White "surprise" bulbs. Note the butterfly in the center. 

Sunday Adventure

A Sunday “adventure” drive a couple of weeks after Typhoon Nabi. We started out driving along the Nishi River, but parts of the road had collapsed and it was under construction, so we turned onto another road & headed toward Miwa & then Otake, before heading back to Iwakuni. Near Otake, we discovered a beautiful lake & bridge, with a “mini” sized golf course.

Retaining wall near a road that was not damaged 

Rice sheaves have been cut and are drying in the sun. 

Although this looks like a crop sculpture by aliens, it is actually a racetrack for remote controlled cars. 

Although this really looks like a crop sculpture by aliens, it is actually a racetrack for remote controlled cars of the ATV type. 

Bright red "surprise" bulbs at Miwa Park.  

The Lion's Club is here too. 

Yasaka Lake and suspension bridge near Otake. 

Mini golf course and bridge. 

The golf course and bridge. 

Margie at Yasaka Lake. The golf course is in the background. 

Suspension bridge and signs at Yasaka Lake. 

Driving across the dam bridge. 

Yasaka Dam Bridge. Another dam picture.  

Beautiful tunnel near Otake in the country of Margistan. :}) 

Typhoon Nabi

The first week in September, we were sideswiped by Typhoon Nabi. It was headed directly for us, but veered slightly away at the last minute. Although we were safe on base, the Island just south of us, Kyushu, was hit very hard. Even in the old part of Iwakuni, the beautiful Kintai Bridge was damaged and all of the cormorant boats were destroyed when the Nishi River flooded. We have not been down there due to the roads that are damaged. Mudslides also caused retaining walls and structures to collapse, and several people were killed. In the last picture, you can see how high the river came up outside of town.

The rain is really coming down. This was taken from our balcony. 

Planes are leaving to avoid the typhoon. 

This is a bad sign. All the planes are gone.