Category: The DayBook

Billy and I went out looking for the akule school this morning. It was cloudy and the ocean was murky. We found the school, but:

But: I was happiest to see a reticulated reticulated butterflyfish. They are very common in Tahiti but not too often seen in our waters.

The reticulated butterfly is a lovely fish.

It snowed in Grand Canyon today. It might be nice to see a snowy Grand Canyon. I think I am good down to about 25 degrees. My dorky trusty old black raincoat is windproof. 

Wondering about “What happened in Sweden last night”… Did the Absolut Vodka plant explode? 

 

I heard the live aboard dive boat starting up – so I popped up for a look. Better safe than finely chopped bait! I am in the middle of the school and you can see it as the darker looking area on the lower left. 

Before the swim session, which, sadly hurts my wonky hip… I took by beloved lauhala hat to UPS for special shipping home. I love that hat. The man who made it for me died this winter. Just not worth risking it on one plane, 2 busses, and 4 trains… The rest of the excess stuff not needed on the one plane, 2 busses, and 4 trains or at Grand Canyon will be crammed into a flat rate box or two and sent home by the Postal Service. I am not a pack animal. Oh well, except for the electronics and camera stuff – that I schlep.  

I have had a very nice news (fake or real) free day. 

Earlier this week my always troublesome right hip was so wonky that I could hardly get my underdrawers on. I was considering cancelling my little detour to Grand Canyon.  But, a day of rest and massive amounts of ibuprofen seem to be getting it back to “normal”. Thank goodness. I did try a little very gentle yoga today. And, I logged my 5 miles on the Fitbit.

The Orange Lord is on a taxpayer funded weekend out of DC. Money well spent!!!

If you pray. I don’t. Please pray for the environment. I plan on increasing my contributions to environmental concerns. Thank you, Carlton, for making this possible.

 

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.