Yesterday we had a squadron party at Torii Beach, which is part of Torii Station, the only US Army base on Okinawa. It's a very nice beach, on the western coast, a twenty-minute drive from where I live.

I don't go to the beach much. Never did back in the States, and I've not done it here. I don't like beaches. Sand makes me itch, and the Evil One-Eyed Sky Demon causes me pain and eventual skin cancer.

But I need to show my face. It was a family affair, so people would be civil and not overly inebriated. We had the first weekend of decent weather in months, as the rainy season is ending. It was in the high 70s, with scattered cumulus clouds and a pleasant sea breeze. I missed the bus, so I got a taxi and went.

Just about everyone was there, with spouses and kids in tow. Several of the families set up tents for naptime and gear stowage, but there was so much excitement around that only the very littlest got any sleep. I'm sure there was plenty of crankiness later that night.

The squadron had rented three pavilions, an inflatable bouncy castle, and three XXL charcoal roasters. The cooking team began roasting three full-size pigs the night before, and they were quite tasty. In between bouts of porcine carnage, we used the nearby volleyball pit. It shaped up as O's vs E's, seven on seven. Sadly, the enlisted failed to hold up the honor of the proletariat; in matches against three different E teams, the O's outscored the E's with an aggregate of 45-7. A number of excuses were advanced as to our humiliating failure. My favorites were "They spent all their time in college playing stupid sports like this!", "Captain W_ and Lieutenant B_ are ringers!", and "They're not drinking enough!"

(N.B. Captain W_ is only 5' 8" or so, but was a starting cornerback at the Naval Academy. He can jump higher than anyone else in the squadron. Lt. B_ looks like a pale gorilla.)

Along with the volleyball, there was a dunk tank, with the Sergeant Major yelling insults at anyone who failed to hit the target. Come to think of it, he was pretty insulting to those that succeded, too. Naturally, he was using carefully moderated language, what with the young children around.

Then we had the pie auction. Seven whipped-cream pies, sold to the highest bidder, proceeds going to our Marine Corps Ball fund. The high bidder got to pick the target, and the CO solemnly swore that there would be no repercussions. The first couple of pies went for only $40 to $50, but the last two went for $180 and $230. (Note: irrational bidding. Must see if an economic prof wants to do a study.) I was very impressed that after the final pie was sold, the losing bidders dropped their $225 into the fund anyway.

I had brought my nice camera, and took lots of shots. I don't have a polarizing lens, which made things difficult, as lots of light reflected off the ocean. Plus the pie-tossing was inside a pavilion, so I had shadows on the faces and bright light behind. I was asked to make the photos available by several individuals, and also the officer responsible for the squadron website wanted some. So I think I'll burn a DVD or two of the ones that came out decently, and give the DVDs to the S-6. (Computer department in the squadron HQ.) They can check them out to people that want copies of photos, and also can put especially good ones online.

I'm sure many of you are interested too. I'll upload the photos overnight, and try to categorize them after work tomorrow.

And my SPF 45 mostly did the job. I only got burned on the back of my neck, I think because my camera strap rubbed the sunscreen off. I'm thinking of taking the strap off, as all it ever does is get in the way. I carry my camera in a sling pouch, so I don't wander around hanging it from my neck anyway.

Posted by: Boviate at 05:17 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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