My first Aloha (well,actually my 2nd)

My first real trip to Hawaii was to visit two of my girlfriends that were living there. I was lucky that one living on Oahu worked for United, and lived on the windward side of the island with her daughter. Francie and I had become friends while we both had a stay in the hospital in Concord. We were roommates and needless to say the hospital staff was very happy to see us go when we were released. Ah the good old days.......
But back to Hawaii. So, I planned to go spend a week on Oahu with Francine and her daughter Christy and then over to the big island of Hawaii to see my friend Mimi who was living with her brother Mike.
I loved seeing all the tourist sights of Oahu. We went to Waikiki and Hanama Bay, up to Punchbowl Cemetary and of course out to Pearl Harbor to see the USS Arizona. We drove all the way around the island and saw the North Shore that is famous for surfing and saw the Ioloni Palace where the last of the Hawaiian Royalty lived. She really did take me everywhere. We also went to Christy's Girl Scout island rally and I was in a three legged race with her and other sundry things that her mother couldn't do. (She has a bum knee) I had so much fun that I had a hard time leaving the island but flew over to Hawaii to Kona where Mimi and I began our adventure there.
Mimi is very tall and exotic looking and attracts everyone whereever she goes. Men offer her things every time we go out and she just smiles and politely says no thanks as she meanders through her life. She is a stunning woman with a classy way about her and one of the nicest women I have ever been friends with. She and I started by hitting the local hangout called Huggos and the party began. Oh we did plenty of sightseeing. She had found a local boy that she had fallen for and he came with a huge Hawaiian family and when you come to visit you are Ohana (family). So, Aunti Tio would take me shopping, and Uncle Keke would take me to the Beach. I had a luau in my honor on the Sunday after I got there. The pig and all. It was about 30 people asking if I wanted to go with them to see this or that? Did I have a car to drive me here or there? Take theirs, they wouldn't need it on Thursday. It was a wonderful feeling of love and community that they gave me. For a Howlie I was ok because I was Mimi's friend. They made it so easy to fall in love with them all. I got to see the volcano erupt while hearing one of the Uncles tell tales of Pele, the goddess of the Fire. He even brought a bottle of Gin to throw in the Volcano to appease her. You bet I did too!!!! Everywhere we went there was someones cousin or realtive that lived close by and we needed to stop and say aloha to. I learned so many phrases while I was there that it was amazing I could talk english when I got back.
I saw the island through their eyes. And it was the only way to see it.
I know a lot of people who say they don't want to go to Hawaii.That it isn't that big of a deal. But I am here to tell you that the Aloha spirit once you see it up close, never leaves you. I can honestly say that I don't go back to Oahu anymore. I don't like the island as it is too overpopulated, but I do love Maui, Kauaii, and Hawaii as they have that same spirit and people there are willing to be friendly and helpful if you are respectful of their culture and island. After all they were there first.

All that white stuff and it didn't stick!!!

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you! Last Tuesday I was home cooking our Thanksgiving since we both had to work on turkey day, and all day long it snowed.Sometimes hard, sometimes lightly but little soft flakes fell all day long. It made the roofs all white and the streets just barely covered in white and just enough at one point to make our back yard look like a winter wonderland. It was very nice while I was indoors not having to get out in it. I have to say I was worried about Wednesday morning when I would have to get up before the sun and drive to work. But it was dry and clear and you wouldn't have known it had snowed. There was no eve-idence of it anywhere.
I had made Cal take all of us (the dogs and I) down to the beach to get pictures of the snow there, but there wasn't enough there to get in the picture, just the arctic wind that they had been talking about. Needless to say we weren't out but a minute or two. Damn but it was cold!!!!! So, I have to say I really would not take up skiiing or snowboarding anytime soon. I really don't like the cold at all. I love to look at it from a warm dry place.
Cal and I had talked about going to Yellowstone in the winter. I thought that it would be beautiful to see with all the snow. Now, I am rethinking that idea. I think early fall would be nice. See the leaves change color? Don't you think? Me too! Much better plan! I will rent a film about it in the winter if I want to see all the snow.
Hmmmmmmmmm, perhaps this is a sign I am getting old and will not be willing to try all those things that in my youth I wanted to do? Has time finally caught up with me and I will not be willing to go an explore as much as I still want to? Nah! I won't run with the bulls in Spain, but who would be that stupid? No, I just won't climb K-2 or Everest or go to Machu Pichu. No, I will stick to Italy and New Orleans and places that are warmer climates. There is still a lot to see that I haven't and I can see them all when there isn't snow.
I am pretty sure of that now.
I will sit here and have a nice glass of wine, maybe a Frogs Tooth Temparnillo, or maybe a Willamette Valley Pinot, choices seem to be in my favor today.
Wishing you all a happy turkey day and that you are safe and warm as I toast you from the cold region of Oregon.

