Blog Archives

Monday, February 3

Feb 04.2020 / / / Setting off.

Hilo, day 9

Pattie and I both slept late but, as our dive was at a more reasonable hour (9:30am) than usual, it was still an easily-paced morning.  We got to the boat slip by 9:15, happy to find that it was just us on this trip (plus divemaster Phillip and captain Kimo).  Nice folks, we found, and they proved easy-going, and a pleasant pair to be with for the morning.   

We left Hilo’s harbor for a 30’ ride to our dive spot, which was basically the same spots we were last week with Bill—but further out from shore.  There were healthy swells of about 6’, but not anything unpleasant, thanks to my pre-boat sea-sickness medication regimen these days. On the way out of the harbor, we caught this clear view of Mauna Kea, snow-capped peak easily visible. “Most of the volcan...

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Tuesday, February 4

Feb 04.2020 / / / Setting off.

Hilo, day 10

An absolutely gorgeous, cloudless sparkling day here.  We were both feeling a bit under the weather, though, so took the day inside and slow.  We did succeed in making some plans, though, for our first week in Ireland.  While Pattie was taking the lead on that plan, I was working a bit on planning something that we and Joe/Cristin are interested in doing while on Maui. 

A bit of writing, too, led to the first draft of the ending of “Let Them Not Say.”  I’ll still need to work on some lines in the middle, but the ending was becoming clear and I had to get that down.  It’s essentially continuing the “it burned” texture, but subduing it a bit and adding the final lines over it...

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Sunday, February 2

Feb 02.2020 / / / Setting off.

Hilo, day 8

Spending time organizing a package home; getting together some things we bought yesterday which we’ll not need with us, and also sending home clothes and other things we’ve been carrying around but just not using.  Probably losing 10-15 lbs, and making space for the yoga mat I bought in Kona, which will be nice to have along the way.

Did some planning ahead, as well; booked dives for Molokai the last week of February, and narrowed down some plans for Kaua’I diving the two weeks following that.

Also now getting more serious about our Europe travels beginning April 14.  Have a useful list of places we want to visit; planning our first week which will have the treat of a visit from Christine & Stephen...

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Saturday, February 1

Feb 01.2020 / / / Setting off.

Saturday, February 1

Hilo, day 7

Not much sleeping last night.  Yesterday’s rain seems to have kept things nice and comfortable here, and the night was certainly pleasant.  The sleep I had was good, there just wasn’t much of it.  Up since 2:30, finally out of bed at 4 wide awake, ready for coffee, and eager to write.

Finishing up the “It burned” line, and creating a morph into “Let them say we warmed ourselves by it,” the turn into the poem’s last lines.  This won’t be my end of writing the piece, but it will be the piece’s end.  I’m hearing it well and want to get it done, then will get back to the middle section.

After writing, Pattie wanted to get some gifts at the big Saturday farmer’s market; I got a head-shave; we splurged on massages...

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Friday, January 31

Feb 01.2020 / / / Setting off.

Hilo, day 6

A day of resting recovery and writing.  And also…planning for some future dives—Monday here in Hilo, a few others in Maui with Joe/Cristin; getting some gear; catching up on correspondence…

Eventually headed out for a stroll along Kamehameha Dr. along the water.  Shops, galleries, etc., but a completely different vibe than Kona’s waterfront.  Very low-key, unpolished, but a few of the shops having just gorgeous fabrics and wood (Koa) pieces.  We stopped into Tina’s Garden Gourmet Café and, my, so very delicious.

The writing is going well, as in I like the sounds coming out.  I am afraid I’m pushing this group’s limits, but I’m hoping the difficulty is being a bit alleviated by using some repetitive patterns to build the more complex textures...

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Thursday, January 30

Jan 31.2020 / / / Setting off.

Hilo, day 5

The 5th and final dive of our advanced open water certification, again at Lele’iwi beach, and another great day. Perhaps the visibility not quite as good as Wednesday, but still great.

Much of what made this final dive so enjoyable was our increased confidence in maintaining our buoyancy. Pattie and I each felt a significant difference in our skills-growth, and Bill, our instructor, was very ready to talk about our improvement.

The quiet perspective at 30′
A lesson in taking one’s time, going with the flow

The turtles on this dive were just exquisite. At one point we were just in awe watching a few of them all together. Below, one of the turtles we encountered was clearly tuckered out, sleeping with his head on a rock/pillow.

sometimes you’re just too ti...
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Wednesday, January 29

Jan 30.2020 / / / Setting off.

Hilo, day 4

A great day of diving.  Back to the same spot—Leleiwi—and the conditions even better than the prior day.  According to Bill, these the best conditions in months.

The first dive navigation, the second dive identifying fish.  Clear water, likely ~60’ visibility, so many beautiful colors and fish varieties, a few turtles gliding around.  And our skills were perceptibly improved over the first day; the effect on fatigue and air consumption obvious, and a real sense that we’re improving our skill set.

Am absolutely bringing the GoPro tomorrow, and hope its use will be ok, as is it’s anything like today, it’s got to be shared.

After our class, we saw that the farmer’s market next door was enormous compared to other days...

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Tuesday, January 28

Jan 29.2020 / / / Setting off.

Hilo, day 3

Up early to get downtown for the first day of our scuba class.  Advanced Open Water isn’t ‘advanced,’ as much as a step towards advancing skills a bit.  Just Pattie and me are working with Bill at Nautilus Dive Center here in Hilo.  Bill’s done this for a while—certified in ’71, teaching since ’84.  “Deliberate” is a good description for his pace; and he wasn’t immediately terrifically sociable.   He’s got a definite way of doing things, and has very helpful hints along the way, for sure. 

We went to Leleiwi, about 15 minutes/5 miles east of downtown, driving in Bill’s truck with him...

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Monday, January 27

Jan 28.2020 / / / Setting off.

Hilo, day 2

The last few days in Kona, many conversations with Marc (our AirBnB host in Kona), with several shopkeepers who located in Hawai’I from the mainland (curiously, many from Idaho), meeting and getting acquainted with more folks here in Hilo, I’m taken with the lifestyle of

A day of writing.  Eager to jump into the texture of “it burned,” so got going on that in the morning and stayed with it all day.  I like what I’ve got, but am afraid of its difficulty in execution. 

Pattie relaxed here all day, reading and catching up on correspondence and phone calls.  The pacing of this trip is really such that we needn’t feel pressed to ‘do’ every day.  Plenty of time to relax and live, write, etc...

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Sunday, January 26

Jan 27.2020 / / / Setting off.

The day started with the pleasure of being cool with the windows open here in Hilo.  Coffee, writing, birds, slowly dawn…doesn’t get any better.

As the day got going, we headed to the farmer’s market downtown—open seven days a week—and got some fabulous fruit and veggies.  With a full kitchen here, we’re looking forward to making a proper dinner this week.  We brought our goodies back to the apt and headed out to Akaka Falls.

As the falls is only ten miles from town, we took every scenic route option; the first a four-mile road towards the Onomea Trail, which lead to botanical gardens.  Gorgeous views of a lush waterfront, now the green vegetation along with the black lava rock.

A stroll down a short trail to the rocky shore—the water so clear, but churning.

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