Aloha: It is cold here in Volcano, Hawaii. Auwe, would you believe at 10:30a it is 49 with a wind chill of -99. It is a toasty 56 in the house. The Halema'uma'u webcam shows that the sun is shinning brightly at the summit, not so here in the village.

The update for today is SOS. Do you know, we are now down to the fourth level in "our" volcano. You have the Kilauea caldera, with the Halema'uma'u crater, then the vent in the floor of the crater and now, 100m down the vent another vent has opened up. Cool uh?

Topher is off this coming week so I guess I will be doing some walking. He thinks he will be off the next week also, but will not know till Friday. Not this coming week, but the week after that, my wife will be teaching a class for the Red Cross. It will be from 5p to 10p Monday through Friday. For free no less. This is on top of her regular job.

My kaikamahine 'ekahi has been sick for the last few days and missed work. Someone who does not have children does not realize how a parent worries about them (their children) even when they are adults.

God bless you all and take care.

Aloha: Topher thinks that he will be off again next week so I may not be sitting my mo'opuna. I got a few pages of what Nabru is writing about his life as a youth in Hawaii. I sent him an article written by Chuck Norris about his 87 year old mother and how life was during the depression. Just what the people had and what they had to do without. You know, we really have it easy now. Think about it. The crash of 1929, and the nation did not really recover till after WW2. When my mother died a few years ago we found WW2 ration coupons. She would tell of sending sugar to her parents in New York because, as a war zone, Hawaii had more staples that the rest of the nation. Nabru is right, once you start to look back there is on end. One thing leads to another and.....

The volcano update for this morning is, again, SOS. HVO is recalibrating the SO2 sensor so we just might get a new reading.

It was in the mid 40's this morning in Volcano. Partly cloudy all the way down and nice and cool here in Hilo. Right now it is cloudy and windy.

Tomorrow is the wife's and my anniversary. Reminds me of the time Manuel was getting out of the Navy and I told our Uncle John about how he was getting out the next month, He looked at me and said, "My boy, been married to the same woman for 50 years and no end is sight." I told my then girlfriend that if she stayed with me long enough she would get to be an old lady. I guess I was right. The trouble is I am getting to be an old man. Its funny though how my mind says I am 30, but my body says "oh no you are not!". Auwe no ho'i!!!!

Take care and be good to each other. May God bless all of us and may He bless our great nation.

Broken Sensor

Aloha: The title of today's posting, "Broken Sensor", refers to yesterday's volcano update. It seems that the SO2 sensor is broken, hence the high reading of 2,200 tonnes. I guess this would be as good a place as any to give today's volcano update. Here it is, are you ready, SOS.

I have been talking about the temperature up in Volcano. So far the coldest this year has been, I think, 39. The first year I lived up there it got down to 28 three mornings in a row. Ice all over the place. When you walked all you heard was crunch, crunch, crunch. That would have been in the late 1970's. I bring this up because Maliana of Hawi wrote me about global warming. After I got out of the Navy I went to the UH at Hilo. I remember holding a sign on "Earth Day", in the early 70's, that said "The Next Ice Age Is Coming". I was really into that kind of stuff in those days, along with Democratic Party politics.

When this "global warming" thing started I was still waiting for the next ice age. I kind of joked with my mother about it and she told me that when she was in school it was also "global warming". Further research revealed that it was "global cooling" in the 1880's. I think that at this point two facts should be considered. 1: There are fossil palm trees in Canada. Hence, the earth has been a lot hotter in the past. 2: There are glacial moraines on Mauna Kea in Hawaii. Hence, the earth has been a lot colder in the past. Ladies and gentlemen, the earth is in, what is called, an inter-glacial period. Ice cores from the Arctic and Antarctic, sample cores from the worlds reefs and ocean bottoms all show that the last few thousand this planet has had a very unusually stable climate.

