Leavin' For Texas :-(

What to do with whale-watching beach chairs, tabletop propane gas grill, pedestal fans, tabletop fans, left over staples like flour and sugar, frozen foods, potatoes, onions, etc., the sleeping bags and air mattresses the grandkids used, a couple of small folding tables, printer paper that's too cheap and too heavy to take home, just dozens and DOZENS and dozens of things...

In a year's time we did manage to accumulate a lot of things that one might take for granted in daily life.  Before each purchase we weighed the pros and cons.  With the first contract we most often said, "Nah.  We can live without that."  But after the third contract extension we just went ahead and acquired what we felt we needed/wanted.  Now it's time for the executive decisions that can really wear a person out.  This has always been the toughest part of moving.

We ultimately decided to give most everything to our pastor's family.  He has four teenagers, and I'm certain between them all they can find a use for everything.  They are from Georgia and even have some of the same taste for foods that us Texans have!  It actually took them two trips to get everything home.  John and I have never known a pastor AND his family to put so very, very much love into a congregation and community as the Metcalf's have.  We are honored to be able to share this with them.  They are God's good people.

Randy loaned us a portable convection oven; we need to be sure that gets cleaned and back to him. (Remember, our apartment didn't come with an oven.)  Paul and Joann loaned us a CD player and some dishes; need to know they got them back.

I don't think I've said enough about our landlords, A.C. and Donna.  They have done everything imaginable to make our stay comfortable and stress free.  Donna owns AirVentures, a sightseeing airplane company with offices on Oahu and Kauai.  They even gave John and I a free flight for our 25th wedding anniversary and arranged a luau for us to attend!  

Momma always said, leave a place cleaner and better than when you got there and you'll always be invited back.  We'd love to come back to Kauai, so we're polishing things to a fare thee well!

Of course we already turned in our second car to Island Cars.  Now we need to coordinate getting the other car back.  We'll check all of our luggage about 6 p.m., grab a meal and last walk on the beach, then meet John T. at Island Cars for a ride back to the airport.  Several of our church friends come to see us off - we had more seeing us off in Kauai than we had seeing us off in Texas to come to Kauai!  Kauaiians are so respectful, considerate, thoughtful, kind.  We will definitely miss these people...  Aloha - until we meet again.

Mahalo!

Packing Up The Boogie Boards To Go Home

We did buy each of the grandkids their boogie board of choice, not knowing what we'd do with them when they left the island.  In the back of my mind I was determined to get them home - just completely unsure of how to accomplish that.  The morning of their flight I left the kids in the apartment packing and went to the airport looking for answers.  I got out, opened the hatch of the car, and began trying to explain the problem to a baggage person.  "If I wrap them in Saran Wrap and duct tape..."

The baggage guy was so sweet.  He smiled a little, said, "Just a minute," and stepped over to his kiosk.  He came back with the biggest "baggie" I had ever laid eyes on.  He said, "Try this."

We slipped all FOUR boogie boards into the bag.  He said, "I believe that will work!"

We made one final trip to one of everyone's favorite beaches.  (Without telling the parents EVERYthing we know about the place...)

(Yes, these all apply to Ke'e Beach...)

And delivered four happily exhausted kids to the airport for their flight back to the mainland.  Aloha!

A good time was had by all (to put it mildly!)

A Second Tsunami ??

Sometimes in the evening the grandkids want to go for a quick dip in the ocean, so we take them down to Kalapaki.  It's about five minutes from the apartment and they can boogie board, "skim," try surfing, or just play in the narrow channel where the river comes into the ocean.  (That's where they found the prawn.)

John wanted to stay home, so I loaded up and drove down (literally) to Kalapaki.  Everything was going normally.  Then I noticed a couple of tug boats trying to get a ship out of the harbor, past the breaker, and into open ocean.  THEN I noticed the tug boat going out of sight between the swells and waves.  Wow.

I was getting a really eerie feeling.

I started studying the waves and realized they didn't seem quite right.  They seemed, well, wider.  Not left-to-right, but front-to-back.  They were also taller than when we had first pulled up to the beach.  Be still my heart!  The grandkids were oblivious to anything but the joy they felt from being in the ocean.  (I still can't get over how they marveled over their good fortune to have parents and grandparents willing to stretch all pocketbooks and good sense to let them fly - by themselves - thousands of miles from home ...)

I finally managed to get the attention of all the grandkids and get them ashore.  The waves were beginning to subside, the tugs were coming back to harbor, things seemed to be settling down.  Regardless, I hustled the kids into the car and retreated to higher ground.  They were mildly miffed because they hadn't sensed anything wrong.

The next day I listened intently to news accounts, and sure enough, there had been an earthquake in Australia? New Zealand? and the tsunami wasn't expected to reach the Islands, but along about the time that we went to the beach the night before...

So, I think it's fair to say, John and I experienced two tsunamis while on Kauai - and the grandkids can say they were literally "in" one.

