May 25

It seems somehow appropriate that on this holiday weekend I’ve finally been blogging my life and times as a soldier on Okinawa almost 50 years ago . . . 

[Fun at the winery with Jeff James and several thousand of our close personal friends.]

[We left Jeff a little early to watch the Gopher softball team win its way to the college world series . . . ]

[That night was the first time we’ve had late evening sunshine since 1923. The lighting around Lake H2Obert was just lovely . . . ]

May 26

Saturday was a gorgeous day. We spent 3 hours with Josie, the first outside performance at Carlos Creek Winery this season, beginning at 10:00 am for the Awake the Lakes 5K and 10K races.  This was not the first photo op of the day, but why not lead off the day with Josie doing one of our favorites songs.  And Budapest is one of our favorite cities – but now Hungary is being ruled by  white nationalist, so . . . 

[But early that morning, “the fog crept in on little cat feet.” Then mom, dad, and the babies returned again for breakfast . . . ]

[And again for brunch . . . ]

[On a calm, sunny morning, the lake mirrors its surroundings . . . ]

[Then, it was off to the winery.  Apparently there were 150 more competitors running this year, so there was quite a crowd when we arrived.  Josie was already performing.]

[The Northmen Brewery grand opening is scheduled for June 15 . . . ]

[The background building is where the wine is made; the corner of the building on the left is the tasting room . . . ]

[Can you spot the Super in our front row, box seats?]

[The Super shooting her “Missing U at . . . ” photos for Facebook . . . ]

[The Super’s photos of Josie . . . ]

[Not to be outdone, I took some from my videoing position . . . ]

[She sang Landslide.  I mentioned to her that Stevie Nicks turned 71 on this day, making her a mere 8 months younger than me . . . ]

[We left (the brewery on the left, tasting room on the right) hoping to pay our first visit to The Lure for lunch, but at 2:00 the place was packed. So we went on down to the golf club for a lovely lunch outside . . . ]

[And here we are at the golf club where we spent enough time for me to get a sunburn.]

[Then back home to spend the lovely late afternoon watching the neighbor using a long pole to fend off floating islands from crashing into our dock . . . ]

May 27

And today, because it is the holiday, the weather is foul making it another perfect day for blogging, and not much else . . .

The only reason why we ask other people how their weekend was is so we can tell them about our own weekend.  ~  Chuck Palahniuk

Up Next: Trying to finish Okinawa

May 24

Where we lived and worked . . . 

[So, by now I suppose you’re wondering what we really did there? WWII had been over for 25 years – why did we still have so many troops on Okinawa?  Well, for one thing, when you stay that long you become part of the local economy . . . ]

[The shot above and the shot below are taken at the end of the entrance/exit to USASTRATCOM Long Lines Battalion, where we communication guys worked.  Looking up the street (top) you can see the headquarters campus for the United States Army for all of Okinawa.  Well down the street in the other direction is Fort Jiro.  And when I saw this again, I now realize I mislabeled it some previous blog.  Anyway, Fort Jiro was a local private enterprise that we knew mostly as the bakery (1st floor).  Also on the street in both directions were local businesses that basically existed to serve the Army’s presence here.  Hence, our presence, while not desired by the locals, created jobs . . . ]

[The street closer to our entrance gate . . . ]

[Typical of what you’ll find immediately outside of any U.S. military base anywhere in the world – the ubiquitos pawn shop.  Our communications center is just off this photo to the right.  GI’s are usually very young, aren’t making a lot of money, don’t know how to manage their money, so every month they come up short of cash before pay day so hock their guitar, trumpet, gold watch, whatever, and then “buy” it back on payday . . . ]

[The work place – up the hill to the guard post, show your ID, and then down into the complex . . . ]

[But first, a little shopping on our strip.  At an art gallery, with Wayne and Redlands, whom you’ve met in previous posts . . . ]

[They would expect you to barter in the local economy.  I never did, made me feel uncomfortable.  I’m not sure if Redlands did here, but both sides seem happy with the result . . . ]

[Home, James!  Ye ole Daihatsu provided yeoman’s service while we were there.  I’m not sure how we got his artwork in the car – let alone both him and Wayne.  But if we had encountered hunger after our shopping, we could have gone next door for a pizza . . . ]

[Back on the street that basically paralleled our military area – that’s family housing on the left . . . ]

[And here a shot into the military family housing area . . . ]

[And here looking past the family housing down into the area where the barracks were, and kind of center right specifically our area . . . ]

[Our Sukiran base area from on high . . . ]

[This is Fort Buckner, the communications center where our guys worked, from an adjacent hillside outside the compound.  The big white ball housed our satellite dish. Satellite communications were in its infancy then (wow, does that make me feel old) and was used mainly as a backup system.  Most of the communications then were by tropospheric scatter (basically bouncing communications waves off “the sky”) or by undersea cables.  We could call home, unlike most overseas GI’s, because we had the means.  It was technically “illegal,” but it was generally ignored if you didn’t abuse it.  I called home maybe 3 – 4 times in two years.  And then it was like Radar on M*A*SH – by a relay system.  You’d “call” Hawaii, have them patch you through to San Francisco, and then have them pass you through to, in my case, the Pentagon because my folks lived in Arlington, Virginia.  You knew it was OK to do then, because the receiving person in the Pentagon actually had to telephone dial my folks . . . ]

