vAX Whack, Travel Plans, Mango Mania

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

6/22/24

 

Aloha Folks --

 

Shortly after sending last week's missive, Karen and I had our Covid booster vaccinations. We generally get our shots at the Safeway Pharmacy because it's convenient and we get a 10% shopping discount coupon. The shot itself was so painless that at the time I wondered if the pharmacist had done it correctly.  NOT TO WORRY!  By that evening my body was in full Intruder Alert Mode as my immune system sent out the security forces to do battle.  Sore arm, aching joints, muscle pain, blahs. Since this was a vaccine and not the real thing, the good guys were guaranteed to win, and in the process they have made anti-body preparations that should be effective if I contract the real disease.  By the way, Covid (the latest strain) is still on the uptick here, though not in numbers that are alarming yet. For people who had been previously vaccinated and/or had Covid before, the symptoms are usually unpleasant but not too bad.  On Monday at my rescheduled haircut, my barber reported the same thing.  We were both masked, by the way. My worst symptoms abated in about 12 hours, but the whole next day I was not a happy camper, and for the next few days I felt out of sorts.  No reqrets, though, and my strong reaction means my geezer immune system is still working pretty well.

 

After a few more iterations of our Cambodia itinerary we put down a deposit this week on that portion of our SE Asia November trip.  As you recall, our plan is to spend about a week in Thailand first, mainly in the southern islands, then fly to Phnom Penh  to begin our personalized tour.  We haven't decided yet which island in Thailand we'll visit, but it will definitely not be one of the several where we've stayed before.  The main itinerary of activities there will be eating, snorkeling and getting massages.  The Cambodia part will be far more adventurous and active, but we've designed it to allow for a fair amount of leisure time, too.  We begin in Phnom Pehn for several days, then travel overland to the far north, visiting lesser-known temple complexes that should have far fewer tourists than Angkor Wat. At one of these temples we've arranged to stay just outside the complex in a luxury tent for one night, and tour part of it by torch-light. We'll then spend several days in Siem Reap and of course tour the Angkor complex, one of the most tourist-clogged  sites in the world. Our tour, though, has been designed to avoid the crowds as much as possible by spreading it out over several days, visiting temples before most people arrive or after they've left, and traveling between sites along less well-traveled routes, for example by e-bikes along jungle paths.  We'll also stay a couple of nights in a colonial-era town a few hours from Siem Reap called Battambang before flying down to the Cardamon Mountains in the south for 3 nights in a tented camp inside a national park. We'll finish the trip with a couple of nights in a southern town called Kom Pot, noted for its nearby pepper plantations.  This itinerary is fairly pricey but we think it's good value for the money, and it certainly fulfills the bucket-list requirement.

All week long we've been harvesting mangos from our neighbor's tree that projects over the property line.

Thanks, Neighbor!

This year it is almost touching the roof above our bedroom lanai, and we've been able to reach a lot of the mangos by either leaning over a little, or by using our pool cleaner net with its long handle. There are many varieties of mango that are grown here and ripen at different times.  These are Hayden mangos and this variety is one of our favorites.  The weather this year has produced a bumper crop and we're trying to take advantage of the bounty -- including giving quite a few away to friends, freezing some, and even making mango chutney -- in addition to having mango every morning at breakfast.  After the mangos are all gone we'll have the branches cut back to the property line so that the tree doesn't become a nuisance.  No worries -- mango trees are very vigorous and in a couple of years it will be back.

The saga of our roof solar system may finally be about over.  Recall that everything is in place and ready to go except for one fitting that needs to be repaired.  Yesterday was three weeks (!) in that state.  I contacted the company last week and asked when it would be finished.  The answer was sometime this week.  Well, by yesterday it still was in limbo, but I got a call yesterday morning saying someone would be there Saturday morning, along with an apology because nobody had told the guy to work it in during the week. He was quite upset that the job hadn't been finished and that nobody had told him about it (he was on vacation the week before).  So we're holding our breath this morning to see if it actually gets done.  Geez!

