Dave Z

I first met Dave in 1968 while I was stationed in Yokohama, Japan. We were both stationed at North Pier where water-borne cargo came and went for the US Army, and other users, in Japan. My family's household goods, shipped from South Carolina, came to Japan through that port and six years later when I was transferred to Seattle, our household goods left Japan through that port.

Dave held a transportation MOS (Military Occupation Specialty) and my MOS was in the administrative field. We worked in the same Directorate and shared a common boss, a Transportation Lieutenant Colonel who was on a twilight tour, as they sometimes called the last tour of duty before retirement.

Dave and I hit it off as friends and spent a great deal of time together. We enjoyed several fishing trips and one memorable trip had us traveling around the Chiba Peninsula staying at B&B's and fishing at noted fishing places.

At that time the University of Maryland offered classes in the evenings and Dave and I attended some together. We enjoyed the intellectual discussions and I think we learned as much from each other as we did from the professors.

Time has a way of moving along and Dave and I experienced the changes brought by the passage of time. I applied for and was accepted to the Army degree completion program and attended Sophia University in Tokyo full time for a couple years and Dave and his family moved on also. But even though separated physically, we kept in contact with the occasional letter (in those days before email) and Christmas card.

When I was traveling through California I stopped at their house when they lived in Concord and later my wife and I visited them after they moved to Lake Tahoe. Ten or twelve years ago Dave and Fumiko visited us in Seattle and we vowed to get together more often. But distance and time conspired against us and we shared only the occasional short visit.

Fumiko and Dave during a visit to Tahoe in July 2012

Just because we didn't get to see each other physically didn't mean we couldn't continue our friendship via mail and then email and, of course, the occasional phone call. The last time I talked with Dave, about a month ago, he was telling me all the details of the new dialysis procedure that he was undergoing and he sounded as sharp as ever.

Last night I got a call from an New York area code. Almost didn't answer since I figured it was a sales call. It turned out to be one of Dave's sons giving me the sad news that his father had passed away the night before.

Dave and I were friends for many years and, of course, I was saddened by the news of his passing. That sadness was tempered by the happy times we had shared. We didn't always view the world from the same perspective but I accepted and appreciated his viewpoints and he reciprocated when it came to mine.

I wish Dave's family well. May his sons and their families carry on his tradition of open-minded investigation of the world. I'll always appreciate the fact that Dave never discriminated against me just because I was white. I think he understood, as we all should, the world can be a better place when there is mutual acceptance, or at least tolerance, of other people.

Cinnamon Twists

A few weeks ago my sister Retha sent me an email from Aunt Mary (Lehman) who had put down in black and white Grandma Rodenberger's recipe for Cinnamon twists.

I call her Grandma Rodenberger. Her maiden name was Elizabeth Bryan Umbrell (born 3/14/97 (1897, that is) in Delta, Colorado) and she was married to my grandfather, Glen, (born January 1, 1888, in Rome Township near Bellingham, WA) on January 27, 1913.

Her recipe for Cinnamon Twists sounds good even if, in the way of many old recipes, it leaves a lot to the skill and common sense of the cook. For instance, it calls for spreading part of the dough with soft butter, coating half with brown sugar and cinnamon and to frost when cool. No mention is made in the recipe for amounts of soft butter, cinnamon, brown sugar or even what kind of icing. But the basics are there so thought I would try it out and let you know if it is as good as what I remember from my youth when we visited the grandma at the other end of the Island.

I say, "the Island" because even though the ferry from Anacortes stopped at Lopez Island and Shaw Island on the way and Friday Harbor (on San Juan Island) and sometimes Sidney (on the International run) after, we only visited Orcas Island. As I've mentioned in another post, my parents lived there when I was born but just a couple years later, in April of 1942, we moved to the Seattle area and visited on occasion until we moved back in August of 1947. It was always "the Island" whether we were visiting in those days, going back after a trip to town when we lived there, or just for a visit later in life.

Grandma and Grandpa McNallie, my mother's parents, lived on a farm toward the west end between Orcas and Eastsound and Grandma and Grandpa Rodenberger, my father's parents, lived near the east end close to Olga on the road that led eventually to Doe Bay.

To visit Grandma Rodenberger we would drive from the McNallie farm down along the east side of Crow Valley; around Fowler's Corner (old Man Fowler was the only farmer on the Island still using horses to farm at that time); through the village of Eastsound past Outlook Inn, Roger Purdue's garage, the two churches and Templin's General Store; up over the hill then around Crescent Beach with its little vacation cottages and hollyhocks galore. We'd follow the road along the east side of East Sound past the old King Place, up Flaherty's Hill, past the the Old Flaherty place (mother's in-laws) and the road leading to Rosario and on through Moran State Park, down O'Neil's Hill past the old cannery building (now a souvenir store/restaurant) turn before going into Olga, drive down the little hill, around Buck Bay and there above us, nestled in the little valley, was the old Doak Place where Grandma Rodenberger lived.

As I say, I call her Grandma. Some of my readers may call her Great-Grandma, some may call her Grandma Braids, some may call her Great-Great-Grandma and a couple still around would call her mother.

My first memories of Grandma and Grandpa Rodenberger's place include Aunt Mary and Uncle Bob, both still living at home, and it was a cozy place heated by a wood burning kitchen stove and fireplace. Come to think of it there wasn't much else to heat with in those days and a man who didn't get in his firewood would be hungry and cold in the winter.

Out behind the main house next to the woodshed there was an old cider press that fascinated me and caused me to do some early pondering of screws and levers and mechanical advantage. In the cellar Grandpa R. kept apples in barrels. I remember being asked to go down and bring back a couple of good Kings (what we call Thompson King apples today) and Grandpa would sit in front of the fireplace, peel an apple with his pocket knife and smilingly say, "wonder what the poor folks are doing tonight."

Grandma R. reigned in the kitchen and I fondly remember her cinnamon twists and cinnamon rolls. Sometimes when we visited (if there was a convenient low tide) we would walk out to the rock and dig clams for a a mess of steamers and homemade bread. Or maybe we would have fried clams or a good clam chowder. Other times we might have some venison, fresh or canned. There had been seven children in the family so Grandma was an expert when it came to putting food on the table.

During the early forties Grandpa Rodenberger was finished with the strawberry business but I remember the old trucks with "G. H. Rodenberger & Sons" painted on the doors like ghosts waiting to make one more run to Bellingham or Portland with strawberry plants. He used to like to drive Packard cars and usually had a newer model. Riding in a Packard was different from the ride we experience today in even the most luxurious cars.

It was during this period I remember Uncle Bob getting "blood poisoning" from a cut on his hand while he was processing tulip or dahlia bulbs for Grandpa R.'s latest endeavor. In those days before sulfa drugs, antibiotics and other miracle drugs, people could and did die from blood poisoning. The treatment of choice was usually nothing more than a poultice and if worst came to worst, amputation to stop the spread of the infection. Fortunately Uncle Bob recovered and went on to a full life.

After visiting with the relatives at that end of the Island we'd head back to Grandma McNallie's place. But that's a tale for another time.

So, how did the cinnamon twists come out, you want to know. Well, as it turned out, we didn't have any sour cream so I'll try the recipe later and let you know if they are as good as what I remember from those days of long ago.

Hanami

The ides of March has passed and the new moon is coming. This is an interesting week.

The ides of March, May, July and October fell on the 15th day of those months and the 13th day of the other months according to the old Roman calendar. We don't hear much about those of the other months but the ides of March has been a significant day since Julius Caesar was assassinated on that day in 44 BC. Well, it has been made more significant to modern folk since Shakespeare wrote the famous exchange with the soothsayer, "Beware the ides of March" into his tragedy, Julius Caesar.

Hanami is the Japanese word for literally, "flower see" but is usually translated as "cherry blossom viewing." Since ancient times in Japan hanami has been an occasion for a picnic with sake drinking and singing while watching the cherry blossoms. Some places have lanterns, electric nowadays, for viewing and partying at night. It's still a little cool at night here so I think I'll do my hanami in the daytime only.

Hanami 3/18/15 in my backyard

The cherry blossom is especially significant to warriors and their families because the cherry, unlike most flowers, doesn't shrivel and die before it falls but its petals fall to the ground while in their prime, much like those warriors who are killed in battle in the prime of their youth.

Of course it also applies to all of life. "Here today, gone tomorrow." is an apt forecast of our life on earth. Uncertain and unpredictable, we need to make the most of our limited days by living and acting in ways that fulfill our best concepts of human life.

Normally our cherry tree doesn't bloom so close to the ides of March but this year and the last the flowers have been in full bloom on the eighteenth of March. In 2013 the picture I have of the cherry blossoms was taken on March 29th which is a more usual time for them to bloom here in our part of the world.