God is good, all the time.  And it's especially good to know that all of these grandkids have accepted Christ as God's only Son, who sacrificed Himself for the sins of man, rose again after the third day, appeared to hundreds of people, and ascended into heaven to prepare a place for every believer in Him to go to.

If you have an iPhone...

Well, I've just had another pretty interesting conversation with AT&T about my iPhone eating up data when nobody's looking!  Now they're telling me that whenever I open an app, IT NEVER CLOSES unless I manually click the "home" button (that's the one at the center bottom of the phone face) push it twice, touch and hold any one of the apps that appear until they all jiggle and a red circle shows on each app icon, then touch the red circle.  Then, and only then, does the app close.  Leaving them open is what allows them to send and receive data when you're not lookin' - even when the phone is turned off.  You have to close each app individually.

When you push the home button twice, whatever apps appear across the bottom row are the ones that are open.  Scroll by swishing right to left to show additional apps that are open.  The supervisor at AT&T that I spoke with said she does this every night.

This is crazy.  I have no choice but to follow instructions and hope that this stops the huge amounts of data from being received/transmitted unbeknowst to me.

If you have an iPhone and try this, let me know how many apps you unknowingly had open and running for who knows how long.  Please, I'd love to hear back from you!

Reviewing My Stats

Well, now, isn't that amazing?  The most often read post is the one titled, "Time to Confess."  What does that say about our society.  Based on the subject I blog about, based on the comments I make, what on earth did they did they think I would confess???  Salacious secrets about our sex life?!  Give me a break! 

Jeeez!

The stats also show that most of you log on via Internet Explorer, a few by Mozilla, a few by Safari and mobile Safari, and a couple by Chrome.  You folks using IE might want to go back and read the one about "A Cup of Tea and a Chocolate Bar."  Since I went to Mozilla Firefox I just FLY through the internet experience.  Sadly, since my switch, I'm hearing from in-laws of all kinds saying they've been using Mozilla for years.  (Like I said, how come no one ever tells ME?  Why am I always the last to know?)

Most of you guys are from the United States, but I have had two log-in from Germany and now one from Russia.  There have only been a couple of people comment on any of the blog postings, even since I published, "Hello-o-o, Is There Anybody Out There?"

Let's see, 75% of you use Windows, a tiny number use Mac, a couple have checked in using an iPad, more from an iPhone than an Android.

There are hundreds of you, by the way, which makes me feel pretty good.  Is it my interesting, vivacious chatter? or the pictures?

How all of this started is because I send out GSRs to our kids and grandkids.  GSRs.  That stands for Granparent Status Reports.  (Hey, maybe that's why so many people check out the "Time to Confess" post:  You think GSR stands for Gun Shot Residue and that I'll confess to a killing!  Silly.  I have an attack of conscience when I kill a spider.  John and I hunt a lot - with cameras (in case you couldn't tell by all the photos!)

Ah, well.  I shall keep blogging along - just in case the kids are watching.  Ta-ta, for now!

What a Traveler Should Pack and Other Tips

If you're flying to your new location there's not a lot you can take other than clothing and maybe a stash of over-the-counter medicines so that you don't have to find a 24-hour pharmacy in a strange town in the middle of the night.  If you take a computer of some type, you might want to take a printer, too.  I bought a pilot's / carry-on piece of luggage, wrapped the printer in a new, fluffy bath towel to protect against bumps and jiggling, and filled in the gaps with computer peripherals like the back-up drive, program CD's, extension cord, and spare ink cartridges.  I do carry it on rather than check the bag, but one time we were asked to check it at boarding time.  I was really glad I had packed it so good!

An iPhone is a tremendously handy investment.  You can get text messages, take photos, receive and send emails, send things to a wireless printer, and, best of all, you can get GPS map directions right on the phone.  Check with your accountant to see if the cost could be tax deductible, too.  Sometimes you might want to take pictures of problems with your accommodations as soon as you arrive so you have proof you didn't cause the damage during your 4-9-16 weeks of staying there.  We have also used it to take photos of time sheets and send them by text message or email. You might want to download the "Pandora" app for free and listen to your favorite music!  If your car has a cassette player you can even buy a cassette that plugs into your iPhone (or MP3 player) and plays over the car speakers.  Check Wal-Mart for the cassette adapter - $5)

If you're driving to your new location, however, there's a bunch of stuff that makes life a bit easier for you:

An inverter that plugs into the car's power outlet/cigarette lighter.  You can recharge anything that has a power cord by plugging it into the inverter.  Some inverters even have USB ports that you can plug into for power.  Wow.  There are a LOT of things you can get now that run off the car's battery - from coffee mugs to small refrigerators!


Once you get to your new "home" your contract could be anywhere from two weeks to, well, a year.  I pretty much pack it all in totes and load things in the car based on the length of the contract.

A good surge protector and a supply of extension cords that accept a 3-prong plug. 
A small folding table of some kind to use as a bedside table, a chair-side table, a computer or printer table -- anywhere you need extra work surface or work space. 
A tote with basic kitchen spices, some kind of ant-proof containers for a few cups of flour, sugar, corn meal, tea bags, coffee. 
A small (or large) coffeemaker.  Neither John nor I drink coffee, but he likes iced tea, and I like a cup of hot tea.  We use the coffee maker to brew the tea. 
A pitcher to mix juice, etc. in. 
A quality knife sharpener.  (In fully furnished places they may supply knives, but they usually aren't worth a hoot.)

