These guys are all over the beach in all kinds of shells and various sizes. We even found one that had just vacated his shell, his bottom was like the end of a shelled shrimp. The one hermit crab pictured below opted for a round rubber cap of some sort! They are actually kinda cute! When you're walking along the beach in the late afternoon/evening, you will see out of the corner of your eye, a shell abruptly stop. It was a hermit crab taking cover. If you sit still on the rocky shoreline, you can hear the "click, snap, click" of the hermit crabs moving along the beached rocks. Stare long enough and the rocks of the sandy beach will come alive, and all of a sudden there's this city of hermit crabs at your feet. I really like them, but I like them at the beach, not at the house! We found one making its way into the boys room last night, of course he didn't make his way to the house from the beach, he had the help of a little boy! It is also important to thoroughly check the shells we bring home that they're not already homes for someone else! We did purposely bring some home for our new salt water fish tank. We're putting a tank together of what we catch at the ocean, it's more personal that way! There aren't any laws for fishing here, so we can take a net and bring home tropical fish right from the ocean! And when the fish get too big for the tank, we can "trade them in" for a smaller size, right back to the ocean it goes! Last night we brought home some coral rock and ocean water, straight from the beach, so this will be just like home for the fish we catch in our nets today!
This little guy with the rubber rear wouldn't stay put for a centered shot, so this is what you get!

We thoroughly enjoyed the beach at Okuma. We hiked down a nature trail to the beach and found our own little area of the beach. Daniel snorkeled some more as the sun was dropping below the horizon. I could get used to living in Okuma!!! The heat is bearable when you're at the beach right next to the sea breeze and waves falling in and out with the tides.

Daniel's head in the water, busy snorkeling. He made sure he got his $$$ worth!

We found the race traxx at Okuma. It was short and fun for the guys though. Cameron chickened out, so the guys raced instead.

Daniel! Beware of blind drivers!!!

My happy little snorkeler! This one's for Nana!

Jason describes the fish he saw under the water! We saw puffer fish, three types of clown fish, various tangs, angelfish. Daniel wasn't too sure about how the breathing thing went with the snorkel tube, but he quickly got over the apprehension when he discovered all the fish underwater! He snorkeled the most out of all of us, he was enamored with it.

Cameron was trying to get the hang of it. Once he got over the fear of having his face in the water and the gear on, he wanted to "snorkel" all day. He wasn't seeing any fish in that cloudy 2ft of water, but he was having a time. Cameron was busy singing through his tube, I think he enjoyed hearing himself! That was his bout of snorkeling!

Our little kayaking adventure in Okuma!

We kayaked and snorkeled all day long. We found some really cool looking shells on the beach and lots of hermit crabs. I love the hermit crabs, they're actually kinda cute! The water here is sooooo clear, you can see clear to the bottom in 10ft of water!

We rented some kayaks and paddled our way to our own part of the beach. It was so relaxing and I couldn't believe how clear the water was as deep as it was!

Daniel is all geared up for the kayak trip, he did a great job and loves the water.

Still can't believe we live here! I can't get over the beautiful scenery here. I still love the mountains and beaches of Washington, and the weather is way better in Washington.

We are enjoying island living, with white sandy beaches and crystal clear turquoise water everywhere. We love to comb the beaches and rocky shores for interesting shells and critters and while we're at it, we'll take a dip to cool off. It's cheap and a great source of family fun. We are working on building up our own "tank gang" straight from the ocean. When the tide is out, you can clearly see all kinds of tropical fish that have stayed behind in the covert of the rocks.

The net separates the swimming area from the main ocean waters where box jellyfish roam freely. There is sufficient warning concerning these pesky critters, they are actually quite deadly.

We have lots of room for swimming and snorkeling. I can't get over how beautiful the beaches are here. It's like we're living in the pictures that you see of Hawaii or the Bahamas! This is going to be a great adventure for all of us. Cameron is my little fish, he loves the water! And Daniel has now become a lover for snorkeling! He'd stay in the water all day if I let him.

This is actually just a few miles from the base, sort of a "private
beach" for military, though civilians wander on occasionally.

Here is another "shisa" on the roof of a shopping center, this one looking more comical.

This was taken from the passenger window of our car, sorry, it would be a nicer shot otherwise. We were on our way to Okuma, a nice beach resort for the military. We spent four days there in a cabin and did lots of cool stuff which by now you have already seen what we did!

Not sure what this sign was actually for, I didn't see a park or building within the vicinity. It is interesting to see just how Americans are viewed by the Okinawans. Almost all the shops in "American Village" are playing Hip-Hop Music and cater to the Afro-American style in clothing and music. I'm sure I will find out more about how we Americans are viewed as the time goes by here in Okinawa.

We visited one of many castle ruin sites here in Okinawa, these date back to the 14th century when kings ruled parts of the island. This is one of the views atop the castle wall.

Cameron enters the second level courtyard of the castle. This would be a beautiful spot for a wedding.

This is the first level of the castle ruins, opening into the first courtyard.

A map of the grounds. It was a very hot day, I believe it was near 120! We used a lot of Japanese vending machines that day! Aquarius, that's the name of the Japanese version of Gatorade.

Aaahhh yes, icecream on a super hot day! Daniel went for chocolate mint, Cameron for pineapple, me for mango, and Jason for "potato" icecream! It actually tasted and looked like blueberry icecream! I wonder if they have their fruit and veggies mixed up!

This is a view of one of the cliffs out by the lighthouse, pictures just don't do it justice! I can't get over the clear water and the beauty of this place. If the heat and humidity were just a little tamer, I might call it home! But. . . . Washington is still "home" for more than this reason! You see, I am still at that stage of, "Well this isn't like home, my place back home was way better, cause. . . . ." Don't get me wrong, this is soooooooo beautiful, but not all beautiful places are reasons to call it home!

Here is the coral that makes up the rocky cliffs. It looks a lot like lava rock but is much harder and less forgiving if you fall down! It is another wonder and beauty though! We're so privileged to have come here. (yeah, that's what I keep having to say over and over again, maybe it'll sink in)

See how clear the water? I am told that this island has the best places in the world to snorkel and scuba dive. Not sure that I want to scuba dive, I'd rather sky dive or hang glide. I think it's a fear factor kinda thing!

This is more coral. Because of it's plentifulness here, the Japanese or Okinawans use their readily available resources. One of the many uses of coral is for sidewalks and paving the streets. Though the streets resemble those of any other asphalt street in America, they are very slippery and dangerous to drive on in the rain (which NEVER happens here!). It's like driving on ice in Washington! Walking on the sidewalks and roadsides are very slippery in the rain as well, so everyone walks slow and drives slow. That's something I'll have to get used to!!! Those are the two main things I don't do slow!!