Guam

We landed in Guam yesterday. It was a fantastic stop. The last time we were there was in 1986, and a lot of changes happened in the intervening 28 years. First and foremost, Guam became cleaner. Gone was most of the mold that decorated the houses and buildings. It was replaced by fresh paint! What a huge improvement

We visited the University of Guam where we taught, and I did not recognize the campus. Somewhere along the way a few typhoons blew down some buildings and they were replaced with shiny new structures. 

This is the new College of education. 

And the new College of Business. Two first class buildings. 

We also visited our old apartment complex, which was one of the taller buildings on the island, now it's towered over by high rise hotels and office buildings. 

The Alupang Cove is still a nice place to live and the views are still good as it overlooks Agaña Bay and the Philippine Sea. We have never lived anywhere else with such a spectacular view. 

We did some site seeing too by visiting Talafofo Falls. When we lived there it was a hike in the jungle to get to the falls, and a hike back out. Needless to say, we never did it, as the jungle is steamy, even in the dry season. April is the dry season, and we had a very hot humid day for a jungle ride on a gondola which carried us to the falls in non-air-conditioned splendor. The gondola did have 4 hand held fans which did provide a modicum of comfort. 

While not Niagara or Iguazu, they are very nice, considering Guam does not have many rivers.

We saw beaches 

And latte stones (which might have been used by the ancient Chamorro as supports for houses...but no one knows for sure) 

               

We also saw a few OOGs (only on Guam), like this sign at the community college

Where else can you find a Betel Nut free campus?

Most important we saw an old friend. Dottie picked us up at Apra Harbor and drove us all around the little island. She took us to lunch at Shirley's where the other DrC had their famous "hot and spicy Spam fried rice," which he loved a lot.  Dottie showed us around with great style! 

She was the perfect topping for a wonderful day.

Tumon Bay

Plaza de España

Let's go to the Beach. 

Earning My Cape

All super heroes seem to have a cape. I've declared myself to be the "super hero of crocheting," and now I have the cape to prove it. 

I made a black sparkly one for "formal" occasions, and 

Lavender and white one for more "sporty" events. I have no idea what the "super hero of crocheting" is supposed to do, so I guess I'll have to wait for the perfect "bad guy" to avenge. In the meantime, it's all great fun.

Middle of Nowhere

We are in the North Pacific somewhere between Guam on the west, Hawaii on the east, Midway to the north and the Marshall Islands  to the south. The sea conditions are slight, which means the waves are about 18 inches high or less. That's a real quiet sea. We have sailed 4345 miles from LA and we still have over 1200 miles to go before we reach Guam. 

Here's the view from our starboard (aka the right side) balcony.

If that's not exciting enough, here's the view toward the front of the ship. 

Like I said, we are in the middle of nowhere. 

The IDL

Yesterday we crossed the IDL. We did not see anything different. We did not experience a "bump in the road." Life went on normally except for one thing; Friday became Sunday! We skipped Saturday completely! Folks on the ship who had a Saturday birthday could not celebrate it as the day never happened! In case you are wondering, the IDL is the International Date Line. We even received a nice certificate saying we made this momentus crossing. 

We've crossed the IDL before and we will cross it again on this trip. When we fly from Osaka back to the US we will cross the IDL again. For an event you cannot see, feel or hear, it always has a big impact on the mind. 

Sea Daze

What do you do when you are at sea for days on end? The answer is easy...you play, rest and relax. I crochet, read, play games and watch people. I also walk about 2 miles every morning, just to warm up. Now that we are in the warmer climes, I.e., tropics, walking is a joy. It's warm and the sea is relatively flat. In other words, we are doing what Princess wants us to do. We are "escaping completely" (which is Princess' motto).

Land Ho

We saw land today, after 5 days at sea. I awoke early and witnessed a Honolulu sunrise from our balcony.

As we approached Oahu, Diamondhead was in silhouette ,covered with a wreath of clouds. Ever so slowly the sky lightened and shades of pink emerged. All along, our ship moved closer to the pier..

Honolulu was backlit 

Then a scrap of light brushed the water, before

A flash of sunlight blazed through the clouds. 

A good way to start the day! 

Honolulu is not a sleepy port city. It's a huge thriving city with lots of high-rise buildings. 