Ok, that's it for this week.  As I scan the news of climate woes, wars, political bs, and the general lack of civility and consideration these days, there's a saying that comes to mind that is in the spirit of an unpleasant  carnival or amusement park ride (I don't remember the source):  "Stop the world, I want to get off....."

Take care. Stay cool (both physically and mentally).

Horse Leis, New Car AC Woes, Double Eye Shots

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

6/15/24

 

Aloha Guys l --

 

Last time I forgot to mention that Saturday was King Kamehameha Day.  Festivities all over the state commemorate Kamehameha's

Happy Horse!

unification of Hawai'i, including one of our favorite parades of the year here. The parade features groups of horseback riders representing each of the islands -- an honorary Princess and her court.  The riders wear dresses and leis in the island's colors, and the horses themselves are decorated with leis around their necks and sometimes on their foreheads,  It is a uniquely local celebration and we enjoyed it this year, after missing it for the past few times.

 

Well, at less than 400 miles and only 6 weeks old my Subaru Outback's a.c.has serious problems.  It happened on Monday when we went to Costco.  The a.c, was working, but it seemed kind of weak. When we started home the driver's side vents weren't cool at all and the passenger's were luke-cool. Naturally I wasn't happy about this.  It was late in the afternoon so the next morning I called the Subaru dealership service department to make an appointment.  I was expecting a few days out at the most but was told the first available slot was --- get this -- July 8th!! I started to unload on the young woman doing the scheduling but realized she was just doing her job -- apparently they are short staffed and several mechanics have been out with Covid.  Still.......  I decided to drop in on the sales department and complain. I at least got a sympathetic response, plus verification that this wasn't just dufus-geezer error in adjusting the settings.  The salesman offered to try to get me in for service earlier, and to give him until the next day (Wednesday) to see if he could do this.  Nope, the best he could do was suggest I take it to the dealership branch in Hilo, a round trip of 250 miles!  In the meantime the a.c. has begun to work a little better but is still weak and obviously there is something wrong.  Since there is no other Subaru dealer on the island, I have no alternative and will just have to wait until July!!  Hopefully  this isn't a portent for future problems with this car! 

Continuing my tales of woe, I got my new prescription glasses on Monday but they don't seem to be much better. Then on Tuesday my retina doctor confirmed that there is edema buildup in my left eye.  This was not a surprise since this is the site of the recent vein occlusion.  My right eye also showed signs edema, also not too surprising since it has been nearly three months since my last injection.  So, double shots for me.  I got one in the left eye Tuesday and I'll get one in the right in two weeks.  The reason for not doing both at the same time is that it's best to have one good one in case the other gets infected or has some other problem from the injection.  My concern right now is that I have to renew my driver's license before the middle of July and I want to have the best vision I can so that I can pass the test.  Hmmm.  The challenges of  Geezerhood never let up, do they!

Speaking of shots, later this morning we will have our Covid boosters.  We wanted to do this before our trip, but also Covid is on the upswing here (like the sick mechanics mentioned above) and we want to be as protected as we can be.  We know a number of people here who have had it recently -- besides our golf partner and her husband, my barber just contracted it and had to reschedule my haircut until next week.  This is sobering because she has pre-existing health issues that make her super careful. I may start masking up in crowded or up close situations.

 

Our solar pool system is still not operable.  The  guy who can fix it is out of town until next week -- not sure why someone else couldn't do the job, but in the meantime the pool temperature continues to be tolerable because of our warm weather and because we cover it at night.  This is another one of those problems that seem to be taking way too long to be corrected.

Ok, on that note of frustration I'll sign off for the week.  Hope things are going well and that you;re dodging those tornadoes!

Pele Burps up a Passport, Solar Panels Almost!