Stormy weather

Now that I live here in the great Northwest, I am learning about the new weather that I get to live in. I have always loved to experience the different seasons. I love the changing colors of fall, and I really don't mind the rain and cold of winter. But, I have to say that I love a good storm, when I can stay in and watch it rage around me. I am not so happy about it when I have to drive to work in it. But I must say it does afford some amazing scenes to unfold. This morning was a full moon that was setting over the ocean when I left for work at 6:30 (yes, AM) It cast a glow to the water. It's too bad that I was really busy trying to keep my car from sliding on the icy roads. They were frosted over from the rain. I slipped and slid everywhere!!! Ah the joys of it all. Then after I got to work, and unwrapped myself from my coat and scarf and gloves, I then got to hear that they are predicting snow tomorrow here at the coast. SNOW!!!!! AT THE COAST! What happened to the west coast being warm I ask you? Oh yea, I am in the Northwest(Sigh!) I am not missing the sun, I am not missing the heat or the dust or the oak trees, but I am not ready for snow. Uh-uh! No sireee, no way jose, that is not what I wanted at all. The up side is that I am off the next two days. So, although I am going to be going out in it if it does, it will be on my terms, meaning Cal will be driving, not me. And I will be bundled up just like the transplanted California girl that I am, from head to toe, cuz I don't like the snow!!!
Although it would be pretty to see in on the beach...............Ok, as long as it goes away by Wednesday morning when I have to go to work I guess it will be ok, but I will not stand for it any longer than that, do you hear me Mother Nature??? I am just voicing my very vocal opinion!
Now, if all of you don't mind, I am going to go see if Overstock.com has an electric blanket on sale. I need one for my bed if we are going to be having the white stuff around here. The dogs can only keep me warm for so long then I need a little help. Everyone have a great Thanksgiving!!!!!!

Adventures in driving

Moving to the Northwest has become an adventure in itself for me. I am learning all the ways to stay warm in the cold and damp. And I have to tell you I am not bad at it. For the most part I like it. I can bundle up and I can go inside if it gets too cold. I have always loved rain and storms as long as I didn't have to drive in them. Well, now I get to learn that too. I only work about 10 miles from my house and most of it is driving through town so it isn't bad. I only have to get on Highway 101 which is about three blocks from my street and follow it to the turnoff for my work and I am there. There is a stretch that takes me over the Seiletz River and Bay. Now, I used to commute to San Francisco every day over the Bay Bridge, so going over two very small bridges shouldn't be any problem right? But I have always had an overwhelming fear of drowning or being trapped in a car in the water. So, of course, for those that know me well, I learned to sail, and love to be on the water in a boat. Am I a good swimmer? No. Am I strong? No. But I keep putting myself out there subconsciously I think to do those things that I fear most. Like crossing bridges every day. Living at the ocean. So, now I am reading up on all the defensive driving techniques when driving in the rain. I must admit, at 6:30-7am in the morning there is very little traffic to worry about here. In fact, before 7am, the only place to get coffee is at the 24 hour Safeway that has a Starbucks, every other coffee drivethru place doesn't open until 7 or after.
So, I try not to get distracted when driving in to work first thing in the morning. But some mornings it is hard when the fog or clouds begin to dissipate and the pinks and mauves and orange begins to blur together to make this collage of colors that light up the sky and the calm straits by the bay reflects it while the drift wood creates this drama of textures. I had to pull over and watch a group of migrating birds come together in a V shape and head south over the water while the reflections of colors changed from pinks and purples to firery reds and ocher smudged with brilliant coppers as the sun made its debut. The waves in the distance began to come alive from just light shadows to white flashes that caught a bit of color themselves as if hearlding the coming day. I sat there watching without thought of anything but to remember how vivid it all was at that single moment. If I had spent the time pulling out the camera and adjusting the lens, I would have missed the play of colors as they quickly changed from one to another.

