2016 Year in review

2016 has been a year that I've neglected posting a lot.

While I've had no real personal hardships this year,  it's been a bad year due to losing a couple of aunts, one on my Dad's side and one on my Mama's side. Friends and family members have experienced challenges with the recent flood and all the hardships associated with that and the rebuilding.  Not all has been negative; I've met some new friends and renewed some older friendships.

My travels have been mostly in the central part of the US this year and did not even get near California or Hawaii, let alone Alaska or Florida.  I've spent time west of the Mississippi in Texas, Kansas, Nebraska and Iowa.  I've also spent quite a bit of time in Tennessee, North Carolina, Ohio, Iowa and Nebraska as well as working in Baton Rouge.

A lot of the time taking pictures of bugs, waterfalls, moons, sunsets and sunrises, all of which border on an obsession.

Here's a few shots.

I saw the beginning of the year in southern Kansas.

 

 Not looking at my appointment calendar, I don't exactly remember the order where I was located.  The three or four Texas assignments were usually very quick and my bags never really got unpacked.  North Carolina and Tennessee took up nearly half of the year.

 

While working in Madison, NC, my wife flew up to visit me in lieu of me coming home.  Maybe I should clarify that...she actually stayed with our friend nearby near Sugar Mountain.  There are tons of things to see, hikes to take and scenery you have always dreamed of.

 Although I worked in North Carolina for nearly 3 months, I took a one week motorcycle vacation ride up to Tennessee and North Carolina, with my friend Louis, visiting places like Chattanooga, Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, Cherokee, Maggie Valley and the Mecca of motorcycling in that area, Deals Gap or the Tail of the Dragon.

You'd think I had enough of that trip but as soon as Louis and I returned, Darlene and I loaded up in the car and took virtually the same trip with a few variations, the biggest part of the time in or around Banner Elk, North Carolina admiring the fall colors and mountain streams.

 

I also found myself visiting Ohio a couple of times, dodging a few Amish on some side roads and being there for a super moon.

 

My working year ended with a trip in nearby Nebraska where I imagined a stalker and got into a little bit of snow.

May you each be blessed with a happy and prosperous new year.

Stalker in Omaha

As a traveling sort of guy, I'm always cognizant about possible dangers in the various areas I visit. Danger is not always apparent and can come as a surprise.  I have friends who have had personal effects stolen out of their vehicles while they were fueling up a rental car. 

So, it's just my second nature these days to often drive around an office building or hotel just to see what may be in the dark shadows or even in the daylight.

This morning as I was leaving my hotel, I was headed to my car and looked out to see this guy standing beside a truck next to my own car just staring up at the hotel building. I was a bit hesitant to go near him because he wasn't moving.  He just stood there holding what I thought was a coffee mug.

With him between the truck and my car he was going to have move if I approached near the front of the car. Also, that would make me vulnerable for a robbery or a mugging.   My other option would be to come from the rear where there would be more walking room.

My mind flew through possible situations and how to handle this so in a few moments I decided, "Well, I've got to make the best of it" and walked toward the front which would cause him to either move out of the way or expose his intentions.

As I drew nearer, it was then that I realized it was merely a decal on the side of the truck.

At that time, I realized it was time for an appointment with the ophthalmologist.

Well, yeaaUH !

Says it needs work.

I may have mentioned....I'm in Kansas for the past month or so by the way of Arlington Texas for a couple of days.  I'm staying in a casino for crying out loud.  Since I'm too cheap to gamble, it just doesn't have an appeal for me.

I'll have to be blunt...while these folks up here are the salt of the earth, there just isn't a lot of things to do other than just go out and count the number of yard art tractors, rusting automobiles and miles and miles of checkerboard acreage.

 

 The highlights of my days are the 14 mile trip from my office in Wellington to my room at night where I keep my eyes peeled for some new curiosity.  Sometimes the sunrise is fabulous

 

 and sometimes there's a notable sunset.

 

 This past weekend, I managed to find a little fishing lake just east of me and found a half moon trying to peak through the trees.