[Panning further left, the Daihatsu from which I walked up to this position for photo ops.  Right in the center is the building where I worked, right below the water reservoir above.  On the left is the guard post we saw streetside from a previous photo.  This also is the road home to our barracks . . . ]

[The satellite ball positions us as we go down the hill . . . ]

[Preceding further down the road to our barracks, I stopped about halfway down for this shot into our neighborhood . . . ]

[And turning right before the barracks to our commercial area.   You can see Fort Jiro up on the right . . . ]

[There’s our NCO Club.  I actually didn’t go there very often, applying the Woody Allen principle that I wouldn’t join any club that would have me as a member . . . ]

[And our two USASTRATCOM barracks . . . ]

[From our PX area to our upper barracks mid-center . . . ]

[The same barracks with the communications logo on the sign . . . ]

[Again, our personal supplies and entertainment area.  Judging by the looks of the grass, this is the late in the year dry period . . . ]

[Familiar sights and sounds again – “Top of the Rock” on top of the hill . . . ]

[Looking across other barracks, through the sports area, to the East China Sea . . . ]

[The movie theater is center right, and a storm is coming at us . . . ]

[A telephoto shot taken through our room’s window to the water . . . ]

[And this appears to be a drive through the neighborhood.  Places I seldom went, because I seldom needed to . . . ]

[Obviously family housing from a different vantage . . . ]

[I think this is the main army complex . . . ]

[Must have been a weekend, or a holiday . . . or a typhoon – no one’s around?]

[Even Minnesota Street is vacant . . . ]

[Just to make it easier for you to read the street name . . . ]

[And, as the sign says, United States Army Headquarters Ryukyu Island.  The natural lighting makes it look pretty impressive . . . ]

[Back through the deserted neighborhoods . . . ]

[May as well go to “the site.”  “The site” is what we called the workplace.  Microwave towers were used for intra-island communications . . . ]

[Taken from up near the guard post apparently – Fort Buckner, a/k/a, “the site” . . . ]

[And another microwave tower shot . . . ]

[The main island headquarters from our site . . . ]

[There’s are guard booth entrance . . . ]

[The work place – you may enter that door only if you have a top secret crypto clearance – or were going to clean the bathrooms . . . ]

A frog in a well does not know the great sea.  ~  Japanese idiom

Up Next:  Okinawa

May 24

Let’s go golfing . . . 

Editor’s note:  While I can certainly understand why people could get the idea that soldiers on Okinawa had to struggle between the options of going to the beach or going on geographic field trips, we occasionally would visit Awase Meadows, once the home golf course for Lee Trevino . . . 

[Nothing could be finer than to be on Okinawa in June 1971 . . . ]

[Our cute little course . . . ]

[This is Dick Frook, likely the guy who got me into golf again.  Dick was a super golfer, likely a 1 or 2-handicapper, and he was looking for guys to play with him . . . ]

[I bought my first set of golf clubs ever here, Wilson X-31’s, and started playing again for the first time since high school 6 years previous.  Luckily, I still remembered to swing as hard as I could in case I hit it . . . ]

[And this is oft previously mentioned Terry Bess, the 6’3″ football player for Purdue.  Obviously a very good athlete who could hit the ball a mile, and a golfer good enough to give Dick a run.  I was just happy to tag along for levities sake . . . ]

[The side effects of golfing here were the scenic distractions . . . ]

[And there I go, heading in a direction golfers prefer not to go . . . ]

[And here if you trend off the beaten path, you may run into a Habu (波布), a Japanese name used to refer to certain venomous snakes.  OK, I never did see on there . . . ]

[Dick checks out his flight plan . . . ]

[A real trend setter with white crew socks with black golf shoes . . . ]

[Another distraction . . . ]

[Dick bombs one . . . ]

[As you check the scorecard, there were several par 4’s the three of us could reach in one.  Yes, even me, if I could hit it straight enough . . . ]

[This one, however, looks a little long to be reached off the tee . . . ]

[Here, maybe, if you avoid the bunkers.  And remember, we were playing with wood-headed drivers in those days . . . ]

[Distraction . . . ]

[And fortunately, we weren’t stuck with the hardship of only having one course to play.  Kadena AFB was just up the road from us, and they had a golf course too . . . ]

[This was its signature hole – hit it through the gap in the “mountain” . . . ]

[Kadena was a bit more of an open course than Awase.  We usually played Awase because it was closer and it was the Army course . . . ]

[They did have the fancier club house . . . ]

[This is a round in December 1971, and we’ve picked up Ferdinand “Frendo” Suarez as our regular 4th member.  Frendo outranked us all – he was a staff sergeant (E-6), meaning he was likely career military (lifer).  He was a good guy and a lot of fun . . . ]

[The 1st tee . . . ]

[As a really good golfer, Dick could really get down on himself if he wasn’t playng well.  At least he always dressed well – the original Rickie Fowler . . . ]

[I could smack them pretty good in those days too.  But while Dick and Terry would usually hit them straight as well, mine could go all over the place . . . ]

[Fore!!  Anywhere and everywhere!!]

