Lanai Lookout at Sunrise and Halona Cove at Sunset

With today's sunrise...and sunset, I have reached the end of my Virtual Hawaiian Adventure.

The above Sunrise is at Lanai Lookout and it spectacular!

I may have to paint it some day.

I want to finish my Hawaiian (Lava Painting) before Lennon arrives this week...then take a couple of weeks before starting the next virtual adventure. 

So much out there to see and learn and experience.

And Sunset at Halona Cove

As we bid "Aloha" (...which is not only hello...but also goodbye...) in Hawaiian.

Finishing up my painting between now and Thursday night (will share a picture) and have ordered this as a souvenir of Virtual Hawaii.

The small silver turtle is fashioned after one of the sea turtle petroglyphs on Maui.

More anon...

Novel-The Plan: The Hospital

Bumping along, roughly, in the ambulance; Mark watched in horror as The General had another "cardiac episode" as the Paramedic called it.

By the time they reached Allegheny ER he had experienced two more smaller episodes.

The ER physician, a bespectacled balding man, peered over the top of his glasses addressing Mark as son while giving him the prognosis.

"He has had at least two major heart attacks and several smaller episodes of cardiac oxygen deprivation over the past few hours. His heart is badly damaged. It is somewhat of a miracle he is still alive, now. I'm sorry, son. He probably won't last the night."

 They moved him into an unused hospice room and placed him on oxygen as a comfort measure.  It was  dimly lit instead of the harsh hospital florescent lighting with its annoying buzz (like there were bees in your skull trying to find a way out).Mark knew about the bees. They had driven him to near craziness during his early days after the explosion. They had replaced the antiseptic smell of the ER with a light floral scent. Maybe Rose or Lily of the Valley. It was hard to tell. The walls were a restful peach.  Mossy and sage green accents highlighted the matching peach bedspread on the full sized (but still hospital) bed.

Every aspect of the room was well thought out, to help make dying (for the patient and the family) a less stressful experience. As if, thought Mark, that were possible.

When they were finally alone, The General motioned him to come closer to the bedside, and then clawed the coke-bottle green mask away from his nose and mouth.

"...eed you to isten..."

he formed the words carefully, although some were abbreviated with the tremendous effort it took to breathe.

""Dad, it is okay...I am sorry about what I said to you before..." Mark began to apologize.

The old man's eyes flashed anger and he repeated his command more forcefully.

"...amn it, ark, shu the uck up...eed you to isten. "

The General was still, very much in there, somewhere.

Mark listened.

So much of it choppy, garbled, long pauses for breath then beginning again, some of it made no sense at all and he wondered if some other type damage was done when The General's body was deprived of oxygen.

But as he sorted through names he did not recognize  Mygina and "...TEVEN" who The General adamantly insisted was his son (although everyone knew that he had only daughters) and that

"...ast'rd k'lled h'm an' I cou'dn elp st'p it."


 and listened to his tear-clotted confession about Jerry.

"...amn it, s'n...I di it for yo...wht kin f a fri'nd oes wht he di to yo...???"

"I lov' oo, son"

when he wiped the tears from his dad's face, The General turned and looked him sternly in the eye and added

"...ucking 'octor was t'ying oo get c'los oo Trac...she tol' me sh was sc'red f h'm. H' k'led er...b'cau'se sh' w'nted oo be b'ck w'th yo..."



Then he closed his eyes, exhaling deeply. He had finished what he had to say and drifted into sleep from the exertion.

He never spoke again.

The ER doctor's prognosis was inaccurate.

The old man lived until 9:42 AM.

Completing his watch.

Always The General.

His Last Words, a lie.

One that would never be questioned, or discovered.

(Virtual) Hawaii: The Great Crack, Ka'ena Point Trail and Petroglyphs

On Big Island...The Great Crack.

Also known as the Hilina Slump...the crack is roughly 5,000 miles in length. The slump is caused by the movement of the Pacific Plate as it moves and erosive behavior of a debris avalanche (or underwater landslide)

The widening (movement) thus far appears to be only about 10 centimetres a year. An undersea formation of a "buttress" may actually prevent future catastrophic detachment.