 

 To my surprise, an Eagle flew up in one of the Cottonwoods near me.

  

 I would have loved getting closer for a tighter shot but eagle stalking isn't one of my strong suits so when I got a little closer it took flight leaving me with 40 more miles across the prairie to the hotel.

 

 At least I'm not somewhere in Minnesota chest deep in snow.  I admit that I wanted off Oahu and remember thinking that I would miss that place after I'd gotten home and it's true but never understood how true.  It was a place where you could just pick up your camera and find a great picture to take.

I'm now back home from Honolulu

While Honolulu and all of Hawai'i seems to be the ideal place for a 3 month assignment, it had gotten to the point I dreamed of home quite often.  That and the fact that I was about to be a grandfather again kept me preoccupied much of the time.

Meet Hazel, she was born December 28.  She's the one being held by the old guy in the leather jacket.

Since Ms Darlene needed the car to get around and work, I was at the mercy of my motorcycle to get around for 4 weeks after Oahu.  One day, I had stopped off at the Harley dealership when one of the employees walked up to me gave me his card and introduced himself as "Snake".

I had a personal card of my own so I gave him one of mine.  I'll have to say mine seemed a bit bland up against a card with "Snake" on it but nevertheless, the exchange was made.  Snake mentioned that he and several other riders took a long ride each Sunday and asked if I was interested.  Explaining to him that I was not in town that much, I pretty much dismissed the idea of riding with a group.  I had taken part in a few group rides before but it just wasn't really my thing for a number of reasons.  That's a story for another day.

A few days later, I got a text from him inviting me on one of the rides so I sent a text back declining the invitation, citing a trip I wanted to make visiting my mother, brother and our son up in Monroe.  I figured that would be the last of it.

A week later, I get another text inviting me to meet up for a trip up to Middendorf's restaurant in Manchac where the waterway connects Lake Pontchartrain to the smaller Lake Maurepas.  That restaurant is known locally as having very thin cut catfish and a favorite for people in the New Orleans, Baton Rouge and southern Mississippi.

So after church that Sunday, I rode up to the Twin Peaks restaurant in Baton Rouge to meet up with these guys.

My arrival was maybe 10 minutes before the appointed ride time and there was already several bikes out front so I parked Boudreaux along side them.  I walked in and recognized Snake and was introduced to several others.  Wanting not to seem unsociable, I ordered an ice tea when the waitress approached me. Hey, it was Sunday.  They all were having a beer. 

Chatting it up with some guy on the merits of a Windows cell phone, I turned to see one guy wearing a Glock on his belt.  Now, I don't know the percentage of income ratio between alcohol and food at this place or the legality of it all but the pistol on his belt gave me an immediate recall of a shoot out at the Twin Peaks in Waco last year between the cops and some motorcycle enthusiasts which ended badly for nine and jail time for a several others.  What possibly could go wrong here?

Anyway, I took my ice tea and went outside and sat on my bike until the others joined me.  Of the two dozen riders that were at the bar/restaurant, there were only nine of us who actually took the trip, not including Roy Rogers the pistol packer.

Once out on the highway, the trip took us eastward along scenic highway 22 to Ponchatoula and down I-55 toward Manchac (Akers post office) and stopping once for a guy who forgot to fill up with gas before we left. .

Arriving at Middendorf's we had a wait for around 30 minutes where most of us ordered thin fried catfish fillets.

As we were finishing up, the temperature began to drop and clouds were appearing dark so another rider and I elected to head south to LaPlace and take I-10 west back to Ascension Parish.  The others re-traced the original route.  I do not know if they ran into rain or not.

I've ridden in rain and I've ridden in cold and can deal with both but I try to avoid the combo of rain and cold when I can.

Hawaiian Swan Song

 .......or The End Is Near...again.

With only a few weeks before my current assignment ends, Ms Darlene joined me once again for Thanksgiving here in Honolulu.

 Virtually every year, instead of going home, Darlene often joins me at my assignment location.  Last year, it was in New Mexico where we spent the holiday in Taos at a ski lodge.  Other years on we were diving on Maui or enjoying a Subway sandwich sitting on a concrete bench in Solvang, California.