We spent some time on shore, wondering why everything was so still. Our sea legs are not needed on dry land. Back on the ship in the afternoon, where we have 9 sea days before our next stop on Guam. 

Honolulu

Tomorrow! Five days at sea...one day on shore. All is good!

Another Blanket

I'm finishing up a lot of "things" as we are getting ready for a long cruise. This time we'll head for Osaka, Japan on a Trans-Pacific voyage. It's a repositioning cruise that has only a few stops, and the stop we are looking forward to is Guam. 

One of the loose ends was this blanket. 

The nice folks at Project Linus gave me 2 shades of gray yarn, that looked awfully bland, so I perked them up with stripes of color. I think it made a neat design. I'm bringing a lot of yarn on the cruise, as we are going to have lots of sea days. In case you did not know, sea days are perfect for crocheting, and reading, and hot tub soaking, and relaxing, and talking to people, and playing, and having fun. 

Watch this spot, as I'll be posting pictures along the way.

Branching Out

This is the year of the baby blanket! I've made 6 so far.  I decided it was time to try to make something other than a blanket and I did. 

      

Last night I created a bootie pattern! Soon it was followed by a cap. The booties are tiny and too cute for words. I don't know how practical they are, but it does not really matter. I'm sure they will be used once or twice. Next item I'll work on is a baby sweater. These are good projects for the next cruise. If you would like the bootie pattern, just ask. 

One More

Add one more teddy bear blanket to the "list" of projects. 

While we were on the ship, I crocheted a white and pink teddy bear blanket that I gave to Elena who was in charge of the "Captain's Circle" for the ship. She loved it a lot. 

That blanket led to another one...which I finished last night. 

If you would like the pattern for this crocheted blanket just ask.

Morning Moon

                   

I started walking before the sunrise and I was greeted with a full moon dimly shining in the western sky. The pre-dawn sky was painted "sky blue pink." 

                     

Then off to the east, the sun inched it's way over the mountains with a glowing yellow arc of light flashing across the sky. Breath taking beauty. 

iOS Update

Apple did a good thing and updated the operating system for both iPad and iPhone. I'm generally leery of upgrades because sometimes they are not improvements. I did not think iOS 7 was an improvement from iOS6. Given that, after I "upgraded" my iPhone 5 to iOS 7, I did not upgrade my iPhone 4. 

My story is different if you are running iOS 7. Get the update! It's a huge improvement. They changed the font color from medium gray to black. I can finally see the letters clearly. They also changed the color contrast on the keyboard, making it easier to see too. Navy blue was added to the color font for the address book, better delineating lines and numbers. Folder color was changed too...it no longer blends in with the wallpaper making it easier to see folders. On the iPhone they changed the look of the phone dial, again, making it easier to see. I'm sure other "fixes" are included, but the fixes I can see are worth the 10 minute installation time. 

I'm guessing a lot of folks, me included, complained about the lack of contrast between the background and the font color. They listened and made some much needed improvements. If you have not downloaded iOS 7.1 and you are using iOS 7,  make the change. I think you will be pleased with the outcome. 

A Bit of Water

It's amazing what a bit if rain can do! The ponds are getting filled up.

 The grasses are starting to green up. And best if all, the spring flowers are beginning to bloom. 

The first rock rose of the season is viewing for attention as 

the African daisies are also in bloom. We need lots more rain, but this is a good start. Too bad the rains came in February and not December. 

Hello from Hilo

Our last stop on The Islands is Hilo on the "Big Island" of Hawaii. From my vantage point, I can see the cloud that covers the volcano, but not the volcano. It might be rainy up there, but it's pleasant on the flat land. 

Looking toward the ocean you can see whales in the distance playing in the water. Alas, I've not been able to take a decent picture of that phenomena. 

This afternoon we pick up anchor and head back into the Pacific where the next stop is Ensenada. The luxury of Verizon "myfy" will not work in Mexico. 

Donuts

It's time to leave Kauai. The pilot boat is along side us, but before work, he's taking a play break. He's making "donuts" in the bay. It looks like great fun. 

Second stop

Today we are Kauai. All the guide books say to pronounce it "cow-eye" but for some reason I do not like it as there is an extra "eee" at the end. 

No matter--we are enjoying a beautiful day on the Garden Isle where it can rain 300 days (or more) a year! Today it is not raining. A good day to see the sites or goof off. We are doing the latter. 