Since the Crack hasn't widened and a great portion of Big Island swallowed up by the Pacific...and although the crack isn't particularly scenic...there are still those who "Hike the Great Crack", perhaps because it is there.

https://youtu.be/eLfv0z0DEJE

At some points the crack is very small...at some points sixty feet wide and just as deep. Its scope is very difficult to capture in photographs from the ground.

A better view and some NASA photographs in this article

http://www.instanthawaii.com/cgi-bin/hi?Hikes.crack

On the west side of Oahu is the Ka'ena Point Trail. Running alongside the Pacific.

The trail is an easy 9.5 mile (less than 100 feet elevations) hike along the North Shore. The dirt road used to be an old railroad bed.

During whale season you may spot humpbacks.

Monk Seals

Or occasionally Green sea turtles.

 And although the lighthouse at the point is much less than impressive these days

It is little more than an abandoned base with graffiti and a mirror light.


The over-all journey is worth the hike.

Ka'lena Hike

https://youtu.be/sKsuqUgxVJw

And the Petroglyphs on Maui.

Pu'ui Kilea on Maui.

Known as the Olowalu Petroglyphs it remains one of the most  easily accessible petroglyph sites in the Hawaiian Islands. There are about 100 images carved here by the ancient inhabitants of these islands.

 

And the trek to see the Olowalu Petroglyphs.

https://youtu.be/y9E3w6lK8MM

and Olowalu Valley Hike

https://youtu.be/rE-S9N4U26w


More anon...

The Week...Book Review...The Movies...And More

So true...and THIS is why the RUM may be gone.

Didn't get anything accomplished on the novel this week. I blame these two.

After the



Fiction writing just can't hold a candle to this...seriously.

So without further adieu

 The gist of the whole business being after Trump wined him and dined him (Comey) in private, his version of 69'ing him involved a strong suggestion...er...hope that Comey could see clear to dropping the whole Flynn investigation...to which Comey insisted

"I'm NOT that kind of an FBI guy"
 (but thanks for the candlelit dinner)

and took his leave
and made notes of the entire sordid exchange
Just in case.

 Feeling a bit sullied himself, after all...I bought you dinner, Trump regaled the twitterverse with

"You better hope I didn't tape last night"

Then being rebuffed...and tiny handed...and orange...he sacked the guy.

That is right...FIRED.
Pink Slipped.
Goodbye.

(...a Presidential: Put Out or WALK, if you will....)

So Comey took his notes and gave them to a friend
who had a friend
that conveniently worked for the NY Times.

But wait...there is more....

On  Wednesday Comey wrote a memo detailing the entire bloody exchange.
On Thursday he testified UNDER OATH about what happened.

And on Thursday Donald Trump did not utter one tweet...which was kind of abnormal for him.

Maybe they shut the WH WIFI off...or duct-taped his tiny hands together???

By Friday he was back to blovinating and blustering

                                          ...TIS BUT A FLESH WOUND...
                                                   I've Clearly Won


And both sides are now demanding the release of all notes and any tapes if they exist.

Mueller and Counsel are preparing microscopes to go up asses.
(...this is gonna hurt...)

Trump has lawyered up.

Donnie has promised to testify under oath...

YES!!!!!

Because we know he has no trouble lying under oath...and if/when he does this time it will be the beginning of the end of Tinyhands McBigmouth.

Incidentally, while we were busy watching the show and eating our popcorn- the GOP has been trying to overturn Dodd-Frank and to pass the TRUMPCARE monstrosity.

"Don't pay any attention to those men behind the curtain"

I  think we are going to need more popcorn.

but enough of that.

Chris' Certification arrived this week along with his card!

James found a nice Fox-Body Mustang to ease the sting of owning a Mini-Van
( He and Nicole's Date Night Car) and Aiden LOVES it.

A Car-Guy in the making...at 3 years old.

Nicole has been poolside as The Summer Pool Babe this season again...gainfully employed...and Emma finished up softball. Brenden's baseball season ends Tuesday.

Lennon up this coming week and getting the last minute details attended to here...and planning some " the whole family" time!

Can't wait!

North Patio Beach getting a serious workout this week...the weather has been PERFECT.

Which segways nicely into this weeks book

A NEW novel by Michael Crichton.

