Day #1 Hawaii to Seattle to Vancouver

Forgive me but I'm not going to be coherent. We left Hawaii at 9:00 PM on Thursday. It's now Friday, nearly midnight and I haven't had a wink of sleep! However, it's been so awesome that I've just got to share this day with you. There's so much to tell but I don't have the stamina. I'm about ready to drop.


We arrived at SeaTac Airport at around 6:00 AM, got our Dollar Rental Corolla and were on our way! We stopped at Wellers Cafe, 8490 Mukilteo Speedway and had this humongous breakfast that Joe, our very friendly (owner, I think) server brought me. The breakfast was so large we skipped lunch.



Art wanted to see the Boeing, Future of Flight Aviation Center/Tour. It was interesting. We learned that the Boeing building is the largest in the world and that Disneyland and parking could fit in that giant building. To my pilot cousin and friends, I have a video you can watch about it.



For mom and me, the cherry tree outside captured our attention the most.



We caught the ferry to cross the Possession Sound to Whidbey Island.



A lot of Dutch people settled in Whidbey and if the tulips didn't give you that clue, perhaps the windmills would help.



At Deception Point we saw this bird. I don't know what kind of bird it is but it had the prettiest song.



The view there was also spectacular.



These next few photos were from the Skagit Valley. We were just driving along trying to get to Vancouver at a decent hour when a splash of vibrant, sparkling color attracted us. The day was so beautiful, the colors of the tulips seemed even stronger. We had to stop and spend a whole lot of time there. My mother said if she saw nothing else on this trip, she would still be satisfied after having walked beside all these beautiful blooms.






Wow! What a day! I'm still so full of the hues, smiles and uplifted spirits of everybody at the farm who couldn't help but want to be friends with everybody because the flowers put everybody in such a good mood.

We did make it to Vancouver but we're totally exhausted and I'll have to stop now before I fall asleep at this computer.

Leaving on a Jet Plane

This is it! We're leaving tomorrow for Seattle, Vancouver and Victoria. We'll be busy during the day with last minute preparations. Wouldn't you know it? My mother's medications which we ordered last week have somehow not arrived. We'll have to hunt some down tomorrow. My brother has suggested just getting a month's supply from Walmart for $4.00. No kidding?

It'll be a red-eye flight which won't be much fun. No photos will be allowed of me on Friday!

I'll try to post some photos from our first stop if I have good Internet connectivity. I'm sorry I won't be able to visit you all for a while.

See you on the other side of the Pacific.

Pants All Done

All Finished!

I think I have a better idea now as to how the pants should fit my mom. Unfortunately, that salesperson who insisted this material (polyester) which she rang up as gabardine would be perfect for pants probably thought my mother was 60 years younger and into showing off her body. I found that the material is quite transparent in light. Still, if my mom wears it over her long johns maybe nobody will notice. I've made it loose so she can wear her leggings under it. There's elastic on the back for added comfort.

I must say, it did take quite a bit of relearning to finish the project but it was fun. Now I'll have to find some store with more appropriate pants material.

Update on Mynah Wars II. The birds still come by to look and strategize but I do believe they've given up. Woo hoo!

Learning to Sew.... Again

We've packed for our trip to the Northwest, and I discovered that many of the pants we bought mom last year for the trip to Japan don't fit her now. Sigh. She does her exercises and eats healthy but I'm afraid she does consume more calories since we moved here because she feels she has to cook more for us.... or could it be those smoothies I make almost every night?

Ah well...I decided to try my hand at sewing again because my mother's size is so hard to find. She's under 5 feet tall and petite but her waist size is... ummmm... not tiny.

I went to the fabric store and had to relearn how to buy patterns, how to choose materials and make decisions on what I needed to complete the project. Unfortunately, the people who worked there weren't much help but a friendly customer gave me some good guidance.

Now here I am with the stuff laid out.

Wish me luck.

Saving Chuck, and the Mynah Truce

Art and I are really worried. I just read that Chuck could be cancelled. I usually don't care a whole, whole lot about TV shows but I happen to love Chuck. I enjoy all the characters on this spy spoof series. I thought everybody did, too. I even wrote an e-mail to nbc.com to voice my support for the show. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. What's your favorite TV show?



