Saturday, September 28, 2013

Home from Kauai.



Location, At Home

We returned home from Kauai last Sunday after flying a “red eye” flight which left Kauai at 9 PM on Saturday.

It is our least favorite way to fly but it saves us from flying to Honolulu from Kauai to get a flight back to Los Angeles.

Killing time at the Marriott before our flight.

The car got a smog check this week so that is done for a few years.

On Thursday, Gary and Cindy, our Kauai hosts arrived in town for a wedding this evening. We all had dinner with Don and Bev to celebrate Don’s 65th birthday. Yesterday we all went to the “Funk Zone” to wine taste and get lunch. The “Funk Zone” was once the home of small business, artsy shops, and even a few homes. Now it is home to restaurants, wineries and tasting rooms, a brewery, and other small businesses. We tasted wine at an established winery which has been there for almost 50 years. We picked up lunch to go and ate it at the wineries outdoor seating area.

Last night Clyda made HuliHuli chicken and she created a Luau at Don and Bev’s house.

Unfortunately, no one thought to bring a camera so no photos.

On the tech front, I am trying to find a replacement battery for my ACER Netbook computer. On line searches just left me confused. My battery is rated at 10.8volts while most matching batteries on line are rated at 11.1 volt. I am not sure it matters as there is a voltage regulator built into the computer. More research required.    

Saturday, September 14, 2013

Kauai, HI.



Location, Kauai, HI

Greetings from Hawaii.

We arrived here on Wednesday about noon on an early morning flight from Los Angeles. Our friends Cindy and Gary picked us up at the airport and after a stop for lunch; we drove to Costco to pick up groceries.

The timeshare unit is on the bottom floor with a great view out to the ocean. We are at Poipu Beach on the southern shore of Kauai.

 


Yesterday we did a cruise up the NaPoli coast on a catamaran. We have been wanting to do this cruise since we first came to the island years ago. The NaPoli coast is only reachable by boat and is very isolated. We had about 30 people on the boat. There was a stop to snorkel and later we slowed to watch a pod of dolphins. We did see turtles also. We had a storm the day before so the seas were very unsettled with fairly large waves. The boat became a roller coaster with lots of water coming over the bow. Lots of people got soaked. I stayed near the bow for awhile until I was thoroughly wet and then moved to the stern.
 
Once we turned around the seas moderated and we were served a lunch of hamburgers, cabbage salad, and beans. Later, we were served warm macadamia nut with white chocolate cookies. The bar was also open with beer and wine.

Meanwhile the wind switched directions and the seas rose so once again we took lots of water over the bow.

It was a good trip with a great crew.

Here at the timeshare we spend time at the pool and hot tub. This is a very comfortable unit with 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a full kitchen, a big living area with a dinning table and a patio with tables and chairs. The  trade winds are blowing to keep things cool and we get an occasional shower.

Saturday, September 7, 2013

A trip to Wisconsin.



Location, At Home.

Much has happened since my last post.

I had a trip to Wisconsin scheduled for August 29 for 6 days. However, USAIR had other plans. I arrived at the airport about 5:15 for my 6:30 flight. After checking in and going through security I noticed there was no plane parked at the gate. NOT GOOD! As the plane is supposed to be there overnight. About 6AM everyone’s phone started ringing and announcing that the flight was cancelled. Not delayed, CANCELLED. Most people jumped up to go back to the USAIR desk to rebook or whatever they could get out of USAIR I guess but I noticed there was a phone number to call. I called it and was given a choice, cancel and get my money back or rebook for the next day. I said “rebook me” and I managed to get the same flights the next day. Hard to believe there were still seats available. I’m sure glad I didn’t go to the front desk.

SO, I went back to the airport the next morning and all was well. I arrived in Milwaukee about 3:30 in the afternoon after a brief stop in Phoenix to change planes. Within 20 minutes I was sitting in my rented Chevy Malibu and ready to head north. Normally I fly to Chicago but Milwaukee is better but it is still a 4 hour drive.

There was lots of traffic around Milwaukee due to it being Friday of Labor Day weekend and Harley Davidson was celebrating their 150 anniversary. The slow traffic eased after about ½ hour. I stopped in Stevens Point for a bite to eat and arrived about 8:30 in Abbotsford where I had booked a motel room for my stay. It really worked well to stay in Abbotsford as it is near my Mother who is in assisted living in Colby and I could stop in for a few minutes any time.

On Saturday afternoon I attended an all school reunion for my high school. A little over two hundred people came. It was really nice to have all afternoon to visit. We were served a great family style dinner.

On Sunday I visited my sister Judy and her family and again had a great buffet dinner. Later, the grandkids wanted to go fishing in Grandpas pond so we all walked down and the adults were kept busy baiting hooks with worms and taking fish off. Several nice blue gills were kept in a barrel for Grandpa to clean along with 2 very nice large mouth bass. I think my niece Angela caught the biggest fish.

Nice blue gill.
A. J. with a large mouth bass.
 Angela has the biggest fish.



On Monday I visited the cemetery where my dad is buried and spent the afternoon with friends catching up on all the latest happenings.

Tuesday I visited my cousin Jim and wife Sharon. I try to see them whenever I am in the area. It also gave me a chance to get a bite at Culvers and have a small custard. Wonderful! Later, I picked up my mother with help from my sister Judy and husband Art and we drove to Unity for dinner with my other siblings. It was a nice dinner and a celebration of my birthday.

Wednesday morning I left Abbotsford before 8 AM and stopped to see my mother on my way out of town. I drove south to Cazenovia, WI to visit my cousin Shirley and husband Ed. Shirley was nice enough to make BLT’s for lunch with the biggest fresh tomatoes from her garden. She also served me a piece of birthday cake with a candle. Very nice of her.

I left Cazenovia about 12:30 PM and drove to the airport in Milwaukee for a 5:20 PM flight back to Phoenix and then home.

Before I made this trip I had taken my truck to the local Ford Service Center to determine what a noise was that I had been hearing. On the way in to the garage I engaged the Gear Vendors over/under drive and the noise went away. That was not good but at least I now had a possible diagnosis. Long story short, the Gear Vendors unit was replaced with a factory rebuilt unit, the rear differential was serviced, and the torque converter main seal was replaced. I took the truck in on August 26th and got it back today. The bill was rather large but not near what I expected.