A Weekend on the Beach

This weekend was a fun one. On Friday we went to a wedding reception for Gretchen, a co-worker of Brian's and the girl's babysitter. It was a lot of fun. Dionna and I decorated the cake for the reception. It was fun! The cake was baked and frosted by the Banyan Tree Club on base, but it was the basic cake. Dionna and I "accessorized" the cake to fit her beach theme and transported it to the venue. You will have to click Dionna's blog (the one at the top of my links) for a more detailed documentation of the process when she posts it. I have posted a picture of the final result in place at the reception. I think a cake business would be wonderfully fun. Maybe a career path in the future to satisfy my artistic side??? Who is on board to join me???
The reception was on Torii Beach. Gretchen had rented the campground on the beach for guests to camp that night if they wished. The Coles and the Bartles were the only ones who took advantage of the opportunity. What a great experience. We literally camped yards from the beach (Check out the pictures of our view!!). We set the tents up on the campsite at night. The adults stayed in the large tent (The Hilton) and the girls stayed in the little one (The Motel 6). Inadvertently, we set it up directly in front of one of the traditional Okinawan Tombs (Haka). We discovered this glorious turtleback tomb when we awoke to the sunrise and Brian took some great photos of it. I have been meaning to blog about these tombs and will do so soon... more on them later. We made a breakfast of scrambled eggs with salsa and tortillas and mini muffins. Nummy! The girls picked up some coral for our table centerpiece (pictured). Then we wandered down to the beach and combed for sea-glass. We hit the motherload! Sea-glass is becoming rarer with the advent of plastic containers (There was a small article about it in the last National Geographic...our family's favorite magazine, thanks Mom and Dad!! The girls pour over the kid's version every month...thanks Unky Kevin and Aunt Abbie!!). It is glass that has made it into the ocean and has been broken down and polished by the sand and wave action until it washes ashore. It is quite a hobby to collect it here. They even make jewelery out of the pieces because they take on a gem-like quality. I took a picture of the haul drying on our counter after we rinsed it. It was a fun experience. Camping was hot and sticky (the low was 77 degrees Fahrenheit). I learned that it is beneficial to camp with blankets and sheets that have natural fiber. Brian and I had nylon sleeping bags and it was... hello... uncomfortable. It is not like camping in the mountains. We lost modesty and stripped to our skivvys, but it was still a sauna. I manufactured a makeshift quilt out of our towels to sleep on and it helped somewhat. Oh well, it was completely worth it to wake up to the sound of waves crashing on shore and step out of the tent to a salty breeze. The only disappointment was the snorkeling. After breakfast we donned out gear and ventured into the surf. There was quite a swell and the water was very murky (I kept hearing the theme from Jaws and I had to concentrate on slowing my rapid breathing due to psychological panic). We packed up and went up the coast to our favorite spot, Maeda Point. Alas, it was unswimmable due to the sea conditions. Still, this weekend goes in the successful column of my book.