Our weeping cherry in full bloom

Earlier this month and even last month we could see the plum trees blooming here in Seattle. There is a Japanese word for plum tree viewing also. It is "umemi" and the practice of viewing plum blossoms is more popular among older people in Japan because there is less drinking and rowdy behavior under the plum trees than the cherries.

In the first paragraph, above, I mentioned the new moon. This Friday is the new moon but I don't know any significance attached to that except what the old timers said about salmon fishing being better in "the dark of the moon."

The full moon however, does have significance. It has been linked to everything from lunacy to lovers. I especially like the "harvest" moon and "hunter's" moons since they come in the fall when the full moon tends to be lower in the sky and its light is filtered through more of the earth's atmosphere so it appears reddish.

In Japan the fall full moon is seen as another occasion for a party. The party to watch the full moon, "tsukimi" usually involves special foods such as sweet potatoes, beans, chestnuts and perhaps others from the fall harvest. Of course, there will also probably be sake or other alcohol. Some restaurants offer special dishes during the season.

Traditionally the viewing places were arranged on a pier or on a boat so the reflection of the full moon on the water could be enjoyed along with the view of the real thing in the heavens. I understand that the party can even be held if the night is cloudy and there are specialized Japanese words that mean a moon viewing party when the moon isn't visible.

I like that concept, no need to cancel the party just because the main star (or moon in this case) doesn't show up.

Email Alerts

Finally, I got the email signup gadget to work.

 If you want to receive notification via your favorite email whenever I post a new blog entry you can enter your email address in the block to the right and click the submit button. Complete the sign up window by copying the crazy text into the box and you are set.

 It has been an interesting learning process to work out the bugs from this blog. With lots of help from my friend, Charlie, I'm gradually getting it whipped into shape. The email link was one that took awhile to fix and the white background on the 50th Anniversary post took time because of the length and having to manually change the HTML code to change the background color but it's done too.

 Now I need to find time to write more reports so you'll have more to read. ;-)

Happy New Year

Yesterday, on pi day for this century, Ikuko and I went to a New Year party sponsored by the Japan Shumy & Culture Society and held at the Nisei Betsu Kaikan (Japanese American Veterans Hall) near Beacon Hill here in Seattle. When it was built after WWII to honor the memories of the fallen Nisei soldiers from Washington State it was in a mostly Japanese-American area. Times change, today it is in the middle of Little Saigon.

Entrance to the Memorial Wall

 Originally honoring the 57 KIA (killed in action) WWII Nisei veterans (from Washington) who volunteered or were drafted from the concentration camps (or to use the current politically correct term, internment camps) where they and their families had been sent following President Roosevelt’s order removing Americans of Japanese ancestry from the west coast, the memorial wall has been expanded to honor three from Korea, three from Vietnam and 1 from Grenada.

 The unit in which most of these men served was the 442nd RCT (Regimental Combat Team). This racially segregated unit was composed of Nisei troops and ended up as the most highly decorated unit in our history, based on its length of service and size.

Seattle Nisei Veterans Committee Logo

 I spent some time again looking at the pictures and other mementoes and found them quite moving. There is a Medal of Honor room and although it was closed today I have toured it on a previous visit. 

Back to the New Year party. You might think it strange to celebrate the New Year in the middle of March but most Asians celebrate the lunar New Year which began on February 19th this year and stretches for two or three or four weeks depending on the group celebrating.

This year is the year of the sheep or ram or goat depending on who is translating the word. In Chinese the word is yang and can mean sheep or goat. In Japanese the word is yagi and, again, can mean sheep or goat. If you want to differentiate the male or female animal in Japanese you add the male or female modifier. Sounds complicated but why worry, I’ll just call it the year of the sheep.

Party Guests

 The group of people at the party is getting smaller year by year. I think they have the same problem as other fraternal groups, the young people aren’t interested in joining and the older people are dying off. I did a quick count today and there were about 46 older women, four older men (including me) and around 20 younger people. The younger ones were, for the most part, children or caregivers of the older folks.

 Two of the younger people there today were a young (25?) man from Japan and a Buddhist priest.

After the priest led us in a silent prayer he gave a short lesson on the origin of the phrase “gochisosama” in Japanese which is said to the host(ess) after a meal. I learned something new. He (priest) said the initial “go” is an honorific, the “chi” character means “to run,” the “so” character also means “to run” and the "sama" is another honorific for person. So the total meaning is “you are an honorable person who has run and run.” It is understood that the running is connected to gathering the ingredients and preparing the meal. After that lesson we tucked into a nice box lunch (obento). It reminded me of the ones we used to get at the train stations in Japan.

An Excellent Obento 

 Next on the program were karaoke singers and some dancers. “Karaoke” is an interesting word. It was created about forty years ago from two words in Japanese. The first was “karapo” meaning “empty” and the second was “okestura” meaning orchestra. The first part of each original word was combined into the new word meaning “empty orchestra.” The empty orchestra plays the music and it’s up to the singer to supply the voice. If you’ve ever listened to karaoke you’ll remember that while the empty orchestra is always good the voices vary from excellent to not so good. But everyone seems to have a good time.

Traditional Dancers Celebrating the Year of the Sheep

 At the end of the singing and dancing the young man from Japan demonstrated a typical cheer that he leads during a sporting event. Very athletic and loud he was. I’m sure his team was inspired to work hard to win.

 After the program there was a typical Japanese ending to the party when door prizes were given out; not just a few people but everyone received a door prize. Ikuko got a box of Kleenex and a hand towel; I got a three pound bag of sugar. What a happy ending to a nice New Year party.

The Strange Case of the Haunted Clock

After I got out of the Army in 1981 I became involved with my local post of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), serving in various offices, as Commander in 1985-86, as Adjutant for many years and as Commander again from 2004-2008. Once I closed down my business and really retired some four years ago I become even more busy helping out around the post.

The office of Quartermaster is an important one in any VFW post and it is no different here. Tom Brown was Quartermaster of the post for many years. He was very active as Quartermaster and died "with his boots on" while still in office in the early summer of 2008. I remember the call from Archie, a mutual friend. My wife and I along with my sister and brother in law were in St George, Utah, on a vacation trip when Archie called to tell me Tom had died.

I found out after we returned to Seattle that Tom had been mowing his lawn and apparently had stopped to take a rest or because he felt tired or ill. He stopped the mower but left in on the lawn, went to the house, took off his shoes at the door (as was his custom) and sat down in his easy chair. And that's where a friend found him later that evening.

He was over eighty years old so no autopsy was done but we suppose he died of a heart attack or perhaps a burst aneurysm. In any case I'd like to go the way he did, quick and easy. But not right away, mind you.

His death caused a problem at the post because there was no Assistant Quartermaster and Tom took with him all the passwords and other knowledge of the day-to-day operation of the post.

Nestor Tamayao agreed to take over as Quartermaster and filled the position for five years until I was elected and began my tenure in June of 2013.

I was helping Nestor bring the books up to date and learning the ropes in the early part of 2013 when the "spring forward" date rolled around. While setting the clocks ahead I noticed that the clock in the office was already set to DST. I didn't think too much about it but later Nestor asked if I had set that clock. Told him no, it was already set so I just set the others in the hall.

At that time Nestor told me about the strange behavior of that clock in the office. It seems that every spring and fall the clock already would be set to the appropriate time the next time he came in. The other clocks in the hall needed to be reset but the one in the office always was set correctly. I did look at the office clock to confirm that it was a plain old inexpensive wall clock with no wireless link to the National Observatory's atomic clock or other fancy time-keeping function.

Well, I thought that to be a little strange but we hadn't changed the locks for many years and there was no telling how many people had keys and could have set the clock.

As a matter of updating the security of the building we changed all the locks soon thereafter.

In the fall of 2013 I noticed that the clock in the office was set back to pacific standard time the next time I came in after the Saturday night changeover. Since the locks had recently been changed it was easy to check with all who had access. All denied being in the office let alone changing the clock.

Last year at changeover time to DST and again at return to PST the clock was changed. I called around again to confirm that no one had been in the office to change the clock. Yet it HAD been changed. We joked that Tom Brown was letting us know he still cared by coming around (in spirit) and setting the office clock.

Last Saturday night, 3/7/15, I was in the office until 1730, standard time, and then Sunday morning I was in the office at 1100 and noticed that the clock had been set to daylight saving time.All the other clocks in the hall were still on standard time.

What a puzzle. The office has restricted access and only certain people have the key. The janitor has a key but doesn't know the code to turn off the alarm. All who do have access deny resetting the clock, or even being in the office.

Well, Tom, thanks for setting the clock. It is rather difficult to get it off and back on the wall so I certainly appreciate you taking care of it.

Travels

Yesterday Ikuko and I were traveling through Salt Lake City to Las Vegas. The view through the terminal windows of the mountains surrounding Salt Lake City was startlingly vivid. The recent snows have whitened the mountains and foothills right down to the valley floor.  It reminds me that travel typically is a broadening experience.