[I remember this guy but not his name . . . ]

[Tom Morris again, from Fridley.  Tried to find him a couple of times, but no luck . . . ]

[A good golfer always looks like he/she knows what they’re doing . . . ]

[Fore on the left!!  Looks like a pull hook . . . ]

[Yup, opening up a little quick . . . ]

[Oh-oh, Dick’s in the bunker . . . ]

[Star of stage and screen and a favorite of the group.  All the caddies there were women.  While we likely could have, we lower paid NCO’s thought them an extragance we couldn’t afford.  But Frendo was a staff sergeant, so he went first class.  His caddie we named “Hollywood.” Both for her looks, her sunglasses, and her smile (I guess that’s more than “both,” is it “troth” then?).  She always seemed to be available for Frendo.  I don’t remember if I ever heard her talk – don’t know if she understood English (though she almost certainly did).  But she was always part of the group, treated her as such, and always called her Hollywood . . . ]

[Now here’s a hole – obviously an old rice terrace.  You hoped to get your tee shot up to the 3rd terrace . . . ]

[At this time of year, things were pretty dry, the fairways a little hard . . . ]

[Frendo and I trudge up the hill with another distraction in the background . . . ]

[Dick follows his flight . . . ]

[Frendo and Hollywood . . . ]

[Don’t go right! You’ll be in Habu land . . . ]

[And yet another view . . . ]

[Sayonara to Hollywood and Frendo . . . ]

[As I recall, the house in center, on the edge of a cliff, was a GI’s who likely married and retired here . . . ]

[OK, this really is sayonara to Frendo and Hollywood . . . ]

[And this is sayonara to Awase Meadows . . . ]

Spilt water will not return to the tray.  ~  Japanese idiom

Up Next:  Okinawa

May 24

Hedo Point . . .

Time for a road trip, to the most isolated, least populated part of the island – the far north.  The island north of Yaetake Peninsula is mountainous, mountains that extend right to the waterline, there are no beaches, roads had to be carved out and at this time were not paved for the final several miles.  The island may only be 70 miles long, making it only about 50 miles from our starting point (about Ginowan on the map, what we called Futema) to the north end, but you plan for a multi-hour trip . . . 

[The team gathers for the assault. It would be a two car safari – the two guys in the little red convertible; and Webbo, Redlands, and me in the mighty Daihatsu.  Looks like a nice, comfortable January day . . . ]

[Somewhere down the road.  We pulled off for a little picnic snack at an overlook.  Webbo appreciates all the comforts of home.  It appears the design on the Pepsi can hasn’t changed in 50 years?]

[Camera wars . . . ]

[The view . . . ]

[This time we go on through the city of Nago at the base of the Yaetake Peninsula.

[Nago is a city located in the northern part of Okinawa Island.  As of December 2012, the city has an estimated population of 61,659.   Nago had always been one of the major settlements in Northern Okinawa, and a major port along with Unten.  Nago Magiri became Nago town in 1907.  Nago was upgraded to city status on August 1, 1970 with the merger of nine smaller towns and villages (Wikipedia).  Communication with the dog failed when we finally realized it probably only understood Japanese . . . ]

[Admittedly, a miniskirt shot . . . ]

[Past Nago we ran into a sugar cane harvest . . . ]

[Shots along the shoreline hugging road . . . ]

[My guess is that this is looking back at Yaetake peninsula . . . ]

[A remembered all-time favorite shot from Okinawa.  A farmer taking a smoke break along the side of the road.  Since Okinawa is a Blue Zone, this guy is probably still alive.]

[This is pretty much the entire road north of Nago, so you’ll be traveling at a top speed of about 30 mph . . . ]

[Based on about where we would be, this appears to be Izena (see map) . . . ]

[I can’t over abuse “the long and winding road” theme . . . ]

[The topography creates the need for an occasional tunnel . . . ]

[And here we are . . . ]

[Known to us as “the road eating monster” as someone painted an eye . . . ]

[The possibilities are Ogimi or Kunigama . . . ]

[We’re nearing the end of the island . . . ]

[It’s dirt road time . . . ]

[A red convertible guy up ahead of us . . . ]

[Two locals, shy models so I used a telephoto lens from afar so not quite focused, or obtrusive . . . ]

Editor’s note:  This is an example that reminds I was stationed on Okinawa a mere 25 years after the end of WWII.  The island suffered one of the longest and most brutal battles of the war.  And now it has been almost 50 years since I left the island.  A lot has changed in that time.  When I try to find places where I had been 50 years ago on the Google machine, those places are hard to identify.  Much new construction into modernity, some of the closer islands have been connected by bridges, the “skylines” have changed.  The photo below looks like a “modern” overlook by its structure, but I can’t find it now.  There isn’t much up here but this appears to no longer exist . . . 

[Raw nature up here . . . ]

[Japan, and Okinawa, are part of the Pacific Rim of Fire that extends around and down the west coasts of the Americas.  I never experienced an earthquake in the two years I was stationed there, but Hedo Point reminds this island was created by volcanic action.]

[Redlands tries to balance in the wind on volcanic rocks . . . ]

[This would be a tough climb out of the ocean . . . ]

[Magnificent wave action here . . . ]

[Natural and isolated . . . ]

[Webbo takes it all in from a comfortable perch . . . ]

[Redlands getting a little too close to the action . . . ]

[We continued on a bit around the point down the Pacific side . . . ]

[Aftermath of a fire – there were periods of drought when I was there . . . ]

[Webbo admires the cable car over the river.  The Pacific side was largely undeveloped and as I recall the road ended here.  We must have driven back the way we came and lived to fight another day . . . ]

Child of a frog is a frog.  ~  Japanese idiom

Up Next:  Okinawa

May 23

Sunsets and castles . . . 