The Mynah Truce?
There's a few twigs here and there and the mynahs keep stopping by to check out the situation under our eaves. They hop around the roof looking at all the angles and then fly away. You don't suppose they'll come back with a jackhammer, do you? It's been a whole 24 hours. I think Art just might be the victor of Mynah Wars II.

Mynah Wars II, Round #4

As you can see, the Mynah Wars are not over.

My mother came rushing in this morning to say the area directly below the blocked nest site under the eaves was littered with debris from mynah attempts at nest building.



I'll do some reconnaissance later to see if they've penetrated Art's blockade.

War, and Then to Peace

So far, the mynah has not given up the war. We heard him this afternoon pecking away at Art's sheet metal barrier. I'm not counting him out YET.....


We ended the day going to Art's uncle's funeral. (This time, we got the right day.)

The funeral was touching and beautiful. We saw a lot of relatives and caught up on the latest happenings. I saw one thing that made an impression on me.

A grandmother was carrying her granddaughter in her arms in front of me as we lined up to offer incense at the Buddhist altar. The child looked about three years of age. Grandmother kept telling the child, "Yes, we all die and when we die we go to see Jesus. That's right. We'll all be with Jesus." Then she showed her granddaughter how to put her hands together for a prayer and offer incense. She then left with her granddaughter. I went up and did my offering but before I finished, the grandmother was back again to have her granddaughter offer another prayer. As she left she was saying again how Jesus would welcome her.

I had to smile.

After the service, there was a huge banquet. I'm stuffed! I'd forgotten what an incredible feast people lay out at funerals in Hawaii. We enjoyed seeing all the relatives and made promises to each other to have another party so that a funeral is not the only thing that brings us together again. Uncle will like that.

Mynah Wars II, Round #3

Round #2 went to the Birds! (And in record time.)

Art thought he'd won the battle.

I have to say I did ask earlier, "Are you sure you shouldn't secure that down somehow?"
"Not necessary," he said, "The blocks are too heavy. They can't possibly move it when it's pushed in. Besides, I don't have a long enough ladder to reach that high to screw it in."
After lunch Art went to admire his handiwork and saw that the mynahs had indeed pushed the block over and dented the air conditioning unit below it.

Was he upset? No. Angry? No. Determined. Oh....yesssssssss....

Art went to the neighbor's house and borrowed their tall ladder. Then he got some screws and screwed in the blocks with their aluminum bird barriers.

Alrighty then...
So he lost Round #2. The Bird Brains have it! They won this battle.

Let's see who wins the war.

Mynah Wars II

They're baaaack!
My mother saw lots of sticks and garbage under the eaves of our roof and was alarmed that the mynahs were trying to rebuild their nest.

Art went up and removed all the sticks, plastic and feathers that were stuffed in there.

The mynahs watched from our neighbor's roof biding their time. They figured they could outsmart the human again and just bend the aluminum sheet back like they did before.

Back to the ol' drawing board.




Art reconstructed a barrier to their nest building making it sturdier and harder to bend. Listening to the birds banging away at the aluminum sheet was aggravating my mother.

Art thinks he's got Round #2. We'll see if he's won the match tomorrow.

Britain's Got Talent on You Tube

I've watched that video of Susan Boyle singing on Britain's Got Talent several times after Peggy of Meggie's Musings posted it on her blog. I just can't seem to tire of hearing her sing.

I sent it to my son, Jon and he sent me the link to last year's winner, Paul Potts. Apparently, Paul has gone on to record a couple of albums.

I loved it all but something bothered me. I didn't like Amanda last year calling Paul a "lump of coal" or "frog." I also didn't like her saying to Susan Boyle, "Before you sang, everybody was against you." I don't think everybody was against her. I was smiling to think this everyday lady from a small town was getting to sing prime time. Piers just said something about, "When you were standing there with that cheeky grin...." I don't know.... I suppose both Piers and Simon say these things, too but it was just Amanda's comments I latched on to this time.

Still...It just didn't sit well with me. It must be a first grade teacher thing. I just didn't like it.

But I did LOVE Paul and Susan.

Funny Forwards From My Sister-In-Law

My sister-in-law, Nancy sent this forwarded mail to me and I thought I'd share it with you. This first cartoon was captioned, "The woodpecker might have to go."


This was titled Jewish Olympic Swimmer.

