A Trip Down Route 58

     I have been battling a cold.  Why could this not happen last week when the weather was bad, or the week after when it was too windy to get in the water.  Oh well.  Of course today was spectacular and this weekend is supposed to be more of the same.  


     I am, for the record, felling better today.  I spent the morning in shock over the shooting at Ft. Hood.  I don't know of anyone there, but I feel for everyone involved.  Marc came home for lunch and we talked about it.  Then, he talked about the trouble maker he is having to deal with at work.  


     After he went back to work I decided that I needed to go to the commissary to get some items to make a pumpkin cheesecake.  So, with my list and reusable walmart bags in hand I grabbed my camera and off I went.


    I was only planning to go to the commissary here on Kadena.  At the last moment, while sitting at the stoplight I thought.  Turn left and go to the Kadena  Commissary or, turn right and go to Camp Foster.  I really need to go to Camp Foster to get Marc's birthday present.  So, I flipped my signal and went right!

     Now, don't freakout!  We drive on the left side of the road here.  I know, it just looks strange.  Oddly enough, it's easy to get used to.  

     This building over to the left is one of the 3 Chapels on base.  This is really a cool building.  Maybe one day I 'll get a photo coming from the other direction!

       That right there, my friends, is a F-15.  They have a really cool display of aircraft right outside the Legal Office here on base.  They just finished repainting the jets on display.  Since it is unlawful for me to take any photos of the planes out here this is probably the only photo you well ever see of a F-15.  Well, unless one is airborne and it sneaks into one of my other photos.  

     So, once off base I made another left and now I'm on Route 58.  

     
     Space is at a premium in Okinawa.  This building houses an Indian restaurant on top and a Mexican restaurant on the bottom.  

     Blue Seal Ice Cream.  Blue Seal started as a dairy plant for US Military members right after the end of WWII.  Dairy products are not traditional in the Okinawan diet.  So, they had to bring milk to Okinawa for the US Military.  Good thing too. They eventually started making ice cream and now they are famous all over Okinawa for it.  I agree.  This is some good stuff. Oh, for an interesting twist, they sell in on the side of the road during the summer.  I'm not kidding!  They will have a person sitting under an umbrella at various bus stops up and down Route 58.  You just pull over and let them know what you want and then you are on your way ice cream cone in hand!

     While sitting at the stop light I noticed this guy walking around with his pointy hat on.  You never know what you will see.  

     So, the light turned green and I was on my way again.  

The speed limit is 60 KM - right on the nose!

     Yep, there's the Mc Donalds.  Their lobby is very strange.  A few tables on the bottom floor but most of them are on the second floor.  Oh, and they have a very high tech bathroom.  Don't press any buttons on the toilet, I'm just saying!

     Okay, this photo was taken on Camp Foster by the Sada gate.  I think they still call it that.  To the left, at this intersection, is the road that leads to the Globe and Anchor.  Some people call it the Hook and Jab.  Basically, it's the enlisted club and it can get pretty rowdy on a Friday night.  In addition to the bar and club area, they have a restaurant in there that serves really great food.  

     Okay, for those of you who always want me to take photos of hot Marines, here they are!  I can guarantee they are hot as it was 86 degrees today.  I'm not sure where they are going as it was about 1500 on a Friday afternoon.  For those, non-military people, that's 3 pm.  


While I was on Camp Foster I went over to Tsunami Scuba to get Marc some  purple tanks.  We saw these tanks a couple weeks ago.  He has been dreaming about them ever since.  He even sings about them.  Think Prince and Purple Rain, except replace Rain with Tank.  I know, it's crazy.  But, it's total Marc! 

     Here's Marc posing with his new purple tank!  He still can't believe that I got them for him!  He was sure they would all be sold by the time we decided to get them.  

     He is trying to demonstrate the beauty of the purple.  It really just looks like dark blue with only the orange street light and the flash from the camera.  

Here they are in the back of my Pajero next to the brilliant blue tanks we got from Blue Water Divers in OKC a couple years ago.  


I also made a stop in the commissary and picked up a few items.  The bagger guy acted confused with the Wal-Mart reusable bags.  He put just a few things in each bag.  I wanted, so badly, to tell him to stuff those babies full!  But, I didn't want to come off rude.  Well, and I don't think this guy could speak a word of English.


As for the pumpkin cheesecake...it's in the oven.  I've been taking photos.  As soon as I take it out of the oven I'll post a blog with the photos and recipe.  I can tell you it smells phenomenal!  Oh, and I substituted the sugar with splenda.  More on that later!