We take a sleeping bag, spread it over the top of everything inside the van so as not to tempt anyone to break in and steal things, and then we use it as an extra blanket in the room.

Our own bed pillows.  We're used to them and won't get a crick in our necks having to use someone else's.  A good night's sleep is one of the imperatives of life.  Bad sleep equals bad attitude.

For $100+ we have discovered gel-infused memory foam mattress toppers.  They are amazing! And if you're a bit squeamish about sleeping in someone else's bed, this makes it almost like you're taking your own bed with you.  This is seriously good stuff - weighs about 25 pounds! It will only take up about as much room as a good sleeping bag if you put some effort into rolling it up.

You might want to also throw in a wind-up flashlight and radio.  These are things that we rarely use, so we never know whether batteries are good or not.  The wind-up kind will get you through emergencies.

A tote for office supplies is nice, too.  Printer paper, photo paper, pens, pencils, Sharpies, scissors, binder clips, paper clips, stapler, staple puller, post-it notes, scissors, Wite-out, scotch tape, masking tape, duct tape, manila folders, spare USB flash drives, an assortment of envelopes, postage stamps.  It's only about $40 worth of stuff if you went out and bought it all new.  Most of it you probably already have on hand at home.  The problem is, when you need it, you need it - and that may be 11:00 at night.

Speaking of postage stamps...  We have discovered that USPS usually has "Forever" stamps specific to the region you are in.  Ask at the post office.  For instance, in Virginia we bought postage representing the Civil War.  It's just a fun family thing we do.  Maybe the grandkids will ace a history test some day because of us!

Also, and very importantly, give some thought to your new mailing address.  It can be a real pain if you're not 100% certain about it.  One place gave us our address, but mail was being returned to the sender.  Come to find out, the address didn't have a mailbox!  The house number was right, but no mailbox. (Just quietly keep repeating, "Nothing in life is simple...")

The Grandkids Are Here !!

Okay.  We're ready for those grandkids!  Each has their own snorkel, mask, swim bag, beach towel and bamboo mat.  Their beds are made and ready for them to arrive at 9 o'clock Friday night after almost 12 hours at airports.  I still don't believe it's really happening!

We begin sight-seeing the very next morning, the two oldest boys in the Honda with Granpa and the two youngest kids with me.  

We go from the ocean to the mountain top.

We went to the caves and waterfalls and beaches, swimming and boogie boarding, snorkeling, to the fireworks show at the Pacific Missile Range on the 4th of July, friends from church took them spear fishing and hiking  and surfing...We did it all - and then some.  They helped out for two weeks at Lihue Baptist Vacation Bible School.  Our oldest grandson was baptized with the small children that accepted Christ during VBS.  It was undoubtedly the most amazing, most marvelous time of their (and our) lives.

Thank you, Lord, for the blessings you have given us.  When we were forced into this traveler's lifestyle we didn't quite understand.  As always, Your plan is perfect and Your timing is perfect.  We see Your hand at work, and that these blessings come from You.  Thank you, also, for giving us such wonderful companies to work for.

Without a Doubt, The Best Part of Being a Traveler

I believe I have talked about a whole bunch of Traveler blessings.  This one has GOT to be the very best of ALL!

As you know, our contract (see how I almost always say "our"?  John and I are a team and best friends!) our contract in Kauai has been extended a half-dozen times.  Now we find we will be here through the summer.  Guess what?  Our teenage grandkids are out of school for the summer!  The three boys play football. (They DO live in Texas...)  Two of them won't start summer strength training until almost the beginning of the next season, and the third can let his slip for a few weeks.  Our teenage granddaughter just has to clear it with all the parents.

For the cost of round-trip air fare, all four of these grandkids (that we have not seen in a year!) are coming to spend SIX WEEKS in Hawaii with us!  If I sound excited I absolutely, positively am!

Okay.  Where will they sleep in this (basically) 1-room apartment?  Well, for $20 we can get a sleeping bag and air mattress (x4), for $2 each we can get travel pillows.  Every night while they shower off the ocean and beach we will lay out their beds; every morning we will stack up the mattresses or lean them against the wall.
There is very little room to walk, but basically that problem is solved.

Now, 4 + 2 is 6 and our rent car only has five seat belts.  I call Island Cars and explain the situation; do they have something with six seat belts?  Well, no, but what they will do is let us have TWO cars for the price of ONE for the time the kids are here!  I TOLD you they were the best!  Waa-hoo!  That will also allow us to go to, or stay at, the beach, and John can join us when he gets off at the hospital.  (A bonus we hadn't anticipated is that it would give the kids a break from each other and let Granpa have some alone time with the boys and me with the girl.)  Island Car personnel said, when we took the extra car back, that they had seen us caravaning all over the island.  That made me feel kind of good, sort of like I feel when I think of God watching over us every day.

