The Lion's Den

Destination: Hawaii

While on vacation in Hawaii during the summer of 2001 I kept a log and sent status emails to my friends.

Destination: Hawaii
Part I: Getting there
Tuesday, October 9, 2001
7:55 AM
Portland International Airport. Portland, OR.
I am at gate 14 of the Delta concourse at Portland International Airport, I have been up since 5am. My flight does not begin boarding for another 45 minutes and will not leave for at least another hour. At the advice of my travel agent I came to the airport a full two and a half hours early. The first 45 minutes of my morning were spent slowly moving my bags up the line at the checkout counter. The line stretched clear around the counters (snaking back and forth a few times) and around to the hallway to the concourses. The second 30 minutes of my morning were spent slowly moving up a very long line to a security gate. At the gate they are still trying to figure out where they are and what they are doing. Two of the security employees disagreed as to whether my baseball cap had to go though the X-Ray machine or not. The argument was settled when one said 'Because the national guard wants hats to go through'.. don't argue with men with guns.
At the security gate I committed a computer sin: I put my laptop through the X-Ray machine. Next time you are at one of these gates take a look at the machine. They have stickers on them with pictures of laptops and smiling faces. They have signs that assure you it is perfectly safe to put any and all electronics through them. If you talk (or argue) with the operators they will SWEAR by all that is good and mighty that X-Rays do not harm electronics. They are partially right. The X-Rays are not harmful, the electric motors that operate the conveyor belt, on the other hand, put out a strong electro-magnetic field that is NOT friendly to magnetic media. I have heard many an airport employee swear that you should put your computer gear though the machines. I have also read many a technical article detailing tests conducted with dummy floppies and other magnetic media that shows how repeated exposure to these beasts deteriorates the media integrity.
I find myself with some time to ponder the question of personal safety. I have asked myself why I feel safe to fly at this time. The answer is that I don't... at least not fully, but then again I never have... at least not fully. So far as airplane hijackings are concerned (hmmm wonder if I may have just tripped some CIA email scanning program with that last line) Hawaii seems an unlikely target. A long flight for a hijacker to get caught, not much of a payoff at the other end. Same with the return flight. I think I am more concerned with increasing my exposure to regions away from home at a time when the likelihood of a bacteriological attack is about as high as it has been during my lifetime. The bottom line for me though is that life is risky no matter what you do. The question becomes whether the payoff outweighs the risk or not. People sometimes ask me what it is like to live in a country like Colombia, constantly in a state of civil war. Well, here is your answer. Yes the risks are higher. but what are you going to do? Live your life, that's what.
OK. enough rambling for now. Let save space for the interesting stuff (did someone say 80 degrees at the other end).
11:35 am
Sitting in a steel can for just over two hours. Three to go. A pox on the money grubbing executives who figure out how many little bucks they can make by squeezing an extra inch here, taking two inches there. A double pox on the engineers who figure that the average height of people is 5'8" (or whatever the heck they figure it to be) and therefore it is fine to build seats that do not physically accommodate folk over 6'2". And a minor cold on Hawaiian airlines for never giving me an exit row... no matter how early I show up.

Part II: Exploration
Thursday, October 11, 2001
9:40 am
Once I unpacked my gear I realized I was missing one thing: My PADI dive certification card. No card = no dive. The dive shop tried to call PADI yesterday to get me a replacement card but their automated response system was down. Today I go back to the shop and we try to raise PADI again... if all goes well I will schedule my first two dives for tomorrow. Since I won't dive today after all I plan on driving the north roads and maybe doing some snorkeling.
The good thing about being on a small tropical island is that there are some incredibly beautiful vistas with all kinds of vegetation and landscapes. The bad thing about being on a small tropical island is that after a short drive you have pretty much been to both ends. Yesterday I drove to the south end of the island as far as the road goes... literally. The two-lane road becomes a one-lane road, becomes a barely paved narrow one-lane road and finally gives way to visible tracks on the lava rock. I was not about to take Chelsea's CRV four wheeling so I turned back where I could go no further. Total travel time: About half an hour each way. The north road is reported to take about 3 hours to traverse. With regular stops for reading, swimming, and generally hanging out it should occupy my day.
I am a little worried about traveling to other parts of the island. Dengue fever has been reported on the east side. A whole lot of areas are closed off, long sleeved pants and shirts plus insect repellent are recommended for anyone traveling into areas with mosquitoes in them. The disease seems to be slowly spreading. There is even some talk of quarantining the whole island. Time to be cautious.
Last night we went to a very beautiful community center and saw a Vietnamese movie called Vertical Ray of Light. The movie was absolutely gorgeous. I have not seen cinematography that exquisite in a long time. It was also incredibly slow. Fortunately I caught during the opening credits that it was co-produced by canal+ and was expecting a 'French film'. You know: nothing happens for two hours full of great looking scenes and then the credits roll.