 

Sunrise from a SEATAC terminal window

When I was a young shaver, knee high to a grasshopper, as grandpa used to say, I was captive to my parents' (mostly father's) decisions to move around the northwest. We moved from Orcas Island to the Seattle area, back to Orcas, to Coeur d’Alene, to Portland, back to Orcas and then to Bellingham; sometimes living in various parts of those areas. During those travels I managed to attend nine different elementary schools.

Those moves were sometimes, no, usually, painful for a youngster. Adjusting to new geography and new people while all the time adjusting to a growing body and psyche could be, and usually was, painful. Even though stressful and sometimes even painful, I think those moves laid the groundwork for a life of more enjoyable travel.

As an adult I enjoyed traveling in the Army for 22 years seeing new places and new people. Well, most of that travel was enjoyable. Even during the year I spent in Vietnam I managed to travel to Japan, Okinawa and The Philippines on business. From the south of my own country (definitely a new people) to the Orient, (as it was then known) to South and Central America I, and for most of that time my family, saw new places.

In Japan I went to hot springs and snow festivals and traditional Japanese Inns. Climbed Mt Fuji, traveled by bus and bike and train in a foreign country not knowing the language, depending on sign language and good-natured people for help navigating to destinations most people only dream of.

In Hawaii I body surfed at wailea and stole the occasional pineapple from the fields bordering our radio research station at Helemano. In those days (1964) the Island of Oahu was covered with pineapple and sugar cane fields.

While serving as an adviser to the South Carolina National Guard (1967-68) I saw the remnants of segregation including "white" and "colored" water fountains and restrooms. I was there during the shootings and riots at Orangeburg. We walked under the moss-covered oaks of old Charleston before it was cool to visit there and we risked traveling through the rural areas even though Ikuko and I were in violation of the miscegenation laws as partners in an interracial marriage.

While stationed in San Antonio we visited the Alamo, walked the River Walk before it was paved and visited Old Laredo before it was dangerous. We also gave our oldest son the honor of being a Texan by birth.

Panama was a boon to my wanderlust. Being on the Southern Command inspection team I visited most of the countries in South and Central America on official business. But business didn't stop us from visiting the local attractions in our off time. From Cuzco and Machu Pichu in Peru to ancient ruins in Guatemala and Honduras to Copacabana and Sugar Loaf in Rio to the white sands of Barbados we did our best to combine business with pleasure.

Uncle Sam got us there and back. It sometimes wasn't so comfortable sitting in web sling seats but the price was right. Itaipu dam (largest power output in the world at the time) under construction in Brazil, Stroessner's Paraguay, Rio de la Plata and Iguazu Falls in Argentina, leather manufacturing plants in Uruguay, vineyards in Chile and seeing the elusive quetzal in the mountain rain forests of Guatemala all contributed to the wealth of good travel memories.

In Panama itself I fished for Peacock Bass in Lake Gatun, portaged canoes over the continental divide and paddled down the Rio Indio. Camped near David in the northern highlands and drove down the unpaved road to the Darien in the southern lowlands. Caught butterflies in the jungle and toasted cashew nuts over an open fire while drinking an astringent fruit punch made from the cashew fruit.

Wow! I see this entry has grown quickly. Too much of one thing can be boring and I don’t want to bore you. I think I need to break down travels into sections and post them as the mood strikes.

Meanwhile, our trip to Las Vegas was sidelined by the weather in the northeast. You might wonder how weather up there could affect our travels in Salt Lake City but it did. Friday is a busy day in any case for air travel and yesterday, United and American were busy buying up all the spare seats on Delta (where we were traveling standby) to accommodate their own cancelled flights in the northeast and rerouting those passengers through different hubs to get them on their way.

Ikuko and I waited through two much overbooked flights to Las Vegas and finally gave up and decided to return to Seattle instead of taking a chance on getting through to LV. I think I can repeat in my sleep that worrisome announcement for standby travelers: “This flight is overbooked and we are looking for volunteers to give up their seats in return for $500 Delta Dollars and rebooking on a later flight.”

After waiting through five Seattle bound overbooked flights we finally got on one at 2155 and made it home by midnight. Of course our one checked bag went on the Las Vegas but the nice folks at Delta arranged for it to come back to Seattle and I went back out to SEATAC today to retrieve it.

Sunset from a Salt Lake City Airport Window

Most inveterate travelers soon learn to be flexible and I learned that lesson long ago. Sometimes travels go smoothly according to plan but sometimes things go gunny bag (or croker bag as my South Carolina acquaintances said) and you must look for alternatives, try another route or just plain modify your plans.

When you think about it, the uncertainty of outcome sometimes increases the pleasure of travel. When some people set off they have an ironclad route, time checks along the way and plans for each day. If things go south their whole trip is ruined.

Not me. I've found that I travel best when I’m more flexible. I never know when a new adventure will emerge from the ruins of the old. Maybe that’s a result of my childhood when I was never really sure where we would be moving on the morrow.

Spring Even More

New Leaves - New flowers

Today I was struck by how the flowers are coming out early in our backyard. 

The quince along the northeast fence have been blooming for a week or so. That bush gives us a three-fer. We get the bright red blooms in the spring, the fruit in the fall and all year the mean spines on the branches discourage any intruder from coming into the backyard.

Spines among the quince flowers

The quince bush was slow growing for the first few years. Now I have to prune it back from the house twice each year and the branches extending out from the fence sometimes grow three feet in the summer.

Mummified fruit among the promise of new

Today I noticed that we missed some fruits last fall. They have turned into mummies and look a little incongruous among the new growth and flowers. 

I guess they serve as a reminder that life springs anew each year. 

Come to think of it I wonder why the birds or squirrels didn't find those fruits last fall. Maybe the quinces are too sour even for the birds and animals. When we make the fruit into jelly it's pretty tasty. And the jelly is good looking to boot.

Mini-daffodils gossiping among themselves

Ikuko's mini-daffodils are blooming early this year as are so many of the bulbs and other flowers. Even flowers on our ornamental cherry are just about to open.

Primroses and friends

I guess they don't but our primroses seem to bloom all winter. Today I see some new blooms nearby. I don't know what they are but they are delicate flowers with pale green leaves.

Heather in flower

Hummingbird food on our rosemary bush

Our rosemary bush started life maybe fifteen years ago as a small herb giving us the occasional sprig for the kitchen. Today it has grown to a circumference of seven feet and I'm thinking it would make a good flavoring wood when I smoke something. I've never heard of rosemary smoked salmon. I wonder how it would taste? Maybe some spareribs or chicken might be better.

Tonight the full moon is shining on the new flowers in our backyard. By the time the next full moon shines we will have tulips in full bloom; I will have tipped a glass of sake to the fleeting beauty of the cherry blossoms; the pear-apple trees will have bloomed and, if they can survive the frosts of last night and tonight, will have set some fruit.

I think spring is my favorite season.   

Spring

Wild bluebells on the hill behind my office at the VFW

Around this time of year I begin to think of spring. The days are getting longer and the temperatures are starting to warm a little. The earliest flowers are opening and some of the ornamental trees are starting to bloom. The Territorial seed catalog has come and I have roughed out my order. 

The last few years it seems spring comes even earlier because of the addition of extra daylight saving time when the changeover date was moved from the last part to the first part of March a few years back. Not that we really have more light but the extra light in the evening is handy.

This winter in the Seattle area has been warmer than normal.  I saw an article in the Seattle Times a day or so ago that showed the adjusted dates for the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival. It will start on March 27th this year instead of the usual date in April to accommodate the earlier blooming of the flowers.

Wild cherry tree getting exuberant 

All winter we've been walking in the dark so the thing I like best is the prospect of taking my little dog, Kuro, for a walk after dinner in the last of the daylight starting next week. Of course, he doesn't much care whether there's daylight or not. He just wants to w-a-l-k. I have to spell the word instead of saying it so he doesn't get too excited.

On the downside our warm winter has meant hard times for ski resorts and we may have water rationing in the summer. 

If I had my choice I'd have a winter not quite so warm with more snow (in the mountains only, please) and more sun in my backyard. Guess I don't get my choice when it comes to the weather so I'll just have to plan more vacations in the tropics.

Trial and Error

Well, as I said, I'm an old timer trying get things going with a blog. I see there are some bugs and despite my best efforts to correct them I've had limited success. Maybe the old saying about old dogs is right?

Trial and error is a good way to learn though. The host, Blogspot, looks like it is easy to work with and I'll keep trying to make it in the world of blogging.  I'll try various ways to fix the way some first paragraphs display in the reports I copied and pasted. Maybe I can generate a fix.

There are also more pictures of our Hawaii trip. I'll see if I can figure out a way to post them as slideshows.

Meanwhile, it's my turn in the kitchen tonight and I have a new recipe for Moroccan style chicken I want to try. May have to try it a couple times, making corrections to cooking errors, before it comes out the way I envision.

