Trees

Well, our Christmas tree is up once again. Each year it gets more obvious that no matter
what the tree looks like to begin with , it always ends up with the same look. The ornaments
always do that. once again here is the proof,this year is on the right. It is bigger and took every
ornament and light we had but still looks like last years. I guess thats kinda nice!

Happy Holidaze

All set (ale wize anyway) for the Holidays. Not only do I have all of these new Holiday ales, I am finishing the old ones too. I find it fun to see how long they will "mature" without going off. So far results have been mixed. I had several Jubelales go bad last year. On the other hand I had a Anchor special ale from 2006 yesterday that was fine. The same happened with 2 Serria Nevada celebration ales a few days ago. 2006 was bad but 2008 was good. All the older ones are almost gone anyway. Years ago we tried this over a 10 year period with the 10 year old ale proving to be best!

I thought you would never remove that drawer!

Never know number 3

Monday we got a phone call from our neighbor across the street. She had some pig hunters (living in a rural area
we often have trouble with wild pigs) who were looking for a place to set a trap. They had reached the back
of her one acre lot and had just entered the lot next door when they saw a small cave. Don't forget that we live on a volcanic island and there are many old Lava tubes . Entering they discovered human bones . There are burial caves nearby so this is not a real surprise. Well, the police were called and 5 cars responded. Eventually there were official looking people all over the place. Finally they declared it a possible Hawaiian burial site and scheduled an archeologist to investigate.

Another never know moment

On our way to town today( Monday is our weekly grocery shopping day) we had another you never know moment.
The store is about 30 miles away(hence the weekly shopping) and we take Highway 130. About half way there we zoomed by a small kitten in the middle of the road. I yelled STOP, and we pulled onto the shoulder. It was pouring down rain (as it often does here) and I bolted out of the car . Some how I managed to stop traffic in both directions , and on my knees
grabbed the kitten which was under one of the stopped vehicles. As I carried it to the side of the road it started biting me and I said " I'm trying to help you here". We reached the car, It is still raining and I am bleeding , now wondering if it was all worth it. We drove to our vet and parked. In the process of trying to get the the little guy/gal in the building the feisty thing bit and scratched me again . I dropped it and it promptly ran under our car and disappeared . Fortunately
our vet knew what to do and we got it into a carrier . We called our friend Sandi who works at an Animal Sanctuary and our little friend will be there soon!

The way it feels sometimes

Never Know

So, as Sharon, Red, and I returned from out nightly walk yesterday ,we were about to enter the house.
I was giving Sharon the house key when Red spotted a Mongoose.
I was not really paying attention to him (this is always a bad idea) and he charged (all 75 pounds of him)to the other side
of the driveway extending the retractable leash to its maximum length . Unfortunately it was not long enough and
the force of it yanked me to the ground. I landed on my elbows and knees producing some nasty scrapes.
I did not however break anything (ribs teeth etc etc) so I was really lucky. Maybe one day I will learn to pay attention at all times when holding Reds leash. It struck me how you never know the full extent of possibilities at any given moment.

Autumn

I have finished my David Nobbs book. It was a fun comedy/romance involving a couple of young lovers that break up only to get back together many years later and live happily ever after. The last sentence was really clever because it was a device to begin a novel (the first sentence of the one you have just finished) which was about to be written. Good fun!
Now I am switching back to non fiction with A History of Wales written by John Davis. I have been interested in Wales ever since visiting Portmeirion (in Wales) years ago. As a matter of fact I bought this book during one of those visits. It is one of the many books purchased while traveling that I am finally getting around to reading. Time for stuff like this, one of the many joys of retirement.

Very good

I have been thinking about a couple of new posts but when this came along I couldn't
resist. This beautiful ,delicious grapefruit came from our tree. It is November and the beginning of grapefruit season. We planted an 18 inch plant 7 years ago and is now a healthy 20 foot tree! This fruit is at least 5 inches across and is (was )
very good.

Have loved this for many years

2nd Prize

Being Saturday it was dog class day. We have been trudging off to Red's class for 3 years now .
Classes are held for a period of 10 weeks followed by a gap of two or three months. In this
fall class cycle a Halloween costume contest is held. This is our 4th contest and until now we have not been
recognized. This is ironic because this time we put no time or thought into the process. Then while
grocery shopping last Monday made an impulse purchase of this child's costume. I saw it and thought it was
a perfect image of Red's personality. There were 37 dogs in the contest and with all the creative home made costumes I didn't think we had much of a chance. I guess the judges felt differently.