[Just to show a soldier’s life wasn’t all golf and beaches . . . ]

[This photo, and the ones above and below, must have been the start of a roll (you remember film, don’t you?) . . . ]

[The below photo . . . ]

[So, here’s where we begin the subject matter.  Again, over the East China Sea . . . ]

[When you have a new toy (i.e., a legitimate camera), you tend to experiment with lenses and filters and stuff.  I should point out, though from the follow photo should be obvious, red filters are generally used for special effects in black and white photography.]

[Though sports fields were just down the hill from our barracks, I don’t recall ever using them.  They may have been reserved for MP’s and paratroopers who actually had to be in shape to do their jobs . . . ]

[And now a visit to Nagakusuku and its castle.  If you recall from the preceding post, Nakagusuku is just slightly north of Yonabaru . . . ]

[Nakagusuku Castle is a ‘gusuku’ [castle or fortress] in the village of Kitanakagusuku.  It is one of a number of castles built on the island of Okinawa by the Ryukyu Kingdom now in ruins. The legendary Ryukyuan commander, Gosamaru, built the fortress in the early 15th century to defend against attacks from the east by Lord Amawari of Katsuren Castle. Amawari attacked the castle in 1458 and defeated Gosamaru shortly before his own castle was attacked by Uni-Ufugusuku. The castle was visited by Commodore Matthew C. Perry in 1853, who noted that the walls seemed to be designed to absorb cannon fire. The six courtyards of this fortress with stacked stone walls make it a prime example of a gusuku. It was added to the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 2000.  It is regarded as one of the 100 most famous castles in Japan (Wikipedia).]

[This is the overgrowth around and about the castle . . . ]

[No idea what the pink structure is, or was?]

[Here’s no-name guy and Roy . . . ]

[A film crew arriving at the castle.  Did they hear we were there?]

[The castle came with a view . . . ]

[Absolutely no explanation . . . ]

[This pool likely was part of the pink building complex . . . ]

[Roy on the castle wall . . . ]

[Oh, so here is why the film crew was there . . . ]

[Aiming the camera 90 degrees to the left from the previous shot – the castle . . . ]

[But back to the MTV video.  Oh, there was no MTV then?]

[‘Twas a bit of a production number, but we couldn’t hear her from our position . . . ]

[So, for rather obvious reasons, I asked her if she wanted to be Facebook friends . . . ]

[She queried, “What’s Facebook?”  I replied, “Good point . . . “]

[Then we went cave exploring . . . ]

[The castle from the cave entrance . . . ]

[We never found out who she was because, well, we didn’t have Google in those days.]

[Next it was on to a judo tournament . . . ]

[This was obviously in the base fieldhouse . . . ]

[For good community relations, it was a tournament for the locals as well as the Americans.  A couple of local grandmas had front row seats . . . ]

[And away we go . . . ]

[Future stars practicing . . . ]

[And now more sunsets . . . ]

[These are all from mid-1971 – well before Mayor Pete was born!]

[And now boats provide nice props . . . ]

[Particularly going telephoto . . . ]

[And now for that other major celestial body . . . ]

[Maybe the MTV star’s boat?]

[Now a couple of neighborhood shots . . . ]

[A local brew, but I preferred Sapporo Dark . . . ]

[And now for more fun with the technology . . . ]

[And with Bill and Terry and their new contacts, which always seemed to be bothering them . . . ]

[This seems to be the closing photo in every file.  It works out OK, because when I post on Facebook it always presents the last photo . . . ]

If you do not enter the tiger’s cave, you will not catch its cub.  ~  Japanese idiom

Up Next:  Okinawa

May 22

Let’s go to the beach . . . 

[I remember both guys who are now nameless.  The guy holding the fish got it with a speargun while snorkeling.  He’s the only guy I can remember who found an Okinawan girlfriend and then lived in town with her . . . ]

[I believe this to be Moon Beach.  Tom Morris of Fridley, Minnesota, is sitting . . . ]

[I remember the guy on the left is me.  I went snorkeling with the other guy, and he said he almost drowned laughing under water at me.  We saw a sea snake swimming around – deadly poisonous – and he said my eyes almost popped out of my mask when I saw it.]

[The evening’s dinner?]

[Nice to walk the beach, exploring around corners and stuff . . . ]

[Roy Gorena, future fellow resident of Arlington, Virginia, employed at the Department of Labor.  Roy was part of the group transferred to Okinawa from Vietnam . . .]

[I can’t remember his name either.  Kon’nichiwa!]

[Sights along the drive to the beach . . . ]

[Storm clouds would roll in; half hour later it likely would be sunny again . . . ]

[Fishing haven . . . ]

[Tiny coastal village . . . ]

[And we’re at the beach.  This time Manza Beach.  Like the previous beach shots, these are all on the East China Sea where the beaches are protected by coral reefs.  I have to admit – I may have my Moon Beaches and Manza Beaches transposed . . . ]

[We have a raft here.  And you can see the coral reef barrier a couple hundred yards out where you can see the breakers – and darker blue water outside the reef . . . ]

[On one of these ventures I got a pretty serious sunburn.  If you miss work because of sunburn, you could receive an Article 15.  Non-judicial punishment is a form of military justice authorized by Article 15 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice.  NJP permits commanders to administratively discipline troops without a court-martial. Punishment can range from reprimand to reduction in rank, correctional custody, loss of pay, extra duty, and/or restrictions (Wikipedia).  Our uniforms were starched.  When you put on a clean uniform, it was called breaking starch.  Breaking starch with a sunburn was not a pleasant experience – but I never missed work . . . ]

[Not my boat motor on the left . . . ]

[Rafting with the boys.  That’s me on the left, I remember the guy without a name next to me (though I’m sure I knew it at the time), Bill Petronus is standing, Terry Bess is sitting.  The latter two I pointed out in a previous post.  All but me were Vietnam refugees . . . ]

[The raft has undergone a reorganization.  I bet Roy picked up my camera and shot these photos . . . ]

[I must be going out in a rowboat . . . ]

[Just like this one . . . ]

[The local fisherman are about a quarter mile from the beach here standing in shin deep water . . . ]

[Yup, a big skerry, and a small boat of GI’s . . . ]

[Snorkelers!  Watch out for the sea snakes!]