Part III: Joy
Saturday, October 13, 2001
2:15 pm
First a correction: The slow and beautiful Vietnamese movie was actually called 'Vertical Ray of the Sun'. With that out of the way:
Oh my freaking god. I had actually forgotten WHY it is that I SCUBA dive. But praise the LORD I have been SAVED. Diving yesterday was a bundle of joy all wrapped up in beautiful blue water. I went out with a boat to XXX a coral reef about an hour out from Maui. I was a bit worried about the fact that I have not dove in over a year and a bit miffed about having paid over $110 for a single day's diving, but god be praised I came back so bloody happy to have done it. First of all the time I spent without diving does not seem to have affected my skills. I was able to suit up quickly, get in and equalize right away and was ready and neutrally buoyant floating a few feet from the sea floor by time the last diver in my group got to position. The dive went great and was full of great life. In addition to a bevy of tropical fish there were a great number of larger and more unusual sea life. The dive leaders told us we might spot one or maybe two white tipped reef sharks sitting at the bottom or hiding in holes. Well, they were wrong, there were easily over 5 of them swimming freely in the water! The operators were all psyched and could not stop talking about it aboard ship. In addition I saw dozens of garden eels, a nice large snowflake eel, a few rare fish and best of all got to play with an octopus! When it came time to say goodbye I had to pry the octopus off my hands and got the weird and fun sensation of having one last sucker pop off my finger. After that the octopus decided to become a hat for the dive leader. MOST amusing. OK, I could go on and on with all kinds of details that would probably only interest divers, this should be a good spot to move on. one last thing: when I get back to the mainland I think I will have to re-instate my search for a dive buddy.
After the dive and a nice rest at home I picked Chelsea up at work and we headed north to Lahaina with some co-workers for a magic show and cabaret. The evening was great. we had fluffy drinks with umbrellas in them and then saw a very fun and entertaining show. I volunteered to accompany Michelle, one of Chelsea's co-workers whose birthday we were celebrating to the table right in front of the magician. Together with 3 other couples he proceeded to use us for occasional tricks but mostly to make fun of us. Fortunately he did not pick on me much. The good news is that we were right up front for some great magic and humor. The bad news is that I have spent so much time learning how illusions and magic work that I was able to see the systems for about half of the tricks. He did do a couple of tricks that were quite awesome. Afterwards Chelsea and Michelle went out to a bar but I was beat and went home to sleep. I had gotten up at 5am to go diving after all.
This morning Chelsea and I went out and did a hike across lava fields to a secluded small bay called 'fish bowl' where we went snorkeling. Also a great deal of fun and the first few pictures I have taken on the trip. Lets hope they turn out. Lots of fish and fun in the warm water and warm sun. I just noticed a couple of minutes ago something somewhat amusing.. I have a mild sunburn on my back. I was very good about applying regular sun-block and wearing clothing most of the time... the amusing thing is that I cam move my arms around to my back and see EXACTLY where my reach ends... that is exactly where the sunburn begins. Now it is time for a short nap, and then we head out to Lahaina for a view of the largest Buddha outside the mainland, the best view of the sunset in the island and then more fluffy drinks with umbrellas in them.
Aloha everyone!
Part IV: Under and Above
Sunday, October 14, 2001
The astute reader may have noticed a conspicuous absence of a name in my dive report last email. I could not remember the name of the dive site and left some XXXX in their place to remind myself to fill it in later. I of course went ahead and sent the report off without remembering to fill in this detail. The name of the site is Molokini. It is a crater caused by the off venting of an active volcano off Maui. The crater is a nice circle, half of which is above water and makes a beautiful crescent, the other half is under water and makes a perfect wall for marine life to habitate. If all goes well I should have a URL with some pictures to include with the next report including a photo taken of a postcard of the Molokini crater.
I also realized I have forgotten to mention a fun event from last Thursday: Chelsea's Hula class. I got to ride along and watch the class practice traditional Hula. Very much fun to watch and to listen to.
Dinner in Lahaina last night was a great deal of fun. We visited Maui Taco, a chain of local cheap and delicious taco joints owned by that guy who yells 'BAM' on his cooking show on the food network. After a huge burrito each we walked the Lahaina boardwalk for quite a while before heading to Cheeseburgers in Paradise for our umbrellaed drinks. In addition to the largest Buddha in the US we visited the largest banyan tree on the island. the tree with it's multiple trunks was the size of a regular city park. Walking down Lahaina is very amusing. In addition to the boatloads of tourists (literally, there are two huge cruise ships off shore and hundreds of couples in matching flower prints all over the place) and curious other people I found that I cannot walk more than two blocks without having a local whisper to me 'Maui Wowie'. that would be the local way of asking if I want some happy weed. On the way back we decided to head out of the habitated areas and saw a pretty full sky. I have not seen that many stars since. well frankly since last time I was in Hawaii.
This morning (after a lazy morning) we did a fun hike called 'swinging bridges'. Its name comes from the two cable bridges that rock and swing as you walk on them. In addition to great views the hike was permeated with the sweet tropical scent of Ginger flowers. I also picked and ate some Guava on the trail. One small blister later it seems my new hiking boots are worth the money. Once again if all goes well I should have an URL with some pictures uploaded from the digital camera we brought on the hike.
After the hike it was up to high country for some views from above of the area. This is the only chance I will have to drive up the mountains since I cannot go to altitude within 24 hours of diving. I need to get some sleep tonight as I am up at 5am again tomorrow for another dive in Molokini crater.

