Sodoku, Saddles and Seclusion...

So L and I took a weekend trip to Moloka'i (pronounced 'mohl-oh-kah-ee' for those studying the Hawaiian language) this weekend... wow.  What a great trip.  I was actually introduced to Sodoku for the first time... and I've turned into a fan.  L is a fanatic about them, and she does them all the time sitting at Starbucks, but I've just never really had the patience to learn how to do them.  Turns out, they are really simple... as probably most of the world actually knows, but whatever...I find them entertainment for the brain.  I'm still learning, but we were sitting drinking coffee and eating some raisin bread and eclairs one morning when I asked her to show me how to do them... she happily obliged... of course, she's about 10x faster than me at them... but I'm getting there.  I haven't raced her yet, but once I get the hang of it, I plan on giving her a run for her money... look out L... I'm practicing for you... :D

Anyway- I had a few days left in my vacation, and we were considering going to Maui or maybe Kauai, but neither of them just really felt right, and L was telling me about this Hawaiian blessing that they'd had at her work... apparently, the salt that they used in the ceremony or whatever was from this peninsula on the north shore of Moloka'i called 'Kaulapapa'... which happens to be where in the 1800's they sent all the lepers from the Hawaiian islands.  As it turns out, I had, in fact, heard of this place, and even read an article about it before I came to Hawaii... and given that we were looking for a place to go, during this discussion, we decided we would try and go to Moloka'i and visit this very place.  So we did.  It was great... we found a condo online  and couldn't have been happier with it.  We took a tour to the former Leper colony on Friday, spent Saturday on the beach and came back today, refreshed and rejuvenated.  

So about this former Leper colony, Kaulapapa (pronounced 'Cow-la-papa' for those interested)... it began in the mid to early 1800's, when Hawaiians began contracting Leprosy (or Hansen's Disease as it is known today), and were unusually susceptible to it.  This peninsula on Moloka'i was chosen as the site for the colony, because it was naturally barricaded by nearly 2,000' cliffs as well as ocean.  It may have well been a deserted island.  In the early days, they just dropped people off there that had the disease.  They had to live off of the land, and had no supplies or anything given to them.  Anarchy was also the rule of the day, as there was no formalized government, well the Catholic church established a small outpost there in the 1850's and a 33 year old priest by the name of Father Damien spent a 30 day mission there, and, realizing how much this distraught community of lepers needed spiritual leadership, as well as guidance and leadership in general, volunteered to come back and dedicate his life to helping these people.  While we were there, we saw areas where he had changed the cemeteries by building walls around them to keep the feral pigs from digging up the shallow graves, saw two huge fresh-water wells that he dug, a reservoir for collecting and storing rain-water, a small cathedral that he built, which I found especially touching because he cut holes in the floor along each pew so that those afflicted with leprosy, that had lost control of their mouths and/or saliva, could spit into the holes without interrupting the service and walking out.  It was quite moving to say the least.  Because of his commitment to these people he unfortunately was afflicted with their disease as well, and 16 years after starting his service to the lepers, he succumbed to the disease himself.  He was buried on Kaulapapa, and in 1935, his body was exhumed and he was sent to his fatherland of Belgium.  Eventually, his right hand was returned and buried again at his original grave site, where it is today.  He is currently awaiting Sainthood and was beautified in 1995.  Read more about him and his life here... It was moving to be around this spectacularly serene tropical environment, and hear all the stories of those afflicted with this disease.  At the height of the population, this 5 square mile peninsula had over 5,000 lepers on it.  So Father Damien, and his staff that accumulated over the years, had quite a large undertaking.  Today, Kaulapapa is a Hawaiian county itself, and there currently reside approximately 15 original patients that are still living.  Fortunately, due to the wonders of pharmacology, Leprosy is no longer a threat, and is treatable, but those that remain are some of the last patients to ever have been confined to this colony.  There are currently 26 of them still living.  Quite a touching story really.