For a change I am reading a book that has no hidden material in its structure. David Nobbs(best know for creating The fall and rise of Reginald Perrin) latest book is a fun comic novel. I am already half way through it and enjoying it thoroughly.

losing marbles

I am getting most adept at selecting challenging books. I think I have said before I started
this practice after seeing it in a book about reading. Anyway, The British museum is falling down( the Author
originally wanted to name it The British Museum had lost its Charm) turned out to be more than I expected.
It is a humorous story about a Catholic British couple struggling with the churches practices regarding birth control.
But because the main character is involved in Literary research at the British Museum the author cleverly writes
parts of each chapter in the style of several notable classic authors . Not being familiar( with any detail ) of the authors
being parodied It went right over my head for the most part. It was not until the books afterword that I had the AHAH!
moment. I enjoyed it none the less. Now I am reading about St Peters Basilica . Not becuse of the catholic theme of this book alone but in combination of it and The stones of Venice. I wonder if you could call it viral reading?

Should be fun

On the reading front I just finished The Stones of Venice and am starting The British Museum is Falling Down written by David Lodge. The stones of Venice was really enjoyable and much more than than I had thought. It is written so well that I did not have as much difficulty with it as I feared. the Author presents his Ideas that the art of the renaissance is pestilent.The first half of the book is spent in a crash course of fundamental aspects of architecture so that the reader can see the good and bad of each period. After a section discussing the nature of the Gothic he then moves on to wonderful detailed descriptions of the two most important buildings of Venice.The Gothic Ducal Palace and the Basilica of St Mark. He ends with 3 chapters on Renaissance presenting his reasons for its failures .

My new book is a comic novel(a departure from my usual non fiction reading) regarding Catholics and their dilemma with birth control. A blurb on the back cover states
Rueful Rabelaisian glee
Catholic Herald
Should be fun!

Even our cats love reading

Sticking to it

Being Saturday today we were at dog class. As we loaded up for the trip home we noticed a small
Gecko right on the middle of the plastic covering the instrument gauges. Not realizing we had brought it with us
and being the silly sentimentalists we are, we could not leave it 30 miles away from its home,our back carport.
so we dutifully tried to not excite it all the way home. I repeatedly instructed Sharon (she was driving) not to freak out and crash the car if it jumped on her. It meandered over to my side about halfway home but basically stayed on the inside
of the windshield. We all made it all the way home and as far as we know our unexpected passenger is reunited with his wife and kids. That is our story and we are sticking to it.

Here we go again. Another book that will be challenging I am sure. A detailed look at the architecture of the Renaissance by an author who detests it. It does concentrate on Venice(which was my attraction to it) and is well written so no matter what it will be rewarding.

Just finished reading Hellhound on his trail and found it the really enjoyable.
It really was difficult to put it down at times. I found it interesting that James Earl Ray ( that name is not mentioned until
late in the book) came from such a crime ridden family. It was also fascinating that he came really close to escaping to
another country where it would have been difficult to expedite him. There are a couple of weak points one of which is that the Author does not develop how this petty criminal bungling his way around the country(after escaping form a prison) all of the sudden buys a rifle and commits this major league crime. Aside from that the story remains gripping for the entire book

Adventure

All the planting is done and in record time. There are 52 new starts that will not have fruits until year after next.
We had to curve the lines to avoid a rocky area at the far end of the first section. There are always
rock areas around the lot(excluding the ones in my head) so planting is an adventure!

good idea

As I am reading a book about the assassination of Martin Luther King I remembered where I was when it happened.
I was in the 74th army band stationed at Fort Benjamin Harrison in Indianapolis. Actually I lived at home and commuted to the army but that's another story. When all the unrest started the powers that be decided the Military police needed help so the band was to be used as a second riot squad. I am serious! we actually got rifles(we were all really qualified to use them) but affixing a bayonet to it and
doing that lock shuffle step was something else. After the MP commanders saw us"drilling" they then decided
it wasn't such a good idea.