Wednesday, October 17, 2001
9:00 AM
Breakfast of Hawaiian Sweet Bread, fresh papaya and guava. The papaya I picked from Michelle's back yard yester night, the guava picked from trees along the hike on Sunday. One of the best things for me about visiting Hawaii is all the childhood memories it brings up. I grew up with papaya, passionfruit, lilikoi, mangoes, coconuts. all these tropical fruits and vegetation that you do not find on the mainland. They are everywhere in Hawaii though.
Another great set of dives on Monday, then some good shore dives yesterday. I think I am done diving for this trip. Each boat outing costs over $100 and the beach dives are $60. A bit too expensive for someone trying to save money to keep up over a week.
Monday night I met Chelsea and a bunch of her co-workers at a movie theater for a showing of 'Iron Monkey'. If you have not seen it, I highly recommend it. Quite amusing. One note though: look for it at your video store before you pay full price to see it in a theater. Iron Monkey was made in 1993 and has been available on video for a while (Multnomah country library has a copy). They have simply re-packaged and re-released it in theaters.

Pictures of the hike

Part V: Somewhat under and REALLY above
Thursday, October 18, 2001
6:50 pm
I am thrilled and enthralled. I just drove down from mount Haleakala. but let's tell the tale in the order in which it happened.
Yester night we went back to the Maui Arts and Culture Center (MACC) for another film in the Maui Film Festival. This time the movie was 'The Deep End' starring Tilda Swinton. The movie seemed flawed, I am not yet sure exactly how. At times it was cliché at times predictable, but always beautiful. I think it helped that I find Tilda Swinton absolutely enthralling in everything she does. She has a screen presence that fascinates me. Her son played by Jonathan Tucker spends the whole movie seemingly on the verge of some teen-angst breakdown. He does a good job of portraying the pain and commotion within the character but leaves us wondering if he is capable of any facial expression other than a quivering lip and worried eyes. The MACC is a beautiful theater and a great venue for film. however if I ever see those two ladies who kept snickering and laughing at all the dramatic moments in the seats behind me I will probably do what I should have done in the theater: reach over and knock their heads together.
This morning I woke up early and went snorkeling. I am not sure if I have been waking up early because I am so relaxed I need less sleep or if it is because of those fucking birds that sound like car alarms that like to hang out outside my window in the morning. Whatever the reason I was up and about by 7 and after a couple of hours of web-surfing, catching up on email, watching the news headed out for the 'Maui Prince' hotel in Wailea. I should take a minute to explain Wailea. Maui has one town of any appreciable size: Kahului. No matter where you are on the island if a local says he/she is going to town they are headed for Kahului. Chelsea lives in Kihei. Kihei is a rather funny town in that it is next to the beach. literarily. all of it. I really mean it. the town is one long strip of homes and businesses all within an easy walk to the beach. The maps are hilarious... since the town is about twenty times as long as it is wide maps of Kihei have to be split into sections. Kihei is on the arid west side of the mountain. It goes ocean ? town - dessert. Which is the first weird thing you notice when you drive into Wailea. Wailea is green. very green. Unnaturally green. Manicured green. Soilent green (a little joke for the geeks in the crowd). Or as my guidebook puts it: Green, grand, groomed and golf. Yup, Wailea is where the rich people hide so they don't have to see us commoners. It is a whole stretch of nothing (and I mean NOTHING) but expensive resorts with expensive restaurants all spaced out by finely manicured golf courses. But along with those expensive resorts comes (I figured out) expensive beach access with secure parking and bathroom