Chicken Soup - That's What I Need

     It all started last night.  My head began to ache and my nasal passages felt like they were closing in on me.  Even my teeth were beginning to hurt.  Blech!  How can I be getting sick?  I have not been anywhere but facebook in the past few days!  Marc suggested that it might be mold.


     You see, he still has that stupid pumpkin.  You know, the one that was so charming on Halloween.  Well, it's still here.  He has been lighting a candle in it every night. 

 Last night when I complained of my head hurting he suggested that it might be mold.  Mold from the pumpkin.  Apparently the stupid thing is growing mold.  But, has he thrown it out?  No way! Look at the way it just sits there mocking me! Thankfully, it's gone now.  However, I'm still not feeling so great.  


     So, today I lazed around.  Big surprise there, right?  No really, I stayed in bed until 9:30.  That is a rare thing for me.  So, I got up  to take a hot shower.  I thought to my self that I was really glad that since I had to get sick it is better now than in two weeks.  In two weeks I'll be on my way to get my kitties in OKC.  I do not want to be sick on a trans-Pacific flight.  I've done that before and it's no fun.  Trust me on this!


    To top it all off we had planned to go get flu shots today.  I guess if I'm sick I will not notice any side effects from the flu shot.  Right?  


     Marc came to get me about 2 pm.  We got to the immunizations clinic and there were 12 people ahead of us.  Lots of families in there with small children waiting for flu shots.  Lucky for us they were all on good behavior.  That's the thing with military kids, they are either great kids or total brats!  Sorry no photos from the immunization clinic.  


     On the way home from the 18th Medical Group clinic Marc said that he was starting to feel dizzy.  By the time we got home he had declared that he was going to have to lay down.  Poor thing is still asleep on the couch.  


I have decided that what we need is chicken noodle soup.  For most people that is as easy as opening a can.  Not us.  Certainly not us.  I must make everything from scratch in order to avoid contaminating myself with wheat gluten that is assuredly lurking in those little cans with the red and white labels.  Oh well!  


     Lucky for me I have a great chicken and rice soup recipe.  I'll just convert that over to chicken and noodle soup.  I have some gluten free noodles in my pantry that will make an excellent substitution for egg noodles.  

Check out those carrots.  Those are short fat carrots grown in Japan.  They are very sweet and not woody at all.  You would think that they would be tough and nasty. But, they aren't.  I had forgotten how good they are.

• 2 large chicken boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 3 stalks celery with leaves, chopped
• 2 or 3 large carrots, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cubes chicken bouillon, crumbled
• 1 box Swanson Chicken stock (32 ounce) (14.5 
• 1 pinch dried thyme
• 1 pinch poultry seasoning
• 1 pinch dried basil
• 5 black peppercorns
• 1 pinch dried parsley
• 1/4 package gluten free fettuccine noodles broken into 2 inch pieces.  Or regular egg noodles for you gluten eaters.

Place all ingredients, except the noodles, into a stock pot. Bring to a boil.  When the chicken is cooked remove and cut into bite size pieces.  You can also make this with whole chicken parts and then pick from the bones when it is cooked.   After you cut the chicken into bite size pieces add it back to the soup and then bring to a boil. 

 Add the noodles and then return to boil.  With the Tinkyada gluten free noodles I use I just turn the burner off and cover with the lid for about 20 minutes.  If you over boil gluten free noodles they may fall apart.  Feel free to add more water if it seems like it needs it.  

This is mmm mmm good and way better than anything out of a can.  

I am pathetically lazy.  Seriously, I am.  I have things to do, just don't want to do them.  I am trying to be creative with storage space and it's not working out to well.  I messed around with the stuff that is in the guest room.  There are so many pictures in there that need to find homes on the wall.  I'm just too lazy to make it happen for them.  So, they remain.  On the floor, leaning against the wall.  


It's getting cooler here.  The wind has been blowing and we've had rain.  We always have rain.  It's part of island life in the Pacific.  So, today it has only been in the low 70's.  Strangely, that feels cold to me.  


I had to turn the oven on for heat.  I know, strange right?  Our air conditioner isn't normal.  It's more institutional than anything.  There is a large air conditioner plant next door to our building.  It runs day and night and it's pretty noisy.  Inside the house in each room, there is a a/c unit. It has pipes hooked to it that apparently are connected to the a/c plant outside.  Currently they have the chillers operating.  If I want cold air, all I need to do is turn on the fan.  


