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EDWARD JACOBS

Author: Ed Jacobs

  • Monday, February 24

    Molokai, day 2

    We took this day to rest, nap, write a bunch, relax, and enjoy this quiet locale on the east side of Molokai.  We were both clearly pretty tired and just plain needed to rest.  And this is a good, quiet place to get in that rest; I suspect we’ll use another day this week for rest, as well.

    our apt complex in Molokai

    In little bits that gained duration over the day, I brought Let Them Not Say to it’s 90% complete spot.  Now it’s time for small corrections, editing, tightening up.  Then it’s on to finishing Celan (James Brasfield) and/or getting going on Limbo (Marie Howe)…or the E.E. Cummings for Rachel and Ari…

  • Sunday, February 23

    Molokai, day 1

    Everything about this place seems super-relaxing.  The place we’re staying is spacious, airy, and quiet.  After a great night’s sleep we were up and at ‘em for a 6:15 departure/drive to the harbor.  It turns out we were one of three cars leaving this apt complex at that time.  A very pleasant drive allowed us to chat over coffee while in the sparsely travelled road at that hour—or any hour, it turns out.

    Molokai Fish and Dive is the only game in town, we learned.  They had two boats going out; one for whale watching, and one for snorkelers and divers.  We were eight divers with two lovely dive guides, and I’m not sure how many snorkelers were watched by the boat’s captain.

    This was a maiden open water voyage for a piece of equipment I recently purchased, so I was very excited to give it a run.  [spoiler alert; it was fabulous.]  Things on this boat ran so much more laissez-faire than on other dive boats.  They set up their gear, but had those of us with our own gear set up our own.  I appreciated that opportunity to get to know my equipment better, and all went as easily as I’d hoped.  Pattie had been chilly during the dives in Maui, so she added a short wetsuit on top of her own and that turned out to work perfectly.

    The first site we hit reminded me of “Fish Rain” from our Maui dive, though this was a different reef.  The second dive was a ‘turtle cleaning station,’ where turtles gather and are picked clean by parasite fish—everyone’s happy.  No shortage of turtles here!

    solo turtle dance
    Turtle flight take-off
    just plain lots of fish
    Lots of turtles at the cleaning station

    Post-dive we went over to the dive shop to just look around at the converted gas station.  The food truck next door wasn’t open on Sunday, but we’re told it’s good and, unsurprisingly, is run by Molokai Fish & Dive as well.

    We made our way back to our digs, washed gear and I promptly fell asleep for two hours.  The quiet and the gentle breezes are like a dreamy sedative…

    Shortly after my nap I enjoyed a great conversation with Dan Shirley as we start early planning for a song setting he’d like.  That’s a project whose deadline is many months away, but this first session was about selecting specific texts from with A Shropshire Lad.  A very helpful session, for sure, and always great to touch base with a valued colleague.

  • Saturday, February 22

    Maui to Molokai

    Travel days are different, but this one was particularly challenging as it involved saying goodbye to Jackson, Cristin, and Joe.  What a fabulous few weeks we’ve had together, and words really can’t capture the sheer joy we feel when we’re taking care of Jackson.

    We finally got on our way at 10:30 to return the car, check bags, etc.  The airport experience in Maui was easy.  We flew to Honolulu first, then connected to Molokai via a much smaller plane.  The prop plane loaded passengers through a back door, put cargo in front, and it reminded us of flying between Charlotte and Greenville.

    boarding our flight to Molokai

    Maui to Molokai

    Travel days are different, but this one was particularly challenging as it involved saying goodbye to Jackson, Cristin, and Joe.  What a fabulous few weeks we’ve had together, and words really can’t capture the sheer joy we feel when we’re taking care of Jackson.

    We finally got on our way at 10:30 to return the car, check bags, etc.  The airport experience in Maui was easy.  We flew to Honolulu first, then connected to Molokai via a much smaller plane.  The prop plane loaded passengers through a back door, put cargo in front, and it reminded us of flying between Charlotte and Greenville.

    We arrived and it took all of 5 seconds to notice some of the things that distinguish Molokai from each of the other islands—just as we have noticed the uniqueness of Oahu, Hawai’I, and Maui so far.

    The airport is really a tiny one, flights go between Honolulu and Molokai all day long.  The baggage claim simply a bench where they bring a luggage cart to unload.  And the relaxed pace is just fine.

    As we left the airport we were greeted by the motto around here: “Slow down, this is Molokai.”  Very few roads, stores, and people (pop. 8,000) makes for a very rural vibe.  And we really like it.

    We stopped at one of the two markets in town to get some provisions—everything terrifically expensive, as we were warned. 

    We’re staying on the ‘east end’ of the island, 13 miles from town, so we had about 20’ of leisurely driving down the one main road to “Wavecrest.”  This feels like a cross between camp in Maine (isolated, super-quiet, unending stars, gentle breezes), and a retirement complex (pool, shuffleboard, well-manicured), and our view is across the ocean to Lanai and Maui.

    And the AirBnB is spacious and comfortable, the bed and pillows super.  We both slept very well.

    first night in Molokai

  • Friday, February 21

    Maui, day 13

    A perfect day begins with retrieving a smiling Jackson, freshly awake, ready for play.  I was able to get in a tad of writing before seeing his happy face at 6, then brought him up to our apt since Pattie was up early today.