[Hot day at the beach . . . ]

[Grandmas with the grandkids . . . ]

[The local folks in the water . . . ]

[A GI wife?  The only bikini I can ever recall seeing there . . . ]

[Exploring around the shoreline . . . ]

[Enough walking around – back to the beach . . . ]

[OK, walking around again . . . ]

[Let’s go fishing . . . ]

[If you go back 3 photos, you’ll see the walkway from where this photo was taken . . . ]

[Back at the barracks, a soldier . . . and his car . . . ]

[Our wheels around the island . . . ]

Let’s go to the amusement park . . . 

[Yonabaru is a town in Shimajiri District, Okinawa Prefecture.  It is located at the southern end of Okinawa, on the east coast, overlooking Nakagusuku Bay.  As of 2015, the town has a population of 18,410 (Wikipedia).  In 1970, when I was there, the population was 9,639.]

[Methinks this place no longer exists.  That’s my roomie, Webbo, in the unseatbelted chair in front of me . . . ]

[Yup, the place may have been on its last legs in January 1971 . . . ]

[Nevertheless, nice views . . . ]

[I remember the guy in front of me was from Redlands, California.  I just can’t remember his name . . . ]

[Nice view of Yonabaru . . . ]

[As Redlands looks back me, there is no way this place could have passed OSHA regulations . . . ]

[Your cub reporter; butt in hand . . . ]

[If that’s my camera around my neck, who took this photo and how did I get it?]

[Here’s our barracks and parking lot – yes, I remember both guys and that car.  Names?  Ha!]

[Wondering if the parking lot photo was a prelude to another trip here?]

[Must be – that’s the guy who owned the little red sports car . . . ]

[And another shot of Yonabaru from on high . . . ]

[I must have brought the telephoto lens on this trip . . . ]

[Up close and personal shots of the city . . . ]

Let’s say good night, until next time . . . 

Don’t let your daughter-in-law eat your autumn eggplants.  ~  Japanese idiom

Up Next:  More Okinawa?

5 Concerts, 3 Days . . .

May 16

[Executive director Nicole Mulder discussed the upcoming season for Theatre L’Homme Dieu at the Garden Bar on 6th . . . ]

Wow!  Such a season upcoming!

May 17

[Sam Miltich is touring the state to discuss mental health with the aid of the Minnesota Heritage Arts & Culture Fund.  On this night in the neighboring town of Evansville, he      was joined by Dave Karr (89 years old and going strong) on sax, Nathan Norman on drums, and Chris Bates on bass to celebrate the jazz of Thelonious Monk and . . . himself. I took some not very good photos, likely because I was overwhelmed by the great music. Oh, and Sam’s dad, Matthew (he also plays bass with Sam but on this trip was strictly the chauffeur), joined in once with a vocal of “Corcovado” – terrific!]

Sam’s story . . .

[The not very good photos . . . ]

[Also red socks night . . . ]

[The Super bought two of Sam’s CD’s, got them autographed, and we’re listening to them even as we speak.  We went to see Sam’s Uncle Anthony at the winery the next day – quite a musical family!]

[Here’s Sam with his uncle, Anthony, who will come to bat next in the blog . . . ]

May 18 (Part 1)

[And here is the aforementioned Anthony Miltich at Carlos Creek Winery as the Super walks by followed by Dave with his wine pick up . . . ]

[Dave with his aforementioned wine pick up . . . ]

[So the Super decided to go pick up ours . . . ]

[Here getting photobombed by Anthony . . . ]

[Looks like the Oberts are going to be busy . . . ]

[Unfortunately we could only spend a couple of hours with Anthony on this day, for we were next off to . . . ]

May 18 (Part 2)

Glenwood!

[After Paul & I parked, the Super and Deb were already in place for fine dining at . . . ]

[The Lakeside Ballroom, before heading to . . . ]

[Central Square . . . ]

[We were there for our old friends, Julie Patchouli and Bruce Hecksel.  In 2018 Patchouli & Terra Guitarra went global bringing their music all over the world touring the UK and Europe, China and the U.S.  In 2019 their album Spirit Wheel was nominated ZMR “Best World Album”.  The duo contines to tour across the U.S. and returns for a 2nd bigger tour in China in July of 2019.  Patchouli & Terra Guitarra have performed over 4,500 shows, toured a million miles on the road supporting 21 CD releases, performed on TV, film and are played on radio programs around the World (patchouli.net).

[Bruce’s art, sometimes animated and in 3D, serves as a backdrop . . . ]

[Note:  Guitars form the shape of all things in his art . . . ]

[Their introduction from Central Square Executive Director Cheryl Larson . . . ]

[And away we go . . . ]

[After you get done diggin’ on Bruce’s sport coat . . . ]

[It becomes a musical tour de force . . . ]

[Intermission, at what I guess was surprisingly our first visit to Central Square . . . ]

[Of course, always having fun with their audience . . . ]

[Julie as a backdrop for . . . Julie?]