Picnic at Hickam Air Force Base

Yesterday was very relaxing. We spent the day having a picnic with Patty and Paul at Hickam Air Force Base. I'd never been there before and it was quite interesting. The base housing area looks like something out of a small town America movie set, a different world from the rest of Hawaii. Art used to be in the Air Force and Paul was a Navy pilot in their younger days.

Although Patty came on a regular Hawaiian Airlines flight, Paul took the more challenging transit method of catching a standby military flight. I'd always told Art we should try it, too. I see now why he's been reluctant. Paul tried to catch a flight out yesterday (didn't make the cut) and then another one this morning at 4:30(cancelled). Patty caught her flight back to Seattle today. Paul will try again tomorrow. If that doesn't work, he may have to catch a regular commercial flight. I see what Art meant now about the inconvenience of catching a standby military fight. It's true, but the price (free) is hard to beat.

Here's a bird we saw at Hickam. Patty thought it might be a plover. I have no idea what it is but I thought it was pretty.

We're still amazed at the unexpectedness of our coming together again after 30 years or so. Patty and Paul's decision to come to Hawaii was a sudden one to celebrate their wedding anniversary that coincided neatly with our decision to take a trip to Vancouver, Victoria and Seattle in less than 2 weeks. After Paul returns to Seattle, we'll be seeing them again at their home where they will be taking care of us. Isn't it rather fortuitous how things sometimes work out?

Aloha Stadium Swap Meet

We haven't been to the swap meet at the Aloha Stadium for several years but our friends from Washington state wanted to go so we decided to tag along. We need extra large beach towels for those zillions of guests we're expecting someday so we're preparing our guest rooms with everything we think they'll need.


Patty and Paul got some great buys and we bought quite a bit more than we intended but we sure did have a great time.

OK... So what if Art just asked me, "Did I REALLY need FOUR long sleeved Hawaiian t-shirts?"

Not a Good Day for a Funeral

Some days things really work out for you and some days... what can I say?

It was such a dreary, drippy, rainy day yesterday. It seemed to match our mood as we thought about the funeral we'd be attending at 5:00 for Art's uncle.

We did some shopping in the morning and then more painting. I wanted to do the top glossy coat on the handrails before our guests returned to stay with us after their stay in Maui.

Somehow, the time got away from me AGAIN! I hurriedly got my make-up on and changed to my black dress while Art tapped his feet impatiently by the door. OK... maybe he didn't, but I'll bet he wanted to. My mother stood next to him dressed up in her long muumuu, her black purse dangling on her arm probably wondering why her daughter had still not learned to manage her time more efficiently.

I realized I shouldn't be bringing my regular backpack with me to the funeral so I took out my purse and some tissue and stuck it into my teeny little black bag that my daughter gave me a long time ago for special occasions.

Off we dashed to the car. Luckily the funeral was in Mililani which is only about 15 minutes away. When we got there Art realized he wasn't sure exactly where it was at the funeral park. He asked the guards but they didn't have anybody listed with Art's uncle's name anywhere.

That's when he asked me for my cellphone so he could call his cousin and ask her where it was.

Uhhhh? Cellphone? Nuts! I forgot it again when I changed handbags! Art was just a teeny bit irritated that I'd forgotten to bring it again.

"I was so sure Auntie said it was here," said Art. "The visitation at 5:00, the funeral at 6:00. April 17th. Friday. We'll need to go all the way back home so I can call the cousins and ask what's going on."

"April 17th?," my mom asked. "Uhhh? Art?"

"Yes?" Art was totally bewildered.

"Today is the 10th, Art." Mom did not want to laugh.

So here we were all decked out in our funeral clothes, with rain splashing on our car roof suddenly realizing we were a week early.

So there. Sometimes things just don't work out for us. But then again... wasn't it a good thing I didn't have my cellphone? Art would have called the cousins and they would all have found out that we didn't have our act together. Uncle had the most wonderful sense of humor. I can almost hear him laughing.

Okonomiyaki and Dolly, Too!

It's been a rather crazy day!

We needed to get to Tripler Army Hospital for Art's blood pressure check up. And here's the crazy part. I decided I could give the hand rails another coat of paint. I barely got finished and it was time to leave so I grabbed my back pack and flew out the door where Art and my mom were waiting in the car. It wasn't until we were on our way that I discovered I'd forgotten my cellphone. Never try to call me on my cell because I always forget it on the charger!