Sorry folks, the burning of fossil fuels in the 1880's did not cause global cooling, The burning of fossil fuels in the 1920's did not cause global warming. The burning of fossil fuels in the 1970's did not cause global cooling, and the burning of fossil fuels now is not the cause of global warming. It is the natural cycle of weather that this planet has gone through ever since it formed from cosmic dust eons ago. Sorry, but the human species just is not that powerful and great.

Sorry for the rant. May God bless and keep us all safe and sound.

Fat Tuesday.

Aloha: Here it is Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent. Yesterday was "Fat Tuesday" when all good Catholics use up all the good stuff that they are going to give up for Lent. Yesterday was also my wife's birthday. Anakam decided that we should all go out so we went out for dinner. There were 6 of us plus CJ. It was a very pleasant evening. We went to a very nice place called "Don's Grill". It was my mother's favorite place to eat. She and my brother would go there every week after church.

Yesterday's and today's weather was much warmer than the day before. It was all of 49 degrees. It is rainy and cool here in Hilo this morning. The webcam view of Halema'uma'u shows that it is clear at the summit this morning. The volcano update is SOS, except for SO2 output. It was measured at 2,200 tonnes per day yesterday. That is the highest for the Halema'uma'u vent this eruption.

The sibling e-mail going back and forth now is about sleeping in the moonlight. I don't know about you but I, for one, hate it. I want the bedroom to be dark. When the moonlight comes in the window it drives me crazy. I have to get up and rearrange my sleeping position to get out of the light. I think that is why I really do not go camping. The family likes to go at the time of the full moon for night fishing.

God bless all of you. Take care.

Aloha: I am and will be here in Hilo this week sitting with my mo'opuna. When Anakam left for school this morning CJ wanted to go to school also. He has no idea that once he starts it will be a long time till he is out of school.

There has been a lot of e-mailing between my siblings lately. The oldest 'boy" is writing the story of his life and has asked for input from the rest of us. One thing leads to another and it gets quite interesting. It is "funny" how your parents will tell stories of their lives and after they are gone little question arise and you say to yourself, "Why didn't I ask about that?". Too late! My oldest gave me a book that has one or two questions on a blank page. She wants me to fill it in but the "author-itis" has made my writing almost unreadable. I guess I will have to learn to use the word processor on this thing. I will have to pick my siblings brains for info so when Nabru is done they will have to put up with me. (insert happy face)

Volcano update: SOS.

After our trip Sunday, Topher now wants to go camping for a weekend. We are planning a weekend at Holua Resorts but they say that that does not count. I keep telling them that that is my idea of a great camping trip. You know, hot showers, soft bed, swimming in a pool and lounging is a hot tub. Guess who got outvoted. I think another trip to Ka Lae is in the works, but I am out of the loop. When you are retired you just go with the flow.

God bless all of you and God bless the good old USA.

Aloha: I am down in Hilo this morning. Topher is working this week so I will be sitting my "mo'opuna". Anakam has been given a project to work on at home so CJ does not want to be with "papa" but rather pester his mom.

The sky was clear up at Volcano this morning, so the temperature was down. Would you believe 41 degrees? Well, believe it! The coldest it has ever been has been 28. That was the first year I lived up there before I was even married. It got down to 28 three days in a row.

There is some sad news to report. Burida's last grandparent died Saturday evening at 7. He was Burida's father's father. In jargon, his paternal grandfather. Anakam just told me that her best friend's mother has bone cancer and has been "given" only a few months to live. Auwe, she is about my wife's age, and I am 12 years older than my wife. I hope that is the end of the sad news!!!!

Volcano update: SOS.

Yesterday we went to South Point, Ka Lae. Because of the above mentioned news Burida and Ka'iu did not come. With my wife, Anakam, Topher, CJ, and myself were my wife's two brothers, Chief and Small Fry. She calls her youngest brother "Small Fry" because he is the youngest even though he is rather large. He has a job going all around the Pacific Basin looking for unexploded ordnance left over from WW2. He started doing this kind of work on Kaho'olawe and has been to Adak, Alaska and Japan, US west coast, Philippines, and here in Hawaii. Next week he goes to Guam then back to the Philippines. He is a diver so he will be diving for two weeks on Guam then two weeks on land. As a side note while he was diving off Kaho'olawe he had a friend, a monk seal, that would keep him company. Somewhere I have a picture on his "friend" that he took while diving.