[Finis . . . ]

[Well, until the encore . . . ]

[During which the backdrop was animated guitar playing fingers . . . ]

Sample video . . . 

Somewhat improbable story from intermission . . . 

[From the Central Square program, I noted that we “know” one of the pictured performers with the upcoming Rochester Symphony (1st two photos).  Well, Karen K. Hansen was a guest lecturer on our Viking Panama Cruise a year and a half ago (the remaining photos).  Oh, and her husband Bill Gurstelle was also a guest lecturer – about catapults.]

[Our lecturers on the ship – a series of Ted talks, more or less . . . ]

[And Karen K. Hansen was one of them . . . ]

[Along with her husband, Bill Gurstelle . . . ]

May 19 (Part 1)

[Thanks to the Trumms for driving us to and from Glenwood – in the dark, in the rain.  We thus survived to make the wine pick up party the next day at Carlos Creek Winery.]

[My head provides foreground perspective – and glare . . . ]

[Entertainment (yes, a concert) was provided by a jazz quartet from the University of Minnesota Morris . . . ]

[Wine tasting and goodies for all . . . ]

May 19 (Part 2)

[And then it was off to the Performing Arts Center at Alexandria Area High School . . . ]

[And rain and cold and wind it did all weekend . . . ]

[This was the grand finale of CLSO’s 10th season.  It was destined to be a blockbuster.  Joined in this effort by a 70-member Central Lakes Symphony Chorale. The audience was blown away by such as “Mars, the Bringer of War,” “O Fortune,” “Star Wars,” and “Allegro Molto Moderator.” Crank up the volume!]

[Maestro Brad Lambrecht begins each concert with maestro’s notes an hour beforehand.  He discusses each song and composer . . . ]

[In our seats, backed by the prince and princess of Ashby . . . ]

[Brad wraps it up . . . ]

[The music makers have arrived and are seated . . . ]

[Fine tuning . . . ]

[The audience settles in – it appeared to be the best ever for the symphony . . . ]

[Brad arrives in performance tails . . . ]

[And away we go . . . ]

[Joined twice by the chorale . . . ]

Just for fun, a sample video of one of the songs performed (and yes, our orchestra sounded just like this) . . . 

[Later joined by symphony alumni.  As CLSO president Greg Donahue has said, the goal is to fill the stage with musicians so they’re always looking to add new members, especially strings . . . ]

Just for fun, a sample of a previous CLSO performance . . .

[Ann DuHammel’s piano led a strong performance of “Allegro Molto Moderato” . . . ]

[Sneaking a shot through the piano of President Greg with his violin . . . ]

[Ann received flowers but it’s hard to focus on movement from distance . . . ]

[And with the alumni musicians and chorale, the sound engulfed the auditorium . . . ]

[The audience recovered after “O Fortune” to give a standing ovation.  After which Brad high-fived the musicians and skipped off the stage . . . ]

Bravo! Bravo!

And for your summer dining and dancing pleasure . . . 

Till next year . . .

To achieve great things, two things are needed: a plan and not quite enough time.  ~  Leonard Bernstein

Up Next:  Back to Okinawa

May 17

Alleged happenings on Okinawa in December 1970 . . . 

[Remember when I noted there are several thousand skerries around Okinawa?]

[Well, I may have photographed every one of them . . . ]

[My guess – sugar cane . . . ]

[You can tell by the blueness of the water this was another trip to the Pacific side . . . ]

[I have reason to suspect this is Ou Shima on the SE side of the main island.  I’m pretty sure we didn’t go there . . . ]

[These cliffs were the last defence line of the Japanese forces on the Okinawa island in 1945. Many chose to jump to their deaths rather than be captured or killed by American forces. Today, this area is called Peace Prayer Park (tracesofwar.com).]

[Views from the cliffs . . . ]

[On the SE corner of the country . . . ]

[As noted, it’s a park – heavily frequented by tourists . . . ]

[Likely the village of Mabuni . . . ]

[Another I remember the guy but not his name.  I remember this day and this walk . . . ]

[School kids on field trips . . . ]

[And now we’re driving away from the cliff . . . ]

[What the island’s interior mostly looks like . . . ]

[What the island’s exterior mostly looks like . . . ]

[Yes, a long and winding road from an overlook . . . ]

[The next 6 photos are shots along the coast road . . . ]

[Now we’re at the top of the East-West store in Futema, our “home town” . . . ]

[The above is shooting back at our military area and below is shooting up toward the north and Yaetake Peninsula . . . ]

[This is shooting south toward the capital city of Naha . . . ]

[Shooting east across the island . . . ]

[Shooting north along the city’s main street . . . ]

[Looking through the city to the SE . . . ]

[Looking to the NE . . . ]

[Window shopping the street, with the ubiquitous John Morton . . . ]

[I’m not in Minnesota anymore . . . ]

War is life multiplied by some number that no one has ever heard of.  ~  Sebastian Junger

Up Next:  Music, music, music

May 17

Okinawa in the Vietnam era.  Let’s meet the guys; where and how we lived in Sukiran – photos from December 1970 through December 1971.