facilities. Which brings us back to: snorkeling. The beach in front of the Maui prince is to die for. Fine sand, a touch of surf, and coral reefs a short swim out. I headed on out and right away started spotting my favorite tropical fish (at the top of the list is probably the parrot fish which proves that God DOES have a sense of humor). Out among the reefs I right away spot a great big green sea turtle and come by to say hi. On my way back I detect some movement, move in closer to investigate and end up spending a good 5 to 10 minutes hovering over an octopus as he went along his day. I think he was fishing, but that is just a guess.
After an invigorating snorkel I went home for a shower and an Internet fix and called Chelsea at work to see if she wanted to have lunch. Chelsea and Michelle ended up taking me right back to Wailea and into a most exclusive looking golf club where we sat in their very nice golf house at a table with an incredible view of the sea and surrounding islands. The real incredible part of the experience is that the food was reasonably priced!! A nice frufy drink, a decent sandwich and a great view later I returned the ladies to their work and headed for the volcano.
The dive up to the volcano was quite wonderful. A beautiful winding road with some very amusing road signs ('watch out for bikers' and 'warning: cows' are by far my favorites). At around 4,000 ft I hit the clouds (and thought the summit would be clouded over) at around 7,000 ft I drove above the cloud cover... and oh my god what a majestic sight. You have probably all seen it from airplanes: the sun shining down on a beautiful sea of fluffy white cotton clouds. Well imagine getting out of the plane and walking around for a 270 degree view. I hit the crater (not actually a crater, look it up if you really want to know) at 10,000 ft. That is when the next childhood memory hit me. You see, as a child I used to hike quite a bit in Colombia. We hiked all over the place but one that will always stick in my mind was going above 11,000 ft. At that altitude you HAVE to move slow to keep from passing out. I had quite forgotten the sensation until I stepped out of the car and felt my knees begin to give. I immediately started remembering the rules: move slowly, breathe deep and normal and drink water. Oh my, what a great view and what a fun sensation. Between the morning on the beach and the evening at 10,000 ft I came home with a great big smile on my face.
10:30 pm
Just came back from the local dive beach bar where I had a crappy half order of nachos with a not so crappy but not so great mudslide. Am very tied and going to see if I can wake up early enough tomorrow morning for one last snorkel before I leave the island. I fly out at 5:40pm but because of airport security have to be at the airport by 3:30pm. I feel like my vacation is almost over (since this is my last night in Maui) but a new shorter one is about to begin. I am very much looking forward to seeing my friends on the big Island and in Honolulu.
For the next few days I am not sure what my email access will be. I think I will be able to receive but not send (for the geek in the crowd I will be dialing up through a host ISP so I can authenticate against my POP but not the SMTP). I will keep the log up as I visit the big island and Honolulu but the repot may not go out until I get back to Portland... we will see.

Part VI: Yummy.
Saturday, October 20, 2001
Honoka'a, Hawaii
There are 22 'Road Work Ahead' signs on the road from Hilo to Honoka'a. I know, I counted them. The distance form Hilo to Honoka'a is 43.5 miles. I know, I counted them. After passing the third 'Road Work Ahead' sign with no signs of road work I started to doubt these people were honest. After the sixth sign I decided that if there ever was any road work all the signs would work against them because by them I was not going to believe the signs. Between the 18th and 19th signs I actually saw a piece of construction equipment sitting way off the side of the road. Other than that nary a sign of construction to be seen. Very amusing.

