Beachfront Property

We were a little bummed out when our island was hit by Super Typhoon Songda over Memorial Day weekend this year. Songda was supposed to be the strongest typhoon we’ve experienced since moving to Okinawa in September 2009, and it didn’t disappoint. Even with winds raging all day and night on Saturday, we didn’t let that stop us from having the holiday weekend we wanted. The following day, Matt and I (along with our friends Amanda, Nick, Lyndsey and Andrez) set up camp on a very secluded little beach up in Onna. And by secluded, I mean you aren’t even able to get to the site without a 4 Wheel Drive vehicle.

Beside following a typhoon, our night of camping only got more and more unusual. After only a few hours up at the site, our friend Amanda dislocated her ring finger when attempting to separate Willis and Brutus, their two bulldogs that don’t get along so well. After her injury, the rest of the night pretty much came to a halt as Nick took her all the way back to the base hospital to get it fixed. They ended up not making it back to the camp site until the next morning, and Brutus ended up sharing a tent with Matt and I for the night.

Setting up the tent

Lyndsey checking for bumps;)




Lyndsey and Lucy... little sugar cookie:)

The guys gathering firewood - I feel like this is all they did the entire night actually... and yes, that IS a head-light on my husband's head in case you were wondering!

Nick and Amanda by the fire... right before the incident:(

Although our Memorial Day camping experience didn’t exactly go as planned, the trip ended on higher note the next day when Nick and Amanda made it back to Onna. The guys went right out into the ocean from our beach-front camp site and went diving, while the girls got to sit out and have a beach day. After getting some sun, we packed up the site and headed back home for some much needed showers and some fish tacos... a little bit of San Diego here in Oki;)

Matt with Brutus

Brutus working on his swimming skills


The beach had a bunch of cool shells and coral


Lucy helping the guys

I think the dogs were exhausted, too!

The guys' dive

The girls:)

Happy Memorial Day!

-C