While at Ka Lae we saw a few whales breaching off shore. The fisherpeople did not have much luck. Small Fry went looking for limu kohu, but no luck. No large opihi either. The State has been considering a ban on opihi picking, but so far all talk and no action. CJ just loves the water and all in all we had a very nice day. We take the dogs so they can run. Boy, when we get home they are pooped. They will now sleep for the next two days.

Well, that's it for today. Take care of each other and be good. God bless!

Aloha: It is, again, a true volcano day up here. At 11a it has gotten all the way up to 53 degrees. Cloudy bright, no rain by the humidity is high. Sounds like song lyrics. Like out of "Porgy and Bess".

Lets get the boring out of the way. Volcano update, SOS.

My daughter, Anakam (Ah-nah-come), called and I will be sitting this next week. I had to e-mail Na'alehu and tell them I will not be coming out this week. My wife's birthday and our anniversary are/is coming up. (Should I use the plural or singular verb there)?

The other night Anakam got home from work and read somewhere that 5 people in the State of Hawaii had gotten sick from the peanut recall. She called me up, after my wife and I had gone to bed, to tell me not to eat the peanut butter. She called again about 10 minutes later to read me the list of recalled items. Her mother and I thought that that was very sweet of her but it is not peanut butter that was recalled but items made with a peanut paste made by a certain company. I do not think that the powers that be will ever be able to find all of the paste. It would have been bought and sold many times over all over the place and some of it will not be used for another year. As a side note: The people who ran the plant in China that made the bad baby formula were arrested, tried, found guilty and sentenced to death. That is one way to deal with people who deliberately disregard health and safety codes.

Got my electric bill yesterday and it appears that the meter was read incorrectly last month. Last month was the first full month with the new water heater so I was a little worried. The bill went from, December $142, January $196, and now February $136.

And you all thought the volcano updates were boring. God love you all and be good to each other.

Aloha: I just got back from Na'alehu. Hot dogs were on special so I got a number of packages. Got some for my daughters and some for us. I did not take our car, but, rather had the van pick me up. The girl that drives does not talk and when asked a question gives a one word answer. I get about half an hours sleep going and coming.

The volcano is doing its thing. The only thing up is the SO2. It was measured at 1,300 tonnes per day. Background level is about 170. Other than that the report is SOS.

So far I have not heard if I am sitting next week. If not I will be going out to Na'alehu one day next week to do paperwork. Since I designed the system that is used out there, just Excel spreadsheets, it goes quite fast.

It is cloudy and cool in volcano today. It is almost 3p and 50 degrees outside. It was unusually cold at Na'alehu. I was told it was cool this past summer and cold this winter. Did you know, the highest recorded temperature in the state of Hawaii was at Pahala? Pahala is just up the road from Na'alehu. Oh, the recorded temperature was 100 degrees.

I guess that its for today. God bless and take care.

Aloha: Got up early this morning to go for a walk. Left the house at about 7:05a and it was quite nice. However, when I got to the Thurston Lave Tube it started to drizzle. I had planed to sit at the tube and enjoy the bird sounds, but not in the rain. Got back to the house at about 8:15 and now at 10a the sun is shinning.

From the comments I got on yesterday's blog I guess my daughters think I spend too much time on the computer. As for tennis, I do not think so. My knees just would not be able to take it. As for the computer thing, yesterday was a great day for e-mailing. All my siblings got in on the action, and it went back and forth all day. Great!

Volcano update: SOS. Auwe, the sun just disappeared. It is 55 degrees out on the porch right now. I had to get up and change the channel. Why is it that out fearless leader in on the tube every day? I do not remember any other president getting so much coverage.

