Catching up a bit

So, Aloha and Good Day, Eh?!

I've been a bit remiss in my blogging the last few days..guess it's too much sun, fun and good company.

At our last posting, I believe we'd been out to Molokini to "feed the fish", and spent a day at Ka'anapali Beach soaking up the sunshine.

We managed to find many things to do while waiting for the dive weather to be a bit better. Beach was one, shopping (ugh) another, visiting with friends while eating and drinking fancy tropical drinks yet another. Sigh...it's a tough life, but you know, someone's gotta live it. :)

Saturday morning we headed south to Ulua Beach. Goofy did some shore diving there with Richard and Phillip and got some great photos from the turtle cleaning station and along the reef. Magic stayed topside and was beachmaster and camera hauler. Brother Tom and his wife Kristie joined us a bit later in the day and they had fun snorkeling and hanging with Magic (i'm thinking so, anyway ;)

Here are a few pics from Goofy's first and second dives at Ulua.


Hawaiian Green Sea Turtle at the Cleaning Station - Ulua Reef





Moorish Idol's along Ulua Reef.





Juvenile Frogfish - Ulua Reef





Humuhumunukunukuapuaa - aka Hawaiian Reef Triggerfish, Ulua Reef






And, finally, the rare and somewhat elusive Tommyfish. Adorable and yet a bit contrary at times, this one is reliable and fun to have around. :)

I'll continue with Sunday's diving adventures in the next blog.

More Catching Up

So, Aloha and Good Day - Again - Eh?!

Sunday morning we went out diving to Lana'i. It was a fantastic day to dive - calm winds, clear skies, calm seas....idyllic really. We sailed on Dominion with Capt John, Gwen, Jarett and Rebecca - one of our favorite crews evah! It was like diving with your buddies and we had a great time.

Our first dive was at "No Name" aptly named because no one has named the dive site yet. Shrugs. :D

We had a great dive there, water was clear, very little surge...lots of swim-throughs (arches and caves/lava tubes). We saw a bunch of fish and stuff.

On the second dive, we were actually able to get into First Cathedral because the water was still very calm and the swell was small. First Cathedral is one of the more famous dive sites in Hawai'i. It's lava tubes and fingers have formed in ways that create beautiful big caves and swim throughs where all sorts of sea life flourishes (and hides under shelves - pesky sharks).

Goofy had pretty much recovered from her "bug" day out to Molokini, and was having more of a windshield kinda experience this day. Magic apparently decided that was kinda boring, so decided a little head injury might be a fun and interesting way to spice things up a bit.

Being exceeding graceful (not, LOL), I took a step off the starboard side of the deck, failing to calculate in the angle of the corner. Suffice it to say, deck hit tank, jamming tank/reg first stage squarely into magic's skull - with a resounding "BONG" (I think it was the emptiness of the skull making the noise, others insist it was the tank ringing...shrugs...idk).

Neither loss of consciousness nor excessive bleeding happened, so I signaled OK and submerged - a bit bleary headed, but whatever.... ;) Got a hell of a knot on my skull, and a little concussion, but I'm a diver, so I went diving... :P

The dive itself was really nice - pretty good viz and Goofy got some good pics (Magic couldn't focus so Goofy took over photog duties).

Here are a few of the pics from out there...


Raccoon Butterfly Fish





Magic Beams Up





The Endemic and somewhat rare Bandit Angelfish





That about gets you up to date...have a great time wherever you are!

Magic and Goofy

A Beautiful Day at the Beach

Yesterday, we spent a wonderful, relaxing, sunny day on the beautiful white sands of Ka'anapali Beach.

We rented beach cabanas and settled in for the long haul.



We watched people build sandcastles,







and people learn to surf.



We watched sail boats sail by.



We waded in the surf and went in for swims
We people watched



We napped

We had a fantastic day.

Aloha....

Now...where was I?

Ah...Olawalu.



So, we made it to Olawalu and finally found a good dive site with little wind, no current to speak of, and fun stuff to find in the lava fingers that come into the water here.

Goofy and I decided to go on our own adventure here, and the crew knew we were able to navigate on our own, so we geared up and got ready to splash.

At about that time, a loud hissing sound started coming from Goofy's gear. Seems like her BC was deciding to inflate on it's own, and her low pressure hose was wonky. Captain Dan had a new reg for her to use so we went in and gave it a try. Goofy decided to leave her camera on-board the boat while she tested the new rig, she didn't add extra weight to account for that, though, so we had one more trip back to the boat for more lead. LOL.

We descended and toured around a bit saw some neat fish and turtles, but you know it just wasn't a day to dive.



The lead in Goofy's suit (which she'd just stuffed in the top of her wetsuit) decided to migrate (lmao at this point), and the longer we were under, the farther down it went...by the time we went back to the boat, it was at her knees (rotflol).

Sometimes you're the windshield, sometimes you're the bug.

