Category: From Kona

It is winter in Hawaii. People are digging out blankets and sweaters. Carlton is wearing his sweatshirt and I declared it too cold for swimming.

Still haven’t allowed any new photos on the Airness. But I have been working away on the Japanese photos.

(But, with the new App Store – I did allow Angry Birds on the Airness.)

Did nothing about getting tickets home today. Short of a charter – I can afford any ticket home. So, why should I work really hard finding a cheap but crappy routing home?

Had pasta salad and that great local favorite – fried aki poke – for lunch today.

Fish. Surgeonfish and tangs, like the sailfin tang, get their name from the very sharp scales at the base of their tails. When threatened, they can swim backwards at an enemy, raising these scales like a knife. On the sailfin tang – these knives are bright blue.

Sailfin tangs are herbivores and help keep the coral health by keeping the algae munched down.  A sailfin tang can reach 16 inches in length.  Adults usually are found in pairs.

Time to get serious about finding tickets home. Nothing tasty except for a first class deal on Alaska. Mr C would have a cow if we go first class. Maybe I’ll send him home on my last Frequent Flyer miles and send myself home First Class. No matter what Mr C thinks – you can not take it with you when you take that last trip.

There are lots of homeless people around here. And, we know many of them by name. We had heard that Danny had died a couple of days ago. Danny was taken out of this hotel about a month ago by the cops, nude. Anyhow, Carlton found him on the beach this afternoon. Alive and well and clothed. Danny said he went to the mainland for the holidays.

I continue finishing up with my pictures from 2010 – especially from my trip to Japan. I really enjoyed Japan. And, I never wanted to go to Japan.  There is a lesson there. I am just not sure what that lesson is.

I made a little trip to my grocery store to check out the New Year’s Eve action.

A little trip down the booze aisle and a visit to the beer cooler – you are ready for 2011 – the Year of the Rabbit.

The internet is only slightly working tonight. I really hope that Skywave can get things working smoothly. I love toys – be I really don’t need a Virgin Mobile personal WiFi device. Just one more battery charger, cable and gizmo to keep track of and tote around.

At this time of year – between Xmas and New Years – fish doubles in price. But, shark is a the bottom of the fish desirability list here in Kona. It was still affordable this morning. So, we had a fine lunch of nuked shark with pineapple scraps and salsa. Avocado and tomato salad and cone sushi.

The lead off item on this evenings news – $40 a pound for “top” yellow fin tuna.

Once again, the airness will not connect, but the iPod does.

It is time to signup for another month of Internet. I might spring for a virgin mobil mifi. I am just assming that the problem is with the service and not the airness.

Not bored today. Of course Carton went back to work after 3 days off. Cause and effect maybe?

This is about all the tiny typing I can stand for now.

Over the next few days, I try to introduce you to some of our local dogs. These are not like the frou-frou purse dogs who live in the ‘hood back home.

I have almost recovered from the virus, cold, sinus infection, whatever it was. Today, the weather is cloudy, windy and very humid and I am just sort of being bored. I consider being bored when one is healthy (or almost healthy) a character defect – so, I’ll have to give myself a little talking to if I am still bored tomorrow.

Since I was dog sick on the Solstice… I didn’t get the regular Yuletide greetings out.

We would like to wish everyone the best of the festive season – no matter what it’s called at your house. In pagan traditions, the solstice is a time to put away the things of the old year and look forward to the new. One observance of the solstice involves extinguishing all the fires in your home before midnight on the eve of the solstice and lighting a new fire the next day. This probably won’t be quite as symbolic if you have central heating.

The winter solstice falls on December 21 – the word solstice means “sun stopping.” The winter solstice is the day on which the sun reaches as far south of the equator as it gets, and is as such the shortest and darkest day of the year in the northern hemisphere. The solstice marks the rebirth of light for the coming spring.

The winter solstice also marks, among other things, the druidic festival of Alban Arthuan – a time for bestowing gifts upon those less fortunate than ourselves. Out of this observance has grown the more popular tradition of gift-giving, last minute shopping, maxed-out credit cards and 70% off sales. May the goddess be with you during this season – but don’t blame her if you get socks again.

I am feeling better today. I guess I “caught” what Carlton had. Why would we say, “I caught a cold.” I wasn’t chasing the cold. I was running from the cold. Wouldn’t it be better to say “I was caught by a cold”.