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

6/8/24

 

Aloha All --

 

Another eventful week here!  No tornadoes or heat domes, however.  Sure hope your mainland weather settles down.

 

On Monday two significant events occurred,  First, Pele spit up a little lava.  The eruption only lasted a few hours and was in an area to the south of the main caldera, so few people were able to see it.  The last eruption in this area was in 1974 and was also very short, which turns out to be characteristic of the region.  The explanation is that nearby Mauna Loa pinches off the lava supply channels whereas the supply is less obstructed in other areas.  Anyway, if you saw any video or photos of the eruption they were from a quick helicopter overflight by the volcanologists. They also deployed a web cam but all it has been showing is some smoke.  While the eruption was occurring the SO2 emissions hit 15k tons per day, but quickly backed off to their current 2k tons.  This was enough, however, to give us some vog for a few days -- a reminder of the more normal state of affairs. The official word is now that this is over and done, unlikely to resume at that same location.  However, signs of magma movement are still present, so another burp may soon occur elsewhere.  

 

A second significant event on Monday was the arrival in the mail of Karen;s passport!  Wow, that was impressively fast -- just under two weeks!  So that officially ends the saga of the lost passports.  The new ones have an alert on the opening page that says "This is a replacement for a lost passport." I hope this doesn't trigger any special treatment going through Customs and Immigration.  We'll see.  Otherwise, we're good to go and our trip to exotic Canada is on track for July.

Speaking of travel, we have begun to do some serious planning for our November return to SE Asia.  I've contacted a company that does custom tours of Cambodia and we'll be going back and forth to see what they can put together for us.  

The last of our big events this week was yesterday, when the crew returned to put our new solar pool

So Close!!!

panels on the roof. It took a few hours and rain kept threatening to interrupt the job, but they got it done.  Unfortunately, when they tested he system by running water through it they discovered one of the fittings from the old installation was leaking.  They think they can fix it, but it will require returning with a special tool for removing the old fitting, which  they didn't have with them.  So, we have new valves, new panels, and NO hot water.  The return visit will of course have to be rescheduled, and we haven't heard when that will be yet.  Our warmer weather (particularly at night) has kept the pool temperature at an acceptable level,  so we really don't need much solar heating at the moment. Still, it would be nice to get this project done -- we agreed to the terms last March.

I paid an earlier-than-scheduled visit to my optometrist on Wednesday because my current prescription just isn't helping the way I think it should, especially for far distance and for close up work.  He tweaked the prescription and I  have a new pair of cheap-o's on the way.  I sure hope they help.. I will be seeing my retina doctor on Tuesday and will likely have another injection in the left eye.  Both my retina doc and the optometrist are still optimistic but my subjective experience doesn't match.  If I do get back near my previous level I'll never take it for granted again!

Ok, that's enough for now.  Off for our usual Saturday morning jaunt to market and the beach.  Take care, and keep in mind that assertions about reality require evidence, not just opinion. 

First Car Wash, Retirement Anniversary, Ride-Along Golf

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

6/1/24

 

Aloha Everyone -- 

Wow, June already! Our Memorial Day weekend was pretty quiet. I celebrated by giving my new car its first wash -- definitely a bonding experience,  I also took the extra step of applying a coat of "ceramic paint sealant," aka polish.  This is the latest and greatest type of finish protection, even for new cars -- at least that's the claim,  The particular product I used was lightweight compared to some, and it went on super-easy, with very little buffing required. Even though the new paint has something called "clear coat" on it, this ceramic coating is supposed to give the finish added protection.  We'll see. Of course, it only took a few days before I had to drive in the rain coming home from Makalei on Wednesday. The next washing won't won't be as much fun as the first, of course......