Definitely a bug day. :)

The ride home was happily short, since we'd come nearly all the way back to Lahaina Harbor to find a good site.

We went into the shop and got our buddy Ron to fix the gear.

Then...we headed home where Goofy took a nap! LOL.

Bug day for sure...

Wednesday was another day...

Just sayin'

Diving on the HIGH Seas

Today's adventure in diving started out simply enough. Head down to Lahaina, see our old friends, get on the boat, head out to Molokini.

We've done it a dozen times or more. Good weather, great weather, rainy weather. Thought we'd seen it all.

Until today.

Today, as we climbed aboard good ol' Dauntless, a foul wind began to blow (only we hadn't noticed it yet). Captain Dan and our Dive Masters Shannon and Jaret. We set course for the crater and settled in for the hour cruise down past the south end of Maui. As we went, the winds picked up, but we didn't care, we were headed to one of the richest dive sites in the world.

Onward, onward we went.

Along the way we noticed dive boats and snorkel boats turning back and heading for more sheltered sites. Well, all of them actually.

Bah! We are not afraid! We will head onward to our moorage in the crater Molokini.

As we passed the end of the island and crossed into the unprotected wind of the channel, our spirits sagged a bit, but still we pressed on toward the object of our diving day, the crater Molokini.



Humpback whales breached in the channel...once, twice, three times. And still we pressed on toward our destination. The seas churned and the boat tossed and turned, but we were so close we could feel it, the crater Molokini.

No one else was sailor enough to brave the channel seas, but we had a stout hearted captain and crew, and were a hearty group set on diving. All around us turned back toward calmer, more protected waters, but we pressed on....toward the crater Molokini.




At last we arrived at the object of our quest. We were alone in the crater and for good reason - even inside it's protected walls, the waves were three to four footers. There was not going to be a descent here today, no going over the stern into the crystal blue water, no fishes, or turtles or sharks for us this day in the crater Molokini.

And, as rough as the trip out to Molokini was, the trip back toward Maui was worse, as by now the winds had picked up in earnest and we were heading into them.



The boat pitched and yawed, the passengers erped and gagged, and the water came over the starboard bow with a vengeance, soaking crew and hearty diver - but not the captain as he was in the wheelhouse behind the windshield (lol). We held on for dear life and rode the waves back toward the calmer protected spots along the shoreline. Where the diving was called on account of strong currents.

Finally, on the third attempt, we found a calm spot along the reefs of Olawalu.

(to be continued - tropical drinks are calling)

Amazing For Many Reasons

I'm fairly certain that most of you reading this have heard of this amazing performance by Susan Boyle on the first night of the British show "Britain's Got Talent" that aired on Saturday (April 11).

But for those who haven't any idea of what I'm talking about, or more importantly, haven't actually HEARD her sing, here's a link:

Click Here If You Please

This woman is amazing on so many levels. She's got a voice that sounds like an angel. She's got a personality that is fun and sincere, and an overall sense of innocence and caring that is refreshing.

She isn't much to look at, she's 47 years old, and she doesn't seem particularly jaded or in tune with the world - which is why everyone is so damned amazed at the voice that fairly bursts forth in joy from this woman.

And, there, my friends is where I get kinda pissed off.

It is so shallow and childish that we still are so quick to judge by looks alone. And it's obvious from the looks on the faces of those "adults" in the audience there in Britain that they were doing just that. We were doing that. We often think ourselves above it. We pass it off as a childhood behavior (but who teaches them that it's OK?). We are all still capable of amazing depths of cruelty and judgement. How very childish indeed.

And when we are confronted with someone like Susan Boyle, whose innocent demeanor, happy disposition and talent far outweigh anything anyone thought about her - we all cover our shameful behavior by suddenly rooting for her to succeed. And now, every media outlet in the world is picking up on it - the biggest hypocrites of the lot.

I get it, I just don't like it. We should have been rooting for her to succeed all along. You know it's true.

So, shame on us...

And good for you, Susan Boyle. You go...and show us how stupid we all were to doubt and judge to begin with.

Just Sayin'

It's Nearly HAMMERHEAD TIME!

Here's a little video from our friends in Maui that will show you why we keep going out looking for the Hammerhead sharks.

We'll be heading over to Moloka'i in 11 days...hope we see as many as they've got on this video...woohoo!!!


Diving with Hammerhead Sharks off Molokai from Lahaina Divers on Vimeo.

Just sayin'

Sometimes, Thinking Is Overrated

Thinking too much can take you to places you didn't consider before - but that's not necessarily a bad thing...

It's my birthday month.

Nothing of surprise to those of you that know me, and in fact, somewhat legendary in its nature for most.

I "invoked" my birthday month (which is part of the rules) at 6:35am, April 1 this year. I've done it earlier, but this was among the better ones - only 695 minutes of birthday month lost.

So far, though, nothing much has come up that requires using the "It's my birthday month, that's why!" invocation in order to get my own way.

