Author Archives: spikekalashnikov

Boating fun has been eliminated over the the last 3 weeks because my starter motor busted again. However great glee as Kiyuna san has fixed it. In fact he has installed a new one. The weather has been dreadful anyway … Continue reading →

During my self isolation in Tokyo in January, I scribbled, well on a computer, a brief history of the restoration of my Norfolk Gypsy. You can follow the whole story in detail on this blog starting around here.https://thequietripple.com/2018/01/09/then-the-tuckets-then-the-trumpets-then-the-cannon-and-she-comes/ The Marine … Continue reading →

It is the rainy season and suitably it has been raining all day. Nothing dramatic but steady rain. I set off to renew the contract for my little rental car. Everything goes bananas! Huge thunderstorm and unimaginably hard rain. The … Continue reading →

I got my second shot this afternoon and am now fully vaccinated. Thank you Japan. The procedure was identical to my first jab. https://thequietripple.com/2021/05/22/ouch-3/ I will not go through it again. Click on the link above. Very calm, very efficient. … Continue reading →

Probably the worst thing that happened during my ongoing idyll in Okinawa, was the fire that destroyed Shuri Jo. https://thequietripple.com/2019/11/01/shuri-jo/ The palace is now being rebuilt and one fund raising project is placing containers outside supermarkets into which you can … Continue reading →

Okinawa is in a state of emergency until 21 June. There are more cases now than ever before. Stay at home, restricted social gatherings, no visits to other islands, restaurants close at 8:00 etc. Life is very slow. I woke … Continue reading →

I got some great gifts for my birthday! A bouquet of flowers arrived in the midst of my post tooth extraction gloom. It lifted me up! After the trip to Nagano, I have understood my inadequacy in all things sake. … Continue reading →

I have had my first jab! I show up at the huge Ginowan municipal sports hall at the appointed time. No one speaks English but why should they? The organizers realize that I am not going to be able to … Continue reading →

The night before, I oil the gears and chain on my bike. I am very excited as I am going to Ie Jima lily park where hundreds of thousands of lilies bloom in early May. https://www.google.com/maps/place/Ie+Island/@26.7217993,127.75505,14287m/data=!3m2!1e3!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x34e4e52234ae3037:0x2f5216e8c1d1df09!8m2!3d26.7201277!4d127.7928395 It is that time … Continue reading →

When I come home from work, I mean messing around with the boat and going to the shops, I throw all my loose change into a historic stainless steel bowl. https://thequietripple.com/2018/07/20/burt/ After a couple of months the change builds up. … Continue reading →