[This, again, is John Morton.  Guess I knew him better than I thought.  But he had been here a while before I arrived.  I think he left for home shortly after this photo in December 1970 . . . ]

[This is my barracks locker in December 1970.  Still a relative newbie I hadn’t acquired much yet in the way of stuff (one shirt?).  I may have been a PFC at the time . . . ]

[The same locker 5 months later . . . ]

[This is Chet.  This is Chet’s GI locker.  Chet’s locker interior is “wallpapered” in the common GI style.  I think Chet’s last name is Lepinski.  But memory, like a hairline, recedes over time . . . ]

[This is the road home from work to our barracks . . . ]

[Officers’ club named “Top of the Rock.”  I wasn’t an officer . . . ]

[Where I worked, the communications center of the universe.  That appears to be Gary Barnett, a fine chap from Pennsylvania, as I recall . . . ]

[This is Phil Graf.  I think Phil was from Texas.  We called Phil the Old Fly.  I don’t know why.  Old fly was the same as lifer (career military).  I don’t think Phil was going to be a lifer, but I could be wrong?]

[Based on above photo, self explanatory . . . ]

[This is McKinley Burns.  From Kansas City, I think.  Good all around athlete.  Can’t tell who’s on the receiving end of his pass – he could throw it a long way . . . ]

[This is a Spec-5 two-person room.  Not mine.  Large groups tended to gather in these rooms.  Here we have, standing l-r:  Roy Gorena from Texas, Earl Fust from North Dakota, Dolomite (what we called him (don’t know why?), don’t recall his real name), Tom Morris from Fridley, Minnesota; and I remember the seated guy but not his name.]

[Barracks parking lot (obviously) – my Daihatsu featured center.  I remember the biker, but not his name; his passenger is Solomon Bramlett from Chicago . . . ]

[Picnic!  (Life is tough in the army).  Starting with Dolomite on the left, Roy, me, and I can’t remember his name, nor the kneeling guy whose name I also couldn’t remember seated in a previous photo.  Oh, and I remember the guy to Dolomite’s right, but not his name . . . ]

[Minnesota Tom and Texas Roy . . . ]

[It’s a PAR-TAY!]

[My Daihatsu outside the house of Tom Morris (he must have been married and had his wife there).  The sporty Honda I believe belonged to his house neighbor, Captain Dave Medlar – I have no idea why I would remember his name?]

[A little volleyball where I’m providing the action.  The guy holding the net pole was our first sergeant.  First sergeant’s are called “Top,” because as senior (and thus experienced) NCO’s they know a lot more about running a company than the young lieutenant or captain they report to.  I can’t remember his name, but he was a good guy.  Also smart – he was getting straight A’s in a correspondence graduate school program through the University of Maryland . . . ]

[And a football intrudes on the volleyball game.  GI’s could bring their families while stationed on Okinawa – thus, the kids . . . ]

[And the following are shots of Sukiran, our military living and entertainment complex.  The center building is a barracks, though not of our company, and that’s the field house behind it . . . ]

[This was our immediate area.  On the far right along the left side of the road is the paratroopers barracks.  The next barracks up the hill from them is one of our barracks, and specifically the one I lived in when “I got a room.”  The next one up the hill, facing directly at us, is our other barracks and where I stayed when I lived in the bay.  The foreground buildings are basically our equivalent of a shopping mall, the PX (post exchange) – there’s a theater, library, and other stuff.  In the distant far right, the tall building (6 stories) is the East-West Shop in downtown Futema – I will later feature photos from its rooftop . . . ]

[Further up the hill from our living area, on the left is the satellite dome of our Fort Buckner communications center . . . ]

[Looking back down hill at our PX . . . ]

[That’s one of our green barracks on the left . . . ]

[The all-in-one photo . . . ]

[Obviously a telephoto shot down to our waterfront . . . ]

[A chopper is landing, with (likely) Kume-shima in the distant background . . . ]

[Our PX (post exchange) where a carton – CARTON – of cigarettes was $1.30!  No wonder we all got hooked . . . ]

[Our NCO club and other things here . . . ]

[Remember the guy but not his name (not Billy Crystal, though I think he was a New Yorker).  He was going home – ETSing (estimated termination of service) out of the army.  Whenever anybody was going home, a caravan would follow him to the airport for hugs all around . . . ]

[Terry Bess, one of a group who were transferred to Okinawa from Vietnam when the drawdown began.  He played football for Purdue, a 6’3″ receiver . . . ]

[I remember the sleepy beer guy, but not his name.  Then Roy’s telling me he’s No. 1 . . . ]

[Litte known factoid:  I invented the selfie in June 1971 . . . ]

[Our room – we painted it purple because we could . . . ]

[Our room attracted a lot of visitors.  Roy dropped in to do some reading . . . ]

[My in room entertainment center.  Sansui amplifier, TEAC reel-to-reel tape deck, Sonic speakers, and a . . . TV, which soon shortly replaced by a Sony Trinitron, the first super-duper color TV’s.  The semi-literate GI at the time was reading such as The Pentax Way, Catch 22, Atlas Shrugged (for opposition research), Unveiling Man’s Origins, and I can’t read any of the others in the bookshelf . . . ]

[Earl and Roy at nap time . . . ]

[Bill Petronus, from New Jersey, another transfer from Vietnam . . . ]

[Gary Mertz, from Olivia, Minnesota . . . ]

[We were at the University of Minnesota together, in the same dorm house, and he somehow found me in Okinawa though he was in a completely different organization?  As curiously happens with GI’s sometime, Gary died in a car accident shortly after he was discharged and returned home . . . ]

[Terry Bess again – also a very good golfer . . . ]

[Remember him but don’t have a name . . . ]

[And here’s my roommate Larry Webb (‘Webbo’), from Phoenix.  He also had half ownership of the Daihatsu – we never seemed to have issues over who was going to use it and when?]