When she visited this time, the first few days were presented with rain

 

even though there were a few afternoons that gave us a few wonderful sunsets.

So as Thanksgiving day approached, we drove up to the Oahu north shore to watch the surfers at the Pipeline in the rain.

We often sat in the rockers in front of the Moana Surfrider hotel watching it drizzle on the never ending parade of tourists.
















One evening, we sat on the back porch and listened to music under the Banyan tree along with a younger military couple who were about to end their tour of duty here.

As the weekend began to dry, we found ourselves taking the island tour again, driving around the island to see landmarks we had always enjoyed seeing, taking little side trips and eventually discovering the Vans Off The Wall 2015 surfing competition.

While the weather was great and the waves were huge, the powerful waves were so far out you really needed binoculars to see them.

We sat in the cool sand watching and I found myself always craning around sightseers trying to get a decent photo.

At that distance, by the time I blow up the picture and crop it, the details are limited but still, I enjoyed myself

That Sunday was Darlene's last day so we took one more scenic tour back to Honolulu so she could catch her flight back to Louisiana.   I miss her still.

So, a week later, this is my last weekend here and quite possibly my last post from Hawaii this year.  With that in mind, I made it back to Sunset Beach again to find the place looking about as smooth as Lake Pontchartrain.  Moving on west, I stopped off at the Pipeline again to see the wave a little bit better than Sunset but not exactly 20 footers.  It seems that when surges come in, it moves the sand bottom around which affects the wave's distance from the beach and their height.

With the waves being a bit tamer, this brought out a different crowd.

There the usual really good amateurs, some old and some young.

As a matter of fact, there were several female surfers that I had not been seeing earlier.

While some of these women took the easier waves, others took to the larger ones.

I believe there were as many women out there this time as men and definitely were not timid.

I sat a lot closer to the water this time and even got wet with a couple of rogue waves.  Fortunately, the Nikon and Samsung phone did not suffer.

As I was about to leave, I was shooting away when this girl in one of the smallest bikinis I 'd seen, walked right in front of me.  So, in keeping with the theme of another post I made a few weeks ago, I submit to you......The End is Near.

Shuji Akiyama

While working here in Honolulu, we received a call from one of our client's granddaughters who would be bringing her grandfather for some personal business.

I have no idea why but after seeing him on the appointment calendar, I Googled his name (Shuji Akiyama) and low and behold I found myself looking at a notable part of American history. 

Mr. Akiyama is a Congressional Medal of Honor recipient who had fought in World War 2 in the European theater.  Born November 25, 1921 on the big Island of Hawaii, he came to Honolulu to continue his education.

Here is a nice video narrative in his own words.     https://vimeo.com/50815876  

Shuji was 20 years old when, on December 7, 1941, 353 Japanese fighters and bombers attacked the American naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, severely damaging 4 battleships and sinking 4 more along with 3 cruisers and 3 destroyers.  Over 2,400 Americans were killed in the attack.

Along with several more Japanese-Hawaiians, Mr Akiyama volunteered for the U S Army and found himself traveling across the U S mainland headed for Camp Shelby, Mississippi for training and later on in fierce fighting in France with the 442nd Regimental Combat Team.

"The 442nd fought their most famous battle in France where they rescued the "Lost Battalion" breaking through the line to rescue 211 men that were cut off by German troops. The 522nd FAB also participated in the drive into Bavaria which freed inmates from Dachau prison that was being marched to their death. The 442nd, including the 100th, was the most highly decorated unit in the history of the United States for its size and length of service."  Source at http://www.cpf.navy.mil/news.aspx/030437 .

 He was honored in France as well.

I am sure he never dreamed in his youth that he would be thrust into such a role in life.  It was a role he never planned and during battle, probably had only one goal and that was to live another day.  We can not control what life throws at you but you can control how you respond and he tesponded with courage.

Mr Akiyama is very hard of hearing now and had some difficulty understanding me but his granddaughter would lean to his ear and reiterate my questions.