I promised the kids that I would take them to a different beach every day for forty days.  I believe they kind of said to themselves, "Yeah, right."  But, surprise! they came anyway.  And an even greater surprise to them, that's exactly what we did.

Now how many people have the wherewithall or even the opportunity to bring four teenagers to Hawaii for SIX weeks?  Much less AFTER having had the opportunity to do some advance exploring.  Think about it... John and I have been in Kauai for almost a year, all expenses paid PLUS a paycheck.  Now we can share that phenominal blessing with these precious grandkids!

I worked out a plan for each one to be King (or Queen) for a day.  The monarch would get to choose where we went that day, choose what TV shows we would watch, and choose a movie to rent from Red Box if we decided to do that.  BUT that person also had to do the dishes after each meal since there was no dishwasher.  (Using paper plates and plastic cups didn't leave much in the way of dishes, so they didn't complain much.)

Ladies were always first in the shower, but after that, the reigning monarch would be next.  Granpa was always last so he could check the bathroom out for any mess left behind.  Granpa is 6'4; no one wants to make Granpa unhappy...

I told the parents to only pack what would fit in a backpack so the kids wouldn't have to worry about their luggage.  I dont believe any of them had ever flown before, but certainly never that far!  Every adult involved demanded the boys look out for Rylee (which they always do anyway), then keep an eye on each other, then worry about the backpacks.  There was a short layover in Los Angeles - turns out so short they had to run to the next gate and the flight attendants were shouting to them to hurry up!

They arrived at about 9 o'clock at night Kauai time, we met them with hugs and kisses and leis and the adventure began!

Life and Death Swim

Well, it's winter in Kauai now.  The temperature range is only slightly lower: low 80's to the low 70's.  The water temperature is cooler, but not so cold as to keep me out of the water.  The surf on the north shore is much, much higher which is why a lot of surfers come to Hawaii in the winter time.  However, higher surf usually means proportionately stronger rip currents.

I have decided to go back to Anini to try and find my seahorse.  The uniqueness of snorkeling has worn off on John, so I decide to go by myself.  The water is hardly 18" deep where I saw the seahorse, so surely I'll be perfectly safe.  That was my first mistake.

There are a few other folks on the beach at the far end of Anini.  I park right on the beach, grab my gear, and walk to the water's edge.  The water is murky because of all of the wave action on the sandy bottom.  I study the water, and it seems to clear up a bit farther out.  I slip in the water and begin swimming out, and  I figure when it is clear I'll begin swimming parrallel to the shore.

Soon I raise my head and look back toward shore.  Wow!  I must be a lot stronger swimmer than when I first got to Kauai.  I'm pretty far out.  I immediately begin to swim directly back to shore.  After a couple of minutes of strong strokes I raise my head again and - I'm not a bit closer to shore.  Hmmm.  The current from the river flowing down from the mountain must be carrying me.

I know to swim across a current rather than against it if I want to go back, so I change course and swim as hard as I can.  Still no good.  Folks, I'm not a panic personality - it takes entirely too much effort to panic.  I prefer to think my way through troubles, usually with the help of a cup of tea and chocolate bar.  (I guess I can check those off my list of "helps.")

I assess myself.  Nope, not panicy. Not winded. Still lots of strength. I could kick harder.  Uh.  Let's see.  Sharks tend to attack people in murky water. Sharks are attracted to splashing.  I'm thinkin' drowning may be an option here.

I swim a bit, I yell a bit.  I swim a bit, I yell a bit.  Remember I said I wasn't winded?  That's because I have a set of lungs that won't quit. 

Finally I see some action on the beach.  One man is wading out toward me.  About 50' from shore he is still only thigh deep, but he's still 25' from me.  He has grabbed the life saving belt with really long straps from the beach life-pole.  Now he's standing on the edge of the lava shelf just looking at me.  Hello-o-o-o.  I need help here.

I see another guy swimming toward me from another direction and folks gathering on the beach.  The first man is swimming toward me now.  It only takes a minute to get to me with the life belt.  I grab hold and we both begin swimming as hard as we can, all the while I'm saying thank you and I'm sorry and thank you and I'm sorry...  The second man gets to me, and we're all three swimming hard.

I hear a siren.  Someone has called for professional rescue.  Oh, my.  I just hate making a scene. 

We get to the lava shelf and the men who came to my rescue help me stand up.  One is overjoyed at my rescue and the other seems a bit peeved.  By the time we get to shore the paramedics are there ready to resuscitate this ol' white-haired lady who got herself into deep water.  Fact is, I'm fine.  Nope, don't need any oxygen.  If you want to take my blood-pressure you can, but it's fine.  (Yup, it is - even after the swim!)  Nope, don't need to sit down.  I AM sorry for causing such a ruckus.  I tell them that I yelled for help before I was completely exhausted and chose not to panic. (Yes, I believe panic is a choice, not a right, and certainly not a solution.) The paramedics assure me I did (almost) everything right.