I will be going to Na'alehu tomorrow. The regular meat cutter got hurt and the sub will not do paperwork, so they pay me to do it. Easy money. Well, you all take care of yourselves and may God bless all of us.

Aloha from cool, in more ways than one, Volcano. I get a real kick out of looking up the official weather for Volcano. The weather guru will say that the temp is 52 and the projected low for the day will be 54. What??? I thought that 52 is lower then 54. On my porch this morning it was 49. Now at 10a it is 52 and it is bright and sunny. It is 60 in the house. Heat from the TV, computer and lights.

Have you heard the latest from our leader? The federal government will now guarantee that nobody will lose money in the real estate market. I now know what my mother meant when she would tell me she was glad she did not have much longer to live. I am very worried about the future as it seems that those that are responsible will be made to support those who are irresponsible. I read a book a long time ago, maybe the late 50s, early 60s, called "Atlas Shrugged". It outlined just what is happening now. Auwe no hoi!!!!

Volcano update: SOS. Be sure to look for the green comet. You have to be in a dark place like Volcano. Not in an area that has a lot of street lighting. How is that for coming out of left field, no offence Nabru.

Topher is off this week and I miss being with my mo'opuna. However, I think it is great that Topher has this time to bond with his son. I wish I had had that kind of time to be with my daughters.

My feet are cold so I think I will go out and sit in the sun and read. I got a long e-mail from Vovo in Kansas. She should do that at least once a week, hint, hint. How about Hawi??? Be good to each other and may God bless.

Hit the Trail

Aloha kakahiaka ia kakou: It is a cool and crisp day up here in Volcano. I was able to go for my walk this morning. Left at 7a and returned, later than usual, at 8:40. Took it a little slower in order to savor the cool air and the happy bird noises. In a few years I will be able to take my mo'opuna for a nice walk. I just hope he enjoys it as much as I do.

Volcano update: SOS. The plume is a beautiful, bright white this morning. I spent some time at the Kilauea Iki overlook to watch it for a while this morning. Usually you can see Mauna Kea from there but, I guess, there were clouds moving up the saddle and I could not see the mountain. Mauna Loa was clear and it is a beautiful day.

On TV right now the president is about to sign "that" bill. He is going to sign a bill that nobody has been able to read let alone him. It will be 3 to 6 months before we know just what is in "that" bill. Heaven help us!!!!

Biden is bloviating. I think I will have to find chick flick. God bless America and all of you.

Aloha: It is a cold and crisp day here in Volcano. Forty nine degrees and partly cloudy. Today, being a holiday, my wife is off and I think we will spend the day kicking back. The "author-itis" in my fingers is acting up. I have had to backspace and retype half the words so far. Auwe.

Volcano update: SOS.

I started e-mailing this blog to a select, hopefully, group of readers and all have replied except for Vovo in Kansas.

Yesterday I spent a very pleasant day at Punalu'u with CJ and family. Chris is off this week so I will be spending the week up here. I hope to be able to do some walking.

I have been trying to go through the junk I am getting for Medicare. What a headache!!! I think I have said it before, if this is an example of how government does medical coverage I hope they never, ever get in charge of universal health care. I have to quit now as I can feel my blood pressure rising. Take care and please be tolerant of each other. As Shakespeare said, "Let the dead past bury its dead." May God bless us all and keep us safe.

Bavarian Cream

Aloha from the land of Pele. Wow! I got some action from the last post. There seems to be some question about the "long johns". A "long john" is a pastry. It is basically a doughnut that is not round, but straight. Alter it is cooked it is filled with Bavarian cream. Costco sells the cream in 5 gallon buckets. I was making a joke in the last post. We did not get a bucket of Bavarian cream. I will not comment on the suggestion from Manuel as I expect that my daughters will be reading this.

The volcano update is SOS.