Sunday, October 21, 2001
8:50 am
What a difference. Kihei is on the Kona side of Maui (towards the west, leeward) while Honoka'a is on the windward side of Hawaii. Now if you have been to Hawaii or know how the weather patterns develop you can surmise that Kihei is dessert while Honoka'a is wet. and whoa nelly is it ever. In Kihei I would come back from the beach, rinse my swimsuit, hang it and find it dry an hour later. In Honoka'a I cam dry my swimsuit, hang it, and find it wet an hour later. It has been raining this delicious tropical rain since I got here. Drive 15 minutes Kona side and wham, the weather and the landscape change: you are suddenly under sunny skies in the midst of a dessert.
Yesterday morning we went snorkeling on the Kona side of the island. As always a good snorkel. Lots of nice tropical fish all in a reef bay. Oddly I was able to equalize my ears and free dive for the beginning of the snorkel but not at the end. After free diving a few 4 or 5 times it was simply too painful to do it again.
Dinner at Alioli's was quite wonderful. I had a goat cheese enchilada that was one of the most flavorful I have had in my life. A nice key lime tort and a cup of coffee finished the evening.
Today we are due out to do some hiking. I am quite looking forward to it. though I hope it is not raining along the hike path (did I mention it is raining here? ;-) ). I had originally hoped to go see the observatory atop Mount Mauna Kea today but there is some concern over how my body might react to acclimating to 14,000 feet and then flying the next morning.
My flight tomorrow (by the way) is not as I expected it to be. I scheduled to fly out at 9:00 am thinking it would give me plenty of time to wake up comfortably, get to the airport, etc. Let's see. I have to check in 90 minutes early. so I have to be at the counter at 7:30am. the car rental said to have the car 45 minutes early. that would put me at the airport at 6:45am. The drive takes about an hour.. so I have to leave at 5:45 am.. YAY I get to wake up at 5am! Joy! ( <-sarcasm).

5:30 pm
Went out this morning and hiked the White Road on the Waipio rim. Gorgeous hike. Very wet and very beautiful. The vegetation made regular changes throughout. The end of the hike takes you to the edge of a drop-off into the Waipio valley. The elevation is 3,400 ft though we were unable to see down the valley as it was all clouded in. At the end of the hike I mentioned to Laki how happy I have been to eat tropical fruits I knew from my childhood. With this mentioned I found out that some of my other favorites, Guanavana, Pomarosa and Sapote all grow on the island.
After the hike Laki and I went out hunting and gathering. well gathering rather. We drove around the back roads near Honoka'a looking for fruit trees. We filled up on strawberry guava, waivi, and yes one of my favorite fruits though I have not know it since my childhood the excellent pomarosa aka Rose Apple. If you have ever eaten a pomarosa you know how tasty it is. If you have not, imagine smelling a sweet rose. now imagine tasting that smell! Yummy, no? As if that was not enough we finished the evening off with a tasty burger and some Masaladas (Portuguese donuts). And oh yes... the gathering also meant I got to partake in one of my favorite Sunday activities, a drive in the countryside.