My second rescuer and his wife smother me with joy and happiness. They dominate me, and when I look around the first guy has packed up and left.  My second rescuer turns out to be a Dr. House.  (No, not the television actor Dr. House.)  His wife tells me she was across the road in the back of their vacation house and heard someone yelling for help.  (I TOLD you I had a good set of lungs!)  They are thrilled at my rescue and we have continued to send text messages to each other occassionally.  Maybe someday we will meet again - under happier circumstances I do hope.

Well, I guess I'm stickin' to the shore for awhile.  Kind of Captain's orders.  (Men don't dare say, "My little sugar plum, I love you too much to want you to go snorkeling again..."  Oh, no.  It's simply, "It ain't happenin' !"  My hero (sigh!)

Somehow, as I reflect on this event, I think mostly about the two rescuers: one was peeved and one was overjoyed at my returning alive.  The Bible story of the prodigal son comes to mind.  The father is overjoyed at the prodigal son coming home.  He was lost, but now is found.  The brother is peeved.  He stayed at home and tended to business, but no one threw him a party, no one killed the fatted calf for him.

All I can say is, I AM sorry to have caused all the trouble, but I am SO glad to be alive and well.  Please rejoyce with me.  I'm much wiser now, and I won't ever do it again.  Please share my joy.

The Japanese Tsunami

I'm sure you all know about the 9.0 earthquake in Japan and the resulting tsunami and nuclear disaster.  We were on Kauai at the time.  It was a bit of a challenge dealing with the what-if's of the tsunami warning for Kauai.  There was a lot of lead time for us even though the wave was moving toward us at something like 500 miles an hour.

To get down to Nawiliwili Harbor from our apartment you have to drive down about a 40' hill.  We're thinking we're probably totally safe.  The islanders were very busy, however, getting to their boats to either take them out of the water, take them to safer anchorage, get them out to deep water, or to make them as secure as they could at the dock.  The shoreline residents and resorts were challenged to get themselves, their guests and their property safely situated; the Red Cross was busy organizing for sheltering if needed.

The tsunami reached Kauai during the night.  Some damage did occur on Kauai and elsewhere, but certainly not nearly to the magnitude of what took place in Japan.  Quite a few of the islanders are Japanese or of Japanese descent and so, emotionally, Kauai was closely tied to this event.  One of our island church members is a missionary to Japan and we were certainly in prayer for his safety and the opportunites he might have to share Hope.

It was a huge tragedy for Japan - and continues to wreak havoc there to lives and property.

Whales!

Winter is when the humongous Humpback whales swim down from Alaska to give birth in the warm tropical waters around the Hawaiian Islands.  I'm sure you all know that whales aren't fish; whales are mammals.  That means they give birth to live babies (called calves) that drink milk from their mothers (just like cows!)  They also mate again while in the tropics so that when they come down next year there will be babies to be born.  This makes for some male antics that we can watch from the shoreline.  When a whale breaches (jumps out of the water), it's because he's trying to impress his lady friend.

I go out and buy a couple of beach chairs, some binoculars, a tripod and a monopod.  We already have a video cam with really good zoom capability, John has his digital camera with 10x zoom, and I have my
vun-n-nderful underwater camera that fits in the pocket of my shorts.  We pop some water bottles in the freezer, and we'll be ready to go come Saturday.

One of our absolute most favorite places to go is a place called Shipwreck Cliffs.  We walk to the left when we get to the beach and begin a climb of only about thirty feet in height.  From there we can see for a long, long way.  The beach chairs have backpack straps so they transport easily.  We went to the Salvation Army thrift store and bought a (very) small backpack for the cameras, collapsible tripod, trail mix, water and first aid kit.  I use the monopod and golf umbrella like hiking sticks. 

We choose a place with windswept trees on either side to attempt some shade, set up the chairs and settle in for a whale of a time.  (Pun intended!)  It is no time at all before we see spouts, fins, and flukes.  It is SO amazing!  Catching them on video is hard - catching them with the goofy time-delay of a digital camera is next to impossible.  Someday I'm going to buy John a very expensive camera that doesn't have that delay...  But over the course of the whale season in the Hawaiian waters, John did manage to snap at least a representation of what we were seeing.

As I go through photos that we took, there are just so very many I want to share with the whole world.  John is a good photographer.  Decades ago, eons ago, he did professional photography (which may be one reason he's so good at getting images of the heart with ultrasound - he just has an innate understanding of how images are acquired.  He even has his own darkroom equipment - tho' with digital now, of course, it's a lost art...)  I am certain NO ONE wants to look at someone else's vacation pictures.  What I've tried to do is let photos enhance what my words are attempting to share with you.  The old addage, "A picture is worth a thousand words," is oh, so true.  With the right attitude, being a medical traveler could possibly be the very best job on earth!

