A Rant: Old Goats Either Love or Hate Facebook

A Few Days Offline Floods Mailboxes

 

This old boy hasn't been in the office for awhile because of some good doctors.

They gave me enough medicines to keep me in bed for a week.

Instead of running around twenty hours a day and sleeping the other four, I've gone in reverse.

It's just one of those lung things and I'll be fully recovered shortly.

Out of the house for a walk, is what I told the wife I'd be doing.

No camera shooting, just post a quick blog and homepage photo and I'm outta here.

What's Great About Facebook

 

 

There were a few messages from editors hinting it would be nice to have articles.

And, I got a great big Thank You from someone who reads my blogs.

She discovered the best hamburger in Okinawa and went there Mother's Day. 

Hopefully, her kids or, hubby paid.

Rant: This is the Part of Facebook I Hate

It's important to check your mailbox over there and reply when someone talks to you, I think.

Another thing, is to look for new people who have started following your site.

Normally, I'm not so far behind on all my email accounts like I was today.

Twitter, Facebook, Stumble upon send you new followers all the time.

Before I follow them back, I check their profile.  No time today but, I didn't want to be mean.

Some gal named Lisa was in the pile. She's already friends with 10 of my friends.

If you can believe the Zuckerberganator thing.

I'm in a hurry so, I added her as a Friend.  Big mistake.

Within two minutes I got a reply:

"Thanks for the add...

Have you met anyone cool on here?

ugh I have to log out right now :<

wats ur numebr?  I'll send u smoe of my pictures."

Sent from mobile

Lisa, I really don't think I can use any of your photos.

I'm not that sort of photographer.

Sometimes you have to un-add friends on Facebook.

That's what I really hate about it.

At the Mudfest Some Kids Just Stay Incredibly Clean (Images)

Maybe It's the Suncreen

 

It could be that mud and dirt wouldn't stick to them because the stuff is like that spray cooking oil.

A whole lot of space was used up on my memory card at the Kin Town Mudfest.

When I spotted these two kids, all clean-looking, I figured I was in for some action.

After an hour of shooting, slipping, sliding and, getting mud all over myself, I gave up on them.

They just wouldn't get dirty.

Down at the other end of  the flooded field was the place to be.

The guy in the yellow shirt looked reasonably clean, to me.

He was determined to get right in there and get his toes wet.

I figured he could make a pretty good splash.

And, he didn't let me down.

If you had the chance to be there, I wonder.

What kind of mud festival goer would you be ?

Okinawa Photos Selected by TripAdvisor Property Owners

Ten More RyukyuMike Photos of Okinawa and One from New York

 

A great excuse to bring the cameras to lunch or, anywhere you travel, is TripAdvisor.

A few times a month, I've been known to do reviews for the outfit.

It's always a surprise when some property owner selects a photo to represent them.

The images are not something I'd enter in a contest but, somebody likes what they see.

That's proof, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, I guess.

What's really neat about it is the exposure the photos get, around the globe.

There's no telling how many people read TripAdvisor each day.

But, I know, they do have "Over 100 million trusted traveler reviews and opinions."

Tsuken-jima Island

Tsushimamaru Museum

Nisshudo Cave

Gold Hall Cafe

Cafe Garamanjyaku

Richamocha Cafe

Natural Stone Garden

Seamen's Club Naha

Cafe Restaurant Gasuto

 Rawhide

Last But Not Least From New York State

 

Reds Restaurant Incorporated

Disclosure: TripAdvisor and these property owners don't pay me for reviews.

As an affiliate of TripAdvisor I receive a commission if you travel through my links to them.

Shucks, somebody has to pay for all the food I eat !

Travel Photo: The Staircase to Sennin Gama

Sennin Gama is another name for Niya-thiya Cave on Ie Island, Okinawa, Japan.

A thousand islanders were housed here during the Battle of Okinawa.

The photo was taken with a Pentax K5 and Sigma 10-20 at a focal length of 10mm.

The staircase leads directly from the parking lot to the path entering the cave.

Sometimes, in my adventures, I forget to mention accessibility.

People traveling with little tots need to know these things.

An ambitious couple could manage these stairs with a baby stroller.

Heck, I made it down and back with two cameras and a pair of flip-flops !



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The Coolest Manhole Covers on Okinawa are in Kin Town !

Just Try and Beat This Y'all

 

These awesome colored manhole covers showed up in my hometown a few weeks ago.

Walking to the office one day, I pulled the G12 out of my pocket and shot this for you.

Excuse me, if there's a little road dust on the thing.

Some people have no respect and, just drive over them, as if they weren't a work of art.

Getting the Story About This was the Hard Part

 

 

A lot of my research takes place in the evening hours.

If you want to get the whole story you have to go to watering-holes, sometimes.

So, that's what I did.  I had to find out about that character with the red hat.

He must be somebody important, I figured.

Pull some coins out of your pocket and take a close look.

They have prime ministers, presidents and, all kinds of famous people on them.  Right ?

Well, this dude got himself printed on a manhole cover.

He must be famous.

Not Wanting to Appear Ignorant

The best thing I could do, is walk into a bar near the new manhole covers.

And, order a few drinks, make some small talk and, such.

Then, when everybody is relaxed, pull the G12 out and show them the picture.

"Anybody know this guy?

Everybody But Me Knew Him !

He's Tamuu-kun, the Kin Town Character.

He flies around on a taro (yam) which is one of Kin Town's major crops.

In local dialect, the taro is called taa'nmu.

So, when the village wanted a mascot, along came the cartoon character, Tamuu-kun.

He was designed in 1999 by a cartoonist named Momo Kokoro.

The artist's real name, escapes me, for now.

He published hundreds of comic strips for the Ryukyu Shimpo, a local newspaper.

Anyway, the important stuff:

The little guy with the red hat, buzzes around on his Taamu Jet and looks for people.

If you aren't feeling well, he hooks you up with some healthy yam food.

So, I figure he rates a bigger coin than any president or, prime minister.

Just try and beat that ! 

Resources I'm obliged to:

The Kin Town Bar Association

Okinawa2Go! Project on Facebook

Ryukyu Shimpo