Travel Prep, Shiny Teeth, Ukulele Virtuoso

[Note: This is another blog based on my weekly emails to my family on the mainland.]

4/30/22

Aloha Everyone!

Nothing to See Here...Now

This will be my last regular update for awhile, because I'll be winging it through the Caucasus starting next week.  We're in final count-down preparation mode, which I've managed to get a pretty good start on. Most of my monthly outside trimming is done, and I got my lanai railing painted where I did the recent repair and more that badly needed painting. The rest will have to wait.  I still have some spraying for bugs and weeds to do, and interior cleaning. Actually packing for the trip comes last for us.

Also in the prep category is getting my eyeball injection last week.  I was two months out from the last shot, and even so there was very little retinal edema.  If I wasn't going to be gone for so long I probably would have opted to go a few more weeks. It is looking promising that I might be able to reach 3 months between injections in the near future.  Good news.

Karen and I had our teeth cleaned on Wednesday.  This really wasn't part of our travel preparations (!) but the appointments were already scheduled.  My checkup was very good, which it has tended to be since I started using an electric toothbrush a few years ago.  I swear by the thing now, even though it is rather messy to use -- I look like I have Rabies at the end.  The dental insurance we have doesn't have very good coverage for fillings, crowns, and other repairs, but they completely cover three cleanings per year. Well, except for the tax.  Hawai'i is one of the few places where even dental services are taxed, believe it or not.  It's a general excise tax and it is on ALL goods and services. I'd complain, but our property taxes and income taxes are comparatively low.

Tonight we're going up to Waimea to attend a concert by one of the best ukulele players in the world.  Her name is Taimane and I've seen her in person once before.  I immediately became a huge fan and bought some of her music.  This isn't the plunka-plunka Arthur Godfrey kind of ukulele playing.  Rather, she and several others here have taken the instrument to a new level with compositions that are inspired by a range of influences, not just Hawaiian (she lives on Oahu, and is part Samoan).  Anyway, despite the closeness to our trip departure, I couldn't pass up the chance to see her again.  If you're interested in getting a taste of what intrigues me about her virtuoso playing, here's a brief TEDx performance which might just blow your mind: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-yDM2hp78L4 .

Ok, that's it.  We're going on our usual Saturday morning excursion one more time.  I'll try to send a few travel updates as we go along on our trip. Take care. Stay sane. Be thankful.