Getting Ready for the Marathon

Today was the day for Art to pick up his racing bib, chip and other Marathon goodies at the Honolulu Convention Center.


I noticed these coconut palms inside the Convention Center and figured they were fake. Art checked it out and said they were real. I'm still dubious.

After all that training his day of reckoning (I mean the race) will be here in a few days. It's going to be on Sunday, the 13th. 13 is an auspicious number for our family.

We were supposed to follow the red carpet to get his Marathon things.

And here he is. I can't imagine anybody being happy about torturing your body to run 26 miles but there are thousands of people who come here from all over the world to do just that.

Once he got his things we walked around to see the different stalls selling all kinds of stuff to help you lessen the torture to your body. There were also areas for you to get your photo taken. This young lady wasn't getting too many customers yet. My "tiger" opted not to have his photo taken with the young woman. My camera is good enough for him.

This booth was doing a brisk business.

They were selling things like shoe inserts, plastic support bandages, massages ($1.00 for a minute, 10 minute minimum), food, shoes, raincoats, etc.

Art decided to buy several gels to eat (drink?) during the race.

I was amazed to meet Dane E. Rauschenberg who ran 52 marathon in 52 weeks. I told him I don't even run one mile so I didn't need any pointers. I'm sure not encouraging Art to run more marathons. He's hard to keep up with as it is.

By the way, if you get a chance would you go back to yesterday's post? In today's Honolulu Advertiser there was a photo that was almost exactly like the one I posted. The Advertiser photo was snapped a fraction of a second after Art's. Actually, Art was doing photos on the burst setting so he's got another shot that is almost a duplicate of the newspaper photo. That news photographer, Gregory Yamamoto must have been sitting right in front of us. I have a feeling that camera I took a photo of is his. I've scanned the newspaper photo and added it to my post for fun.

Eddie Aikau Surf Meet: Second Try

Yes, now you know. We are crazy!

We decided to give the Eddie Aikau Invitational at Waimea Bay another try since they said there was a 90% chance that it would run this time. They even said we might have those 50 foot waves. Did I ever tell you how whenever I would attend a Cubs game, they would lose? If I didn't go they had a chance of winning.

We decided to get up a half hour earlier since the newscasters warned that it was going to be even more crowded than yesterday. We got up at 4:40 and was out the door by about 5:20. The roads didn't seem as crowded....at first.

However, as we got closer to Waimea we found the closest space about 30 miles away. OK... fine. Art checked it out on the map. We were actually a mile and a half away. I could have sworn it was twice as far as yesterday's distant spot.
We found people had camped out in sleeping bags. Some were still sleeping. I'll bet they were warm.

It was pitch dark when we got there and COLD. OK, so it wasn't as cold as Chicago where my daughter says it looks like a swirling snow globe. But still, I was in shorts, and it was about 65 degrees. Yes, I know in Chicago we're in tank tops at 65 degrees but my blood must have thinned out because my finger tips were getting numb.

Soon the sun started to come up over the mountain behind us. You can see the shadow in the water. No, this is not my camera. I've already hinted to Art that I need a better one.

I forgot my glasses again! Half the time I couldn't really tell what I was taking a photo of. If you click on this photo you can see the tiny surfers out there.

It looked beautiful across the bay. I wonder who lives there and what would happen to their house if we really did have those 60 foot waves.

The sun coming up gilded the crests of the waves.

The day was clear so they made the decision to do the surf meet. I didn't even realize the meet had started.

When we got there we found there was no good place to stand because it was too crowded, more so than yesterday. I asked a couple of guys if they could both move just a couple of inches and I could get in and not get hit by the cars on the road side of the guard rail. Art stood in the road until the police told him he couldn't stand there. Happily, the two guys beside me encouraged him to join us. I offered them a Kit Kat bar but they weren't hungry.

One fellow was from Brazil. His name is Al. It was fun talking to him. He was using his wife's camera and didn't know how to work it so Art was able to give him a lot of camera advice.
You see. One good turn deserves another.




Don't forget that you can click on any of the photos to enlarge them.


We took a gadzillion photos of the meet. Many of these are Art's shots, too.

Sorry about all these photos. I know my son is looking at every one of them very carefully.

















We were surprised to see the photo below in the Honolulu Advertiser the next morning. The photographer who took it must have been sitting very close to us. In fact, we've got another shot that Art took a millisecond after which is almost identical.



By the way, if you enlarge this shot and squint, you'll be able to see the photographer in the water on the left side of the photo. I'll bet I could get better shots if I could swim.

Heading back to our car we saw a long, long line of cars coming to the surf meet. Somebody was very eager to take our mile and a half away parking spot.

During our long trek back to the car, we passed beaches that were closed due to the high surf. They may have been high, but not 50 feet high. Again, I must have jinxed them. On the other hand, they did hold the meet anyway.

You know, the Cubs should be winning by now since I'm no longer living in Chicago.

Postscript: I just heard on the news that the waves were the best many had ever seen today and that conditions for surfing were optimal. Hmmm... I'll bet this happened after we left at 9:30 AM.

Here's the link to the Eddie Aikau Invitational Surfing Meet results.