We are "parked" at Nawiliwili Bay. From here  it's a easy walk to the shore where you can catch a free shuttle to the mall or a garden. All you have to do is wait for the bus and have a dollar ready to tip the driver. 

There's an old sugar shed where you can buy island stuff too, in case you should miss a chance to buy souvenirs somewhere else. BTW, there are a ton of places to buy souvenirs. 

But what I like to do is dream about the old PanAm China Clipper. Back before WWII, the clipper made trips to Manila from San Francisco with a stops in Hawaii, Midway, Wake, and Guam. It took 18 hours  to fly to Hawaii in the 2 engine Clipper airships (the whole trip took 6 days-5 legs-and almost 60 hours in the air). They flew low, under 10,000 feet, as the airship was not pressurized. It was a luxury flight with Pullman style berths, and lots of service. I would have loved to take that trip which reportedly cost $1,000 at the time. So today when I saw this little plane flying toward the island I was transported back to 1937. What a thrill to land in Kauai, walk ashore to be greeted by lovely wahines in swaying grass skirts with plumeria leis. Alas, those times are gone, but they are still fun to dream about. 

Today, this is the cruise port. 

Honolulu

We made landfall this morning about 7AM. We are "parked" next to the Aloha Tower in downtown Honolulu. The skies are blue with white puffy clouds interspersed by a couple of gray clouds that are spitting rain when you least expect it. That's what happens in the tropics. It's about 80 degrees and the humidity is about 50%. There's a healthy breeze that is keeping the place comfortable. 

Our "yacht" is a good place to be. This is such a change from northern CA!

On the Grand Princess

Remember I said to watch this spot for another adventure. Well-- we are now on that adventure. After a hiatus from cruise ship lecturing, the other DrC is lecturing on World Affairs. He did his second program this afternoon. We always knew that lecturing was great fun and it still is great fun! 

Our last cruise was on the Royal, the newest Princess ship as well as the biggest. The Grand WAS one of the "big" ships when she was launched, now she feels smallish and cozy! Ships have come a long way in the intervening dozen years. 

What has not changed are the smiles on the staff as they try to continuously feed us. Decks 5, 6, 7 and 14 are food Meccas. Today, the horizon Food Court was featuring 

It's not often you see the flag of Italy done in Jello!

After eating,,one of the next big activities is sleeping. 

I know I was naughty to take these pictures, but these folks really are having a grand time. 

Readers abound on the ship too.  A few are reading traditional books in the library 

Others are reading iPads and kindles. 

There is stuff to do all the time...or nothing to do all the time. We will be in Hawaii in 2 days. Keep watching this space as there's more to come. 

Patience or Bored?

What does a mule do when it rains? 

It stands and stands...then rolls in the mud...then stands and stands. 

Buzzards' Roost

Can you see them? Look from the right hand corner and follow the line to the left. Then you'll see not one, not two, but THREE buzzards sunning themselves on the poles. I'm used to seeing 2 buzzards but I've never seen 3. This must be a safe spot for them. They don't seem to mind me walking by them either. Today I reminded them that I was not their next meal. 

Rain ... Glorious Rain!

To paraphrase a line from Oliver (Food .... Glorious Food) we just enjoyed 4 days of rain! We need far more, but this was a start. As the weather folks say, the 'storm door is open.' We hope it stays open for several more days. 

To give you an idea, here's a picture of our pond right before the storm. 

Notice the dry vegetation and the trees. Also note the narrowness of the pond. 

Granted this picture was not taken in the exact spot (I could not get there as it was just too muddy) but you can see how the vegetation has changed...a tree is down and the reeds in the background are beat up. The storm had significant wind. More importantly, the pond is wider. Water is now on the shelf where it hasn't been in months. 

In addition, the creek feeding the pond has some water in it too. 

If the weather folks are correct, we have another storm coming on Wednesday. Bring it on! Generally, we have 18 inches of rain by now, this year we have less than 4. 

License Plate

I have a variety of photo collections. I love taking pictures of doors and windows. Flowers are another passion for my photographic pursuits. But my first photo collection was license plates and it is probably my favorite. 

The other day I saw a newish 3/4 ton Dodge Ram 4x4 with a different plate. It was not a typical California plate so I took a closer look.  

It was Baja California instead. Last time I was in Baja the plate was white with black letters. It's come a long way. Good job Baja!