I think I like trial and error in the kitchen better than trial and error on the computer.

Fiftieth Anniversary Cruise Reports

Here I am, an old timer just feeling my way along trying to start a blog.

Some of my siblings, nieces, nephews and other friends, not to mention two sons, say they have enjoyed my travel reports and other observations so I’m going to give it a try. I don’t know that I have anything unique or earthshaking to say but sometimes just repeating observations made by others or commenting on the world around us might have value.

Printed below are the reports I sent from our recent voyage celebrating our fiftieth wedding anniversary. We sailed from San Diego on January 20, 2015 on the Holland American cruise ship MS Veendam traveling five days to Hawaii, six days around the islands, five days to Ensenada and then back to San Diego.

Internet connections were sporadic and slow so the dates noted are the dates I sent the report not necessarily the date written.  Pictures are nothing fancy since they were taken with my phone camera.

Islands – 1/23/15

Departing San Diego on the Holland American MS Veendam

Here on the MS Veendam, we are a small island of humanity, bobbing our way across the ocean on our way to the Hawaiian Islands celebrating our 50th anniversary. 

My parents lived on Orcas Island, a part of the San Juan Islands in northwestern Washington State when I was born.  Although, since I was the firstborn child, my mother took the old mail boat, Osage, from Olga to Bellingham so she could give birth in a hospital.

My wife, Ikuko, was born on Kyushu, the southernmost main island in Japan and our second son was born on the main island of Japan, Honshu.

My first TDY (temporary duty) in the Army was at Helemano Radio Station on the Island of Oahu. My last TDY some twenty years later was on the Island of Barbados.

I'm not sure of the significance of all this island business. Maybe I should go buy lottery tickets when we arrive on the island of Maui.

Anniversary Couple 

Some people think that they are an island and what they do in life is their own business and it doesn't affect others. 

In a dramatic example of how we sometimes affect each other, four hours after we sailed on Tuesday our captain announced that one of our party had a medical emergency and after consultation with the Coast Guard and other powers that be he decided to turn the ship around and return to San Diego.

For examples of more voluntary choices that impact the lives others, we need look no further than our TV room, local movie house or even our kitchen. The shows we choose, the movies we watch even the food we eat affects others.

In our consumer society supply is driven by demand so when enough people choose option A, more of A is provided and/or the price goes up.  The inexorable law of supply and demand works unless government inserts its influence into the equation. Sometimes the choices made by our fellow travelers may seem unenlightened to us but I suppose my choices might appear bad or illogical to them.

When we complain about trashy TV shows, violent movies or the demise of our favorite newspaper we can only blame ourselves because our choices (collectively) are what drive those results.

Two years ago I enjoyed buying kale for 79¢ per bunch. Last I visited my favorite produce stand the price was $1.79.  It seems lots of folks are now choosing to add kale to their diet.

Of course, these thoughts aren't new to me. Many years ago in a famous poem of the same name John Donne said, "No man is an island. . ." He saw the interconnect between people and the impact of local actions on events far away.

So, how should I act and choose? Well, maybe The Golden Rule is a good start. I'll try to be thoughtful in my actions and try harder to see their impact on others and good old Mother Earth.

Meanwhile, next time I go shopping I'm going to buy kale thereby encouraging farmers to grow more and eventually bringing the price down.

Aloha from (almost) Hawaii.

Fiftieth Anniversary Cake - 1/22/15

Oceans – 1/25/15

Today I've been thinking about the ocean. When we left San Diego she was a bucking bronco treating us like a rookie cowboy. Swells were running five to seven meters so you can imagine how we were holding onto the railings and grab bars. Being our first day at sea I even had to pay my respects to the porcelain god near the dining room. 

Yesterday was smoother and we enjoyed a fine day of cruising on a placid ocean. Perhaps I should say on a pacific ocean for this ocean was named Pacific by Magellan because of its pleasant contrast to the stormier waters of the Atlantic.

This morning the fickle ocean was feeling frisky again and kicked up her heels with swells running three to five meters. It has been a little rough but I have my sea legs now so that makes it more enjoyable. 

This afternoon (Friday, 1/23) I'm relaxing in a deck chair on the shady starboard side of the promenade deck enjoying 73 degree breezes and watching the swells roll by. 

Sometimes I wonder how the early explorers felt as they sailed on these same waters. Without accurate maps, weather forecasting, knowledge of high and low pressure systems and nothing but rudimentary navigation skills it's no wonder they imbued the oceans with emotions and did their best to appease King Neptune. 

We sail along with the knowledge that we are at so many degrees west longitude and so many degrees north latitude, the swells are a result of the low pressure system to our northwest, there is no rain in the forecast and we should have a better connection to a satellite later this afternoon so we can send and receive email again. 

What enormous change we've experienced, much of that change happening during the last century. 

Another thing that strikes me about the oceans is that they seem smaller now. The first time I crossed the Pacific it took 23 hours on a DC6 with those four propeller engines droning and heterodyning. It seemed to take forever. 

Another time I crossed courtesy of the Navy on the USNS Sultan, one of the last troopships. No stabilizers on that one. Come to think of it there was no room service either. In fact the bunks were canvas and stacked six deep. Pretty grim it was and made me wish to be back on that DC6.

Today we cross the oceans in comfort in just hours, thinking nothing of flying to Europe or South America or even Australia for a few days of vacation. What would the sailors of the past think of such a thing?

It makes me wonder what new oceans will be crossed in the next century or two. Will our children's grandchildren or their grandchildren travel to our moon or Mars for a vacation, or for that matter will they cross interstellar space using a means of transport yet to be discovered?  Just as the clipper ship sailors couldn't have imagined the way we travel today, we can't imagine how those folks generations in the future will travel. 

Meanwhile, in my more prosaic world, I need to get dressed for dinner as our ship sails the Pacific Ocean plodding along at fifteen knots toward Hawaii. 

Communications – 1/26/15

Because of the difficulties we've been having with our internet connection while sailing to Hawaii I've been thinking about communications.

When I was young we didn't have much in the way of outside communication. During the war (WWII that is) we lived near Seattle and had a newspaper delivered daily but when we moved back to Orcas Island in 1946 there was no daily paper available. We didn't have a radio and I don't recall having a telephone either.  

In the early fifties we had an AM radio in the living room and a simple black dial telephone in the dining room. The radio was turned to the news and weather report in the morning and sometimes to the old radio shows in the evening. The daily newspaper brought us news of the world and Life magazine and the Saturday Evening Post bought more news, pictures, columns, short stories and editorials. Not that we subscribed to those magazines but they were available in the library or the barber shop. 

The first television I remember was at my paternal grandfather's house in 1951. I don't remember the make but the screen was about 12 inches wide, rounded on both sides and flat on the top and bottom. Black and white of course and on a good day there would be a slightly fuzzy and shaky picture. On a bad day the reception would be so bad you could hardly see the picture for the snow. 

When transistors replaced vacuum tubes in the mid-fifties it started the trend toward portable communications. We could actually carry a radio around in our hand. Little did we know the changes that would take place over the next fifty years. 

Fifty years ago wanting to communicate while traveling I would have written a letter or post card, mailed it at a convenient stop and hoped for an eventual reply. Today I suffer withdrawal if I don't have access to the internet when I want it.  It's been quite a ride from communication via the Post Office to communicating via satellite. 

In addition to the egotistical rewards of instant communication there is the practical side.

This afternoon our captain came on the PA system telling us that the Coast Guard had contacted the ship to help with a rescue at sea. We were to be diverted from our course to attempt to rescue the downed pilot of a small plane.   

CG plane on station

As we approached the area we could see a Coast Guard plane on station circling the area. We slowed, put one of our tenders over, picked up the survivor and within the hour were back on our way to Maui.

For more details you can click on the following link:

http://www.examiner.com/article/holland-america-cruise-ship-rescues-downed-pilot-pacific-ocean

Veendam tender returning to ship with pilot

Quick communion, GPS and a skillful tender crew along with the sheer luck of proximity made a hero of the Veendam.  

The first seating in the dining room was a little delayed but we were rewarded with another announcement from the captain that the survivor was being attended to by the ship's medical staff and that he was in good spirits and in apparent good health. 

Maybe communication can have a downside. When I see people engrossed in their personal communication devices ignoring their neighbors or even dinner companions I wonder if we are progressing technologically but regressing socially. 

Activities, or Not – 1/27/15

Cruising is a different kind of vacation compared to most. Instead of the group-think and group-do of organized tours or even self-directed activities of families or a group of two or three couples, cruises are a bit more eclectic. There are activities for almost every taste. 

Holland America ships are mid-sized ships carrying 1300 to 1600 passengers so we don't have the climbing walls, driving ranges and other activities that a large number of passengers would support but there are many choices nonetheless. 