I guess that CJ and/or Anakam and/or Topher want to see the turtles at Punalu'u as I just got a call that they were on their way up the hill. I hope the ocean is not as rough today as it was yesterday. If it is there is no way anyone will be able to go swimming.

It is now noon and the temperature has gotten all the way up to 54. The sun is poking its way through the clouds so it just may be a nice afternoon.

You all take care of yourselves and may God bless us all.

Happy Valentines Day

Happy Valentines Day to all of you. I hope you all had a great day. My wife and I went to Kona to visit Costco. It was a beautiful drive through Ka'u into Kona. The store was very busy. The thing that really surprises me every time I go there is that quite a few people buy only one or two items. Of course a lot of people have full wagons, yours truly included. The major malfunction is that we always spend too much and when we get home it is, like, "What were we thinking?" When the h(eck) are we going to use all of this? I love the cream in "long johns" but 5 gallons?

Volcano update: SOS, There was a 3.5 earthquake off Kailua, Kona shortly after 5 this morning. Total quakes are way down. The guy in charge of county Civil Defence told my wife that it appears that the curent activity may be winding down.

I think that Anakam, Topher and CJ will be going to Punalu'u tomorrow. The coastline had a lot of white water this afternoon when we came back from Kona. If they go I believe my wife and I will join them. Topher is off this coming week so I will not have to go into Hilo to sit. I hope the weather is nice so I can go for my walk. I have not been able to for a long time. Auwe, woe is me!!!

I will let you all know tomorrow how the walk goes. Take care and be good to each other. God bless you.

Happy Friday the 13th to all my readers. It is a wet day up in Volcano this morning. Wet all the way down this morning, but here in Hilo it is cloudy but dry, for now. There is always a "sliver lining" and our water tank is overflowing. It is great to take a long, hot shower, although not so nice electric bill wise.

Our volcano is just prodding along, sending up a lot of fume, and not much else. So I guess the "official" volcano update is SOS.

I e-mailed this blog to several, hopefully, readers and got a total of no responses. Hint, hint.

I got an e-mail about the stimulus that was quite funny. Reminded me of something I heard the other day. I am paraphrasing here: To finance the the stimulus we borrow the money from China and give it to the people, the people go to Wal-Mart and Wal-Mart sends the money back to China. Sad but true.

Oh well, will close for now. Take care and may God bless us all.

Read Me

Aloha: I am trying something new. I have set this machine (I think) to e-mail this blog to certain people. Can't say I did not warn you. I hope it works.

My wife has to go to Kona for a few days in April for a conference. I will be tagging along as is CJ. My daughters are planning a trip to Kona for the whole family, also in April. The family Kona trip is beginning to be a kind of family tradition as this will be the 3rd or 4th time we are doing it. It makes for a very pleasant weekend. If ever I got a timeshare it would be on this island so that I would not have to spend a lot of money to get to it. Or just rent one for a weekend and save even more.

The volcano is not doing much of anything right now. SOS on all fronts. Anakam, or as she calls herself in her blog, Hokusushi, wants to go to the Zoo this afternoon when she gets back from school. I hope it is a clear afternoon as CJ always enjoys going to the zoo.

It was wet in Volcano this morning and wet all the way into Hilo. Right now it is partly cloudy with the sun poking through.

Be good to each other and take care of yourselves. May God bless all of you and may He bless America.

Turtle 2

Aloha: I am here in Hilo this afternoon. Anakam drove up early this morning to take me to Na'alehu to get the "tank". On the way to Na'alehu we stopped at Punalu'u hoping (having hope?) to see Honu. There was one on the far end of the beach. There was another in a small tide pool. CJ got to get about 5 feet from the turtle. The turtle was about 3 feet long and the pool was no more than twice that. It just hung around ignoring everybody. Met a guy and his wife who were about my age and shot the breeze while CJ played in the water, not by the turtle, but in another tide pool.

Well, since this is Volcano Rumblings I should give you the updates. Kilauea; SOS. Earthquakes: SOS. Not much happening. This could go on for the next 100 years.