Christmas in Kauai

We've celebrated our birthdays, wedding anniversary, and Thanksgiving since coming to Kauai.  Now we will celebrate our first Christmas and New Year's away from our home and without our family.  Actually, we've had a lot of Christmas' alone since our sons moved away and married.  You may have heard the old addage, "A daughter is a daughter all of her life; a son is a son until he takes a wife."  Well, who am I to argue with the wisdom of the ages?  When they married I told our sons that we would not pull them stem from stern over the holidays and celebrating Christs' birth.  They were welcome to come home, of course, but they were equally welcome to spend Christmas day with their in-laws - just reserve New Year's for us. That seems to have made everyone happy.  Our in-laws think we're generous to always let them have the grandkids Christmas morning (and that gives ME another week to prepare and to take advantage of the after-Christmas sales!  Woo-hoo!)  We also have our own private fireworks show to bring in the New Year.

Truthfully, we're not big gift givers; we prefer to celebrate the reason for the season and our family getting together.  I figure the families are stressed enough getting things together for their own children, so why add getting gifts for siblings and sisters-in-law and brothers?  Instead, we play the game where everyone brings a single gift, we draw numbers, and then steal each others gifts.  Sometimes they're goofy gifts (like the glass skull and screaming monkeys) and sometimes they're really cool.  One son seems to always put a pocket knife in the game and the grandsons literally wrestle each other for it.  Silly boys!

This year, we will miss all of that, but it can't be helped.  So we will content ourselves with Christmas in Kauai.  The Kauaiians make a big deal out of it.  They have a lighted Christmas parade, the palm trees are wrapped in festive lights, the shopping mall is decorated...

We got a 4' LED-lighted artifical Christmas tree and some very small Hawaii-themed ornaments.

 The locals help tourists get with the season by escorting cruise ships out of Nawiliwili Harbor.

Christmas was okay.  John and I sang in the Lihue Baptist Christmas Cantata.  We went caroling around the island with the church.  All of our kids called to wish us a merry Christmas and sent videos of the grandkids.  It was okay.  But we still missed being able to feast our eyes on our families.

Ponchos and Snowhats

Time left over, yarn left over.  Now what? 

Texas is having a hard winter.  Our son has sent us photos of horse troughs frozen so solid he can stand on the ice without it budging - and he's a long tall Texan!  Several snowfalls.  Just plum cold!

Maybe the grandkids could use, and the parents appreciate, some ponchos and snowhats?  The afghans are knitted; the ponchos and snowhats will be crocheted.  The afghans are huge; ponchos and snowhats won't take long at all.  I can do a snowhat a day, easy.  Ponchos won't take much longer.

Uh, oh.  I only have a couple of inches left and have run out of that color of yarn.  Hmmm.  Maybe I can do the remaining part in a different color, and when I sew the pieces together it will fold over the shoulder and look pretty good?  Worth a try.

Well, what do you think of the contrast.  Looks a okay to me! (Whew!)

Now, to box them all up and ship them to Texas.  Good thing for USPS's "If it fits it ships."  All of this knitted stuff compresses really good so, if I just carefully sit on the boxes...

Add some pretty tissue paper, a stuffed animal and, ta-ta!  An heirloom Christmas accomplished!

Just for good measure I crocheted up some extra, silly snowhats:



iPhone Magic

Toward the end of last month, AT&T billed me $10 for another GB of data.  I'd never gone over 2 GB before, but who knows, maybe I did.

 

THIS month they billed me after only one week into the month.  NOT !!  So I've been on the phone with them most of this morning.  I discovered that day before yesterday at 9:11 a.m. my phone used 365,903 KB of data.  YIKES!  I wasn't even on the phone at that time; I was on the computer blogging using the high-speed cable internet connection that came with the lil' ol' farmhouse. 

 

After having the call with AT&T dropped twice and going through three other techs, I was told that iPhones (and Androids) have recently acquired a nasty habit of reaching out on their own and gobbling up data.  (do-dee-do-dee... Gives a whole new meaning to "ET phone home.")  In other words, my iPhone has acquired a personality!  And I'm having to pay for it! Well, I was.  The last person I spoke with credited last month's charge and put in a pending credit for this month.

 

So, the only "fix" available right now is to go to Settings, General, Network and turn Cellular Data "off."  If I want to send pics or surf the net or send/receive emails I have to go back in and turn it on.  What a pain.  It also explains why my battery life had suddenly dwindled to nothing.  I can go to wireless.att.com/support and/or support.apple.com to keep checking for permanent solutions.  There is also an app I can download, called app killer, that will automatically shut down an application I might have left inadvertantly running.  (I didn't "inadvertantly" do nuthin'!)

 

Ah, the joys of modern day living...  Do YOU have an iPhone?

 

Fishes and Frogs, Octopus and Prawns

Kauai was just another vacation spot until we started snorkeling.  THEN it became a tropical paradise.  I don't care what your age is or what your "shape" might be, GO SNORKELING! 

Never once did we go snorkeling that we didn't see a new kind of fish, and rarely did we get in to deep water.  John's opinion is that if he can touch bottom and get his head above water, he's safe enough!

These are called convict fish because they are always in a gang and wear stripes!