    Joe and Cristin were off for a morning dive (the dive we did last Tuesday, but they had much better luck finding hammerheads and dolphins!), during which Pattie, Jackson, and I ran some errands—sending home 25 lbs of excess!—then went to the aquarium for a bit.  We met up there with Joe and Cristin at 2 and, at 2:40 Joe, Cristin, and I checked in for our dive into their tank.  A unique dive, for sure.

    The pre-dive briefing was particularly interesting, as it included much of the history of the aquarium, its mission, and its inception in the late 90s.  The process of developing a cooperative relationship with the Hawaiian community involved significant participation of influential descendants of the family who had been on the proposed-aquarium’s land; namely “Uncle Charlie.”  Uncle Charlie passed a few years ago, and now his grandson plays a big role in the community’s involvement.

    Each shark that is brought in to the Maui Ocean Center, and each shark that is released back into the open sea, is blessed by these descendants in a brief and solemn ceremony.  The video portion of our  briefing even included a recording of Uncle Charlie blessing each diver.

    Much of the rest of the briefing included education about sharks, rays, and other animals in the tank, as well as general plans for our 40’ dive at a maximum of 18’.

    The dive was unusual, to say the least.  The tank (750,000 gallons) was nothing compared to the boundless open water of a typical dive.  But the animals so plentiful, and so at ease with us…the video will speak for itself.

    We entered the tank from a platform above, rested on a ‘tube’ which is broad enough for visitors to walk through and observe the animals from all angles.

    I’m in, and Joe is readying to come in, then i descend…
    first look from the bottom
    The curator playing with his grouper friend
    Follow the shark
    Mom & Dad find Jackson with Pattie
    A unicorn fish, a sting ray, and a tiger shark share a neighborhood
    the Big Daddy sting ray
    and a broad view from the periphery

    A pretty cool dive.

    The day ended with a nice last family meal at the Andaz, where we enjoyed a great sunset, a d delicious meal, and some perfect company.

    Jackson, Cristin, Pattie at Friday night dinner
    Jackson enjoying dessert

  • Thursday, February 20

    Maui, day 12

    O’o Farm tour, incredible lunch, Lavender Farm, a great family day together.

    Pix to come.

  • Wednesday, February 19

    Maui, day 11

    Road to Hana

    The day begins with this little guy’s smiles and laughs

    A long day in the car, but a good one.  The weather held out nicely for us until about 2pm, when the rain became a bit steady and, at times, heavy.

    Lots of pix to come…

    Somewhere on the road to Hana…

  • Tuesday, February 18

    Maui, day 10

    Up early to write, and feeling like “Let Them Not Say” is very close to finished.

    Off to the “Hammerhead” dive.  A very rocky boat ride out to the dive site—capt said 9-10’ swells, and felt like a roller coast ride for about 45 minutes.  Thankful that I seem to have figured out the pre-boat ride regime (patch behind the ear the night before, anti-nausea pill in the morning, as well as meclizine), so not seasickness, at all.

    The site is known as Rain Fish, and it’s clear why.  We descended over a reef absolutely teeming with fish.  Some schooling, but more just seemingly ‘raining’ through the water.  (see to have lost the video somehow, which is a real shame…) We stayed over the reef for a while, then into a channel between some small islands to look for hammerheads.  We did see a nice spotted ray, and one hammerhead—though at a distance.

    Evidently, during our dive the winds really picked up a lot.  So the capt. Told us he didn’t feel comfortable putting us in the water in that area again.  So, we rode back towards calmer waters and then dove to the Carthaginian—a wreck in about 90’ of water.

    Descending to the Carthaginian, we encountered the submarine that brings tourists to see the site.

    descending, and the “Nautilus”
    video cont’d
    The Carthaginian
    a bit more of the wreck…
    and eventually finding some sleeping friends (and a diver in camo…)
    On the way back, one of many encounters with whales playing

  • Monday, February 17

    Maui, day 9

    Joe and Cristin had a big diving day today—morning and afternoon—so Pattie and I had a good day with Jackson.  He greeted me with smiles when he woke up, and was just plain fun all day long. 

    Also got lots of headway done in planning time in Kauai, specifically four days of diving.

    We hit the hay early, while Joe and Cristin went out for dinner, as the morning will bring time for some writing before we leave at 6:15am for our dive in Lahaina.

  • Saturday, February 15

    Maui, day 7

    Jackson all morning, in his usual good mood.

    relaxing happy hour-to-evening at the pool

  • Friday, February 14

    Maui, day 6

    Today’s a dive day, heading to see the “Lanai Cathedrals”.  We’ll do today’s dive with Lahaina Divers (same outfit as Wednesday) with Joe joining us, which will be fun.  Plan is for the dive, then lunch closer to Maui Dreams for our Nitrox class at 3.  Then Pattie and I will watch Jackson while Cristin and Joe enjoy a Valentine’s Day date nite.

    Although i’m still clearly not using the correct filter for the GoPro, there is still some good video of the diving in the Cathedrals, some of the schooling fish, and even some friends who joined us on the ride back to shore.

    Inside the Cathedrals
    Pattie says “Hello” and “wish you were here”
    Schooling fish
    playing with the boat

    After the dive we went in for our Nitrox class, where we learned the steps necessary to use air mixtures more O2-rich than air. Jackson came with us, as the class was just for the four of us…