Dining options include the regular dining room, early, late or open seating, buffet lines open pretty much all day with a late night snack hour from 10:30 - 11:30, afternoon tea at three, hamburger and hot dog grill open all day, pizza bar open from 2 until 10 pm, Mexican food bar open most of the day and two specialty restaurants requiring reservations and an extra fee open for two or three meals a day. In-room dining is always an option so no need to ever be hungry on a cruise ship. 

Parrots (artificial) guarding a bar on deck

For drinkers there are bars open all day and most of the night with special alcohol packages for those who want to stay soused the whole trip at bargain rates. 

Dance music is offered ranging from ballroom to the latest popular music and several genres in between. There is even a classical duo of piano and violin playing in one of the venues from 6 till 10 each evening. 

For those who want to be fit there are many classes plus the gym is open around the clock. Walking around the Lower Promenade deck four times equals one mile and the swimming pools are open pretty much all the time,  although when the seas are rough it's like heavy surf in the main pool. 

The Spa is available for those in need of beautification or massages or skin cleansing or hair cutting or perming.

For those of a more cerebral bent there is the library with books of all kinds, puzzles from crossword to jigsaw, internet capable computers, and board games from chess to Parcheesi. There are several computer classes, also classes on how to make the most of your digital camera. 

Mass is celebrated daily with other denominations meeting on Saturday and Sunday and the Chapel is open daily for private devotions or meditations. 

 Friends of Bill W. (AA) meet every afternoon as do the LGBT folks. Strangely enough both are scheduled at 4:30 every afternoon. Guess they are mutually exclusive categories. 

There are cooking classes, drink mixing classes, and card playing classes. There are movies, bingo and tastings of cheese, wine and martinis. And the Casino is open 24 hours a day when at sea. 

Main stage theater

There is a main stage show presented twice each evening corresponding to the early and late dinner seating. 

There are game shows, dance shows and local attraction shows by the pool or on the upper deck. Also on the upper deck are the basketball court (surrounded by netting), deck shuffleboard and, at 10:00 each evening, an astronomy observation meeting. 

When in port there are many excursions available, for an additional fee of course. 

Altogether there are enough activities to keep a person busy 36 hours a day. 

There is also the option of reclining in a deck chair pretending to, or actually reading a book.

 Watching people is one of my favorite activities. 

Some people are on vacation but seem to be rushing about, busy all the time. I don't know but maybe they are afraid to relax. Relaxation and doing nothing might lead to introspection and that might be a little scary.

Mostly it's each person's choice. As our Cruise Director, Mario says, “Do a little, do a lot or do nothing at all. It's your vacation."

Lahaina – 1/27/15

Yesterday morning we anchored at about 9:30 off the coast of Maui, right in front of Lahaina. We were delayed a little by our diversion to pick up the downed pilot but the small delay was well worth the result of saving a life. 

Since we were anchored off the coast, we had to use the ship's tenders to go to the beach. It was a

Tender at Lahaina dock

short trip of about 10 minutes each way and gave us a chance to see the ship from a different perspective.

The Lahaina Banyan Tree

The berth used by the tenders was not far from the famous banyan tree in downtown Lahaina. Ikuko and I walked over and admired the tree up close. 

Under the Banyan Tree

The rest of Lahaina within easy walking distance was the usual hodgepodge of tourist stores. From art stores to Hilo Hattie with liquor stores, restaurants, jewelers, ice cream shops and "authentic Hawaiian art" stores intermingled along both sides of the street. We soon made our way back to the landing and after going through the required security scans boarded a tender for the trip back out to the ship. 

Whale watching tours were a popular excursion with lots of passengers signing up for the trip out into the channel to watch for the whales wintering in these waters. As it happened, the ship lay at anchor with the starboard side (where our cabin is located on deck 10) facing that same channel so we probably had a better view, and certainly a more comfortable view, of the whales spouting and breaching not far from the ship.

The dining room had lots of empty tables so the stewards had more time to answer my questions about their homes, families and experiences sailing the world on Holland America. I think I mentioned that most of the cabin and dining room stewards plus deck hands and engine room workers are from Indonesia.  They have interesting stories to tell. Tony, our wine steward, has been sailing 14 years; he gets to see his family only once a year but is going to stick it out so he can retire when his time comes. 

We sailed from Lahaina last night at 11:00 and docked in Honolulu this morning. But that's for the next installment. 

Honolulu – 1/29/15

Gliding into Honolulu harbor

We sailed into the cruise ship terminal here in Honolulu yesterday morning about 0630. Diamond Head was just a silhouette in the first light of day. About the time we got tied up the sunrise was starting to light up the sky. 

We weren't in a hurry to disembark since we don't usually sign up for the excursions. Speaking of which, I haven't said much about them for a couple reasons. First, we have vacationed on all four of the main islands so have seen most of the sights already. Second, many of the tours don't appeal to me.   

Sunrise over Honolulu

The helicopter tours especially seem a waste of time and money. A good documentary delivers much more information not to speak of the much higher quality views. Maybe it's the bragging rights that appeal to some people. "We flew over Waikiki beach. We flew over the lava flows. We flew over Waimea Canyon." might sound sexy but it's no comparison to actually walking on that beach, or lava, or canyon. As I said I think even a good documentary is better. 

Mini-submersibles, whale watching, glass-bottom boats and paragliding are other examples of things not on my bucket list. Even if they were appealing to me I'd probably do my own negotiations with the local vendors rather than pay the inflated prices that the company charges. And speaking of inflated prices I'll give you an idea in a different report of how the cruise lines make money despite the comparatively low advertised prices. 

"But," as a good friend sometimes says, “I wander."  

Back to Honolulu. Yesterday we took a free shuttle to Wal-Mart because I knew that it was just a couple blocks from Ala Moana Mall, the biggest mall in Honolulu and probably in the islands. We wandered around the mall,  and it really is a big mall, for a couple hours. There are lots of Japanese tourists so plenty of local branches of Japanese stores, many signs in Japanese, special shuttle buses for Japanese and wherever we looked there were sushi, ramen and other Japanese restaurants. Of course all the stores have clerks fluent in Japanese available to speak to those big spenders from the East. 

Nap time

Back to the shuttle bus stop and then back to the ship we went arriving in time for an afternoon nap before getting ready for dinner. 

Since we were to be in port for two days the dining room was only about a third full with many passengers off enjoying the city and I had a chance to talk to our assistant dining steward. Nyoman (pronounced like Newman) hails from Bali.  

He is the third child and so is called Nyoman (third child). He says the custom isn't so strong anymore now that families are having only a couple children but in his part of Bali in the old days when they had ten or more children there was a name for the first, a name for the second, etc., through number four then they would reuse the names for number five through number eight. If there were more children they'd go through the series again so there might be two or three siblings named Nyoman. 

Today we decided to go back to Ala Moana Mall and have ramen in one of the Japanese restaurants, Shirokiya. The ramen was excellent but the gyoza we also ordered was nothing to write home about, as grandpa used to say. 

After lunch we caught the number 8 city bus to Fort DeRussy on Waikiki. The fort has a large recreational park and is an island of green right in the heart of Waikiki. The Army Museum there is worth a visit. A couple features that stick in my mind from a previous visit are the disappearing shore gun (WWI vintage) with much of the original concrete bunker construction still preserved and the reconstructed punji stake pit in the Vietnam portion of the museum. The pit is hidden until you round a corner and if it weren't covered with glass you'd step right on those stakes. It gives a quick jolt of adrenaline I'm here to tell you. 

We went through the museum a few years ago so walked across the park to the Hale Koa Special Services hotel instead. While there we visited the little PX and I traveled back in time by getting a GI haircut.  

Back to the dock, through that ever-present security and abroad ship we were just in time for dinner and a sunset sailing from Honolulu overnight to Kauai.

Lihue airport and lighthouse at first light

Nawiliwili – 1/29/15

Overnight we moved from Honolulu toward Kauai at a reduced speed of about 10.5 knots because there is a government regulation requiring cruise ships to navigate the narrow channel at Nawiliwili during daylight hours only.  

Nawiliwili breakwaters

About seven o'clock this morning I went outside to watch and quickly understood the reason for daylight-only passage. The harbor is rather small with a natural breakwater extending from the north and just inside that is another man-made breakwater extending from a small natural headland on the south. Again inside that is another breakwater-dock combination extending from the north. 

As we entered from the SE we were required to make a Z-shaped maneuver to get around these breakwaters and enter the inner harbor. Fortunately there was a tug waiting to assist in case the wind overcame the ship's thrusters. With a little help from the tug we made it around the corners and safely to dock. 

Friendly little tug

As we were edging sideways into the berth I watched another cruise ship slowly approach and negotiate that same channel, again with the assistance of the friendly little tug. This ship was the Pride of America, the Norwegian Cruise Line ship with the all American crew that specializes in cruises around the Hawaiian Islands. 