Tune in tomorrow for some more great info. Take care and God bless.

Turtles

Aloha everyone: Question! How do I find out how many people are reading this great blog? I was looking for an item that records "hits" but did not find any. I was thinking of e-mailing this blog to select readers, or non-readers. What do you think?

Volcano update: Same Old Stuff. Earthquakes: same old, same old. Weather: cool and wet.

Anakam works late tomorrow so we will drive out to Na'alehu to get the "tank". The store out there, Island Market, has better prices on some items then can be found in Hilo. We will stop there to get a few items. We just might stop at Punalu'u to see if any "Honu" are on the beach. For those of you who do not know, "Honu" are Green Sea Turtles. They come out of the water, up on the beach for reasons unknown, at least to me. The Punalu'u area is home to hundreds of sea turtles. They lay their eggs up on the beach and if you are lucky in your timing you will be able to see the tiny turtles making a beeline to the water. I have not been that fortunate, but have friends in the area who have.

We had a cousin visiting from Kansas one Summer and we went to Punalu'u for the day. The 3 girls were out watching the turtles and Anakam decided to come out of the water. When she reached shallow water and started to walk a turtle brushed up against her leg. Boy, did she freak out!!! When you walk on the bottom you stir up things the turtles want to eat so they are around your feet. Quite a trip!

Take care of each other and may God bless.

Questions

Aloha: February is the most dangerous month of the year for me. First Valentines day, then my wife's birthday, and next our anniversary. I got her a laptop for Christmas so I hope she is not expecting anything else for a couple of years. I will have to call KAR this morning and find out what happened re my wife's "tank". Why is it that when you earn money 2+2=3 and when you spend money 2+2=5? I guess the answer to that one is in the same pot as the answer to "Why do children get so much more energy from food than adults?". Why is it that men with BPH can go half a day with no problem, but 3 hours max at night?

OK, time for the boring part: Kilauea update, SOS. Earthquake update, SOS. Weather update, wet and chilly. Cloudy here in Hilo, which is good as it is a lot cooler.

What is happening with all you readers. I see Manuel is having a little trouble with the pace of work being done in his house. When commenting on this blog you can click on name and put in your name.

I asked my daughter what good webdings, wingding1, wingding2 and other weird things, were good for and how, if one wrote a blog in it, would others read it. She said "copy and paste in 'word', high light and change font." Auwe, that seems like a lot of trouble just to do something weird.

Oh oh. The "old timers" has kicked in. I was just thinking about something to write about and it is gone. I bet as soon as I click on the "Publish Post" icon it will come back. Oh well, be good to each other and may God bless us all.

Webdings

Aloha: Aloha: I saw a thing called webdings and what you see at the start of this blog is, Aloha:, in webdings.

Volcano update: SOS. Earthquake update: SOS. Weather update: Chilly and wet.

I sent a picture of CJ to my siblings and, WOW, I got a reply from my sister. Have not heard from her in, at least, a month. I am still in shock!! When I finish this I will have to send her a reply.

Yesterday my wife and I were talking about driving to Kona to go to Costgo, but this morning decided not to. My wife got in touch with the people on Kaho'olawe and they will look for her cell phone (HFD's). She thinks she left it on her bunk.

I am still waiting for my faithful, and not so faithful, readers to submit suggestions for this blog. I just did a spell check and this "program", which offers webdings, does not like the word webdings. Strange.

I await, with bated breath, your comments. God bless you all.

Aloha ahiahi ia kakou: Today was, and still is, a beautiful day in God's country! Unfortunately we were not able to go to Na'alehu to get my wife's "tank". I really do not know what the scoop is and will not be able to find out till Monday.

I think I will have to stop calling Volcano "God's country" as more and more people are moving up here. Bright and early this morning somebody was working, clearing, the lot two away from ours. I think the house next door is not going to be used as a vacation retreat for the owners family as it looks like people have moved in permanently. Every time someone passes gas next door the dogs start to bark and auwe!!! They have two small dogs that they keep in a cage in the back yard and those dogs know how to yip. The traffic going to Hilo and returning is getting bad.