I just finished reading Big Island Journey (see post below). Sad to see yet another example of a culture that
was almost wiped out after being "discovered" by the industrialized world. Now I am reading Hellhound on His Trail.
which looks as if it will be enjoyable. Written by Hampton Sides it details the stalking and assassination of Martin
Luther King . Sharon (Mrs NOTSO) just finished it and could hardly put it down.

Pineapples almost gone! . Have posted photos of the plants but not many of the fruits. We have been growing them for 5 years now and have become pretty proficient. We have already worked out a space for 50 new plants and will have around that number of second year plants. Those are the ones that will have fruit next season.

Names

Here is the second in my series of Interesting Village/Pub names from the Good Beer Guide.I suppose it would be more interesting if I could determine how these names originated but because there are 50 or so counties and 4,500 pubs listed in the guide I will probably be lucky to just finish this list.

Pinapple madness

Hard to believe in just a few weeks we have gone through almost all of the current crop. We have given almost 60 away ,
and consumed 5 There are about 15 that remain to be picked. The photo above shows all of the starts rooting before planting and several
fruits that we picked in the past 2 days. Now all that needs to be done is removing 20 more plants, weeding, planting and fertilizing.
I am getting tired just thinking about it

Big Island

Having just finished Pausanias Guide to Greece (written in the 2nd century) ,I am now reading a Hawaiian history book.
Although I had to slog through 500 pages the Greece book was worth it. It is fascinating
that some things that occurred then can be so different ( the idea that the gods gave warnings for a year that an earthquake was coming)
but others( A young couple in love who can not get permission from their families to marry) remain the same .Any way I am going to put away the classics for a wile and try to learn more about the island where I live.

the way it feels sometimes

again

Pineapples have returned once again. All the work has been done(well most of it anyway)
and it is time to enjoy. Now all that remains to be done is to consume or give them away. Then
root the babies(tops of the fruits) and plant them. This time things are a little different as they all must be checked for Fire ants. These are tiny red ants that have a potent sting which have invaded since the last crop. So each fruit must be checked and maybe sprayed with water .We probably have 70 to 80 fruits but they will be gone in no time .

Change

I am still slogging through the Pausanis book ,although I am almost finished. Throughout this book and
others that I have read from the same time period I am astounded by the horribly cruel things that occasionally occur.
I tend to want to imagine life then as being noble and civil but keep encountering examples
like the one above. I guess some things never change.

luscious

I have been eying this Beatles box for months now but have been hesitant to buy it because of its
hefty price tag. Finally because it recently was my 64th birthday I gave in and and bought it. It
was expensive but what a package . Not only are their 13 major (UK) albums included , they are all remastered. Each CD is packed in a replica of the original album and includes a small documentary book.
Each CD also includes a mini documentary that can be played on a computer. There is also a collection of single recordings . To compete the package there are two DVDS one with all the mini documentaries on each album and another general documentary. This is an amazing magi (cal mystery tour) collection because you can not play this music and not feel good.

Pubs

Continuing with my Beer Guide theme ,each entry has a short description of the Pub's features and some have websites so I thought it might be fun to contact some of them .So far I have contacted one and gotten a warm response . As I said before
there are 4,500 Pubs listed but thank goodness only a fraction of them Have internet presence.

Ever since my first trip to the United Kingdom I have found Pub names interesting.
Even more so are Town names. Above are a few Town/pub name combination's in
Bedforshire county taken from the Good Beer Guide 2010 edition. There are 4,500
of the best Pubs in the U K listed in this book so it should be fun.

The way it feels sometimes

Gotta Love It!

In "How to read a book" the author thinks you should sometimes should struggle to read books that are above you.
The book I am currently reading, "Pausanias Guide to Greece(vol. 1) is surely one. Although its
basis is a descriptive narrative of places and structures in Central Greece, Pausanias includes historical figures,both actual and mythical.
It is difficult to sort what is real and mythical . I am also struggling with pronunciation on names and places.
Fortunately the book is well documented with excellent footnotes and the internet provides more information too.It may be more time consuming and challenging but is really wort the effort.