Lest you be concerned, everyone is entitled to a birthday month in my viewpoint. It's a good thing. Great thing even. And, should there be many in your inner circle that have the same month, you need to work out how to deal with that amongst yourselves. In my circle, we have several ways of dealing with it (change to the previous or next month closest to your birthday and give the other one the month), or add weight in descending order of age to the actual invocation should conflict arise. Doesn't happen often though - dunno why.

It's actually also my birthday week - which is second only to actual birthday day in powerful birthday month juju.

So...now you know where I'm at to an extent.

All of this birthday thinking has got me thinking about other stuff too. Introspective as it were. Some days, it's a good thing, others, not so much.

Today, it's about middle of the road I guess. I'm feeling ready to stop being what I think I need to be and living as if tomorrow may never come. That seems a bit extreme, though - thanks to my rational and apparently responsible mind. I realize that it's irresponsible and foolhardy to throw caution to the wind and just go forth in the world without thinking things through. It's kind of attractive to think about it though.

If I did, I'd be far away from rainy, grey Seattle - at least at this time of year (which is Oct - May, pretty much). You know where I'd be, and so do I.

So, the question that begs answer is why the heck am I not there? It seems that I should be thinking about how to make that possible from a practical perspective (as if practical has a damn thing to do with it, lol). See? My mind is practical even as it tries to be irresponsible...LOL. I cannot win.

Is it worth the pain and grind and boredom to continue doing all the right things in life merely to be dead at the end without having had all the fun and adventure possible? At the moment, obviously I suspect, I'm not thinking so. I have too much "stuff" that I could (and should I think) live without easily. I can simplify. We all can. Maybe this is all just a normal part of birthdays and introspection...I just want to be free of all the "stuff" and be lighter without it all. Divesting as a natural part of the aging process? Who knows?

And also, as I look toward more appreciation of the simple and sometimes intangible things in life, I invariably look to the example my mother set. Without intention, surely. She spent so many of her years doing all the right things - wife, mother, teacher, friend, provider, and many more. Putting everyone she cared about ahead of herself always. And for that, when she got to the place in life where it could finally be all about her - her days were cut ridiculously short. She did it all right, and ended up not really living the joy until the last 10 years of her life. I'm so grateful that she had those last 10 years with intention. But the point I'm making here is that she could have been just as good a person - a mother and everything else - if she'd always put some part of herself up there with the rest of us as first.

She was taken away so very early, and from that, I take away the lesson that we just never know what time we have left. We need to live each day with intention and looking for the joy (both small and large) in where we are now. Some of that includes looking for happiness in a clean house after you've done the work, but it also includes making the time to do what makes us happy in a bigger sense. What ever that means to you.

For me, it's spending most of my time with Goofy, and that big group of people that make up my family (both biologically and by intention). When it comes down to it, the people you love are all that matters in the end.

And because of that, I want you all to learn to scuba dive...'cause that's where I want to be too. LOL. ;) At least be on the boat when we go diving...it's something that I find so awesome and amazing, I want everyone to experience it. Hehe...pushy much?

I want to spend my time in Maui part of the time, and Seattle the rest. And I want to make enough money to feed my scuba addiction and not worry about little things. Not too much to ask for I think - but I have to think harder about how to make that reality. It's possible, I think. It'll take some adjustment and convincing, but with some planning and thought...Hmmmmmm...I wonder...

So, from my introspective point of view, I'm looking at all of the things that are important to me and trying to figure out how to make it live harmoniously with the reality of living in the greater scope of the real world.

Think it'd be easier to just be stupid and ignorant sometimes...sigh...

Just sayin'

A Little Amusement

LOL....seems reasonable to me

Just sayin'

Our Little Guy Turns THIRTY!

Happy Birthday Robbie Dobbie!

Today, our little Robbie - ahem, I mean Rob - turns 30 years old. It's hard to comprehend it in so many ways.

I remember the day he was born, and it doesn't seem nearly that long ago. On the other hand, it's hard to imagine a world without him in it too.

His big brother got to go to high school with Goofy that day. They both had much fun with that. LOL.

Rob was such a smiley baby and kid. Always into one thing or another, full of mischief and fun. Mr. Fingers. A really really good kid.

We missed some of the years with him, and it was pretty damn hard to endure, but we all managed to get through it and back to the point where we are happily in each others lives again. We don't really talk much about that time, but we acknowledge it and are grateful for the present.

He's grown into an amazing man. Married (MARRIED!!! OMG) to a great young woman and doing so well in life.

He's a scuba diver too, so that's all good with us. ;)

Today, we celebrate our Rob and how much he enriches all our lives. We are fortunate to know him, and even more blessed to call him "ours". His family will gather tonight for dinner and enjoy the company and craziness that only family really can drop on you...it's all good!

Happy birthday Rob! We love you more than you probably know!

Just sayin'