At some point, they will turn the chillers off and turn the heaters on.  I'm not sure when this will happen.  At this point it's really not necessary.  In January and February it will be.  


Today I was thinking that chili sounded really good.  I love to make chili. 


 When we were in Oklahoma, where my family is at, we used to have family dinner night at my house every  Tuesday night.  I would plan something really good, they would come over and we would have dinner together.  I used to blog about it on MySpace.  My brother would sometimes send me an email at work to ask what was for dinner, or to make a request.  At this time of year we would eat chili and corn bread.  Or roasted loin of pork, or other hearty meals.  Oh, and there was this apple danish cheese cake that everyone loved.  But, I digress!


So, today I was thinking about that and decided that chili would be good.  I never really follow a recipe for chili.  I usually pour though my recipe files and the big secret book and then I come up with what sounds good, based on what I have available, in the pantry, without a trip to the store.

The basis for my chili today was a recipe called, 

Daddy's 'If They'da had This at the Alamo we would'ha WON!' Texas Chili

Here's the recipe from Allrecipes.com.  I made a lot of changes based on personal preference and what I had on hand.

INGREDIENTS:

3 tablespoons bacon drippings 2 large onions, chopped 8 pounds beef stew meat, or coarse ground chili beef 5 cloves garlic, finely chopped 4 tablespoons ground red chile pepper 4 tablespoons mild chili powder 1 tablespoon ground cumin 1/4 cup sweet Hungarian paprika

1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano 3 (10 ounce) cans tomato sauce 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste 3 cups water 2 tablespoons salt 1/4 cup dried parsley (optional) 1 fresh jalapeno peppers 1 cup masa harina flour

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Melt the bacon drippings in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until they are translucent.
2.	Combine the beef with the garlic, ground chile, chili powder and cumin. Add this meat-and-spices to the onions in the pot. Break up any meat that sticks together as you cook, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes, until meat is evenly browned (very browned, not just gray). Sprinkle in Hungarian paprika and oregano.
3.	Pour in the tomato sauce, tomato paste, water, salt, parsley and jalapeno. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 1 hour. NOTE: True Texans DO NOT add beans to their chili, but my husband loves them, so this is the point where you can add as many cans of drained and rinsed pinto beans as you wish (I add 2 cans, but shhhhhh don't tell my Daddy!!!).
4.	During cooking you may squeeze the jalapeno as it softens against the sides of the pot to release more heat if desired.

I only used about 2 pounds of ground beef and I used a 28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes and a 14.5 ounce can of diced tomatoes instead of the sauce and paste the recipe calls for.  I also used more chili powder than they call for as well as ground cumin.  

Chili, for me is always one of those kinds of things that you have to taste and adjust the seasonings.  I almost always put a whole jalapeno in it.  If you decide it needs more heat you can just smash the jalapeno up against the side of the pan.  Plus, I just like the flavor of jalapeno.  I know, I'm a little on the crazy side!

Kung Pao Chicken and a bunch of worthless shoes

Monday was a fairly productive day for me.  I unloaded a couple of boxes which I have been avoiding.  More shoes!  When did I get all of these darn shoes!  My lifestyle has gone through a renovation and I don't think I'll wear most of these shoes again.  Island life just doesn't seem to relate to these shoes.  These closets are small and as you can tell, I just dumped the shoes on the floor in there.  Maybe one day I'll take some time to organize them.  

You can tell here that Marc's closet is not better and he has a bunch of shoes too.  Well, maybe not as many as I have.  

I stopped by the dive shop on Torii Beach.  I've been hauling my dive tanks around for a couple weeks with the intention of having them filled with air.  So, I dropped them off at the outdoor air fill station.  I should have snapped a photo.  It's a pretty cool set up.  I went inside and the guy that works there began to talk my ear off.  They had no business on a Monday afternoon and the poor thing was bored out of his mind.  Before I knew it a hour and half had gone by.  


