'S BOSS

He got most of the band members to hold still for a photo.

AND, QUIT DRIVING ME CRAZY !



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Friday Travel Photo: Mt. Fuji in the Morning by RyukyuRusty

It's been fairly busy around here these days.  Heck, I even missed Travel Photo Thursday.

RyukyuRusty took this photo last month, one time, when the sun actually showed up.

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then, go make up your own words for this one.

I'm just gonna tell you, it's Mt. Fuji in the morning and get on outta here.

That's because, like I said, it's been fairly busy around here these days.