A litttle Basie/Williams interlude

Another Classic

Now that I have finished the Thelonious Monk biography ,I am returning to my Classics theme. I got on this kick years ago after seeing Michael Wood's" In search of the Trojan War" Television series on PBS . That series not only got me interested in this whole History thing but also in classic books. In High School I could not be bothered with any of it because I was too busy listening to Count Basie. Now ,I find them really rewarding. This book is a descriptive guide to Central Greece written in the 2nd century. I guess you could say Pausanias is the Rick Steves of his time!

another excellent photo from Classic Trains

still a genius at 96!

new beginning for our Impatients

Friday night at Merrie Monarch

Winners STILL!

Celebration Rally at Hinkle Fieldhouse - More The Indianapolis Star Galleries

View this gallery at The Indianapolis Star: Celebration Rally at Hinkle Fieldhouse

Tom Wright, a builder near San Diego has come up with a fun use for bumper cars. This former Long Beach Pike amusement park Bumper car (one of 7 ) were in a trash heap. He rescued them and created these little fantasy vehicles. They were originally powered by Harley motors but they rattled like heck and Tom replaced them with Honda or Kawasaki 750's and a couple have been measured as capable of 160 MPH, which is terrifyingly fast in machines with such a short wheelbase.

Funny!

Continuing with subject of the Monk book I am reading this video was recorded in 1957. Monk was part of a ten part TV series on CBS called The seven lively arts. This episode, The Sound of Jazz presented all of the top jazz artists at the time. As you can see ,Count Basie is sitting directly in front of the piano enthralled with Monks playing . Monk appears to be cool about the situation but in the book the author states that later he was furious, even saying the next time he saw Count Basie playing he would do the same to him! Funny how things are not always as they seem!

Connection

I have made a few posts about being really connected with something from the past . Most of the time it has occurred while reading a book . This time it is this posted sign. It is located in an area called Wa'a Wa'a. The first time I saw it (there are actually 2 signs) I was intrigued. The coast road ,a rough two lane road, comes to a point where it becomes unpaved . For various reasons it was never improved . It runs through an area that is off the grid and really not developed much. It is not difficult to imagine this junglish cool place is Hawaii as it was a few centuries ago . Then ,there were divisions of land called ahupua'a, usually extending from the uplands to the sea . These two signs then ,facing opposite directions about a quater mile apart,
have written on them an Hawaiian chant for safe passage through the ahupua'a .
Another solid connection to History

Beautiful

I lived in San Francisco for 26 years before moving to Hawaii. I have never seen this video before and the way it combines the two places now seems spooky to me !

tear jerker

Pineapples

Pineapple central (ours at least) Almost every plant in this photo has a young fruit growing on it.
They are all weeded and fertilized(thanks in part to our recent guest Eileen) With any luck we will have another good crop this summer.

Genius

Getting back to Thelonious Monk and the current book I am reading, The subject of humor in his music was introduced.
Monks music has always made me chuckle. I never understood why , but with just a couple of sentences the author brought me closer.

"His chords often elicited chuckles from the audience,but Monk didn't mind.He later remarked
" Anything that's very good will make
you laugh in admiration ,so it must be humor to make you laugh---or maybe it makes you laugh in surprise because it knocks you out." Humorous, but no less serious" .

This humor is evident in the video above. The tune is the standard Tea for Two. It certainly"knocks me out"
It is crazy when compared to a standard version and although I can barely figure out what he is doing, the harmonics and rhythmic aspects
of it make me laugh! Maybe I should not try to understand it but Just enjoy his Genius

Good Stuff

Sharon and I went to our semi annual community pot luck picnic today.
A turnout of about 90 produced some excellent dishes.
In addition, a small group of volunteers cooked turkey and pork in an Emu. This is a traditional Hawaiian method of cooking in a pit in the ground( the emu) . A wood fire is built which heats rocks . The firewood is removed leaving the rocks to cook food
that is usually wrapped in plant leaves .
This makes everything really moist. It must cook for hours and usually takes all night. Good food and time spent with neighbors. Good Stuff!

The excerpt is the beginning of Chapter 6. Mintons is the club where Monk began his accent to greatness. I am starting to see how some of the quirky aspects of Monk developed! More later.

My dad the PIano player!

Just started this and its going to be very enjoyable. Back with more information later.

the way it feels sometimes

Circus Cat

While I was reading this afternoon I looked over and noticed the contorted position of our cat Nani. Maybe she is practicing to run off and join the Circus.