Our second day in Japan was all about Kabuki theater. We started the morning with a lecture about the art of Kabuki which was developed as an artform separate from Noh theater about 400 years ago. Unlike Noh, which was intended for the elite, Kabuki was the theater of the common people.
The name derives from Ka meaning song, bu, meaning dance and ki meaning skill or drama. The first Kabuki style plays were developed by a woman but by 1629 women were banned from performing and, unlike western theaters, they have never been allowed back. All the roles in Kabuki are played by men and some actors specialize in performing women’s roles. The white makeup sometimes seen in Kabuki derives from a time when there was no stage lighting, so the faces were painted to make them easier to see.
From our lecture we proceeded to the theater with Bento boxes in hand to see the first matinee performance which began a
t 11:00am. The Kabuki theater in Tokyo’s Ginza district was rebuilt in 2013 but in the old style. Modern touches such as escalators have been added but the seats are 
definitely sized for Japanese bottoms. The symbol of the theater is the phoenix and decorative representations are found everywhere.
There is also a small Shinto shrine tucked away in a corner in front of the theater for actors to pray for a successful performance.
We were, of course, not allowed to take photographs during the performances but I was able to take one of the stage and curtain during intermission. The first 
play lasted about an hour and was about negotiations for surrender of the Shoganate in 1868. Although we had a translating device the speeches were longwinded and it was hard to keep up. There was not a lot of action on stage, just actors in samurai costume talking at length.
During intermission we enjoyed our bento box lunch which consisted of rice and a lot of things I didn’t recognize and most of which were not to my taste. I felt like I needed a translator for lunch.
The second play was more traditional Kabuki style, meaning it is stylized 
and not too realistic. The second act was most interesting though some of the scenes went on too long. It didn’t help that our translation device only gave a synopsis of the action and not a word for word translation. Still we could follow the story. Not unlike a Shakespearean tragedy, there were a lot of dead bodies by the end of the play, which ended about 4pm with two additional intermissions.
All in all, it was an interesting experience but I was a little disappointed that there were not more colorful costumes and wild wigs.
Haiku:
Kabuki actors
White faces and kimonos
History relived
y blow account of what we did but to concentrate on the theme of the day which was without question Cherry Blossoms.
What I found interesting was how obsessed these people are with the flowering of trees. We all enjoy the spring blossoms at home, but these people have Cherry Blossom viewing parties. And, it being Sunday, yesterday, the viewing was in full swing, despite the best blossoms having past peak. Apparently, the snowy effect of the falling blossoms is also appreciated. Our 
guides were quite concerned about finding us trees to view in their full glory.
rebuilt palace.
e were lining up in mass to go in. These police officers were directing people where to go.
There we saw plenty of blossoming trees as well as people setting up for their viewing parties under the blossoming trees. We also had a chance to see the traditionally landscaped gardens.
nately, I couldn’t get any cherry blossoms into the picture, so it will have to be seen at another time. It
shington (D.C.) mall on forth of July waiting for the fireworks to begin.
This was the first day of the land portion of our tour. It started with a guest lecture from a local artist named Nancy Spaulding who, with her husband, has been making a living from doing art on San Juan Island for many years. Next we split into two groups with one headed for the History Museum and one to the Whale Museu
m. My group was for history where we learned about the fruit preserve collection dating to 1909. I always love the small history museum for all the daily utilitarian artifacts they have inherited over the years. This one was no exception.
We made a quick side trip to the local lavender farm which for me was a highlight of the trip due to the abundance of colorful photo ops.
Once again we made our way down to the Spring Street Landing to board the Chinook where breakfast was served as we cruised north toward Sucia Island. We took a side trip around Spieden Island where we saw deer grazing on the hillsides and harbor seals lounging on the beach. The highlight, though was a whole family of bald eagles sharing a fresh kill. I think it was salmon but they were far enough away it was hard to tell. But the parents were standing guard on the hillside while the juveniles dined. 
Then all five took off and were circling and calling to one another.
fossil beds. Mostly seashells embedded in rock. Then we waited for the other group to return from Shallow Bay which, when our turn came, proved to be a lovely walk through the woods to a secluded inlet.
champagne! The afternoon was spent cruising leisurely back toward Friday Harbor with views of boats and lighthouses, bald eagles and harbor seals, lots of Islands and many fine views of Mount Baker.
We got back into port around 4:30 and said goodbye to the Chinook and her crew. I went back to my room and fell asleep while trying to read. Then roused myself for a walk downtown to dine on more Dungeness crab at the Cask and Schooner, a local pub.
Day 2 dawned bright and sunny and we made our way down to the Spring Street Landing to meet the Chinook where we would have breakfast onboard while cruising north toward Roche Harbor. We arrived around 10am and started our tour with a trip to the Lime Kilns, relics of a major industry
of the 19th century. We then proceeded up the path toward the sculpture gardens ever cognizant that we had less than two hours before departure and still needed to see the historic hotel and gardens as well as the 
artisan’s marketplace.
On returning to the boat around 5 we were offered a tasting of two Washington wines along with cheese and crackers as we cruised back to our home base at Friday Harbor. As if we hadn’t had enough to eat that day we then had a catered dinner of seafood enchiladas with chips and salsa and coleslaw.
trip started Sunday in Seattle at an airport hotel where we gathered for an evening meal and brief orientation. The next morning we were put on a bus to Bellingham where we met our private boat, The Chinook. Our luggage was loaded onto the boat and we were underway by 10:00 am. Our cruise to Friday Harbor had barely begun when our Captain got word of sightings of Transient Orcas nearby and we headed that way and were rewarded with views of the big killer whales by 11 am.
s we resumed our journey there were also bald eagles to be seen. Not to mention sea gulls and cormorants. There were boats of all shapes and sizes from huge tankers to tugboats to ferrys to sailboats to pleasure craft to whale watching zodiacs. And just to put a little icing on the cake Mount Baker put in an occasional appearance on the eastern horizon.