This is a parrot fish, so called because it's mouth has a beak like a parrot to make biting pieces of coral off easier. (And then, of course, they poop out the coral as coarse grains of sand!) We saw pink parrot fish and baby blue parrot fish.  They were some of the largest fish we saw.

I have LOTS of fish pictures if you'd like to see more.  (You'll have to tell me!  Click on the "Comment" button to do that.)  But on to other things.  Yes, of course, they have frogs on the island.  Cute lil' thing, isn't he?

Look close!  It's an octopus swimming!

Octopus come in a gazillion varieties that grow from 3" across to humongous.  This one was a couple of feet long and weighed a couple of pounds.  They make a hole in the sand, surround it with white rocks, dig in and then wait for food to swim by.  Yes, they do squirt ink if you follow them too closely, but this one didn't get a chance before our grandson speared it.

Australians call all shrimp prawns; Americans call only the biggest shrimp prawns.  Fancy restaurants call shrimp prawns (probably because they only serve the biggest!) Now you know what one looks like before they cut off it's tail.  For the first time now I might consider eating Louisiana crawdads because they look like smaller versions of the prawn. . .Not!



"Puff, The Magic Dragon"

Kauai would be a perfect honeymoon island if you ask me.  They roll up the streets at 8 o'clock, but why would a honeymooner care?  The weather is marvelous, the people are marvelous, the sights and scenery are marvelous.  And, maybe most importantly, the beaches are empty!

Notice the crowds of people...

These pictures are Hanalei Bay.  Remember the song, "Puff, the Magic Dragon"?  "lives by the sea, and frolics in the autumn mist in the land called Hanalei."  This must be the place!  And they do have "dragons" in several places on the island.  The underwater caves around the shore sometimes have air holes inland.  When the waves come in they force air (and sometimes water) through the air holes, and it sounds like a dragon's roar.  If it's water that comes through, it's called a spout.  There is one place that has several air holes, large and small.  We call the small ones "baby dragons."  Hanalei is one of the most popular places on the island for locals or visitors.

Below is Pali Hale State Park and beach.  This is as far as you can go on land to the west.  According to Hawaiian legend, when someone dies, their spirit goes to these cliffs and jumps off into eternity.  Maybe that's why the beach is so empty?  Naw, the fact is, the park is kind of difficult to get to.  Rental car companies may even have a disclaimer in their contract specifically directing you to NOT go there in their cars unless it is 4-wheel drive.  The beach is about seven miles long and you might find seven people there.

The beach below is white sand.  The beach Captain Cook landed on is black sand.  Some sand is like powder, some is like small gravel...

Any time of day, any day of the week, you won't find the beaches of Kauai crowded - or maybe even occupied!

A Cup of Tea and A Chocolate Bar

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me," but it never hurts to have a cup of tea and a chocolate bar waiting in the wings!

My mercy, how many times a day can that scripture be brought to mind?  I think it happens most often when I have an argument with our computer.  For DAYS and DAYS I have been wrestling with Internet Explorer and inevitably it wins.  My patience is sufficient, however, my blog is suffering miserably.

I have closed the program, logged off, switched users, defrag'ed, cleared my cookies, my history, emptied the Recycle Bin, run disc cleanup, time and time again.  Today I decided to set up a new user account so there would be a clean slate to work with.  I click on Internet Explorer to set it up and up pops a window that simply says, "Having trouble with IE freezing up or crashing?"  DUH!!  But why is it just now asking me this question?!?!

Quickly, before anything happens, I write down the web address: support.microsoft.com/mats/ie_freezes_or_crashes/en-us

I follow the instructions slowly, patiently waiting for all indication that the computer has done all it is supposed to do with each step.  At least it's not freezing up -- yet.  I finally get to a screen that gives me two options, one being the "recommended" option.  I click on it - and nothing happens.  I wait.  I get (another) cup of tea. I've run out of chocolate so will have to substitute fruit slices, wondering if I should opt for strawberry cheescake instead. I set a timer for five minutes.  I'm so close!  Don't rush this.  Patience.  And.....
nothing.  Aargh! 

I go through the process repeatedly. (You know that insanity is doing the same thing over and over expecting a different result...)  I control my impulsive desire to click, click, click by watering the houseplants, going back to the computer, click, gathering up the trash, going back to the computer, click, making a pitcher of iced tea, going back to the computer, click, starting supper, click...  This entire, live-long day, I have endured the routine of failure.  Computer: 48, me: 0.  I am SUCH a loser!

Finally, it is letting me at least create this text - but no pictures allowed.  And so, today I post, tomorrow?  I may go postal.  Please.  Send chocolate!

The Menehune

The Menehune are Hawaiian Leprachauns.  (That's pronounced Ma-na-hoo-na.  There are only 16 letters in the Hawaiian alphabet,"e's" are pronounced like a long "a," "i's" are pronounced like a long "e," "a's" are pronounced "uh,"   I think I got that right...)  Considering all the rainbows on Kauai it goes to reason that there are Menehune here.  There is a place called the Fish Pond just above the port in Lihue.  The legend is that the Menehune came one night and dug out this small lake for the Hawaiian queen at the time.  It is the same place they filmed Indian Jones getting on a pontoon plane to get away from natives and finding himself in the cockpit with a snake. 