I am sure that people passing by me wondered at what I was doing at the side of the road, but sometimes, that is where the magic is. It isn't always on the rim of the Grand Canyon, or standing in a forest of ancient trees. Sometimes it is in a moment of time that comes from nowhere and leaves just as fast. Sometimes you are the only one to see it. Doesn't matter if no one else does, it just matters if you feel it in your soul. Something clicks and it feels right. I know that I have always found that even the smallest of drives have divulged some great wonders and there is always something to be seen and learned and be in awe of  if only we take the time to look. So stretch out your wings, your feet, and your tires and see whats in your neighborhood, or around the next block from you. I would love to know what you have found.

I once found a big purple house when I was driving around. I was amazed at how very big and very purple (I mean grape colored purple) this house was! Then there was a time when we (Cal and I) got lost and found a great craft fair in a tiny little town in Nevada. Cal still doesn't let me live it down, but we bought some wonderful handmade Christmas ornaments. We also took the loneliest highway in the US. Highway 50 I think it was across Nevada to Ely. We learned that the trantualas were giving birth and that they then migrated to somewhere(That's another story!). They were crossing the road by the thousands as we were driving over them! Yuk! But it was very interesting at the time that we found out. So, there can always be an up side to driving to your destination.
I truly believe the old saying, It isn't the destination it is the journey that makes you wise.

Rain, rain, go away, come again another day..............

Alot of you asked me when I said I was moving to Oregon if I would be bothered by so much rain. It is so damp up there! It's so cold and wet! Aren't you going to miss the sun? Well I haven't survived the whole winter yet, but I think my sense of adventure has kicked in.
I live in a two story house that has a small view of the ocean from our upstairs deck and when there is a storm I can even see the waves if it clears up. Since it is two stories we feel the 60-75 mile an hour winds and hear it when we are watching TV.  I have a bay window in the dining room and I can see the rain hitting it sideways sometimes (but not for long periods of time). The rain is here and it is raining almost every day. It is cold but still it hasn't gotten as cold as to freeze yet. But when there is a cloud break, it is spectacular! Being at the coast has it's advantages. I am buying a lot booof sweaters and hoodies, and  boots, but I have to tell you that I love it when it clears and the air is fresh! There isn't the dust, everything is clean and green and vibrant all year round. I drove to Newport which is like going to San Luis except I go past Cape Foulweather and it is a spectacular view when I do.
I do admit to missing my friends in Paso Robles. I miss you sorely, no ifs, ands or buts about it. But if I have to be somewhere else, I love it here. And it is so exciting to explore the area and see the beauty that is here. It is everywhere around me. And now that the new year is here I am finding that I am cold all the time!!! But I have not lost my sense of adventure, no siree! I am still sticking my head out on my days off and seeing if we can move around without an arm or a leg freezing off.
Last Tuesday Cal and I took the dogs and ventured off to McMinnville to pick up some wine (what else?). It had been clear for a few days but very cold. We wanted to get back as it was supposed to start raining again that night, and when we got out to walk the dogs only 60 miles inland, the temperature had dropped to 35 degrees there. In Lincoln City it was a balmy 40. We about froze. We came back before dark so as not to worry about snow or ice. I really have to say that I don't like the continuous cold and damp. But I am not melting so the Good Witch Glenda will just have to find another way to be rid of this wicked witch. So, let us hope that the weather will give us a day or two of warmer weather soon so I can actually feel my feet again. I am going to invest in socks with little batteries in them I think.

Daylight Savings Time Again!