After the hospital appointment we were supposed to meet my nephew, Barry's wife, Miho at their apartment in Honolulu after which we would head out to Ala Moana Shopping Center to pick up some special okonomiyaki to have lunch with my mom's sister. This was a special okonomiyaki lunch being served at Shirokiya (Japanese store) during a Hiroshima Festival. We'd had this egg crepe filled with sliced cabbage, pork, etc. in Hiroshima and was looking forward to trying it again.

When we got to Miho's apartment, she wasn't there. We realized there might have been some miscommunication but there was nothing we could do because I didn't have my cellphone. We decided to head out to Ala Moana, pick up the okonomiyaki and find a pay phone (Do they have them still?) to try calling Miho.

We parked the car at Ala Moana Shopping Center which is one of the largest open-air malls in the U.S. There are more than 240 stores, 70 restaurants and 4 levels! We parked our car and walked into the mall, down an escalator and there stood Miho! You could have knocked us over with a feather. She wasn't anywhere near where we were planning to go, but was just standing there thinking she'd stop at a coffee shop to wait for us. She'd wanted to save us a trip to her place by walking (the long distance) to the shopping center herself. She thought she could wait for our call and then tell us where she was. I still can't believe we actually bumped into her at that time, on that level. Did I tell you this is a HUGE, VERY HUGE shopping center? Craaazy!

We bought our special lunch and went to my aunt's house. By luck, my cousin, Arnold had just returned from one of his flights. He's a Captain with Hawaiian Airlines (rated #1 recently). Here's a photo of Arnold with...guess who? It was taken in 1990 or so. He says the cabin crew were all making a fuss over her and he went back to welcome her and say he was one of her fans. She insisted he sit on her lap for a photo and would not take, (I'll bet it was a weak) "no," for an answer. He says Dolly really is as nice as everyone says. Well, Arnold's a sweetie, too! Isn't this just the coolest thing?

Zombie Chicken Award

Jill of Jill of All Trades just brightened my day with this Zombie Chicken Award. Thank you very much, Jill! I've just added this to my sidebar. I love all you guys! Please feel free to pass on this award to anybody.

"The blogger who receives this award believes in the Tao of the zombie chicken - excellence, grace and persistence in all situations, even in the midst of a zombie apocalypse. These amazing bloggers regularly produce content so remarkable that their readers would brave a raving pack of zombie chickens just to be able to read their inspiring words. As a recipient of this world-renowned award, you now have the task of passing it on to at least 5 other worthy bloggers. Do not risk the wrath of the zombie chickens by choosing unwisely or not choosing at all..."

Uh oh! I fear I'm going to be pursued and ambushed somewhere by an angry zombie chicken.

It's a Girl After All! I think...

We bought this papaya tree somewhere thinking it would provide us with bushels of fruit for our breakfast. When it started blooming, we were very excited until we saw the flowers just bloom and fall away. When Art checked on-line he was disappointed to learn it looked like he'd planted a MALE plant. Males (usually) only produce flowers. Of course there is one kind of papaya called the Solo (sounds appropriate) that is a hermaphrodite.

I told Art yesterday that he should seriously consider just cutting it down and trying again. Well... I must have scared that papaya plant or something!

The web does say the male plant could sometimes also produce a little fruit. Maybe I scared it so much, it decided to produce a fruit to postpone its execution?

Well... we shall see if this papaya actually grows into an edible fruit. Otherwise, my hatchet is still ready.. Dum dee dum dum.

The Deed is Done!

Buying our microwave oven was NOT an easy decision. We checked Consumer Reports and asked all of you. I asked friends and checked what was available at the stores. I measured the space on the countertop (incorrectly it turns out). Art thought it was too big. Even our guest, Paul weighed in. They had a GE, too.

We(I) decided to just go ahead and buy it! Both our daughter and we have had the GE Profile before in Illinois and they've been working nicely so we hoped it would be OK. However, just in case (since Brit' Gal Sarah in Oklahoma had a terrible time with her GEs)...we bought the extended warranty which we usually don't do. It's got two years to konk out!

When we set it up on the countertop, it looked rather ummmm...large. Art could barely contain his, "I told you so." Then my brother walked in the kitchen and said, "Whoa...that's huge! Are you planning to cook a turkey in there?"

Sigh... OK so it might be a bit too large but what the heck! It works....for now.