Founded in 1710 by Swiss and German immigrants, New Bern was named for Bern Switzerland. Since Bern means bear in German the town has embraced the bear as its symbol. Bear flags, banners and statues decorated in all manner of costume can be found throughout the downtown area.
by costumed docents.
si Cola. A small museum and gift shop
I decided to give the barrier island beaches one more chance and headed out early after a quick (and awful) breakfast at the hotel. I arrived at Wrightsville Beach around 9am and found it pretty crowded already. And though I found the town a little more appealing than some I have driven through, I finall
y had to throw up my hands and say “OK, I’ll pay to park.” Only to get to the pay station and find a sign that said “Don’t worry, you don’t have to pay until March 1.” So, finally I got another walk on the beach.. Most of the shells
Oh my, the surfers. I got pretty frustrated trying to photograph them from the beach as the sun was in my eyes and I could not see a thing on the camera’s screen
. Then I finally got the bright idea of going up on the pier to shoot. I gladly paid my $2.00 and had a great time and a great view of the surfers. I just wish more of them had been better surfers as the ratio of standing to sitting out behind the surf was pretty low.
Eventually I did have to push on to New Bern but I finally felt satisfied that I had had a positive beach experience to add to my outstanding time at Bald Head Island.
Just over the bridge is downtown Wilmington but I could not check into my hotel until 3pm so I went in search of lunch at a little shopping center called the Cotton Exchange. After wandering around for a while not finding any serious restaurants some guy invited me to come taste his fudge and I said “You, know, I’m really looking for lunch.” And he said “Oh, that place over there is great.” So I went in and found them serving down home Southern Comfort food. I ordered an Oyster Po’ Boy and fried okra. I would never have thought to eat fried okra but it was forced on me once in Carlsbad, New Mexico and I found I really liked it so now I eat it when I get the chance, which isn’t often.
galleries and souvenir shops. But my parking meter was about to expire so I had to move on. I had set my sights on the Railroad museum in hopes of finding some good steam punk images but was sad to see that most of the museum was model railroads and there was only one real train outside. I stopped in at the visitor’s center next door and picked up some literature from a very strange woman who seemed to think that browsing at a visitor’s center was not acceptable. One must ask very specific questions, one must know exactly what one is looking for.
At this point I decided I might as well try to get into my hotel room since I was tired and I had no more change for parking meters and couldn’t find the entry to the Riverwalk. The Wilmingtonian turned out to be a collection of old buildings refurbished but about ready for another round and smelling strongly of mildew which is clinging to my clothes even now. But the price was right, the bed was comfortable and the shower was hot. I could have lived without the loudmouth on the balcony just across from my window though.
my friend had recommended was just a few blocks from me and I headed out just before sunset. Since it was right on the river and had an outdoor deck and the temperatures were very mild I sat down and ordered a glass of wine and some shrimp and grits and watched the sun set over the Cape Fear. Unfortunately my waitress was apparently doing the same and service was a bit on the slow side so it was well after dark when I made my way back to the Wilmingtonian.
Next morning I set out to explore downtown and take pictures of architectural details. I actually found the widow displays and some unusual signs to be the best subjects. I stumbled upon a café called the Dixie Grille which seemed to be about the only place serving breakfast. But, no matter, the cops were eating there so it had to be good. And it was. I ordered the Dixie Benedict. A biscuit, scrambled eggs, fried green tomatoes smothered with Vidalia onion gravy. OK, I think I have check all the boxes on Southern Cuisine now.
Brunswick County which were a huge disappointment to this native Oregonian. All the beaches are lined with houses and access is limited, parking lots often charging for the privilege. And while the good news is the temperatures have been in the 70s. The bad news is the locals are all flocking to the beaches. Hoping to get an earlier start today and exploring beaches further to the north and getting some decent photos.
Alas, I still had a 2 ½ hour drive and a 20 minute ferry ride ahead of me. Fortunately the traffic wasn’t too bad and I was fortified with Starbucks. After two rest stops and a killer Carolina barbeque lunch I made the 2pm ferry to Bald Head Island where I was greeted by my old and dear friend Betsi.
The cool air on the ferry and lunch had bucked me up for a while and I enjoyed a walk on the beach where we scared off some birds and looked for sea shells followed by a home cooked dinner before I finally crashed completely at 9pm. I should mention that Bald Head Island is mostly car free (service pickups are allowed) and we zoomed around the Island in a golf cart. There are only 200 year around residents on the Island so it was pretty quiet this time of year and we mostly had the roads and beaches to ourselves.
Next day we set out to photograph some of the things I saw on the tour the previous day including this falling down fence and to take another walk on the beach. We found lots of shells and lots of feathers but it took some time to turn up the elusive goal…a perfect sand dollar! Betsi found this one but graciously gifted it to me and it is 
now carefully packaged in bubble wrap and a box for the trip back to Oregon. The weather, I have to say has been absolutely gorgeous.
egrets come in to roost for the night. Of course, it was too dark to photograph and when we came back the next day they all flew away but this great blue heron wasn’t budging and as we were waiting for the egrets 
to come back a whole herd of turtles swam by. We then went down to West Beach for the sunset which was
clouds. I went back to see if I could capture the egrets and though it was pretty dark I did get this one shot.