Spring comes early in Okinawa. The city of Nago held its cherry blossom festival the week of January 26. Of course we went to see the blossoms. What is spring without cherry blossoms? Nago castle is one of the best spots to see the trees. The Okinawans have planted 70,000 trees on the hillside leading up to the castle ruins. It seemed like at least that many steps up to the castle but what a beautiful sight. Along the steps are Japanese lanterns about four feet tall, throwing light on the cherry blossoms. Unfortunately the cool days prevented the blossoms from reaching their peak. We will go back in a week or so and hope they are in full bloom.

Another day trip took us to Yama No Sato. Yama No Sato is a bargain hunter's paradise. It is on the road to Nakijin Castle ruins to the north, near Motobu. It is an upscale, very stylist thrift shop. Koei and Sachie Chinen own and run the place. There are 6 buildings constructed with some of the most dramatic architecture I have seen on this island. The buildings are scattered around the property, each containing merchandize for sale at discounted prices.

Two of our friends, who went on the day trip with us, found a pile of kimonos so we started trying them on. One friend was sure he had found the perfect kimono, if he could just figure out how to tie the sash around his lower chest. We noticed some Okinawans sorting threw the bin of kimonos and laughing. We looked at them and one woman said, in very good English, to our friend, "That kimono is for a woman". Our friend quickly took off the kimono and suggested I try it on. With the help of the Okinawan woman I put on the kimono and sash. They all thought it looked great so I bought it for $2.00. What a bargain-kimonos in the local stores start at $500 and go up. Now I just have to decide when and where I am going to wear it. Just in case you decide to try on kimonos, the women's kimonos have longer sleeves that are attached at the end of the sleeve. The men's kimonos have an open sleeve that falls higher on the arm to allow for more arm movement.

This year's Super Bowl will long be remembered. Not only because the Ravens won but also because it is the only super bowl we have watched at a super bowl breakfast party. Since we are 14 hours ahead of Tampa, the game was broadcast at the Officer's Clubs at 8:30a.m. All the clubs advertised breakfast parties and door prizes. We showed up at 7:30 a.m. for breakfast and the pre-game show. When it came time for the prizes we made out like bandits. We won two baseball caps, one T-shirt, a football and a barbecue grill. By the way, since we are one day ahead of you, if you would like to know what kind of a day you are going to have give us a call. We have already lived through it.

Golf, a spring sport in Northern Virginia, is a year round event in Okinawa. We have been lucky enough to find a wonderful golf instructor. He has spent many hours with us, giving us little tips and major encouragement to improve our golf game. Our favorite practice range on the island is called Chatan Sports Center. It has a covered driving range with chairs to sit and rest between strokes and machines that offer all kinds of drinks from cokes to tea and coffee. The best part of the range is the automatic ball machine that places your ball on the tee as soon as you hit the last one off the tee. Talk about luxury. You never have to bend over.

Spring also brings the lowest tides to the China Sea. Twice a year the tides on the China Sea reach their greatest ebb. In the fall and the spring of the year you can find low tide at its lowest and high tide at its highest. When low tide arrives many wonderful sea creatures become visible that could only be seen most of the year by diving. The sea stacks that are limestone rocks sticking out of the ocean become huge formations resting on dry land. Walking out to the stacks over the coral and limestone, that is the floor of the ocean when the tide is up, is quite an experience. The small pools of water left in deeper limestone crevices hold beautiful fish. We saw bright, cobalt blue fish, black and white stripped fish that looked like zebras and several blowfish. The sea cucumbers were everywhere along the way and sea urchins hid under rocks and coral.

The ocean brushing against the sea stacks has worn them away to create very strange looking rock formations. Some look like tall jagged columns with large jagged balls on top of them or giant, jagged mushrooms. Others form caves under their main structure that are great places for fish to hide. Some look like they are so delicately balance that one push and they would come stumbling down. The limestone that forms the floor has large areas where the early Okinawans have cut out blocks two feet wide, four feet long and eight to ten inches deep to use to build their castles and stonewalls. You can't help but wonder how they carried the large blocks up the hills where they built their castles.

When we go back next week to the same beach it will feel eerie to see the tops of the stacks that we walked around now under 10 feet of water.

Spring in Kitanakagusuku (our village) is a time for planting. The farmers have cleared their fields. Many burn what is left of the sugar cane before they plow the soil for this year's crop. The men of our village have taken on a beautification project. They are planting flowers and flowering plants all along the stonewalls that run along the roadsides. They have taken out square pieces of sidewalk right next to the walls. After turning the dirt where the sidewalks use to be, they put the plants in the hole. They have fastened chicken wire to the walls so the plants will have something to cling to as they grow up the walls.

After a week or two of cold weather (50's and 60's) and warm sweaters and sweatshirts it's now time to break out the shorts again. Spring comes early here.