Speaking of Makalei, on Wednesday I went with Karen and mostly acted as her caddy and cart driver. I

Kind of Sad

decided I'm getting too serious about the game, so I'm backing off a bit.  I did play the last two holes -- ones we usually skip -- and did pretty good until I got into some tall grass and tried unsuccessfully to bush-whack my way out,  With all the rain lately the mowing crew is having a tough time keeping up. If our usual golf partner was available I wouldn't have gone along, but she and her husband both are recovering from Covid, which is definitely on the uptick here. We saw all three of the white peacocks, including one female with her baby -- not white, by the way.  The normal males are still displaying but are looking pretty bad. They don't seem to realize it, though -- sort of like the guys we see here at the beach with pot belly's strutting around in their Speedo's).  Anyway, Karen finished all 18 holes (!) and played consistently very, very well. 

Yesterday was a significant anniversary for us -- the last day of our contracts before retiring.  That was 24 years ago -- hard to believe! We didn't do anything special, other than joining some friends for Happy Hour at a beach side park. Each year we also celebrate the anniversary of our first day of retirement, which of course is today.  Neither of us has regrets, and we both agree that retiring while we were still young enough to enjoy it was the right thing to do.  We've been able to have enriching, rewarding, and enjoyable experiences that are getting increasingly difficult to come by, given that the world, especially our own country, appears to be coming apart at the seams.

Ok. Market and breakfast picnic.  Take care and stay the course.

Resolution Week, Roof Readiness, Buckling Up

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

5/25/24

 

Aloha Family -- 

 

This week's mainland weather headlines brought back memories of living in Ohio (aka "Tornado Alley."  Every spring we had some severe weather in the form of tornadoes, violent thunderstorms, hail, damaging winds, etc.  Some scary stuff, and it seems like it has gotten much worse in the last 25 years, predicted to continue that trend.  The weather here has also changed but we just don't have the same mechanisms to create conditions that are as extreme as on the mainland.  As we locals say, "Lucky we live Hawai'i."

Several outstanding issues were finally resolved this week.  First, on Monday Karen received her permanent Driver's License, so we were able to complete her passport application and turn it in on Tuesday at the post office.  Also on Monday I got my new passport!  It took only about 21/2 weeks, which hopefully means Karen will get hers fairly quickly also --- that will end the saga of replacing the lost passports! Needless to say we were relieved to get her application in the works and for mine to come so fast.

 

On Tuesday I received a package with several accessory parts for my new car.  The reason this was a big deal was because I had ordered them nearly a month ago!  Clearly the shipping got messed up somehow, and the tracking information wasn't being updated.  I had gone back and forth with the company's customer service deparment, who at one point tried to argue that the shipping was taking a long time because it was international!  I pointed out that Hawai'i is, in fact, a state of the U.S. and that usually shipping here is delayed only a day or two (assuming the vendor does indeed ship to Hawai'i and Alaska, which quite a few don't). Anyway, they finally agreed to refund my money and were preparing to do that when suddenly the tracking info updated to indicate the package would be delivered the next day!  The parts are now on the car -- molding strips on the doors to protect from other car doors, door edge guards, and a protective mat on the bumper to guard against scratches when loading and unloading cargo. Earlier I installed splash guards on the front and rear wheel wells to keep the car cleaner.  I could have had the dealer install all of these things, but (a) it would have cost about twice as much and (b) I wouldn't have been able to enjoy the challenge and satisfaction of doing it myself.

 

Way Mo' Betta!

On Saturday the roofer we contacted showed up and did a good job replacing our worn-out shingles.  He was able to use shingles that were left over when the house was re-roofed, so they matched perfectly.  Of course, they will eventually be hidden by the new solar panels, so it doesn't make much difference. So we're now back in the queue for the panels to be installed, something new to await resolution. Nothing's quick and simple, is it?