I have never been a big fan of Daylight savings time. I say leave it alone! When traveling I hate the time changes and the different ways of having to change around your schedule even though your body doesn't know that just because you have flown to the east coast it is now later or earlier or whatever it might be. You are still hungry at the same time and I want to sleep at the same time. But now you have to get up earlier or get an extra hour of sleep and make sure the clocks have changed. REALLY?
But, today, I have changed my mind about it all. I got up and when I left for work there was light instead of dark. And there was this glow of pinks and light blues in the big marshmallow clouds that brought on the noontime rain. I even stopped on the way to work to take some pictures by Sieltz River where it comes to the sea because it was so beautiful to be there at dawn. Then coming home I stopped at almost the same spot to take another couple of pictures of the last rays of sun catching the tops of the thunderheads moving out over the ocean as the sun set. It was incredible that I was able to be there for it. No, I was only traveling to and from work, but I think we forget in our daily busy life to notice the beauty around us in our own backyard.
I always want to see far away places, but I also know that I just have to look around and I will find a park or a beach or someplace close that I have not explored (especially now!). So, if I can't take a vacation, I can get to know my area and make sure that its natural beauty of the everyday things do not escape me. Even in the dead of winter or during a rainstorm there can be something that can restore and replenish your soul. With all the negative things going on in the world, I for one want to find the positive and the beauty and see if it will make me feel good. I want to laugh and enjoy them and share them with all of you.
I will really learn how to put pictures on here one of these days. Oh well, for now I will just enjoy Oregon's liquid sunshine.

Dreaming of Vacation

I have started my new job this week and as with all new positions there is a lot to learn. My head is swimming in acronyms and new systems on the PC and what goes where, not to mention names of people I have met once. I have two things in my favor right now. My age and my philosophy. I know that I can conquer the work because I have done harder jobs in the past. And I don't take it so seriously as some of the younger ones do. I find that people that are half my age take it soooooooooooo seriously that you would think they were going to DIE if it didn't work out. I would just find another job. Now that is not to say I WANT to lose this job, just that my life would not end. My identity is not with my job as with some.
So, when I am getting too tied up in what has turned out to be 10 and 12 hour days my first week on the job, I take a break and think of where I want to go next on vacation.
Let's see will it be Yellowstone? Or shall we take advantage of being here in the Northwest and go up the coast of Washington and see British Columbia? I have seen this part of the world and it is spectacular! Then if it is as cold and rainy as they all say it will be all winter long, maybe I will want to go someplace more warm like Hawaii or New Orleans? Or Florida? I would love to see the Keys.
I will only get a week next year so it will have to be either close to home or we will fly in and stay in one place, no driving around. So, now I get to imagine all those places and what Cal and I would do in all of them. It is a great game for a gypsy like me. Almost like a mini-vacation in itself.
I have always found that the planning and learning about all the things that are at our destinations to be 50% of the fun of vacation. So I will begin to find out things about all these places over the coming months.
What's the best seasons to see them in. (I hear Yellowstone in the fall is beautiful!)
When is it less expensive? (I hear the week either just before or just after Thanksgiving at Disneyworld is discounted)
When is it just after tourist season but still good weather? (We like Feb-March for Hawaii when the Whales are there but not so many people)
What other things are there to see that isn't the obvoius things that you normally know about? (In New Orleans I would like to take a cruise of the Mississippi on a riverboat)
What tours are available and who does them? What's the pricing? Do they have off season discounts?
(In Hawaii they always have discounts and competative pricing on just about everything! We wait until we get there to look into it, but normally I make calls and start checking things online)
I also start checking out books from the library about the area that I am going to to learn about the area and its legends, folklore and any State Parks and local scenes or festivals that may be happening during the year.
I also will contact the Chamber of Commerce or the Visitor's Bureau when I have decided where we are going.
I like to know as much as I can so that we can enjoy all of the area. Cal likes to just go and be surprised so I usually don't share all of this with him till we are there. Then we decide on things we want to do and see. But at least I know all there is around.
When I get there I talk to all the locals I can to find out what they think. That is usually what makes the trip more special to me.
So, for now, I have my first days off in my first week of my new job. Already I am planning my vacation.
I guess I work to live, not live to work. Sounds a lot more fun don't you think?