Author: Peg

Snipped this picture from Fish Hopper’s web page. It nicely shows “my” room. For 50+ years, Fish Hopper was The Ocean View. Actually there was little view of the ocean because the screens were so dirty. It was a wonderful dive. With snarky waitresses. Beat up old guys drinking at any and all hours. This review of it remains on-line

The oldest restaurant in West Hawaii, this establishment is very popular with local people, mainly because it serves local food: combinations of American, Hawaiian, Chinese and Japanese. White sticky rice is served with everything (including breakfast), teriyaki sauce is poured on every imaginable meat and the helpings would please a sumo wrestler. Décor is nonexistent—Formica tables, drab walls and linoleum floors—but the service is quick and the prices low. The bar does a brisk business in the evenings.

In 2010 or so, The Ocean View went out of business and the Fish Hopper from Northern California moved in. They spent about a year cleaning the place and it is now a nice gentrified establishment. And, it is my breakfast joint of choice.

Having a lovely day here. Hopefully, the niceness will carry over to the evening and the Nats will get back their winning ways.

I am still in the extreme minimalist travel mode from summer. It is hard to go back to the old “maximum legal carryon” days. At this instant, I have enough “status” to check anything I want free, but, you never know about how I will be coming home.

I really enjoy not having to wrangle stuff.  I used to want to be sure that I had every possible comfort of home with me in Kona. Now it is sufficient to just be in Kona.

Well, maybe tomorrow I’ll start getting ready to go to Kona. Or not.

. . . 

First in war, first in peace, and last in the American League
Go Nats!

Turns out that the free coke machine, adorned with a large Coca Cola sign grievously offends our dietician. And for the last year, she has waged war to get the big sign removed. Well, she finally decided to switch to Pepsi as the vendor of free sodas at The Asylum. I presume the Pepsi machine is sans an offending sign. Note, I have lived here 4 years and never noticed the sign. And never partook of the free sodas or any of the beverages.

Last year when I came home from Kona a grocery store orchid was waiting for me. I expected it to die. Well, it didn’t. It came with direction to “avoid direct sun” and “water with one ice cube per week”. Ice cubes never seemed like a great idea. And after my visit to Singapore, “avoiding direct sun” seemed silly – so it went over to the window ledge.  It rewarded me with a couple of new leaves and a flower stalk. I will miss it’s blooming. One of my friends will have to take care of it.

I guess I will spring into action tomorrow and knock off my Going to Kona 2019 todo list. Today, I helped a friend make an origami money star. I went to visit a cat. I took a nap. I did some origami that ended up in the recycle box. And, I didn’t get any atta-girl notifications from my fitness tracker. An altogether fine fall day.

Nats lost last night. Hopefully, they will settle in this evening. Still, it has been 86 years. Not exactly true. The Washington Grays were a powerhouse in the Negro League and they won the League Championship in 1948 which was more or less the last year for the league.

. . .

First in war, first in peace, and last in the American League
Go Nats!

As opposed to the current state of our Orange Lord: Insecure destruction that you can not trust. Not even a little bit.

I am sort of slouching towards Kona. I truth I have about 30 minutes worth of things on my to do list. But, I seem to be enjoying dragging them out.

I did put one of my boxes to bed for overwintering. I hope that Ray the Rosemary Plant survives. It will depend on how cold it is and if it gets enough rain. The goddess is in charge.

The Orange Lord will be attending game five. OK Nats, it is time to sweep.

On a serious note John Pavlovitz was spot on today.  Hashtags wont save us.

. . .

First in war, first in peace, and last in the American League
Go Nats!

I guess I really have a cooktop because The Asylum insisted. (I don’t have an oven) But, the cooktop is a fine place to dry out money that needed a little freshening up before being converted into origami.

AND, I realized that I could use money from my shoebox of monies from places I have been. Money that in most cases is no longer “good”. Because the country is no longer in business or because the country has changed currency since I was there last and converting it is just too much trouble. Even if it is possible. The blue 5 is Canadian and is still good. The green and yellow 2’s are from Austrailia mid-1970s. So, expect currency origami.

And here is a sweet $20 gift – plus a reason to take a trip up to Canada – as if a reason is needed. Oh, Canada!

And, I did spring into action getting a few little odds and ends settled before heading off to Kona – One week from today.

. . .

First in war, first in peace, and last in the American League

 

The Asylum has a bar. The barkeep wasn’t busy so he produced this. I rather like the critters. He says they are trees. I don’t think so. Antlered gastropods are more like it. I think he should consider a career as a tattoo artist.

Anyhow, I think I should be doing something to get ready for Kona. Take money, credit card, passport, meds, phone, computer, cables and chargers. What else do I really need? Well, maybe glasses and a change of undies.

This morning,

the Iron Lady was sporting a curly W hat. Go Nats.

I would rather be in Kona.

Was just thinking that I took no pictures today. What? No pictures. Well, turns out I did take pictures.