I don't care. At least that's one decision over with. Now.... there's still that bed and car to decide on.....arrrrggghhhhhh!

Sunday Plantings

My brother, Dennis was kind enough to help me plant the red ginger that my aunt gave us last week. He is not only a fabulous artist but a terrific gardener as well.


He looked around the small space and thought at first that he would plant two circles of ginger plants. He used flour to mark the circles that he'd have to cut out of the sod. After staring at the small space a bit longer, he changed his mind.



While Art and I went off to get some compost, Dennis sifted the soil. Why? I don't know.... but he did.

Then he added the compost to the soil.



Now we'll just have to wait and see how the plant does. I'm already imagining 5 foot tall spears of red flowers. Dennis says we'll have to just wait and see.












Once the ginger was planted, Dennis could concentrate on his herb garden. Dennis and my sister-in-law live in a condo so we set aside an area where he could grow his herbs. I bought him some basil plants because his family loves his pesto sauce. He's also a great cook.





We noticed that the Mickey Mouse tree we planted was blossoming but the flower was yellow. We thought it was supposed to be red.




I'm planning for this tree to grow around 6 feet tall. It may take 60 years but it's my plan.


We went for a walk around the area and found a Mickey Mouse tree with the yellow blossom. Then we noticed that the red flower that we thought was a flower was actually the seed or fruit. I'm learning all the time.

"Mickey Mouse Plant - Ochna serrulata
Five-petal yellow flowers. Once the petals fall off, the bracts turn bright red with 1 to 5 green berries. This red 'flower' stay on the plant for quite a long time for the berries to mature, turning black. At this stage, the bract and berries resemble Mickey Mouse's face.
The plant starts to bloom in 2nd or third-year, when it is not even 1 foot high."

Washington State Visitors

Paul and Art at Ewa Beach.


Sometimes, coincidences in life are really amazing and delightful! And sometimes I wonder if they happen with a purpose...

We've known Patty and Paul for some 35 years but haven't seen each other in the flesh in perhaps 30 years. Paul and Art met at the University of Hawaii when they were both getting their masters in Public Health. We became fast friends but as the years passed, we ended up just keeping in contact through holiday newsletters and the occasional e-mail.

Meanwhile, we've moved back to Hawaii and are now getting ready to visit the Seattle area and Canada. What a surprise to get an e-mail from Paul saying they were going to Maui. Paul came a couple of days ago and has been staying with us. Patty will join him today and they'll both go on to Maui. Then they'll come back to Oahu so we'll all have some time together like the "old days."

When we told them our plans to go to Seattle in about three weeks they invited us to stay with them so they could show us around! We cancelled our hotel reservations and are looking forward to seeing their home.

As I sit here, I'm just thinking it's all a marvelous coincidence. But then again.... Wow!

TV Tool That's Actually Useful

Art finished installing the stairs but I needed to caulk the tiny spaces in between which we knew would be a messy job since I've never been a really super neat caulker.

We saw a TV ad for this tool that would allow you to scrape off the excess caulk. I don't usually believe everything I see on TV but we decided to give this a try. It was ridiculously expensive. Instead of sending away for it, we went to a store called As Seen on TV that my brother knew of. It was $24.95 which saved us only a few dollars from if we'd sent away for it.

We're thrilled that Art is done with the stairs.




It feels really smooth now after having raw wood for 3 years. I'm about done with the caulking. Now it'll be touch up painting time.

It was such a HUGE job to do the stairs, yet I don't think people will even realize it. Remember that saying, The devil is in the details? These 21 steps were truly the devil!

Guests from Washington State and Tokyo!

We've just gotten news that we'll be having some guests coming in tomorrow. Paul will be with us for a couple of days and then his wife, Patty will join him on Saturday and they'll fly on to Maui for a week. They will then return to stay with us a few days before returning to Washington state. How strange that a little more than a week later, we'll be in their neck of the woods. What a coincidence!!! They don't know this yet. Life is funny sometimes. We haven't seen Patty and Paul in 30 years!

We also got a call from our good friend, Sam in Tokyo saying he and his wife and another couple will be coming at the end of May. Sam is the friend who took such good care of us when we were visiting Japan last fall. They are on a package deal so will be staying in Waikiki but we'll get to show them Oahu.

As we wait for details to Uncle's funeral, it looks like we'll have a number of things to distract us from melancholy. Life does go on...