So, on the way back home I decided that I wanted Kung Pao Chicken.  Here is the recipe:

INGREDIENTS:

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into chunks 2 tablespoons white wine 2 tablespoons soy sauce 2 tablespoons sesame oil, divided 2 tablespoons cornstarch, dissolved in 2 tablespoons water

1 ounce hot chile paste 1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar 2 teaspoons brown sugar 4 green onions, chopped 1 tablespoon chopped garlic 1 (8 ounce) can water chestnuts 4 ounces chopped peanuts

DIRECTIONS:

1.	To Make Marinade: Combine 1 tablespoon wine, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon oil and 1 tablespoon cornstarch/water mixture and mix together. Place chicken pieces in a glass dish or bowl and add marinade. Toss to coat. Cover dish and place in refrigerator for about 30 minutes.
2.	To Make Sauce: In a small bowl combine 1 tablespoon wine, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon oil, 1 tablespoon cornstarch/water mixture, chili paste, vinegar and sugar. Mix together and add green onion, garlic, water chestnuts and peanuts. In a medium skillet, heat sauce slowly until aromatic.
3.	Meanwhile, remove chicken from marinade and saute in a large skillet until meat is white and juices run clear. When sauce is aromatic, add sauteed chicken to it and let simmer together until sauce thickens. I was sure I had some white wine here.  But, I was wrong. So, I had to run up to the shopette and get some.  I wound up with some cheap Gallo stuff that was in a small bottle.  They sell it in four packs. Also, I want you to know that I tripled the sauce because all the reviews on this recipe in All Recipes.com indicated that it was better if there was more sauce. I also added a bag of frozen stir fry veggies. All in all, it was pretty good and I'll probably make it again.

The Shelf - As Promised

     Today started out as a lazy Sunday.  Pretty typical for us.  I let Marc sleep until he was ready to get up and wander downstairs to find his coffee.  I was out of bed at 7 am.  I like to get up, drink coffee, and check out Facebook.  This has become my morning ritual.  Sad, I know.  

     Yesterday afternoon we bought some pre-made Cedar wood panels to construct a shelf for my bathroom.  Today, we agreed, was the day that we would construct the shelf.  We actually have enough materials to make two shelves.  

     So, we started out by dragging out the power tools and the portable work bench to our garage.  Oops!  We don't have a garage.  What I meant to say was the front yard.  Sorry, this photo is a little fuzzy.  There was a bit of condensation on the lens.  

     Here, this one is a little better.  This panel is about 6 feet long and almost 34 inches wide.  We decided that for the space we have we need to rip it right down the middle, leaving three slats on each side.  

     Marc has a cordless power saw.  He complains about this saw every time he uses it.  I have tried to get him to buy a saw with a cord.  He prefers to complain.  Today was no different.  

     See the look on his face in the photo below.  That is a result of the complaining!  I suggested that we just go to the Base Exchange and buy a corded saw.  No, he said, "we have to get this thing cut before it starts to rain".

     "See those clouds," he said, "it will be raining in an hour or so!"

     So, we pressed on and managed to get one panel cut to specifications.  We only went through 3 batteries.  These 18 volt batteries are old and it's next to impossible to find them.  Lowe's had some new ones when we looked back in the summer.  They were $40 each.  Well, heck for that I could buy a power saw!  So, since it was going to rain anyway we decided to go to the BX to get a new freaking saw!  

     Oh, and look at my front door.  That is horrible!  We wound up with the oldest junkiest housing on Kadena Air Base.  All of the other housing areas have been renovated but ours!   Just our luck!

Here is a view of the clouds from the back yard.  It's been like this all day.  The weather here is so different from Oklahoma. At least there I can look at the sky and kind of tell what's coming.  Not here.  

     So, at this point we left to go get a saw.  Oh, and just so you know, it started raining.  It was pouring.  We got to the BX and the parking lot was packed. We had to park way off and walk.  Oh well, that's what umbrellas are for, right?  So, we bought a saw and by the time we got back home the rain was pretty much over.  

     Below is a photo of the pumpkin that we still have. Marc brought it in and put it on the cat tower in the living room and put a candle in it.  If the cats were here this would not fly.  They would not be happy about sharing the tower with a scary pumpkin!

     So, we made it home and got the rest of the panels cut just before it started to rain again.  I was not permitted to take photographs of the new saw in action as I was required to hold the wood panels in place.  After the panels were cut we had to move our workshop inside.  Here we are in the dining area.  I can't call it a dining room because technically it is a multipurpose room which in our case is part living room and part dining room and part workshop and part workout room and we have a freezer in there for good measure.  It's complicated, I know.

So, Marc started putting the shelves onto the main right panel, or is that the left.  Or, does it matter?  I was not permitted to help therefore I could take photos.  I'm sure this photo taking is irritating him.  But, he seems not to notice.

See the rug Marc is sitting on?  He bought that rug from a Turkish guy in Adonna Turkey, right outside of Incirlik Air Base, about eight years ago.  I had no idea he was going to buy it.  It just showed up in the mail one day along with a couple other rugs.    