[Back in “my room” after an exhausting day at work . . . ]

[Dick Frook, also an excapee from Vietnam, who was a 1 or 2-handicap golfer (what we did when not working) . . . ]

[Petronus again, with a falsie . . . ]

[Bill caught some shrapnel in his face from a claymore mine in Vietnam . . . ]

[Terry getting used to contact lenses . . . ]

[The guy in the mirror shot I didn’t know – still don’t  . . . ]

[I think he was a guitar player . . . ]

[Ohhh, my eyes!]

[Looks like the end of a typhoon . . . ]

[I recall at least two while I was there.  All the married guys stayed home with their families; all the single guys (moi) were stationed at the communications site full-time until it was over, some times two days (we slept on cots).  The building had no windows (it was top secret) and thus safe in a storm.  We didn’t know what had happened in the surrounding area until we were released when the storm was over . . . ]

[Our room is starting it reach its peak in luxury design and application . . . ]

[Nice place to nap.  I’ve now gone to the much cooler wire-framed glasses . . . ]

[Mr. Fust, in all his glory . . . ]

[Roy enjoying a cat nap . . . ]

[Webbo!  Tried to find him again civilian life through Facebook, et al, but no luck . . . ]

[Lots of photography experimentation went on in our room.  Of course, one of the reasons we were so popular is we bought a window air conditioner.  I’m surprised with all the electronics in our room we didn’t blow fuses all over the island?]

[Two full stereo sets and a color TV . . . ]

[And a papa-san chair.  Brought it home with me.  Dad loved to nap in it . . . ]

[Though I haven’t smoked in years, I may still have that ashtray somewhere?]

[Here’s lookin’ at you, Webbo!]

[Ahhh, remember black lights and day-glo?]

[A skill I picked up over there . . . ]

[Almost a mustache – and I was 23 then . . . ]

[Remember, but no name . . . ]

[Sol Bramlett, again, and Tom Magnuson . . . ]

[Bringing home the groceries . . . ]

[Sol had a great, booming laugh.  And the Unitas poster on our door was Webbo’s – he was a big fan.  And like McKinley Burns, Webbo could throw a football a mile . . . ]

The military don’t start wars. Politicians start wars.  ~  William Westmoreland

Up Next:  Track in the can, more Okinawa, a big music weekend ahead?

May 16

Continuing our nostaglic journey through my army life on Okinawa, these photos are labeled from Sepember 1970 . . . 

[I’m pretty sure, though the mind is a feeble thing, that this is Moon Beach . . . ]

[I’m on another journey up the East China Sea side of the island (the Yaetake Peninsula in sight) . . .)

[I’m traveling with my friend Wayne.  We stopped for this photo of a tree-topped skerry, that also included a local farmer pushing a wheelbarrow full of his harvest along the road . . . ]

[Another example of isolated cloud bursts common to islands . . . ]

[The fringes of Nago are in sight . . . ]

[The city’s waterfront ahead . . . ]

[Trees, running in panic for their lives . . . ]

[A densely vegetated skerry . . . ]

[Traveling along the city’s shoreline . . . ]

[Ie Shima in the distance . . . ]

[So, time to talk about Ie Shima.  The following are 4 canned photos . . . ]

[And now, the pertinent story:  Iejima, then called Ie Shima by US military and media [Ie is the name of the island, Shima is the Japanese word for island], was the major starting point for the Surrender of Japan in World War II.  American troops landed on Iejima in April 1945 as part of the Battle of Okinawa and there was heavy fighting from April 16 until the island was secured on April 21. U.S. journalist Ernie Pyle was killed during the battle. There is a monument dedicated to his memory on the southern part of the island. Every year on the weekend closest to his April 18 death there is a memorial service (Wikipedia).]

[On March 31, 2010, the Super and I were driving through the Indiana University campus (her alma mater) where I snapped this photo of Ernie Pyle School of Journalism . . . ]

[Back to our story, Wayne and I are going to visit our communication antennas on the high point of the island . . . ]

[Looking back at whence we came.  Yes, it could be dicey for acrophobics – like me . . . ]

[Great views though – here’s Ie Shima again . . . ]

[And again . . . ]

[Not too much farther . . . ]

[Make sure you take this drive on your next visit to Okinawa . . . ]

[Beautiful views . . . ]

[Wayne shows the guard our top secret crypto clearances for access.  Isn’t my little Daihatsu a cool car?  Perfect for this island . . . ]

[We’re inside the gate – didn’t have to take off our shoes, or anything . . . ]

[But hazy skies are moving in . . . ]

[The main bank of antennas keeping us in contact with the world . . . ]

[And another rain event moving in . . . ]

[But this too soon will pass . . . ]

[Support buildings and living quarters for the folks stationed up here . . . ]

[The low hanging clouds are sticking around . . . ]

[Up there is where we were shooting the antenna and facilities photos from . . . ]

[Probably a bilingual puppy . . . ]

[Heading back down hill . . . ]

[Farmers grew sugar cane, rice, and vegetables . . . ]

[Family burial vaults are common throughout the island . . . ]

[Back down in civilization . . . ]

Before a war, military science seems a real science, like astronomy; but after a war, it seems more like astrology.  ~  Rebecca West

Up Next:  Still have a track meet in the system