I mention all of this to let travelers know minor aspects of what they might get the opportunity to cope with.  John says he "can do ANYthing for four or five weeks."  Our shower did, however, get to be a challenge after the weeks became months - and then a year.  I finally taped a pretty little sign on the shower door:  "This shower was built by the Menehune, for the Menehune!"  Humor always smooths out the little frustrations of life.  If I know going in (literally) there is SOMETHING to smile about as I attempt to reach my feet and wash off the day's sand and surf, I'm more likely to not fuss about something we cannot change.

Peanut Butter Fudge

What else do I do to occupy my time?

My picture at the bottom of "The Island of Kauai" post shows I wasn't too terribly chunky after leaving Connecticut.  I walked two miles a day while we were there.  Walking sure improves the back, neck, tummy and behindy muscles - not to mention breathing and cardio.  But on Kauai there are no sidewalks (well, very few.  Another reason to have a rent car.)  So if I want to walk safely I have to drive to a beach.  Lydgate is less than ten minutes from the apartment, but that takes more effort than just stepping out the front door, so I have gotten out of the habit of walking.  It shows on my tummy and behindy...  Snorkeling helps, but not like walking.

The island library is less than half-a-block down our street.  I do a lot of reading:  history, Christian novels, mysteries.  Wal-Mart had some books on sale.  I found one about Rhett Butler before his meeting up with Scarlett.  Interesting reading.  Borders Books went out of business while we were in Kauai and we found a LOT of books for pennies on the dollar.  Even Rick Perry's book, which we thought was pretty funny considering we were from Texas living in Kauai and there's Perry's book.

With no oven I had to improvise.  John is a meat-and-potatos man.  I can serve him anything, but if he doesn't have something to CHEW on he thinks he hasn't had a meal.  We discovered Costco had a lot of heat-n-serve microwave stuff that would fill the bill:  Orange Chicken, Roast Beef, Jack Daniels BBQ beef, frozen meatballs I could add to spaghetti or slice and put on top of pizza.  Their rotisserie chickens were always a bargain.   Occassionally I "borrowed" our landlord's oven but tried to not bother them often.  A couple of times they went to one of the other islands to visit family, and we would dog-sit for them.  I used their oven then.  A friend from church loaned us a portable convection oven the last couple of weeks we were there.  Desserts were a problem.  (No, not because I ate too many of them!)  Kauaiians aren't big on sweet things, so we didn't have many store-made desserts to choose from.  There was Jello Instant Cheesecake, I make a mean peanut butter fudge (my own receipe, thank you), microwave divinity or peanut patties... Trust me, I found ways to add inches to places inches shouldn't be. 

Peanut Butter Fudge (gotta have a candy thermometer to make this work)

In a large saucepan (heavy one if you want to avoid scorching) mix:

4 cups sugar
2 cup  milk
1  t salt
4 T white Karo syrup

Stir constantly (until the sugar dissolves) while cooking on medium to low heat to 235 degrees / "soft ball" on the thermometer (about 40 - 45 minutes) stirring often.  It can boil over, so pay attention.

Remove from stove, drop in 12 oz peanut butter (I like the crunchy style).  DO NOT STIR (doesn't matter what your momma says - DO NOT STIR)

When it has cooled to about 135 degrees (30 - 45 minutes) add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, stir just a very few minutes until it begins to lose its gloss, then QUICKLY pour it onto a buttered cookie sheet (or, instead of buttering the cookie sheet and therefore making dishes you have to wash - I am SO lazy - put a sheet of parchment paper on the cookie sheet).  Eat the fudge warm for something really yummy or let it cool, cut into 1" squares, store in tightly sealed container.

If the fudge doesn't set up for some reason you can always pour it over ice cream like carmel!  The candy thermometer should make it mistake-proof though.

Contract Extension

Our second contract for Kauai was October 1st through December 24th.  That was extended to January 14th.  That's one of the things about being a traveler:  you need to be flexible for yourself, your company, and the facility you are working for.  If there is a particular reason you don't want to extend, that's okay.  Otherwise, help everyone out and stay for another hitch. With the Islands, you're extending saves airfare costs, housing hassels, and major contract re-negotiations.  Anywhere you go and extend you are saving on administrative costs for both your company and the facility.

Ultimately, John's contract for Kauai was extended SIX (6) times!  We were there a year!  Who would have EVER thought John and I would spend a year, all expenses paid! plus a paycheck! in Hawaii ???  Now, try and tell me God is not good.  The circumstances that put us in a position to take the travelers job were less than ideal.  What man did for evil, God will turn into good for those who believe on Him.

God did REALLY good...especially for John.  He not only needed the feeling of success being a traveler has given him, but he needed the acclamation the hospitals gave him for his work and work ethics.  I got to go along and see him appreciated for who he is.  He is a good, good man, personally and professionally.  I am truly proud to be his wife. 

And so our idyllic days in Kauai continue...