DRAGON TEETH

(...how the hell...he died in 2008???)

A true labor of love by his wife Sherri Crichton- who resurrected the written but never released manuscript...and published it...his name intact.

In my favorite format Historical Fiction.

A fictional tale interwoven with the true story of Marsh and Cope...two palaeontologists who had an extreme and sometimes violent decade long rivalry in the late 1800's.

A beyond the grave treat for Crichton fans in his inimitable "voice" (style)

Well worth the read.

Also saw Amazing Amazon...er...no.. no...Bodacious Broad....er...still no...Wonder Woman...that's it...this week.

Surprisingly true to the comic/story and entertaining.

Maybe she holds the answer to the Trump Problem. We just need a Lasso of Truth.

Just Sayin'...


Back to Virtual Hawaii and a few things left that I want to see there before the end of this month...as well as finishing up my painting soon.

More anon!

Oahu: Stairway to Heaven (Virtual) The Haiku Stairs

First of all...no...possibly even hell no.

Not even when I was at my BEST and fittest. 

Okay?

But this (like the Koko Crater Rim Trail yesterday), with a clench factor of maybe 11, is virtual so here we go!

Six Part Series of Entire Hike (it is long....but amazing)

https://youtu.be/a7VddyIkTyA

The Haiku Stairs, Stairway to Heaven or Haiku Ladder as it is called was built in 1942 by the US Navy to a radio transmitter located at the top of the Ko'olau Mountain Range.

This is "The One Hike to RULE Them All"!

There are 3,922 steps to the top. Across the hills and valleys of the mountain ridge.  The naval base was decommissioned in the 1950's and in the 1980's the Trail was CLOSED to the public.

A guard is posted at the base of the stairs.

In case you still aren't clear on the concept...it is illegal as hell to slip past the guard and hike this relic. It is considered criminal trespass and carries a fine of $1,000.

So glad that a You-Tube enthusiast v-logged the entire thing.

Another great v-log

https://youtu.be/jsPJZVqLiqg


Still, so many sneak in (daily basis) and hike the stairs that this April they held a special meeting and are considering removing them all together.

 

I'm flying, Jack!

Um...still no...

View near the top.

And the view at the very top!

You can see the entire island from here.
There is the city of Honolulu!


More (virtual) 
Adventure on Monday!

(Virtual) Oahu: Botanical Gardens: Ho'omaluhia, Lili'uokalani and Koko Crater

It would seem that the entirety of Oahu is, in fact, a botanical garden. Lush rainforests and waterfalls fill the interior.  Today we will explore three of what ae regarded as The Best on the island.

1. Ho'omaluhia Botanical Garden

Part of the Honolulu Botanical Gardens, Ho'omaluhia is open daily without charge. The park covers nearly 400 acres including a 32 acre lake.

It also features many walking trails, campgrounds, a nature center and library.

A Ten Minute Tour

https://youtu.be/_f33dtIje80

2. Lili'uokalani Gardens

Much smaller. These gardens encompass seven and a half acres and have a stream and waterfall. It is currently under construction, soon to contain only native Hawaiian plants. Lili'uokalani is considered a Honolulu City Park on Oahu  Island. 

Once again this is an open daily/no charge park. The garden was given to Honolulu by it's last reigning Queen.

Tour of Park

https://youtu.be/k9xFuFl4NUY

Queen Lili'uokalani.

3.  Koko Crater Botanical Gardens

Koko Crater Park is a 1.9 mile loop trail inside Koko Crater. The area is vastly different than the rainforest botanical parks. There is a "surface of the moon" starkness dotted with cacti and wildflowers that feels desert-like.

Narrow trails, steep drop offs and no shade make this a challenging hike.

One way to reach the rim is easier.It is an old abandoned rail bed.

Hike Up to Rim with Rail Bed.

https://youtu.be/sjhqt9NPFbI

Hiking the Rim  (I found the music to this obnoxious and turned it off...but it does give you a real feel for how difficult the rim trail can be)

https://youtu.be/vclxPnQzVko

and a side tour of Koko Crater's Hidden Tunnel!

https://youtu.be/22jBHjF9kPw


Three very different botanical gardens on Oahu!

More Anon...