Not Quiiiiite 50 (or the 60 they forecasted) Foot Waves...

We got up at 5:30 this morning and got ourselves ready for our Killer Wave adventure. When I opened my eyes, I seriously considered going back to sleep. Then I thought of my son, Jon who would be wanting to see what the Eddie Aikau Invitational would be like not to mention waves that big. Poor guy is landlocked in New Mexico.

Here's what I got from the Eddie Aikau website (link is above) for whom the Invitational is now named:

"Eddie's Legacy

By the mid-'70s, Eddie's passion for big wave riding was not his only driving force. The Hawaiian cultural renaissance was in full swing and Aikau was feeling the pull to dig deeper into the roots of his Hawaiian heritage. Following his win of the Duke Kahanamoku Invitational at Sunset Beach in the winter of 1977, his focus shifted to the Hokule'a.

A traditional double-hull voyaging canoe that was the symbol of Hawaiian pride, the Hokule'a represented the cultural connection that Hawaiians were seeking at the time. Eddie was selected to be part of the crew who would sail Hokule'a by traditional celestial navigation from Hawaii to Tahiti in March of 1978. It was to be a 30-day, 2,500 mile voyage across the Pacific, following the ancient route of Polynesian migration.

The Hokule'a set sail on the stormy afternoon of March 16, 1978, in strong winds that were whipping up heavy seas. Not far into the journey, Hokule'a developed a leak in one of her hulls, later capsizing during the night in the Moloka'i Channel. After weathering the night, and with the physical state of crewmembers deteriorating, Aikau insisted upon paddling for the Hawaiian island of Lana'i, estimated to be some 19 miles away. It would be the final rescue attempt of his life. While the crew aboard Hokule'a were later spotted by a passing plane and rescued, Aikau was never seen again. He was two months shy of his 32nd birthday."

We hurridly got dressed and were out the door in 25 minutes remembering to pack sun screen that we didn't use because we never saw the sun.

As we passed through Wahiawa on the way to the North Shore, we saw bumper to bumper traffic. "You don't think they're all headed to Waimea, do you?" I asked Art. He was really trying to not say, "I told you so."

There were no parking spaces close to Waimea Bay where the Surfing Invitational is held so we had to walk at least 10 miles away from where we were parked. OK... fine, Art says it was only a little over a mile.


When we got there we saw that there was already a crowd overlooking the bay. I had to hold my camera over the crowd. There was also a constant drizzle. My camera kept getting wet.

Through the salt water mist and ocean spray we could see spectators on the other side of the bay.

The Invitational platforms and tents had been set up with the expectation that the event would go on because of the promise of consistent big waves. The Invitational takes place only if there are consistent 20+foot waves.


I could see surfers out on their surfboards waiting for the perfect wave.


Photography was extremely difficult and hazardous for our cameras because of the salt water mist.

Still, we managed to catch a few shots of the very brave surfers. I gave Jon a call in New Mexico and described the scene for him, not forgetting to let him know that aside from suffering to give birth to him, I was also braving the rain and surf for him. Yes, yes, he was most appreciative. This is what a mother does for her son. Ummmm.... yes, the father, too.


Art said every time we clicked off a shot we could hear a million shots clicking off next to us from these high powered cameras. I think their photos turned out a smidge better than ours.
After standing in the drizzle for at least a couple of hours, the skies seemed to clear a tiny bit.

The swells were pretty big. My estimate was that they were near 30 feet high. This proves you should never believe anything I say about surfing. The wave sets had very long intervals to wait through.

News and Coast Guard helicopters kept watch. We heard emergency vehicle sirens but we don't know why they came.

We were glad we came early because this is the scene we saw on the 20 mile walk back to our car. My lower back actually HURT a whole lot (this is for Jon) from standing for nearly 3 hours waiting for the next set of waves.

We grabbed a breakfast at (dare I say it?) McDonalds and headed out to Mokuleia Beach to see if they had 50 foot waves. Nope, none there either.


When we got back home Art immediately started washing the salt off the car. We learned then that the Invitational had been postponed due to the heavy salt mist and fog blanketing the area and smaller than expected wave heights. They said the wave heights were about 18 feet. Really? If those waves were 18 feet, can you imagine what 60 would have been like?

Well, they're saying tomorrow could bring 50 foot waves. Would we be crazy enough to go out there again? Would we? Do you think we're crazy?

We'll see.

Historic Wave Heights Tomorrow?

I just read in the Honolulu Advertiser yesterday that there's going to be historic 60 foot (How come they say foot instead of feet?) wave heights on the North Shore tomorrow. I'm curious. Yes, I know curiosity killed the cat.

I asked Art if we could go to the North Shore tomorrow since I've never seen a wave even 20 feet high. Can you imagine what a 60 foot wave height would be like? Maybe it's because we've just seen the movie 2010, but I'd like to see it. Art says he's already seen some when he was in the Air Force and stationed up high on Kaena Point. However, I haven't. No, I wouldn't be so stupid as to stand on the beach. I can't swim for one thing. But 60 feet? And historic? I know my son would love for me to see that.