About the Saddles... in order to get to this particular locale, one must traverse said 2,000' cliffs... and there happens to be an outfit designed specifically for this purpose.  With Mules.  So L and I plopped down our dough, and saddled up.  Literally.  It was quite an enjoyable ride, albeit a little frightening at times, especially when my Mule, 'Chevy' (glad he wasn't a Ford), decided that he wanted to take the outside of the path, meaning here I was staring off of my saddle down a 2,000' drop... but Chevy, in all his nearly 20 year career has yet to drop anyone, and alas, his flawless record continues.  I did have a bit of a scare, as Chevy and I were the lead mule and ass in the train... we came upon what appeared to be a hastily built bridge, over a small gulch that had some lumber off to the side... well, Mister Chevy, seeing something different than what he's seen on that trail would have none of it... first he stopped... to which I prodded him to continue with a kick and a click... and he decided he was going to turn his ass around... which he did.  Or at least try to... even with me kicking him and pulling him... and trying not to think about me and my ass going over the side of this cliff... it was an interesting moment... fortunately Chevy's cool head prevailed after Bobby, our trusty mule-skinner, got off his mule, and walked Chevy across that bridge.  It was interesting to say the least... I was wondering if I was going to kiss my ass Chevy goodbye there for a second or two... ironically, I was filming a video at the time too... maybe I'll post it to YouTube, so my readership can see it... 

In fact, here it is:

Finally, seclusion... we stayed at 'Paniolo Hale' (pan-ee-oh-lo ha-lay meaning Cowboy House in Hawaiian) near several beautiful beaches and a beautiful Ted Robinson designed Golf Course... except, due to the unique depressed economy on Moloka'i, it was closed.  So here was this incredible golf course, on an incredible beach, in an incredible place, that had been unkempt for a couple of years.  L and I walked around the complex (it was also a resort at one time) and the buildings all look like people just left things as is... it kind of reminded me of 'I am Legend' except in Hawaii... the beach had a pretty good break, and so there were surfers there of course, and oddly enough, the pool was still being kept up (we guessed for the residents of the nearby condo's) but other than that, it was completely a ghost town... almost eerily so.  Fortunately, it was a pretty popular beach, so there were a few people here and there, but for the most part, it was quite secluded.  And we liked it like that.  The nights were still and quiet, save for the occasional bird calling out... a far cry from the streets of Waikiki that can get quite crowded and noisy at times.

Well, that's all I've got for now.  It's bedtime... and back to work tomorrow.

Cheers and Aloha.

Hal

Family Fun...

So this week, I've spent with my extended family at the Hilton Grand Vacation Resort in Orlando.  It's been quite the week actually... in fact, I believe the last time we got together a group of this magnitude was 1998, also here in Orlando.  The families have grown... my cousins family trees' have branched and I honestly think we had more kids here than adults this week.  Cranium, Cards, Golf, Sea World, Pool, Beach, Ping Pong, Shuffleboard, Chess, Snacking, Sunning, Talking, Eating, Snacking, Repeat.  What could be better?  I'm blessed to have some pretty interesting cousins, as well as cousin-in-laws, and it's made for a good week.  I was honestly a bit apprehensive about spending the money to come all the way back to the east coast, but the family had sort of planted a stake in the ground on the dates, and everyone made an effort to get here.  I'm glad to say, it was worth every penny.  It's funny how, the older I get, the more I appreciate my family.  Especially being that I'm still single... and well, don't have a nuclear family of my own quite yet, but being here this week has somewhat reconfirmed the fact that I love my family.  Even if I don't get to see them all quite often, and well, don't even really communicate with them all that often either.  Fortunately, several of us are bloggers, and we manage to share our lives, and even have a genuine interest in each others' lives... which is good, in my opinion.  So seeing everyone in the flesh this week has been great.  In addition to some real good conversations with some of my cousin-in-laws... (I've got tons of female cousins, and two male cousins... one of which didn't come... so that makes for a fair amount of cousin-in-laws, if you get my drift) anyway- in addition to catching up with my cousins' husbands... getting some good quality pool time in with the nieces and cousins' kids was another highlight.  There is nothing more fun than making the little ones' happy.  And it seems to be so simple some times... my nieces are the greatest though... My sister has done such a good job raising them to be so well behaved...  but they LOVE to play- especially in the pool.  It's funny how I can see the changes in them since last summer, when I saw them after coming back from Japan.  Madison, the middle one, who is the artist in the bunch... was quite timid in the pool last year.  This year, there isn't much she won't do in the pool.  One of her favorites is to have me throw her in the water.  Her frankness is sometimes stunning as well... 'Grandpa throws better than you! (in a stern matter-of-fact tone)' was one that I heard this week... which had to make me smile... and of course, the never ending requests' to 'Throw me Uncle Hal!', 'Let me ride on your back Uncle Hal!', 'Flip me Uncle Hal!' and 'Let's be Alligators (or Sharks, minnows, or insert waterborne-creature here) Uncle Hal!' from her or Katie or Claire, or anyone of the other kids... it truly was a delight.  Being a childless single man, I don't get nearly as much interaction with kids of these age, actually none, really.  But I truly enjoy spending time with them, and helping them have a good time... and honestly, after seeing all my friends blogging about their kids, I now understand even a little more, why they do it.  Kids are truly a blessing... in fact... doesn't the Bible say something about Kids?  Jesus said..."Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these."