Part VII: Getting Back
Monday, October 22, 2001
Hilo Airport. 7:40am
Yes you CAN get sick on strawberry guava and waivi. OK, maybe not really sick but I definitely should not eat any more fruit this morning. The drive over was gorgeous. Highway 19 from Honoka'a to Hilo with tropical forest on one side and the sun rising over the ocean on the other. What made it even more fun was the sound system on the rental car. hehehe. By the way, if your plan is to have breakfast at Hilo airport since you will have to spend an hour and a half waiting after the security check: don't. After going through security the extent of food is a newsstand that sells potato chips and pork rinds. When I walked the length of the building (which took all of 20 seconds) looking for food I apparently made the National Guard nervous. I found myself on the far end of the building alone except for an M-16 toting guardsman following me. At times like these I remind myself that most people are not exactly put at ease by 6'3" men with beards. OK... back to being hungry and reading the newspaper (I have mostly avoided the news while on vacation but am slowly re-acclimating as I prepare to return).
Tuesday, October 23, 2001
Honolulu Airport 11:30am
It was very good to see Cecilia again, even if for only a short amount of time. After coming into Honolulu and getting a quick orientation of the town I went walking around the waterfront then back to Cecilia's apartment for some rest and a whole lot of Internet fix. After work I met her and some most amusing workmates at a seaside bar for beer and pupus (Hawaiian for snacks). At this time I must conclude that when Hawaiians are not working they are gossiping about their co-workers. Yup, it's true. I don't care where you go in Hawaii, get two people who work together in the same after-work room and they cannot resist the urge to gossip about their work.
Yesterday night was spent on Waikiki. Waikiki is a very funny place to spend time on. Pretty much any city or town you go to in Hawaii is some mix of locals and tourists. Kona I would guess to be about a 40% tourist town. Kihei felt more like a 20% tourist town. Honolulu is maybe closer to 30% tourist. Waikiki felt 99% tourist. I mean blocks and blocks of shops, restaurants, anything and everything made and maintained for the boatloads of tourists that come in. Cecilia and I shared a very nice dinner at Duke's Surf Club. It had exactly what I was hoping to find: a great view, decent prices and little umbrellas in the drinks. Speaking about drinks, yes I am nursing a small hangover this morning. well what would YOU do your lat nigh in paradise?
This morning I walked... and walked. and walked searching for breakfast in downtown Honolulu. When I finally found what looked like a halfway decent little café I came in to find out that what looked from the outside like an extensive menu consisted of bagels, bagels with butter, bagels with cream cheese, bagels with egg, bagel with ham, ham eggs and spam, spam eggs and spam, spam spam spam eggs bacon and spam, spam spam spam spam spam spam spam (at this point you should all be visualizing Vikings, if you are not. well I can't help you) and French toast. I ordered the French toast. yeghh.. not very well made and no syrup. Conclusion: It is hard to get a decent breakfast in Honolulu.
I am now at the airport waiting for my flight back to Portland. I showed up a full 3 hours early and am glad I did. Honolulu airport is a freaking mess. When I got here I was told to stand in a line that stretched clear outside the terminal. After some while a not very friendly guy came by and made fun/helped us by letting us know that line was only for tours. He guided me to another long line. I asked a not very nice Hawaiian Airlines employee if I was in the right line and was directed to, yes you guessed it, a third line. A couple of searches later by more grumpy people and I was set for my 15 minute hike up one concourse and down another to my gate. Once I got to the gate I realized that the nearest halfway decent food was back near the main terminal (or I can pay $8 for a cheap ass dry shrink-wrapped sandwich. no thanks). So it was back to the main terminal with me and another walk back to nowheresville to eat my sandwich near the gate. The walk did have to good aspects: 1. It kept me from sitting for 2 freaking hours. 2. I got to walk around the Japanese Airlines area. MAN what a trip that is. here I am all six feet three inches of me in a sea of bopping heads all of which come to about my mid-chest. Another piece of good news: by showing up early and blinking my big eyes at the cute woman at the counter I was able to get my seat changed to a window exit row. Yay! J I let her know she had just made a tall man very happy.
It is now 12:30. My flight does not leave for another hour but they should begin boarding us in 15 minutes or so. I can see the pilot out walking around the airplane right now inspecting his ship (a custom I have always liked). It took me a few minutes to find a seat near an outlet so I don't drain the batteries on the laptop. All is well. The last weather check I made on Portland said 43 degrees. Eeek.. that is half the temperature.

10:20pm
In a towncar headed home.

Local time is 10:22pm. My body's chronometer thinks it is 7:22pm, yet I am tired. A word of advice: when traveling to or from Portland airport take a towncar instead of a taxi. Towncars cost about as much as taxis (I have taken a towncar for less than it would have cost to take a taxi though I usually pay a little bit more) but instead of some overworked person grunting acknowledgements at your directions you get a luxurious roomy car with very courteous man in a suit (I have yet to see a towncar driven by a woman) who calls you 'sir' and always takes your bags and opens the door for you. The towncar that took me to the airport had a complimentary newspaper waiting for me in the back seat and put on NPR when I asked for it.
Met a nice Kiwi on the plane. He is headed into Portland to spend two weeks with a girl he met over the Internet. I gave him my card so he can call me for a beer if he wants to tell me about New Zealand. Though as I said to him 'hopefully your friend will keep you too busy to go for a beer'.
I am scruffy and smelly. I am wearing a shirt I have sweated in, pants that have been used 3 times since the last laundry load (including on a long walk), I have not had a wet shave in two weeks and I rant out of hair gel two days ago. As soon as I am home first order of business is to take a shower. and now that I think about it go sit in the hot tub for a while. After that put on the first load of laundry and catch up with my mail (here is hoping there are no bills with 'PAY WITHIN TWO WEEKS OR ELSE' written on them.
Here is a little secret of mine: Every time I come back home after an extended period of time I have this fear that the taxi (or rather towncar) will pull up to the smoking embers that used to be my house. OK, maybe it is not a real fear but the thought always occurs to me. I think that is one of the reasons I am so glad to know someone is checking the house every so often (thank you Michael). We are getting near the turnout for my house. Gotta go.

7:45pm
Just got in (yes the house is still there). It is raining outside. God I love that smell. Turned NPR on. my favorite radio program 'Echoes' is on. Messages from friends on voicemail. Happy.

End of line.