I've heard that the crew of that ship is more

Pride of America negotiating breakwaters

interested in flirting and otherwise socializing with fellow crew members than providing service to the paying passengers. I think this is a case where I'll accept the scuttlebutt as true and avoid first-hand experience. 

We are in Nawiliwili just for a few hours today. The Gangway went down a little after 0830 and "all aboard" is at 1630 so in the intervening eight hours those who are going ashore will wait until those who have booked excursions have loaded into their buses, then stand in line waiting to go ashore, then load into the shuttle buses to the souvenir shops, wait to catch the shuttle back to the ship, stand in line to get through security and finally make

Sunrise over Nawiliwili harbor

their way back on board.   

Pride of America and Pride of Kyushu

I stayed on board, relaxing, reading, letting the warm breeze remove my arthritis pains, doing a little thinking and even a little travel reporting. A guy could get used to this kind of life.  

I've heard of people who book continuous cruises instead of going to a retirement home. They say the price is about the same but the food is better. The medical care probably isn't as good but you could save burial costs by opting for a burial at sea and have them just drop you over the side when your number comes up. Hmmmm, I wonder if my long-term medical care policy would cover such an arrangement?

I forgot to mention service in the paragraphs above. That's the thing that makes cruise ships special.  Competent and friendly people who can make the customer happy are what brings the passengers back. 

Mini-Schnauzer towel art

From the time we go to breakfast we hear the friendly greetings of the cabin stewards (who memorize each person's name from the first day), the dining room attendants and even the deck hands. We return to the stateroom to made up beds and tidied cabin and in the evening the beds are turned down, chocolates laid out with the room service breakfast menu and every evening a new piece of towel art decorates the bed. 

I must say it's a pleasure to be pampered. 

We are preparing to sail. It's about four on Thursday afternoon and I'm relaxing in a deck chair watching the waxing gibbous moon sailing up into a warm tropical sky. I guess there's something about that also that makes cruising attractive. 

Cruising Schemes - 1/30/15

Earlier I promised to comment on ways the cruise lines make money despite low advertised prices.

Since just yesterday I touted the pleasures of cruising it's probably only fair to balance the equation today by mentioning some of the ways they make the money it takes to stay in business. For, make no mistake, as I used to explain to my customers when I was in business for myself, there's no free lunch. If I lost money on every contract I would have soon been out of business. 

In the case of Holland America (the only one I know much about), the published fares aren't all there is to the bottom line. 

When we first started cruising prices were somewhat higher but most things except alcoholic beverages were included. Tipping was optional and little white envelopes were available at the Front Desk so tips could be given discreetly at the end of the cruise.

Today things are different. For starters there is a $10/day per person tip charge to our on-board account "for our convenience" to eliminate the little white envelopes.  

Drinks such as juices, water, tea and coffee are still included, except bottled water (1 l) in the stateroom which is $3.25 per, plus a15% service charge.   Alcoholic beverages are all on the "extra" list as are all sodas and mixers, again, plus that 15%. There is a package deal available for drinkers for a charge of $44.95 per day which includes all drinks with a price of $7.00 and below. That deal comes with the caveat that all persons in the same cabin must purchase the package. Oh, yes, the 15% applies here too. Alcoholic beverages run five bucks and up ($10.95 for VS cognac) so if a couple were heavy drinkers the $99.45/day might be a good deal for them. 

There are two "premium" restaurants on board. They require special reservations and cost "a nominal extra fee" of $15 for one and $29 for the other. That's per person, plus the 15% of course. 

Internet access is another money maker. On this trip we are fortunate to have access to shore cell towers when in port or anchored close in but when at sea or in foreign ports, unless you have a satellite phone, you're dependent on the ship for access to the world. The smallest plan is 100 minutes at seventy five cents per minute and they range up to the one thousand minute plan at twenty five cents per.   

Then there is the casino which is open when the ship is at sea. The odds on the table games are a little worse than the Indian casinos at home and the slot machines are pretty tight but, hey, it's the only game in town so some people are in there a lot when at sea. 

Shore excursions are sold on board and give early access to the gangway and the ship will wait if you are delayed getting back, as one busload was yesterday in Nawiliwili. The downside is the premium price for the convenience. Same tours are available at the various ports at declining prices depending on how far from the landing you walk. 

On-board shops range from clothing and sundries to liquor, jewelry and art. I'm not sure of the financial arrangements but it looks like some are operated by the company using low cost employees but changing high prices. Others appear to be operated by concessionaires paying the company a commission. 

The Spa attracts lots of business from old ladies (and some men) trying to stay young. Massages, haircuts and perms,  exfoliation treatments and other guaranteed youth restoratives are on offer with daily special package deals. 

All the above being said, I think I am happy with the arrangement. If a person wants to play the big spender, which some do, it helps keep the cruise price lower for those of us who are more frugal. The basics are good and the frills are expensive but help the company make a profit. 

The meals in the dining room are unfailingly good; the foods in the other dining areas are good and the buffet offers plenty if you feel like dining in your shorts and Tshirt (or even bathing suit).  The stage shows are sometimes appealing and at other times the selection of dance or listening music is plenty good. 

I wish the internet access were better but I can live with it. In the past I've carried my laptop but this time thought I'd get by with just my phone and tablet. It turns out I wish I had my laptop just for the full size keyboard. The phone is convenient and takes decent pictures but it is tough to make any speed typing only with thumbs. The tablet is larger and I can use the Swype function to speed up the data entry but it's not even close to a keyboard. The voice recognition on either leaves a lot to be desired.  

But, as I say, I can live with it.   If I could speed things up I'd probably just bore you with excess verbiage and trivia not asked for.  

So, there you have the other side of the coin regarding the nuts and bolts of the cruising experience. If you have questions or want more information let me know and I'll try to get give honest answers. 

The Big Island – 2/1/15

Yesterday morning we anchored off Kailua-Kona in calm seas on the sunny side of the Big Island.

MS Veendam at anchor off  Kona

We caught a tender to the port and walked up and around the small bay where the Big Island Ironman swimming leg starts and the running leg ends.  

Hulihee Museum is worth a visit if you are in Kona. The displays of furniture and room settings from the last of the Hawaiian royalty are good and the explanations by the docents are even better, but if you get there check out the floors which are all Douglas fir clear vertical grain old growth lumber brought over in the old days from the Pacific NW.  

We took the tour a couple years ago when we vacationed here in Kona so didn't go through this time but when we went through that time I had a hard time paying attention to the commentary because I was so busy admiring the floor.

The oldest Christian church in Hawaii, built in 1820 by missionaries, is also located here in Kona and is worth a visit. Again, since we went through it last time we were here we just admired it from the outside this time.

We were treated to a dinner in the Italian restaurant tonight. We were seated right next to a western

Sunset from Kona 

facing window so watched the sunset hoping to see the green flash. Didn't see the elusive green flash but were treated to an amazing sunset along with our first course.

Overnight we traveled around the north end of the Big Island and docked in Hilo this morning a little after sunrise. Speaking of sunrise, it's interesting to compare the times of sunrise and sunset at the different locations even though the time zone is the same.

Today, here in Hilo toward the eastern part of the time zone, sunrise was at 0655 and sunset will be at 1811.  Two days ago when we were in Kauai, toward the western part of the time zone, sunrise was at 0716 and sunset was at 1824.  

Of course, theoretically there should be about an hour difference between the eastern and western edges of the same time zone since by definition they split the earth into 24 zones to match its time of rotation. In reality it isn't that easy. Various zones are stretched, shrunk or otherwise gerrymandered for political and other reasons. In fact, it seems there are a couple time zones in southeast Asia somewhere that are only 30 minutes wide.

Ikuko didn't want to leave the ship today so I decided to walk into Hilo and look over the farmers market. It turned out to be three miles in and three miles back to the ship so was quite a walk. Interesting scenery and friendly joggers made it seem shorter and the farmers market itself was worth the effort.  

The market produce section alone was about the size of our Pike Street Market but the handicrafts area was many times larger with several massage booths, acupuncture tables, fortune tellers and other such specialists in relieving tourists of spare dollars.

On the walk back to the ship I detoured through the memorial park for the victims of the 1960 tsunami that wiped out a good part of the town. It is an interesting memorial to mankind's seemingly unquenchable desire to rebuild in areas fraught with danger. There had been previous tsunamis in that area just as there have been previous hurricanes in our coastal areas and avalanches in our mountains. It seems short term pleasure overrides long term danger and human memory is short.

Back toward the entrance to the cruise ship terminal there is a large traffic circle where tourist buses and taxis can queue up to load and unload passengers. I saw there was a green area in the middle so since there wasn't a vehicle in sight I took the short cut direct from the gate toward the passenger entrance and admired some bonsai trees that were struggling to survive amidst the sand and gravel in the center of the circle.

