Fishing is a lot like photography: It involves waiting for something to happen. I watched this guy for 15 minutes or so, and he never got a throw. I didn’t see any fish either.
But if you need a minute of ocean watching. Here it is.
First-world problem: The water pressure in my shower isn’t sufficient for proper hair washing. So, I wash my hair in the kitchen sink. And my hair tries to escape down the garbage disposer.
Careless old woman problem: I forgot to bring a little SSD backup drive with me. Whenever I take my computer on a trip, I take a little TimeMachine drive. This time, I forgot. This apartment has concrete floors and no carpets. I carry my computer and a cup of coffee all over the apartment. It’s a matter of “I haven’t dropped the computer YET.”
I trotted off to Target and bought a 1TB SSD drive. Almost everything is backed up to some cloud or other, but I am old. I like to see the backup device.
0715am. The sun came up today. Just like any other day.
Today: Accept and Adapt.
Plenty of lei at the grocery store. Just like always.
We Democrats lost—fair and square. No whining about “Well, we won the popular vote.” We didn’t. We must be grateful that we could never get rid of the filibuster in the Senate. That’s about the only thing we have to be grateful for. Accept and Adapt.
The Wednesday ship arrived. Just like always.
Accept and Adapt. Do whatever it takes.
Everyone deals with the election results in different ways. Some people get puppies. This is Grace. She is a Great Pyrenees.
Accept and Adapt.
Delonix regia (royal poinciana) Introduced from Madagascar in 1855.
These are the trees in the first photo in the post.
You will have to believe me. There are dolphins way out there between the two boats.
Even with my binoculars, the dolphins were hard to see. But it makes me happy to see them out there, not being chased by a dozen or so “swim with the dolphins” boats. The boats out there are anchored.
The Twilight Zone
There are fewer years ahead of me than behind me.
The years go by much quicker.
Multiprocessing is no longer possible.
Everything takes longer
It is raining this evening in Kona. A general feeling of dismay settles in my universe. No matter what happens tomorrow there will be waves to catch, pigs to hunt, and coffee to drink here in Hawai’i.
Looking at the neighborhood from the pier.
I declared jet lag over this afternoon. No napping allowed.
Out on my morning walk I am surprised to see a cruise ship. It is the Viking Neptune. It’s a small ship with a capacity of 930 passengers.
Made it to Honls.
Nobody surfing at Honls this morning. But, I did find the Sunday morning yoga group.
It wasn’t all palm trees and beaches. There was uglyness and evil.
Disgusting African Snails.
These are giant snails. They are a major pest attacking all manner of vegetation. They are also part of the rat lungworm parasite life cycle that infects humans. Nothing good can be said for them. They were intentionally introduced in 1936.
But wait. There was something even more disgusting than African Snails. About 20 trucks came honking down the street supporting the unmentionable.
This pest was also intentionally introduced. And like the African Snail, eradication appears to be impossible.
Went for a walk at the Old Airport with Billy, Monique, and Bella to watch the sunrise.
Bella is a nice old dog. She isn’t a watchdog. She would lick any burglar to death.
After my walk and socialization period, I returned to the grocery store.
Another trip to the grocery. I filled in some weak parts in my fridge.Lunch/Dinner/Linner
Let there be Linner. I have limited cooking “stuff”. Pan-sear yellowfin tuna in butter. Plate the tuna. Toss the tomatoes in the pan with some “spicy” mayo. Let the stay for about 60 seconds. Then add the tomatoes to the plate. How hard is that? And it was excellent. The tomatoes were not great. So heating them and adding some hot mayo helps them along.
The Coffee Parade – the crown-less ladies want to be Miss Coffee. The ones with crowns are already Miss Coffee.
Last night there was The Coffee Parade. Kona *loves* parades.
It’s only 5:30 and I am sleepy JET LAG. A walk would help but I have walked almost 5 miles today. First world problem.
0715AM. I am out looking for groceries and the paddlers are heading out.
Out early this morning. I had no coffee in the house. I made do with tea, a couple of no-doze tablets, and a granola bar. A trip to the grocery solved the coffee problem. I wasn’t operating on all cylinders at the grocery. So my food options are a bit limited at the moment.
I have coffee, eggs, cheese, peanut butter, and bread. I will not starve.
After COFFEE, resting and reading I go out for another little stroll. Must see what has changed in 10 months. Not much. Things don’t change quickly in Kona.
Gratitude
Grateful the “new” antique Keurig machine works. And coffee is now available in the kitchen on demand.
I did find a new tenant next to the tattoo parlor on the retail floor of the building. The West Hawai’i GOP Campaign HQ.
The West Hawai’i GOP. It’s sorta like The Lincoln Society at The Asylum.
There was a person who waved and tried to get me to go inside. Not happening. I’d rather talk to the Jehovah’s Witnesses out on the sidewalk.
Last winter I had a little project – “Be nice to the Jehovah’s Witnesses standing the sidewalk”. Maybe I’ll do it again this year.
If anybody told me to wear a hat, I could have worn a silly hat.
There have been changes at my lodgings. There is A/C. There is a new bed. The coffee-making setup isn’t to my liking. But, there is a bit of “contempt prior to investigation” as far as the coffee goes. We’ll see. There is a rat trap. My yoga mat and fins are still here. I haven’t looked for my saute pan yet.