Still, I was very honored to meet him.

Oahu Lighthouses

(clicking on the photos will increase size and resolution)

 Over the past couple of weekends, I have taken some hikes to Oahu's lighthouses.  Although there are a some beacons, the basic scenic choices are three (well actually 4) that I had an interest in seeing.

The Aloha Tower Lighthouse, or Minor Light of Oahu, which has had it's beacons moved to a tower is still a landmark that greets cruise lines.  During WWII, it received hardly any damage during the bombing of Pearl Harbor.  However, it's glowing white surface was painted in camouflage so that it could not be seen at night.

The most difficult thing in getting to this lighthouse is finding a parking spot down near the end of Bishop street.  The shopping area around it controls the paid parking lot.  Yeah I know, I'm cheap.

 

 Another is the Diamond Head Lighthouse.  A lot of people choose to see it from atop Diamond Head itself which requires a little hike.  Instead, I opted for parking on Diamond Head Road and popped over a little stone wall and make my way through the weeds (there are no snakes here) to find a nice location not blocked by trees so I would have access to it and the setting sun.  One tip I'd pass on is don't go too deep into the brush because there are some homeless encampments hidden in there.  While they may be on public land, there is no need in antagonizing them and risk a confrontation.

 

 Makapu`U (Makapuu) Point Lighthouse built in 1909.  If you're paying attention, you can get a slight glimpse of this lighthouse if you're traveling southwest on the Kalanianaole highway between Sandy Beach and Hanauma Bay but you have to be really looking.

There is a parking lot below the Makapuu overlook where you begin the 1 mile hike up a 10% grade.  Fortunately, the trail is actually paved which makes it nice.   The trick for me is to stop and take pictures often to catch my breath and not let the other visitors hear you wheezing.  Plus, you do get some magnificent shots after your heart stops shaking your hand with the camera in it.

 

Anyway, this hike does take on quite a few visitors, some kinds you expect to see such as the casual hiker with the aluminum walking sticks or couples taking their time strolling hand in hand.  I admired the tenacity of a young woman who was pushing a stroller full of baby and maybe a 3 year old in a backpack style child carrier.  

One guy in particular had his own fitness quest I found amazing if not somewhat crazy.  He had made his way all the way to the top of this hike and on his way down while carrying a 200 pound bag of sand.  Even on his way down, he had to drop that bag of sand every couple hundred yards and catch a breath.  I admire a man's resolve and determination but It's not my (pun intended) bag.

 

 So another quarter mile to the top where the state has blocked access for repairs, I was at least able to get somewhat of a shot at this lighthouse.  On a good day, you can also see a faint sight of Molokai, the smaller island just east of Oahu.

The Makapuu Lighthouse trail was closed up until a month ago so that accounted for a lot of people on the trail.

 

Named after Captain Henry Barber who shipwrecked near this point, the Barbers Point Lighthouse on the southwest side of Oahu, is just a short walk from a beach park.  The sand is deep and the little trail is bordered by private property and a rocky sea edge that is even more narrow when the tide is up.  As I understand it, like the others, it is totally automated and does not have a person living on the property.

 

This was in the middle of the day but from this direction, I would bet it makes a dandy sundown shot.  Maybe I'll get a chance to try that out one day.

October 31 - Northshore

It was storming in Waikiki this morning but had planned on going to the north shore unless the waves were crashing on the road up there.  As I made my way out of town and onto the Interstate H1 and H2 (technically, I think you have to be able to drive OUT of the state for it to be an INTERSTATE) and actually saw lightening. Oh well, what else could I do.

So, I did make it back up to the Banzai Pipeline.  Parking a couple hundred yards away from the beach park I slipped through a lesser known path to the Pipeline where I had watched the Backdoor Shootout surfing competition several years back.  Apparently, it's still ongoing.

There was a lot of misty element to the air and the sun didn't come out regularly so it was pretty hit and miss for the right light.  Red flags lined the beach but that's pretty much an every day occurrence up there.

Anyway, here's a few surfer pictures I took.