 

As frequent air travelers we attended closely to the news this week about the Singapore Airlines flight that ran into "clear air turbulence," resulting in injuries to about 40% of the passengers, some quite serious.  One death was attributed to a heart attack, a 70-womething man and his wife of 50 years on their way to Australia and SE Asia for a special 6-week tour.  Sounds way too similar to Karen and me. Nearly all of those injured didn't have their seat belts fastened and were thrown to the ceiling and then slammed down again.  Pictures from inside the plane showed a real mess of oxygen masks, hand luggage, food items, etc.  We're usually pretty good about keeping our belts fastened -- we'll be extra careful from now on.  I've heard of this kind of unexpected turbulence but this incident seemed particularly bad.  The lesson here is pretty clear -- buckle up and pee fast.

That's it for now.  Off to market and our usual beach breakfast picnic.  Take care and stay as safe as you can.

Death of a Sandwich, 2 More Docs, Roof Repair

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

5/18/24

 

Aloha Guys -- 

The big weather disturbance that came through last weekend dumped a lot of rain on the other islands, and on the northern and eastern part of ours, but we got very little here in our specific area.  As you recall, we were thinking of cancelling plans for any fancy dinner for Karen's birthday, but we wound up going north anyway, and had a terrific meal at the Fairmont Orchid beach-side restaurant.  The weather turned very pleasant, and we were treated to a beautiful sunset as we ate. The meal itself was one of the best we've had here -- lobster curry bisque, poached pear salad with caramelized Macadamia nuts, and a 5-spice duck breast with sweet potato mash and peppered pineapple.  Karen's complementary desert was a chocolate flourless cake with caramel mousse, chocolate streusel and cacao ganache. Each course was creative, complex, and beautifully presented.  Do I sound like we enjoyed it?  Foodies that we are, it was an appropriate birthday present for Karen and I;m glad I got to share it.

 

Continuing the food-oriented theme, the sad news this week was that one of our favorite restaurants is closing -- the family-run Vietnamese restaurant that has been a beloved community fixture for many years.  Among other tasty items on their menu was the sandwich we love -- Lemon Grass Chicken on a French roll.  When we heard that the restaurant was closing at the end of this week we knew we had to have one more, which we did on Wednesday.  We weren't the only locals that wanted to show their appreciation for the owners by visiting one more time -- the place was jam-packed,  We will miss the food, of course, but also the inspiring hard work and integrity of the family.

On Tuesday I had another double-doctor day.  Up first was the ultra-sound examination of my aorta. I received the results on Thursday, which is surprisingly quickly for around here.  My aorta passed the exam with flying colors: "The abdominal aorta is normal in caliber with mild atherosclerotic changes." At this stage I'll take mildly negative as A+.  The second doctor visit was to my eye specialist for another shot in my left eye. It continues to look good to him, but my vision is still pretty crappy compared to what it was before the latest occlusion. I'm trying to be patient, but it is hard not to be discouraged at times.

On Monday the workers showed up right on time to replace our pool solar system.  Everything went well

Old Panel Damage

until removing the old panels revealed several spots where they had rubbed nearly completely through the shingles,  These spots could have been slathered with sealant before putting on the new panels (designed, by the way, not to cause this kind of damage), but it is much better to replace them first.  We've contacted a roofer who will hopefully be able to do this sometime today.  We've rescheduled for the new panels to be installed, but of course we lost our place in line and ut might be late June before we get this done unless an opening occurs earlier.  Seems like we've been doing a lot of waiting lately -- maybe my geezerhood impatience is getting the better of me. Anyway, the replacement of the valves and pvc was completed and the installers did an excellent job of not only just replacing the old system but making the whole setup much, much better.

We played 15 holes of golf on Thursday, and it went pretty well for all three of us.  The peacocks are starting to look a bit bedraggled since it is at the end of the breeding season.  Soon the course will be littered with their magnificent tail feathers.  We haven't seen any of this year's babies yet, but they should begin appearing in a week or so.

 

Ok, that's about it. , No farmer's market or breakfast picnic today because we're waiting for the roofer.   Stay safe, stay healthy, and don't let the crazies get to you.