Thanks God, for Kids.  And especially thanks for my wonderful family.  And I'm especially thankful to my Grandmother for raising all her kids as Christians.  What a wonderful heritage you've got Grandma.  This week was a visible testament to all that you've done over the years.

Well, I'm staying up all night tonight.  It's currently 8:49 Hawaii time, and 2:49AM Orlando time, I'm sitting at the table in my parent's condo here waiting for my dad to wake up at 4:30 and so kindly drive me to the Airport.  I've learned you've got to be straight up offensive on getting even with Jet-Lag, so I've decided to take no prisoners.  No sleep for me, until I saddle into 22A on that Continental 757-300 at 6:30 this morning.

Later.  Maybe once I get back to spending a little more time on my Island, I'll stop blogging about my Jet-Lag so much.

Live from WWDC...

Watching the live WWDC Steve Jobs Keynote this morning before work... 

http://live.iphonebuzz.com/

Good People...

(San Diego, CA) So I'm sort of a fan of music, in case you can't tell, and a band that I've been a fan of for some years now is called Audio Adrenaline.  They have a way of capturing ideas and principles that I respect and rolling them into some catchy tunes.  One in particular that I really like, is called 'Good People' -the lyrics are as follows:

I grew up impressed by the people I knew
In the buckle of the Bible belt
Hopped in the van with the band
Now I’ve been just about everywhere else
Met a soldier from seattle and a lawyer from the east
A texas oil baron and a roman catholic priest

Every day I choose
To walk in their shoes
’cause pretty are the feet of those
Who bring the good news

Good people
Good, good people
Everywhere, everywhere it’s God’s people

Been on the road been far from home
But I found me a friend or two
Time has taught me well and I can tell you
The good things people do
They really care and I’ve been there
Seen it with my eyes
You can tell that they’re God’s people
By the goodness in their lives 

Anyway- I bring that song up because tonight I was talking with... well, I'll call her 'L' for now...  and she reminded me of how I seem to always meet the most interesting, or shall we say, unique people.  Last night, after my run, I walked down to the Jacuzzi here in this hotel I'm staying at, and met one guy who is here for the same reason I am, (work stuff) as well as an interesting guy from Marin County/Wine Country, CA.  He was an EMT who was telling us that he was going to be working the races this summer at Infineon Raceway... he was pretty excited because he was going to get free 'all-access' to the pits, a chance to meet drivers, and maybe even see 'a huge crash', which I thought was kind of morbid considering his profession, but I guess even lifesavers appreciate a good wreck every now and then... anyway- once he found out my profession, he had a hundred questions for me... everything from fuel calculations to going to the bathroom in the cockpit.  He was a pretty inquisitive guy from the start- I had been in the water for all of 14 seconds when he asked me where I was from... Another interesting thing about him was that he had a transplanted heart.  He had about a 10" scar running the length of his chest, from just below his adams apple to his sternum.  We didn't get into the details, but he seemed like a really young guy to have a new heart... although, I guess younger people are better candidates for major surgery like that anyway.

So tonight, after going on a small mission to find some of the finest Mexican food in San Diego, I headed to the mall and bought a new shirt and some flip-flops... as my current 'nice' pair, aren't so nice anymore.  In Hawaii, most people have different flip-flops for different occasions, and yes, there is such a thing as 'nice' flip-flops... so anyway- I came back to the hotel and well, since I woke up in the middle of the night last night... (hmmm... kind of like tonight) I decided that tonight I would walk down to the hotel bar and have a glass of wine or two to help me get to sleep a little easier.  So I did.  Well, the first thing I notice when I walk into the bar/lounge area, is there is a guy sitting there with a remote controlled helicopter on the chair next to him.