     Okay, after the shelf was mostly constructed we moved it upstairs to my bathroom.  It's still kind of wobbly at this point because he has a couple more pieces to put on it.  I can't wait to be able to put my things on it!

     Here is another view.  It's almost 6 feet tall.  Don't you just love the public restroom style toilet!  Classy!

Okay, at this point he declared it finished and said I could start putting my things on it.  

     Okay, one more shot just for fun.

     In other news we met our new neighbors.  They moved in about a week or so ago.  They are still waiting on their things from the states.  They seem pretty nice.  They are afraid to venture too far off base for fear of getting lost.  However, they have been out snorkeling at Kadena Marina in the swimming area.  They seem pretty excited about being in Japan.  Just a little nervous about going off base.  We told them that we would be happy to show them around.  They seemed pretty excited about that idea.  I'm not sure what base they came from in the states.  

Halloween - Okinawa Style

Halloween is usually a fun time for us.  We usually have several jack-o-lanterns that Marc spends hours carving. Last year we were in Bonaire for Halloween.  We attended a very cool Halloween costume party at Buddy Dive Resort where we danced the night away with our scuba diving friends.

This year, we are in Okinawa.  However, that doesn't mean that Halloween is any less of a big deal.  In fact, the Okinawans love Halloween.  Some of the local Okinawan stores have been preparing for Halloween for weeks.  There were several haunted houses running both on and off base.  A huge costume contest and street party was planned for the Chatan village shopping area known as American Village.  It's where the big ferris wheel is located.  We were down there earlier in the afternoon and already there were people wandering around in costume.  They had some of the streets blocked off and people were scurrying around everywhere trying to get everything ready for tonight.

I purchased a very nice pumpkin a couple weeks ago at the commissary.  It was very expensive.  They sell them by the pound.  Thirty-nine cents per pound doesn't sound like such a big deal until they plop the thing down on the scale.  I paid nearly eight dollars for a pumpkin.  So, we are not going to have the normal eight to ten jack-o-lanterns this year.  Poor Marc.  We decided that we should at least get one more pumpkin.  After checking the commissary we discovered they were sold out.  Oh well, we'll make due with one.

I wanted to go to the Monkey Store to check out some building materials for a shelf that I want to make for the bathroom.  Marc decided that it was well past lunch time and so we decided to go to McDonald's  It got over my fear of taking photos in there.  Below is something that I have only seen in Japan.  Marc has ordered it before.  We don't know what it is.  He said it is like a creamy crab cake with teriyaki sauce on a bun.  It's not my thing.  But, he likes it.

Today he had the teriyaki burger, which is in the picture on the far right at the top on the menu board.  He is very adventurous!  The teriyaki burger is actually a sausage patty that has lettuce and mayo and teriyaki sauce on a bun.  He said it was good.  I had the quarter pounder with cheese (no bun) and fries.  If you are wondering I don't tell them to hold the bun.  I just get rid of it when we get to the table.  I usually give it to Marc and he eats it.

Below are some other photos from around the McDonald's lobby.

So, after we finished at McD's we went into the Monkey Store.  They have these pre-made wood panel things that will work perfectly for the shelf system I want to build for my bathroom.  I say my bathroom because I have my bathroom, and Marc has his bathroom and then there is the downstairs bathroom.  Anyway, the shelf thing is another story for another day.  Possibly tomorrow, just so you don't have to wait too long.

Oh, and here is one last photo of Marc, thinking.

When we got home he started on his pumpkin.  First he cuts the top so that it is more like a lid.  Then, scoop out all the seeds.  He is very careful to save the seeds because he wants to roast and eat them.

He has loads of pumpkin tools but prefers to use my knife for certain parts of the carving process.  He is very serious about pumpkin carving and I am not allowed to help.

Okay, here is where we get really high tech and break out the battery powered pumpkin saw.

Here is the finished product.  Well, I just noticed that it doesn't have the lid on it.  Oh, and please excuse my junky table.  It seems to be the dumping ground for items that need a home.  

Okay, here is the jack-o-lantern outside in the front of the house.  Our plan was to sit out there on those "festive" chairs and hand out candy.  Unfortunately it started raining.

You would think for people who live in a gated community we would take a little more care with the Halloween decorations.  Oh well!

Despite the rain, we did have a lot of trick-or-treaters.  Lots of Okinawan kids too.  They let them come on base to trick-or-treat.  It's kind of fun because they are all nervous and they forget what they're supposed to say.

Hope you have a Happy Halloween!