A few looks back to last summer....

In looking through my pictures, I realized our relocation got in the way of me finishing up posts from our nephew's wonderful visit last summer!!! SO SORRY, A.!!! It was just too fun a time and too many great pics to just let it go :) So, back in time to summer, 2010.......

When he came to visit, his #1 request was to go to Legoland, so how could we refuse that :)

What could be better than a giraffe---- a life-size giraffe built entirely out of legos!!

The guys spent some time building their own lego race cars....

Looks like Rodney's is the winner. Guess he's had a little more practice building them!!

A. had the opportunity to program a lego robot....

...and test it to see if he entered the programs correctly, which he did! His robot performed its "jobs" beautifully" :)

Elvis!!

Go Padres!!

I'm Batman!

How many legos did it take to build THIS guy?!!?

Or this guy??

Save me!! Save me!!

He got to take a drivers test and get a license :) 

Had to get a pic with this little guy!

That face says it all :)

So does that one!!

Next up---Balboa Park!!

Easter SONrise Service

(As I'm sorting through the gazillion pictures taken during Rachel's visit, I'm going to catch up with a few other posts :)

We had the opportunity for the first time in a few years to attend an Easter sunrise service! It wasn't quite a sunrise, but soon thereafter.....

The morning sky as seen from our apartment

The view from our service site----GORGEOUS!!

A couple of after-service shots

Still here!!

To those of you following along with our wanderings and anxiously awaiting our next post: sorry for the delay!! We've been running around the entire island these last four weeks with Rodney's sister!!! We had an AWESOME visit and covered the island literally north to south and east to west as well as a gazillion stops in between :) So, I may not have had time to do much posting while she was here, but I gathered scads of pics to post!! Therefore, be keeping a close eye here, because there is MUCH to come :)

Diving at Tengan Pier

What a great way to end our long "tourist" weekend---it was a beautiful Sunday afternoon to take a dive!!

 The last views before going under... 

A few shots of the underwater world...

There's a lion fish in the center of the picture on the side of the rock. 

 Now that's an interesting sea creature.......Oh, wait--that's Rodney!! ;-} 

 Me :)

  And back to shore....

Wonder if they'd let us borrow those sea-dos?? Or, do they call them ocean-dos here??

Agena Castle Site

On our way home from the aquarium, we stopped off to explore our neighborhood castle remains.

These steep stairs must have been the original stair stepper :)

This part of the wall is still quite intact! 

This part, not so much!

 The stairs continue up...

 ...and lead to this doorway through the wall.

 In one area there is a nice view of our little village of Uruma.

 And a good view of our tower.

The tower on the left veiled in blue is being renovated. Ours is two to the right.

 I was impressed with all the Mother-in-laws Tongue growing wild!

Then, as the saying goes, "what goes up, must come down," so back down those steep steps we went.

The Agena Castle Site is right next to the Agena Bull Ring! 

These bullfights are evidently not like most of us picture with the bullfighter and the red cape, these bullfights actually are two bulls locking horns until one of them "drops out." I think I'll have to see one to truly understand :) One thing about having a bullring (and some little farms) so close to us, we get that "fresh country air" smell occasionally to make us not miss home quite so much :-)

Churaumi Aquarium Sea Life

Upon entry into the aquarium is the chance to get all touchy-feely with some sea creatures!

Then, as you work your way through the aquarium, you descend through deeper levels of sea life... 

  

Then you enter the large viewing room looking into the 7500 cubic meter tank. 

 To the far end of that is the shark museum

 There's a nice little picture platform on the second level next to the tank.

On the bottom level there is a cafe where you can sit right beside the tank!! It was a nice little spot to catch a bite of lunch :)

Looks like that guy was hungry, too!!

(Yes, he has the other fish's tail in his mouth!!)

A manta ray and a couple of sting rays

This ray was being escorted by these two fish....I don't know how many times we saw them swimming by!!

From there, you exit the building and can head to all the other areas of the park!