Now, keep in mind, I'm staying at a fairly nice resort here in beautiful (not so sunny this week) San Diego- it's called the Kona Kai (I chose it specifically for it's Hawaiian style), but sitting at the bar, our backs are to a marina with dozens of super-yachts, and literally hundreds of sailboats and smaller yachts- this isn't exactly your corner bar... well, of course, being that there was a seat open next to this guy, it was the logical choice for me to sit at (the other side of his helicopters' seat of course), so I sat down and said hello.  Well, being that it was kind of like the 800 lb gorilla at the bar, I couldn't help but bring myself to ask about his chopper.  So, he started explaining it to me... turns out the guy is pretty interesting- I mean, who wouldn't be that would carry a remote control helo into a marina lounge.  He was Polish, spoke decent english with an accent, and turns out he's the chief engineer on the second-largest super-yacht on the water behind us.  Me, being the inquisitive one, immediately established all the important stats on the yacht as it related to his job... two V-12 cummins diesels mated to two 900 kWatt Caterpillar Marine Generators... his yacht can make 14 knots, but generally cruises at 12, and has an unrefueled range of 5,000 miles.  The flag is the Cayman Islands, and the owner is a British Big Shot... who... "Hasn't done anything in 20 years, but drink wine and travel the world.."  He couldn't tell me who owned it, or what industry he was in for that matter.  Anyway- we established that this yacht fully fueled could hold 30,000 gallons, or roughly (by my calculations) 210,000 lbs of fossil fuel.  That's about 10 full loads of an EA-6B... wow.  Anyway- so this gentleman has been stuck here in San Diego for 2 months, after they ran into some exhaust problems on the yacht down around Panama this last spring.  So the yacht has been here for repairs, and in fact is finished, and so the crew waits, for their master to return and continue sailing the world.  And my Polish mechanic friend drinks beers and flies his remote control helicopter.  

Oh- I forgot to mention that- while we were talking and he was finishing what I observed to be his second beer, the barkeep asked us if we'd like another- he politely declined saying 'I must fly helicopter- not too much beer' in the best polish accent... I don't think you can have a more interesting last night in San Diego.

Tomorrow, Hawaii beckons.  Tonight, sleep does not.

Who could resist...

A great alien story like this jumping the 'kook-track' into mainstream media... gotta love my friends over at Wired Magazine...

And I quote:

A Denver-area man called

a well-attended press conference Friday to reveal video footage of what he claims is an alien peeping into a house.

The brief video was reportedly shot by a surveillance camera set up by Stan Romanek -- a Coloradan who claims he's been the target of alien abduction for years. Romanek wanted to know who was peering into his windows when he lived back in Nebraska, and he claims to have caught the image above on tape as the alien bobbed up and down. The video got into the hands of Jeff Peckman in Denver, who is calling for the city toset up a local Extraterrestrial Affairs Commission. No word yet if Denver's city fathers are considering the move.

These E.T. claims come and go, but this one somehow jumped the kook track over to mainstream media acceptance. The story appeared on every major news service, Fox News and CNN. It's difficult for the public to make a call on the story, beyond common sense, as different images are emerging online. The widely shared image above (which could feature anything from Stewie Griffin to a shrunken apple doll peeping to see if the soup's ready) contradicts the widely circulated video featuring a very puppet-ish alien nodding into view. (In truth, it couldn't look more like a puppet even if it sang, "It's not easy being green.") Some claim the video is a deliberate fake created by Denver reporters.

Here is Larry King's actual coverage of the story.  The funniest is watching the 're-enactment' videos... hilarious.

Jet Lag...

(San Diego, CA) So the thought just occurred to me that it is 3:50 AM in Hawaii right now.  I don't think my body knows what day it is... fortunately I've been able to miraculously fall asleep relatively well... by the time June is over I'll have accumulated nearly 30,000 frequent flier miles... Elite-status here I come...

Read the Bible last night for the first time on purpose in a long time.  Psalm 35... talked about God being a shield and a protector.  My how I need that.  Thanks God for being a shield for me, quite honestly, when I forgot how important it was to have one.  Alright- work beckons.  Who knows what traffic is going to be like here in San Diego... fortunately my hotel isn't far from work.

PS  Check out 'White Moth' by Xavier Rudd... incredible song.  Great song to start a day with...