life in the old lane

Today, Shamu the Phone and I recorded little snips of waves. To make me happy, after I am back in the Asylum. 

I took a bunch of pictures today. Pictures of pictures. My friend Billy wanted some of his old film time images converted to digital so he can Facebook them. I was planning on using Google’s PhotoScan app. But, ended up using the real camera. PhotoScan does a fine job. Give it a try if you haven’t. Never know when you’ll want to scan the odd print. For a big stack, the real camera is quicker.

Here is one of them. It was color but the colors had turned pretty funky. So, in addition to trying to sort out the colors, I made a B/W version.

Note to Harlene: The big bubble looking thing in the window with the sewing machine is really a couple of large leaves. Banana leaves to be precise.

Do you realize that four weeks ago – we had a grownup as president. And props to Vice Adm. Robert Harward for being smart enough to run from the National Security Advisor job. 

It has been a long four weeks. Many more weeks to go.

Not my monkeys, not my circus.

 

Don’t think words are necessary. It was a beautiful day in the neighborhood.

Ran into this big eel poking his head out of the coral on my way back from today’s swim. He was near a small freshwater spring – so he wasn’t as clear as he could have been. 

I couldn’t find the akule school. Maybe I was looking in the wrong place. Maybe all the rough seas made the school move. 

Got a whole bunch of medical appointments lined up today. Mammogram. Gastro. Dermatology. Dentist. Think I should get an appointment for an orthopedic consult as well. Increasing issues with my hip. After all this, I’ll get with my real doctor and she can decide what if anything needs to change. Sort of taking myself in for a 73,000 mile tuneup. Carlton would say that I just “buying trouble”. Maybe he is right. 

On a happier note, I got a room over the bar in Flagstaff. The said that there was a bar on the ground floor. The “best” rooms are on the second floor and there are two more bars and a few more rooms on the 3rd floor. The establishment recommended that I spring of one of the rooms with a private bath. I sprang. 

Also, made reservations for my bus transit to and from Flagstaff. So, all the transit legs and overnights are covered. 

In honor of Valentine’s Day – four of us widow women went out of a beer and pizza lunch. The other women had massages. I went for a swim. 

The Orange Lord’s White House is damn scary. General Flynn is a disgrace to the US Army uniform. He is a General, somehow we should be able to take away his retirement pay and his 3 stars. I am beginning to doubt that we will survive as a country. Better start brushing up on my Russian.

 

Lovely vog free day today. 

However, the ocean was still a bit too choppy for good swimming. I was out swimming around anyhow and came upon this snowflake eel. Of course, it was Carlton wondering what the f… was I doing out that far when the ocean was so bumpy. 

Seems that the Orange Lord discusses national security issues on a golf club patio. Secret Service use cell phones as flash lights so the Orange Lord can see documents. (Notice, I don’t say READ – not sure he reads). Damn, I miss the good old days when secure business took place in a faraday cage. 

But, martial law hasn’t been declared yet. And, no nuclear devices have been detonated. YET.

The ocean settled down today – but, I still didn’t declare it swim worthy. Maybe I shouldn’t be so fussy. Leaving two weeks from tomorrow. After 4 months, I am ready to go back to the mainland, but still not happy to leave winter quarters. 

Made my 2Do list for going home and to Grand Canyon. 

Feeling sort of old and creaky today. Sort of surprised to find myself so old. But, people who are younger than I am show up in the obituary pages every day. No one gets out alive.

 

A fine interesting weather day today. Unless you happen to be on this live aboard dive boat. You were not going anywhere except off the boat today. Nothing at all going on out in the ocean. Too choppy. Clouds rolling around, lots of wind, but no rain. At least not yet. 

However, acknowledging that I have two weeks and two days (now one day) left. I have started to think about breaking camp. And, my detour to the Grand Canyon. I have augmented my jeans skirt, trench coat, sweater, t-shirt and leggings travel wardrobe with two pair of sox, a hoodie and another pair of leggings. All from the thrift shop. 

Have to get a place to stay in Flagstaff. I found a bar that rents rooms and it is a block from the RR station. Sounds like a good place to crash. I’ll call them up and ask them if they are “little old lady friendly”.  Maybe those rooms are for “working girls”. I be retired from that particular line of work!