Actually, it was a rather festive birthday dinner. Birthday’s are extra sweet when you are old.

This fine rainbow appeared while we were eating. It needed a little help from photoshop. Shooting thru double pane glass.

And finally – At the bus stop today.

All in all, it was a lovely day. But, Kona calls.

Went out to a fine Tex-Mex dinner at Guapos in highly gentrified Shirlington. It is about 2 miles and 50 years from The Asylum. Beer, tacos, guacamole, rice, beans, salsa, all that great stuff.

But, about cameras. The picture that is currently up top of the page.

It was taken with Shamu the Phone. (A Pixel 2 XL). That is about as good a picture as I can take these days. No matter what gear I am using. SO, I think I am going to leave the digital SLR at home this winter. And, my underwater camera flooded last year. So. Shamu the Phone will be my camera this winter. I will hate life if there are great big surfable waves. But, I am not a professional photographer, I am an old woman with a crappy shoulder.

Also, I want to catalog my photos from 2018 and 19. Plus make photo books for 2018 and 2019 for no apparent reason. I used to make them for Carlton. Not sure why I still make them. Also, want to work on editing videos. Likewise, for no apparent reason. So, I have plenty of photo projects for this winter. And, if I can swim and if I miss having a camera – well – BH Photo ships to Kona.

. . . 

First in war, first in peace, and last in the American League
Go Nats!

Yesterday when I was out and about, I went past Carlton’s tennis courts. Carlton will be happy that his courts are in good repair and are being used on a fine fall afternoon.

And the sign that Carlton’s opponent on that faithful October morning hung on the fence lives on.

Raining big time today. So I have been lounging around the Old Bat Cave. Wondering about how little to take to Kona. I tend to overdo Kona because I am going for 4 whole months. But, how much do I need? The big things for me are  “just in case” and “what if”. Well, Amazon delivers to Kona. And, I can walk to Target and/or WalMart. Don’t think I can fit everything in the tiny backpack. But I might as well try.

Currently lusting after After Effects. Nobody told me that I would require expensive software when I was 75 going on dead.  But, it’s only money and I can not take it with me and it really will not buy me one more day of good life.

. . .

First in war, first in peace, and last in the American League
Go Nats!

After voting in my own county, I headed back to Arlington for the Democratic rally outside the Courthouse.

 

It was a combination Get Out the Vote and Impeachment event. Arlington county is about as blue as possible. My current county, Fairfax, not so much.

Ran into some folks that I know.

I couldn’t sign the partition, because I don’t live in Arlington anymore. I live across the street from Arlington. Part of The Asylum is in Arlington. But the mailboxes are in Fairfax. It’s been 4 years and I still haven’t gotten over it.

It is a wonderful fall, with impeachment in the air and the home team in the Series for the first time since Roosevelt’s first year in office. That would be Franklin.Not Theodore. But still a very long time.

. . .

First in war, first in peace, and last in the American League
(The Nats are actually in the National League.The Washington Senators were in the American League.)

 

And, I wanted a little “stock photo” – so I made one.

Which leads to fun with Photoshop.

Sort of a lost day. Or maybe a lazy day. I feel sure I should have done something. But I did nothing. Zip. Zero. Zilch.

. . . 

First in war, first in peace, and last in the American League
Go Nats!

And, why am I glad to be old. Because I will NEVER have sex with a man using one of these things. Of that, I am very sure. Absolutely positive.  i.Con a Fitbit for … well see for yourself NSFW

The parable of the hair stick.

This is my second favorite hair stick. It’s not that I don’t have lots of hair sticks.

Some rather expensive. Some started life as cocktail stirrers.

Today, it was chilly and windy. I debated the wisdom of using my second favorite hair stick to secure my hair. I knew it was a little risk. I might lose it. And sure enough, when I got on the bus, my hair was flying around and the hair stick was nowhere to be found.

So, I told myself. OK. You lost it. But, isn’t it better to have lost it wearing it rather than having it get termites or dry rot from just hanging with the other hair sticks. On my way home, I looked for it. And, when I got home – there it was at the front desk, waiting for me.

I was happy to see it, but, I still think that you should use the stuff that you love every chance you get. What are you saving it for?

. . . 

First in war, first in peace, and last in the American League
Go Nats!

When I woke up from a well-deserved nap – the sun was back and there were three layers of sky.

Just found out that a friend from Skagway died of a heart attack at the young age of 68. Buckwheat Donahue. He ended up in Skagway because he got drunk on the ferry and “overslept” his intended stop in Juneau. As the story goes. Alaska Public Radio has a nice obit about him. Some people are bigger than life. Buckwheat was one of them. A hui hou my friend.

Note to Carlton: don’t know if they cover sports where you are. But, the Nats are going to the World Series. DC last won the league championship in 1933. And, as I recall that was before you were born. First Game: Oct 22. Go Nats.

. . .

First in war, first in peace, and last in the American League