Big Birthday, Lost Passports, Rumbling Volcano

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

5/11/24

 

Aloha All -- 

 

Well, today is Karen's xxth (censored) birthday-- but she's keeping it low-key. She had lunch with a couple of friends yesterday at  the Four Seasons resort up north, and tonight we might have dinner somewhere up north.  However, the weather has turned so yucky that we may put that on hold. A rather big rain system is moving across the state this weekend and part of the positive experience of eating out here in Hawai'i is that you eat truly out -- outside, that is.  But not when it's raining. She was adamant that I not get her a gift, but I couldn't let that happen and got her something simple to wear -- a risky thing to do, but she seems ok with it.  Although the event is low key now she's chosen to return later in the year to southeast Asia  (Thailand and Cambodia) as her way of  celebrating the occasion.  This will be in November. and we've begun planning the trip.  

Karen's driver's license expired this year and the renewal process led to the discovery that our passports are missing.  She wanted to use her passport as proof of ID and citizenship, but couldn't find it in the usual place where we keep them.  We had them when we re-entered the US on our return  from Africa in February.  We landed in San Francisco and spent the night before flying home.  We're sure we put them away and used our driver's licenses when we checked in for our Kona flight the next morning, but now we

Yeah, Those

can't find them anywhere in the house.  We spent a few days looking in every drawer, crack, piece of luggage, clothing, etc. --- everywhere and anywhere they could conceivably (and inconceivably) be -- before concluding that we had to replace them,  This is very puzzling and frustrating because we are usually very, very careful with them and have a set routine when we use them to travel.  Anyway we have bitten the bullet and started the process of getting new ones. This turns out to require filling out a form reporting them missing, which immediately and permanently invalidates them, and then applying for brand-new ones, a process that requires documentation of citizenship and identity in the form of birth certificates, driver's licenses, and an in-person visit to a designated passport acceptance center -- in our case one of our local post offices.  We made an appointment and on Tuesday had our interview, only to find out that our photos weren't acceptable because we had smiled, and I had printed out the online form doubled-sided while the original is on separate pages (!). We made another appointment for the next day, hustled to the passport photo department in Walmart for new photos, and reprinted the applications.  Back again the next day and mine passed inspection, but Karen's didn't because her driver's license is only a temporary one until she gets her permanent card.  Sooooooo, we will hope we can get her application in soon --- our deadline is in July, when we leave for Canada.  It should work out, but I hate the uncertainty. 

My final bit of news is that Kilauea is rumbling again.  For about a week starting April 27th the volcanologists detected magma rising and recharging the summit and an area called the Upper East Rift Zone. Then it seemed to quiet down for a few days, but as of yesterday it is rumbling again.  The two main indicators of unrest are small earthquakes (hundreds of them) and ground inflation of the areas where magma is intruding.  Here's part of the volcanologist assessment from yesterday: "Magma continues to pressurize the system...,activating seismicity along faults in the upper East Rift Zone. At this time, it is not possible to say whether this increase in activity will lead to an intrusion or eruption in the near future or simply continue as seismic unrest at depth. Changes in the character and location of unrest can occur quickly, as can the potential for eruption."  In other words, maybe, maybe not.  However, it is certain that Kilauea will erupt again -- it is a very active volcano and the quiet, vog-free period we've been enjoying is the exception to a fiery past.

 

That's it for this week other than to mention that I'm continuing to enjoy our new car, we got our new license plates,  I played a so-so round of golf on Wednesday, and I received my eyeglasses Thursday.  They definitely help, but aren't quite as helpful as I had hoped.  I'll get another injection next week.  Also coming up will be the installation of our replacement pool solar system and an ultra-sound examination of my aorta  Exciting times!

 

Hope your weather hasn't been as extreme as some people have been experiencing.  Enjoy whatever good weather you get,   Take care, stay sane and remember that there really is a middle ground  -- try not to lose sight of it.....