Little did I know but I had trampled on forbidden territory. A couple of guards began to blow their whistles and one came out waving her arms saying that I couldn't be out there because I might get run over. I explained that I was admiring the little bonsai trees that were almost as old as me. She was mollified a little but told me to be careful not to get run over. I didn't point out the obvious. There still wasn't a vehicle in sight.

I should know by now after dealing with the military and other government officials, not to mention the TSA folks, for all these years: Never mess with officials single mindedly doing their jobs.

Oh, well.  We sail soon for another relaxing few days on that great Pacific Ocean. No traffic circles, barricades or taped off cross walks out there.

A Day at Sea – 2/2/15

Today is Monday, the day after the Seahawk's debacle. We have returned to more or less normal. Ikuko actually got a good night's sleep despite saying she wouldn't sleep a wink due to replaying that terrible ending in her mind.

Today promises to be a normal day at sea so I thought it'd bore you by recounting the day's activities.

Out of bed at 0630 I took a nice hot shower, recorded my blood sugar and blood pressure readings and headed up a deck to the Lido (buffet dining area) for a cup of tea while I read the little four-page recap of the day's news placed in our cabin door slot each morning by our steward. (See, I told you I would bore you.)

The daily news recap is published each day in five editions. The American edition is picked up from the NY Times, a Canadian edition, a British edition from the BBC, an Australian edition, and a German edition which is published in German from Der Spiegel. 

After the tea and news I went by the library to pick up the daily NY Times Sudoku (easy and hard) printout and talk to our friendly librarian, Bonnie, (again) about the abysmal internet service. Bonnie said she would review my internet account and post credit for those times when I signed on but couldn't send or receive.

Worked the Sudoku puzzles while Ikuko was making herself presentable to the public and then we went to brunch. We have decided that two meals a day are plenty for us so we eat brunch around ten and dinner at the early seating scheduled for 1730.

Back down to the lower promenade deck, we walked four laps to get in a mile then Ikuko went upstairs while I walked another mile and counted. There were eighteen people on the sunny starboard side and seven on the port side relaxing in deck chairs. Most were reading with five reading electronic devices with the other readers doing it the old fashioned way. One lady was knitting, some were chatting and a few were sleeping. I counted only thirteen walkers but the ship is a little bouncy due to the swell so some walkers may have decided to wait for flatter seas. There were two older gentlemen sitting in the seats near the stern watching the wake. I suppose they are hard of hearing like me since several of the walkers cover their ears as they round the stern because of the noise of the props, engines and rushing water in that location.

I was going to comment also on the age range of the passengers. There are a few younger folks in their forties or fifties but most of the pax range from sixties up through nineties. I saw a young child near the pool one day but that's the only one and she may have been part of one of the ship's company's family. On one cruise the ship’s doctor was middle aged with a couple of younger children but I don't know about this one.

Our captain has a cute Dutch accent but he actually lives on Mercer Island. He appears to be in his early sixties and I don't know if he has his family with him or not. Most of the crew don't have a choice whether to bring families but I think some of the entertainers have theirs.  Probably part of the perks for the better (read pricey) ones.

In any case, it's hard to tell but I would guess Ikuko and I fit toward the lower middle range of the age spread of passengers. The entertainers, teachers, librarian and others who help provide classes, games and other diversions for the passengers are mostly younger although some of the musicians are older.

On previous cruises I've seen single male escorts who have arrangements with the company to keep the single older ladies entertained. They usually are seen in the dance venues asking the single ladies to dance. I haven't noticed any this cruise. I also haven't noticed many single women with their eye cocked for eligible men. Then, again, that might be a factor of the age group.

Our daily program had alerted us that there would be a time change at noon. Usually the time changes take place in the middle of the night so this one was a little different. At noon the captain came on the speakers to remind us to move our watches forward one hour. He also gave us an update on the weather and sea conditions and reminded us to help prevent the spread of illness by using the hand sanitation stations located at strategic places throughout the ship.  

New to me this cruise are the automatic hand washing devices port and starboard at both ends of the Lido. They are activated when hands are inserted in the holes. The device sprays sanitizing liquid and a rinse via revolving nozzles and in ten seconds you are ready to dry with the paper towels provided and off you go with sanitary hands.

It was such a tiring morning that when I returned to the cabin I decided to take a short nap and went outside and soon fell asleep in the warm sun. Tried to take a selfie but didn't do a very good job. I really need to get one of those selfie poles that were so popular when we were in Korea last year.

I think I mentioned earlier that our cabin is on the starboard side of the ship. On the way out from San Diego we were traveling from cold weather to warm so our northward facing balcony was comfortable with just the warm breezes. Now on the way back from warm to cool l am glad we are on the southern facing side and can take advantage of the sun as well as the warm breezes. Soon enough we'll be back in Seattle in the midst of winter and these warm memories will come in handy.

We'll also get to see the full moon in a couple more days or nights.

Still with me and not bored yet? Did you know where the terms starboard and port come from?

In the old days before rudders were invented ships had a steering board mounted to the stern on the right side of the ship. This was known as the "steerboard" side (eventually corrupted to starboard). When the ship tied up at port this side had to face away from the dock because of the awkward steering board and so the left side was always facing the port. So there you have it, maybe. Out here I don't have access to Google so you'll just have to trust my increasingly defective memory.

After that rejuvenating nap I decided to head back up to the Lido deck and sit by the pool while I wrote awhile. While walking through the buffet area I was tempted to have some ice cream and a cookie but there were ten people in line so that reinforced my resolve to have only two meals a day.  Although I did debate whether ice cream and a cookie could even be counted as a meal. Surely a little snack on occasion wouldn't hurt?  

It was cool and breezy on the deck by the pool so after writing awhile I decided to go back to our cabin. On the way back through the Lido I resolved the snack debate in my favor and decided to have a small Caesar salad. Well, it was a small salad but I couldn't resist taking half dozen anchovies to go with it. Mmmm, tasty.

Back in the cabin it's time to read awhile and review our options for the rest of the day. The main show tonight is a comedian so instead I think we'll go dancing after dinner. There is a decent orchestra playing ballroom dance music in the Ocean Bar so if the ship isn't dancing too we'll go there.

Tonight is a formal night so we'll need to spend a little extra time preparing. Well, one of us will anyway. I can hop into my clothes in no time and my beard and hair style are a piece of cake. The ladies now, that's a different story. Nowadays on the formal nights the guys aren't decked out in tuxedos like they once were. Now it's just coats and ties but most of the ladies look very nice in gowns and jewelry.

So there you have a rambling account of one man's day at sea. Of course, there are plenty of options and people send their days in different ways. The main thing is to do your own thing and enjoy. :-)

Life – 2/4/15

Cancer walkers

Today Ikuko and I celebrated life by joining with about 50 of our fellow passengers "on deck for a cause" in a five kilometer walk around the deck. In return for our donation we received T shirts and wrist bands. There was inspiring music at the start/finish line and fruit and cookies for those who wanted a quick snack after they finished.

The Holland America cancer charity is relatively new but has raised millions of dollars for cancer research and donates to cancer research in several countries including the UK, US, Australia, Canada, Germany and the Netherlands.

Cancer walker with a walker

We walked in honor of brother Harry, sister Retha, brother Keith, sister Sue and sister Darla, cancer survivors all. As a survivor myself I was in the front rank of the walkers as we started off around the deck celebrating life and survival.  

There were other survivors and I was surprised by some of the old folks struggling to get around the deck including one man wearing a knee brace, a woman with a cane and one old man pushing a walker who could only do half a lap between rest stops.

Life is everywhere about us.  I'm pleasantly surprised by the live flowers in our room each morning, the orchids in the Lido at every table, flower arrangements at the entrance to the dining room and a huge one in the center of the main floor. On our tables in the dining room the flowers are changed daily and range from huge white daisies tonight to beautiful chrysanthemums a couple days ago.

And, of course, we are sailing over the source of all life on our planet.  The ocean seems empty but even here in the middle of nowhere the ocean teems with life.

We don't see many birds because they aren't attracted to a big hunk of steel but back in the old days when garbage was thrown over the side the birds flew right along looking for handouts. I mentioned earlier about crossing the Pacific on a troopship. Every afternoon the kitchen detail would bring the garbage up to the poop deck and the accumulated leftovers and garbage of 24 hours would fly over the side, much to the delight of the bird hangers on.

The nonedible garbage sank or found its way to the great Pacific gyre, where it may be to this day, some fifty years later. Not much different from the days of my youth on Orcas Island when Grandma would ask me to take the garbage down and throw it in the "salt chuck." The birds and crabs had a feast on the edibles and the nonedibles in those days were not plastic so eventually mostly rusted or oxidized away.

