Make New Friends, But Keep the Old

Can I still use the old "broken laptop" excuse for my infrequent posts? That is indeed the reason, but thankfully (hopefully), the laptop is at the repair shop awaiting its new life; cross your fingers for a safe return.

John started work on Monday the 11th, so the girls and I were prepared to have some adventures and find our way around some more. Thankfully, Monday's plan was to attend the Keene High School Class of 1991 reunion! It is a crazy coincidence for which I am incredibly grateful that my high school classmate, Meredith Askey aka Meredith Novario, lives here in Okinawa. We had not seen each other since graduation, but Facebook has kept us connected in recent years. When John floated the idea of coming to Okinawa, I could imagine doing it because I knew I would see Meredith. She was a spirited cheerleader and supplier of knowledge in the months leading up to our arrival. We decided to meet at  Murasaki Mura  for the afternoon. Meredith's blog,  Meredith Novario Photography , will show you some of the fun we had. We sprayed sugar water on our arms in the butterfly house, boiled cane syrup to make sugar, and painted Shisas. A Shisa is a Lion-Dog figure. Often in pairs, one wards against evil spirits entering a home, while the other keeps the good stuff in. And the kids ate kakigori. This makes them sound like adventurous eaters, but it is really just shave ice.

Maddox boils cane syrup. Not the ideal choice of activity in the heat.

Making "sugar pie". Like a rock.

And finally, the stars of our own reality show, "Blackbirds on Okinawa":