Kumamoto Castle with a Big Effing German

It's been a minute since my last post. Working 12 hour days for 7 days a week for 40+ days will suck up a minute of your time (hopefully that is all over for now....). Anyway, this past Sat/Sun was the first semi-weekend I've had off in a long long time. My buddy Karl and I decided to celebrate it by getting as far away from Sasebo as possible in the 40 or so hours that we had to enjoy the real world.....

 This is Karl breathing deep on some grass. Real, green, fresh grass. When all you see all day every day is grey steel and smelly dudes in smelly uniforms, it is understandable to find a man taking a moment to breathe a fresh whiff of grass. Who knew you could miss plain old grass so much....

So, unknown to either of us, 2 Americans eating breakfast in the middle of the mall in Kumamoto, Japan is somewhat of an attraction. I've never received so many looks before. We had a Japanese toddler make eye contact with us for a solid minute.... He literally stopped walking to watch Karl drink his cider. I think he was as entertained by us as we were by him!

The amazing walls of Kumamoto Castle. These were probably 30+ feet tall on average, and every corner had an amazingly even taper to it. 

The big Effing German. 

Another shot of the walls.

Inside a part of the Castle. This room was HUGE! I have no idea what it was for since most of the signs are in Japanese....

Probably one of the most beautiful rooms I've ever seen.... Anywhere. 

There were hand painted murals and art everywhere. It was kind of overwhelming to see so much amazing detail. 

The main Castle tower.

An Asian Mutant, Volcanic Formations, & Some Water

Hawaii. Still here, and I have no intentions of leaving. I wish it was that simple.... And since it's not up to me, I will just have to make the best of my time before I go back to less desirable places. Anyway, here are some shots of recent adventures. Enjoy!

Based on the title, which one do you think this is? I'll give you a hint... It's not a volcanic formation, or some water..... 

Blake's big booger blaster blowing up my blog..... BLAH!

A cool spiral staircase near the top of Diamondhead. Diamondhead is a volcanic crater South of Waikiki that was used as an air defense base around WWII. The old concrete bunkers are still scattered around the rim of the crater. This is a staircase that leads to one of these bunkers. 

A lighthouse as seen from the top of Diamondhead. 

Dudes on Diamondhead's dome. 

Looking at Waikiki from the top of Diamondhead. You can see one of the previously mentioned bunkers on top of the next peak on the crater rim.

Hanauma Bay nature preserve. If you have ever been to an indoor aquarium, and said to yourself "I want to jump in there" this place is for you. It's the same thing, minus the glass. Awesome! 

Hanauma Bay Beach before the other 8 million people show up. 

The next few shots are taken from somewhere along the NW end of Oahu. It was near the Blowhole. We stopped to check out the cliffs, and got to watch the power of the ocean as 20 foot waves crashed over the cliffs! When this wave landed on me it was KNEE DEEP on TOP of the cliff.... LOTS of water! 

Look at that water!

That's Blake way down there at the foot of the cliffs. This is right on the shore of Oahu. 

Sunset on the West side of Oahu. 

Dad's here! We got lost driving looking for Sunset Beach, but still found some amazing things to see.....

Hawaii!

I was lucky enough to be sent out to Hawaii of all places for some training. For once, the military did something right I guess. Here are a few shots from my travels in Hawaii on my time off. 

Blake waiting patiently for a burrito big enough for Andre the Giant....

A palm tree on Waikiki beach!

Waikiki beach

A solo surfer paddles by Diamond Head, near Waikiki.

One of the members of our group who had way too much fun the night before.... He spent most of the day in this position while the rest of us surfed. 

A surfer walking out on the jetti near Waikiki for some dawn patrol action. 

A crab. (Just one.)

Paddle boarding 

A local tearing it up on a long board. 

As you can tell by the 7 or 8 surfers on this short stretch of wave, Hawaii can be a crowded place to surf. 

Me on the surf spot. 

Honalulu in the background, palm trees and surfers in the foreground. 

The beach where we spent literally all day. It was a hard day. 

MeTaL MaDnEsS

Recently there was a metal concert in Sasebo, Japan of all places..... I invited some of my friends, but one of the raised a good point - "Who listens to METAL?!". Well, I do. Especially when it's FREE and it gives me an opportunity to shoot some photos of something new. I figured with all the lights and headbanging I would at least come away with a cool shot or 2. It was worth the temporary deafness and braving the mosh pit. (All photos shot in RAW with no adjustments. )