Only one problem. Traffic. They said the traffic will be madness. What if we left at 5:30 AM? Maybe nobody will be up then? I haven't convinced Art yet. We'll see.

I mean... 60 feet? Historic? Doesn't it sound amazing?

H1N1 Vaccine for KC

My granddaughter has finally gotten vaccinated against the H1N1 and I am so relieved. Tif went for a vaccination about a month ago but when she mentioned that KC has some hives the night before, they asked her to call KC's pediatrician. When Tif called the pediatrician, the nurse there asked her to bring KC into the office. When she got to the office none of the nurses admitted to telling her to bring KC in. The doctor merely advised Benedryl. So that was a very expensive doctor's visit for nothing and she lost her opportunity to get KC's first shot.

Tif tried to get KC inoculated a couple more times and wasn't able to get in. It was very frustrating. Finally she went to our town's community center where Art and I used to get our seasonal flu shots. The line was stretched very far and long. This is north of Chicago, not Hawaii and Tif says it was very cold.


Here's KC bundled against the cold with the stroller top down to protect her from the wind. It was a lot colder to stand in line than it was a month ago, but the main thing is she got her first shot... not that she enjoyed the experience until she got her cookie.

Tif says in Illinois they are targeting the children and those under 25 years old group first. I think that's what she said. They say that anybody over 64 seems to be more resistant to H1N1. Well... I guess Art is safer.

I'm not seeing any vaccines being given out here for anyone other than school children.

Every time I go out and somebody coughs or sneezes, it makes me nervous. I've also got my hand sanitizer with me at all times. Me, paranoid? Naaah....

Shoreline Memorials in Hawaii

I read an article about shoreline memorials in the Honolulu Advertiser a while ago.

"A long-held state policy to ignore grave markers cemented to the rocks along the shoreline of the Wai'anae Coast isn't sitting well in Hawai'i Kai."

This photo is from the Honolulu Advertiser website.

As far as I'm concerned, this is inappropriate. The shoreline in Hawaii is quite limited and is enjoyed by everyone. Apparently there are hundreds of these memorials cemented in the rocks. Isn't it being somewhat self centered for people to cement these grave markers into areas that are supposed to be enjoyed by everyone? I'm very sorry to say this but isn't this a form of graffiti?

I really wish people would just let nature be. Allow everyone to enjoy it uncluttered and unchanged as much as possible. Please.

Wisdom From My Mother

It's done! Art just finished my office closet and we're so proud of ourselves.  It seemed like such a difficult project when we first started and a learning process but it's been worth it.

Here's Art adding the frame for the closet doors.

The doors were fitted onto the closet front.

Then Art hammered in the moulding.

We really liked the look of the moulding.

I couldn't wait to put my supplies onto all the shelves. I do love to organize.

The last step was to install the door pulls.

I was mentioning to mom at dinner last night about all the work we did for the two closets that nobody would see.  It's taken us almost a month from start to finish with little details we struggled with that even we would not see.

She seemed startled by my thoughts and said, "Does it matter?  If you both did it together and you're proud of it, that is the important thing.  You know how hard you worked.  You can feel satisfied with what you learned and what you accomplished.  This project was something special for yourselves and no one else.  You can look at it everyday and feel good about your hard work.  You did it for yourselves, not for anybody else's praise."  (I don't think I can quite translate her words perfectly but this is the gist of it.)

I suppose you're never too old to still be taught by your mother.

Aside from wisdom, I think I may have caught some of that bug of hers.  I've been feeling very sluggish and will need to crash again tonight.  Very frustrating.  I don't care how bad I get, I refuse to take the same medication as hers.  She's still going and going and going....

And I don't mean the Energizer Bunny although she's beginning to move around everywhere again.

Christmas Traditions

Tilly, the laughing housewife from England asked me to write a post about American Christmas traditions. There are so many different customs in the U.S. that it's hard to know where to begin. I'll be expecting your help with this.

We set up either an artificial or harvested evergreen tree in our home and decorate it with anything from lights, tinsel, ornaments of every kind and whatever crosses your fancy. As you can see I've already set up my tree much earlier than most people do. The Christmas tree seems almost secular since mom used to set one up despite the fact that we are Buddhists. Presents are put under the tree to be opened on Christmas morning, December 25th, the birthday of Jesus Christ. There's some debate as to whether this is the actual date but that's OK. We celebrated Thanksgiving 3 days late, after all.

There are all kinds of holiday parties in December until the 25th and we tend to overeat. We also bake and eat a whole lot of Christmas cookies.

I'm going to let Dina of Jerusalem Hills Daily Photo explain Hanukkah on her blog. I've already blogged about my mortification when 4 year old, Jon blew out the menorah candles at her house many moons ago after the prayer. It didn't occur to him that the prayer had nothing about happy birthdays in it.

There's also the mistletoe custom where if you stand under it you get kissed.

There's caroling where groups go out to sing Christmas carols. It's not done much in Hawaii. Maybe you need snow.

There's Santa Claus or St. Nicholas who is supposed to come down the chimney and leave children presents on Christmas Eve if they've been good. My kids always got presents anyway. (I'm just kidding, Tif and Jon.)

OK... your turn to add to this list.