Nowadays we are a little more enlightened and understand that life, both wild and human, needs a little help to make it on this little planet we call home. Out here in the middle of the Pacific it seems deserted but just over the horizon there are billions of people. Whether they are American or Australian or Peruvian or Chinese they all want some of the good life for themselves and their children. And we can't just throw away the leftovers and trash of that good life. Even this great ocean isn't deep enough to swallow all those leftovers.

Better to make new life out of the old by recycling more, buying less, and making more homebrew. Of course, it's difficult in the modern world to go back to the old ways of subsistence gardening and small family farms. In fact there aren't many small family farms any more let alone people who know how to till the ground or plant seeds.

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Well, I was on a roll last night writing and thinking about life. Feeling pretty optimistic when the news came on about the pilot burned alive in that cage. It quickly deflated my optimism about life and goodness. When humans(?) can do those kinds of things to other humans it makes me wonder about our future. Maybe next we'll be treated to a video of adherents to the only true religion flaying alive their heretical captives.

Then again, people under the influence of extreme parts of religions tend to do some pretty barbaric things.  It hasn't been that long ago that the European inquisitors used exquisite torture techniques to expose heretics and witches.

When we read of such things in history books it is a little removed from everyday reality but when we get a play by play with living (dead?) color delivered straight to our living room it makes gruesome beheadings, and now, burning alive confined in a cage particularly barbaric and inhumane.

So, what can I do to combat such craziness in the name of Islam, or any religion, or even nonreligion, for that matter?     

I can name evil for what it is.  We have no problem calling the Nazi exterminations evil; likewise Stalin's purges, and those of Pol Pot or even those of the Tutsi's. Just because evil is committed under the umbrella of religion is no reason for me not to call it evil. It is not "misguided religious zealots“ but evil, pure and simple, and I must not hesitate to call it that.

I must make the difficult choice to support and defend military action to rid the world of this kind of evil even though I know it will require sacrifices of blood and money. It may also require personal sacrifices in that I may be called intolerant and a war monger. I cannot hide behind the fiction that someone else will take care of it. Moreover, I can and must give my support to those individuals and organizations that are advocates of such action.

I can look for the good in life and in people and encourage and support good choices and good actions, whether it's doing the recycling mentioned above or walking to the store or doing more volunteer work for my favorite charity or VFW Post.

I can act in ways that support life and the good. My actions may not carry national significance or even influence city or state wide decisions but I can and must do whatever I can to support the good and life. If I can do nothing more than give my neighbor a good word tomorrow, at least I can and will do that.

If my little bit of support for life and good can encourage another person to do the same and that person does the same and so on, perhaps there is hope for our collective future. I hope so. The alternative is too grim to contemplate.

Cruise Wrap – 2/6/15 

This is our last day at sea since we arrive in Ensenada, Mexico, tomorrow around noon. From there we sail tomorrow evening for our return to San Diego early Saturday morning.

Yesterday we walked the deck during the windiest day so far. The swell that has been with us since we left Hilo continued and the wind was a steady 40 mph. The wind was from the starboard bow so every once in awhile the bow would throw a wave high enough that the wind would blow some water onto that part of the deck just behind the bow bulkhead that protects the first couple cabins.  The lower promenade deck is number seven so that water was about forty feet above its normal place.  Fortunately there weren't many waves that broke that high so we didn't get wet on that side of the ship.

The other (port) side was a different matter. Being the lee side I thought that would be the dry side but the wind was eddying around and over the ship and bringing with it the fine spray from the waves so the entire exposed deck was wet and there was even salt water dripping off the life boats above our heads. It was a misty spray and the temperature was about 68 so it didn't bother us much. I did have to wash the salt off my sunglasses later though.

When we were up on the top decks later I saw that the entire port side of the ship was wet with that spray. The wind, in its own way, can be just as powerful as the ocean.

After Ikuko went in I thought I'd verify the distance around the deck that is always noted as being one quarter mile. Despite the swells it wasn't hard to count paces and the way I walked (cutting close on the corners) I made it out to be 1,267.5 feet per lap, so 52.5 feet shy of a full quarter mile. Although I must say that if I had walked around the full outside portion of the deck it would have more than measured up.  

It might seem like a ship like this is a small thing but if you took the standard high school track, squeezed it in from the sides, thereby lengthening it, it would be the same size as the promenade deck of the Veendam. The surface on the ship is teak so it makes a comfortable walk and even when the wind is calm the movement of the ship creates an apparent wind equivalent to our forward speed. Always refreshing is a walk around the deck.

We ran away from the swells sometime during the night. When I woke during the night at first I thought we had docked but no, it was just the lack of swells that made it so quiet. I had to look outside to confirm and there was the full moon reaching for Orion's belt in a clear night sky. Even with the full moon I could see many more stars than we can see at home in the sky washed out by the city lights of Seattle. 

The brass throughout the ship would make a drill sergeant proud. No lacquered brass here. No matter the time of day there is always someone polishing brass. Of course, the cleaners and polishers don't stop with the brass. Since contagious illness is always a worry aboard ship all the touchable surfaces are cleaned and disinfected several times a day. Even the high and relatively inaccessible surfaces are cleaned routinely by workers using extendable dusters.  The carpets are cleaned with standard, canister vacuum cleaners but in the dining areas the workers use cordless, backpack type machines which are very quiet and seem to have extra fine filters so the dust is contained and not just blown around.

I talked with the captain yesterday. He'd came up behind me at one of the sandwich counters in the Lido buffet and while our sandwiches were being made I asked him questions. First I offered to let him go ahead of me since he was in uniform and on duty. He laughed and thanked me but said he always wore his uniform when on cruises but that he was currently off for lunch.

Earlier I mentioned that he and his family lived on Mercer Island but he told me that they had moved to Bainbridge Island after finding a place over there with a price too good to resist.

We ate dinner in the Pinnacle Restaurant tonight. It is one of the two specialty restaurants on board and charges an extra fee ($29/person) for reservations. The service was even better than in the Rotterdam dining room and the selection and quality of the food was likewise better than the already high standard in the regular dining room. In my judgment the experience was worth the extra fee and we will probably do it again on a future cruise, if we go on one.  

Our captain and his wife came in about an hour after we sat down and dined with a group of eight at the next table making small talk with what were probably the occupants of some of the luxury sites.  Can't figure out why we weren't invited to one of his dinners.  ;-)

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Continuing on Friday afternoon.

We continued to be blessed by favorable weather overnight and today with warm breezes and seas devoid of swells. It's nice to have the ship be a stable platform under foot. I must say, however, that even with the big swells it’s not uncomfortable once sea legs are acquired, usually 12 to 24 hours.  The ship has a good stabilizer system which, according to the captain, eliminates eighty percent of the rolling motion but it can't eliminate the pitching (up and down, fore and aft) motions caused by the ship riding up and over those big swells.

Ensenada pilot preparing to come aboard

We picked up the "piloto" about eleven this morning, sailed into Ensenada and were safely tied up by noon at "Ensenada Cruise Ship Village." We could see there were photo ops with appropriately garbed locals at the bottom of the gateway but Ikuko and I decided to pass and are hanging out on board instead for the duration of this short stop.

Incidentally, this short stop is required by the Jones Act, with a last major revision in 1920, enacted to protect US shipping. This act requires cargo and passengers carried between US ports to be carried on US bottoms, with certain exceptions. So, since the Veendam is a foreign flagged vessel it cannot carry passengers beginning and ending in the US ports without making an intervening stop in a foreign port. And,

Ensenada Cruiseport Village

here we are in Ensenada. The same rationale applies to the cruises that round trip to Alaska out of Seattle, which is why they stop at Victoria on the way home. There's more (a lot) to the Jones Act than this but it does explain those quirky little stops in Victoria and Ensenada.  

It also explains why the Pride of America, which I mentioned in an earlier report, can sail around Hawaii forever. It is US owned and has an all-US crew. 

On the way from San Diego out to the Islands we were on the shady side of the ship so didn't notice but on this leg we could see the steady progress of the sun as it crept further into our cabin as each day of northeasterly sailing carried us away from the tropics toward the remainder of winter in Seattle. When we left Hilo we were at approx 19.7° north latitude and when we reach San Diego we'll be at approx 32.7° north latitude so will have moved north about 13 degrees.  By the time we get back to Seattle we'll have moved about 28 degrees north of Hilo. The sun will still be low in the sky when we reach home but the days will be getting longer.  Yeah!

We'll be sailing soon and tomorrow morning will be hectic what with getting off the ship and over to the airport so I'll get this off to Charlie tonight so he can post it. I'll have a few more pictures later when I get back home to high speed Wi-Fi.  

Until then, we've enjoyed our cruise, I've enjoyed reporting on our doings and I hope you have enjoyed reading about them.

Also, many thanks to Charles Anderson for taking me under his wing, dedicating a spot on his website to our adventures and saving me the hassle of trying to send individual reports to each of you.

Happy traveling,

Harold and Ikuko