Some settling in is required. But it’s too late to think about anything except trying out the new Costco bed.
Still love the street scene out of my hotel room. And did I mention, there is a burlesque theater across the street? Tonight is the opening night for their new show. It is sold out. No burlesque show for me this trip.
It’s cold and wet this morning. Sounds like a great time for an outdoor adventure.
It was either a visit to the Gates Foundation’s “bathroom exhibit” or a ferry ride.
I decided to take a Washington State Ferry to Bainbridge or Bremerton, depending on which one left first. The Bainbridge ferry left 5 minutes after I got to the dock and so I purchased a ticket to Bainbridge.
I take a little stroll on a bike path. It was too wet for bikers.
It’s raining pretty seriously. And, all of my rain gear is back at the Old Bat’s Cave.
Gratitude
Extremely grateful to the Inn at the Market for loaning me a fine big umbrella
The leaves are large. And slippery.
When I returned to the hotel, I noticed that the tread on my shoes was about gone. Guess I can not 100% blame the leaves for the slippery footing.
Fishy Wall Art on Bainbridge Island.
It’s time to head back to the ferry.
Well, isn’t this a nice surprise?
I gave the $5 bill I had for the fare back to Seattle to a street musician. He was wearing a Kamala For Prez button.
Cold, wet, hungry, and tired. I get an outstanding late lunch, a very early dinner, linner perhaps. Campagne is one of my favorite Seattle restaurants.
That would be poached eggs in a red wine sauce. Plus fries. And a glass of cheap red wine. With an excellent espresso for “dessert”.
Now all that remains is to get ready to fly, get packed, get to the airport, fly to Kona, and get into my rented apartment. Tomorrow sounds busy enough.
Think I’ll turn in early tonight and worry about tomorrow tomorrow.
A little snow on the tops of the mountains this morning.
An Amtrak miracle. The Empire Builder arrived in Seattle early. Early as in 5 hours before check-in time at my hotel.
But, I know a Japanese store near the train station. So, what to do but “Go buy origami paper”.
The squid I frequently rejected in Japan in the summer sells for $42 a pound in Seattle.
The store sells more than origami paper. Anyone want some squid? I didn’t think so.
It’s a ½ hour walk to the hotel. And. I know that it is all uphill. So, I hop on a bus, and in 15 minutes I am at the hotel and they let me have my room. I usually get an OK room at this hotel. Today, I got a great room.
There is a fine view out of my hotel bay window.
I have been watching people, boats, and seagulls in the bay window for the last hour. I feel a little guilty about not being outside “doing stuff”, but I am enjoying just watching. Besides, I have already done most of the Seattle stuff.
People still line up to go to the original Starbucks.
I have been to the Original Starbucks. It was so long ago that there was no line to get in. It was just like any other Starbucks. Except the mermaid in the logo still had tits. I walked by it today. Just to see if people still waited in line to get into the Original Starbucks. They do.
A very late very large breakfast at my favorite breakfast joint.
My favorite nearby dinner places are closed on Monday and Tuesday. I am too cozy and content to go out and discover a new place for dinner. So, a granola bar it will be.
A couple more from this afternoon’s walk.
There is always something happening on the streets.And you would shop at The Unsanitary Public Market?
There is a lot of America that I know nothing about, but I see it outside my train window.
Gratitude
I am grateful that I know you nothing about working in a rusty smoking factory of some sort. And, I think that is part of the problem with America in 2024.
Had a lovely chilly sunny Sunday morning in Chicago.
Job One. Find Breakfast.
Breakfast options: Have the microwaved brekkie that came with my train ticket. Nope. Eat a granola bar. Nope. Eat fast food brekkie? Nope. Eat something real. Yes. So I head out on breakfast quest. And, this place looks promising. The line is out the door. At 8:30 on Sunday morning.
I scored a worn-out stool at the 24-person counter. Serviced by 2 grumpy waitresses.
Breakfast was outstanding. Coffee. Fried egg sandwich. With bacon and cheese. Some hash browns. And a donut hole for lagnaippe.
After my 5,000-calorie breakfast, I went for a stroll around what I think of as “the financial district”.
Returned to the train station, where they seemed to be filming a movie today, to recharge. Recharge self and electronics. Also grabbed a nice hot shower at the station. I sure didn’t need lunch.
Pretty sure we will be leaving on time at 3 PM for Seattle.
3:00 p.m. on the train in the basement of the station.
My accommodations for the next 40 hours or so. No complaints
Posting this before we get out of cell range.
I had a fine day in Chicago. I could live in Chicago, if it wasn’t for winter. And besides, my friends are back at the Asylum I don’t think they would move to Chicago.
How committed are we? Much hate and discontent about The Washington Post’s decision to not endorse a candidate for president. Many announced intentions to drop their subscription to The Post.
The real question is: How many will give up Amazon, Whole Foods, and Kindle? I didn’t think so. (Full disclosure. I could give up Amazon—even Alexa. Whole Foods isn’t all that important at this point in my life. But, give up my Kindle? You will have to pry my Kindle out of my cold dead hands.) And thus we continue to support the Gazillionaire Boys Club.