Wonder what the Orange Lord has been up to… I have been trying to ignore him, if you hadn’t noticed. He did return SNL to Must See TV.

Not my monkeys, not my circus.

Another monk seal hunt today. After a little walk, we head out on another monk seal hunt. We heard there was a baby monk seal at Kekaha Kai State Park – so, we head out to look for the new comer. Felt a little like one of the magi! I didn’t bring any camera. Just Shamu the Phone. But, you shoot with what you have. 

And there is Mother and Child. Three days old. I can not tell you how absolutely adorable the baby seal is. It is as black as the lava rocks. And, unless it moves – you wouldn’t really notice it. But, through the trusty binoculars – the baby is the softest, fuzziest, softest, cutest critter you ever saw. 

I have only seen 3 monk seals. Ever. And, I never saw a baby monk seal. 

This guy came with the correct gear. There were only 4 or 5 of us gawkers. And an equal number of “monk seal police”. And, the Marines made a couple of flyovers – also gawking at the baby.

If that isn’t enough, the beach is drop dead gorgeous. 

So, no, I didn’t start getting things organized for the return to the asylum. Maybe tomorrow. Or not.

Went to South Point today with my friends from Iowa. It was a great day for a road trip.

South Point has cows (lots of them), cliffs, and wind (lots of it). You can see the windmill farm in the above image. No cow pictures. My friends from Iowa were not interested in cows.

Figure I got a lot of stuff to get organized before going home. (And, to Grand Canyon.) Maybe tomorrow… Maybe tomorrow, I’ll spring into action.

My early morning coffee and craziness buddy Billy and I went parasailing early this morning. Had a blast. The “rope” was about 1,200 feet. We figured that we actually went up about 400 feet. 

Not too old to do something crazy. If President Obama can kite surf with Sir Richard Branson, I can surely parasail with Billy. 

Pretty much back to normal. Walking, swimming, yoga. Then wondering “Why am I tired?”

Sen. Warren was just put in Time Out for impugning the Alabama Senator Session’s character. It isn’t the worst thing that has happened to a senator from Massachusetts.

On May 22, 1856, in the United States Congress, Representative Preston Brooks (D-SC) attacked Senator Charles Sumner (R-MA), an abolitionist, with a walking cane in retaliation for a speech given by Sumner two days earlier in which he fiercely attacked slaveholders including a relative of Brooks.

Wonder what happens next?

After the Orange Lord’s recent so called successful raid in Yemen – Yemen just said no more raids on our turf. They didn’t seem to think killing civilian children was “successful”.

Damn I miss the good old days when all we had to worry about was Sarah Palin – who could see Russia from her backyard.

Swimming in the pool at the asylum doesn’t seem very appealing right now. 

I haven’t been able to swim for a week – today the ocean was really too choppy to swim. But, I went for a swim. It was great to be in the water again. (didn’t take the camera. swimming was all I could manage) And, I got about 5.25 miles on the fitbit. So, I am getting back to normal. 

And, back to back VOG free days.

Three weeks from now I start back to the asylum. And four weeks from tomorrow – I’ll be back home at The Home. 

I am resisting the temptation to buy clothes or footwear for the little detour to The Grand Canyon. Which is hard, because I like shopping – especially at our fine little thrift shop. 

A friend pointed out that “trump” is British-speak for “fart”. 

The so-called Orange Lord says that the very dishonest press is covering up terrorist attacks. Well, why doesn’t he tell us about them? He is coming unhinged. 

But, no martial law or nukes deployed, YET. 

We went on a monk seal hunt today. I did everything I could to ensure success. I left my real camera at home. We had a fine walk along the beach. But, no monk seal. We suspected the seal had moved a little south. And sure enuf…

Our monk seal had moved on to Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park. We saw her with my trusty binoculars. Didn’t need to take another 2 mile hike through sand. 

The great thing – the VOG was gone this morning. Too choppy to swim  

Lady Gaga was great. The game, not so much but in the last 6 minutes of the game, New England finally woke up. We’ll see.