Years ago I used to work at a polling place for the elections. A few years ago my wife got interested and instead of working at a polling place became a trainer for precinct officials and a trouble shooter. I got back to being a precinct official this past election. Why am I telling you this? Because of what is happening in Minnesota. Can you believe it!!! Just this week they "found" more uncounted ballots. What has happened to the respect of the ballot in this country? Here in Hawaii the ballots are kept under watch at all times and are transported under lock and key with special security guards. They are never put in the trunk of a car but are transported by a special van. Sorry for the rant.....

Take care of each other and may God bless all of you.

What Cell Phone?

Aloha a nui loa ia kakou. Here it is, another day in the land of Aloha. It has been rather wet the last few days. Hopefully it will clear up this weekend. Tomorrow the wife and I have to go to Na'alehu and get the "tank". That will cost a pretty penny. No less than 60,000 of them. Auwe.

Volcano update summery; Activity Summary for past 24 hours: DI tilt event inflation and glow from the Halema'uma'u vent continued; rising lava has been observed deep beneath the vent. Reduced amounts of ash are being produced. Sulfur dioxide emission rates remain elevated from both the Halema`uma`u and the Pu`u `O`o vents. I just noticed something. When I spell a Hawai'ian word I use the (') while the HVO website uses the (`). As in Pu`u `O`o. My style would be Pu'u 'O'o. I prefer the look of my style, what do you all think? Na'alehu vs Na`alehu.

This morning there were only 39 located earthquakes on the map. The map is for the last 2 weeks. The RB2S2BL quakes are in the background range. Tremor is up as the volcano inflates. So much for the "boring" stuff.

It was cloudy all the way down this morning. Looks like it will be cloudy all day in Hilo today.

My wife got back from Kaho'olawe yesterday. She forgot the HFD cell phone there so will try to get it back from the Protect Kaho'olawe Assn. The group was lucky this year as they did not have to swim to the island. The landing craft was able to go right up to the beach to drop them off and pick them up. Good thing as one of the group can not swim! Oh, Oh.... CJ just pooped in his training pants. Auwe!!! be back shortly.

That was a killer of the train of thought!!!! Take care of each other and my god Bless all of you and may God bless America!

Aloha: Hey you'll wada scoop? I see that one of the blogs I am following has gone private. I have to registers in order to read it. I started this blog to keep relatives and friends informed on what is happening here in the land of aloha. At one time I thought of writing a weekly newsletter and e-mailing it out, but I think that e-mails should be pithy, and one can pontificate in a blog.

Volcano update: SOS. I have a feeling that Kilauea is going to do its thing till way after I am gone. According to a website I found I should live till I am 81 so......

CJ wants to play with "papa". His idea of playing is for me to watch him crash cars together. Not quite my concept of playing.

It is rather wet in God's country this morning. Wet all the way into Hilo although the sun is shinning right now.

God bless and take care!

Aloha: I got a few comments on yesterdays post. Until I get asked otherwise I will not copy volcano updates from the HVO website. I will just give a short update from memory. Hope the "old timers" does not kick in. Found out that the comment from "Mr. B." was a link to his own blog, and not my friend in California. I try to answer comments in the next days blog, rather than making a new comment. If you feel I have not responded to a comment tell me the date, and content of the comment and I will try to address it.

The Volcano is doing its thing. Tephra is just reworked rock dust, not new stuff. Tremor is still elevated, earthquakes are in the normal range. No glow last night and the caldera is deflating. It appears that the hole in the floor of Halema'uma'u is getting larger. SO2 is very high.

It is cloudy today so the temperature is a little higher today. Our island has been getting rain this week, over 5 inches at Laupahoehoe yesterday. My wife called from Kaho'olawe this morning and she is not cutting down Keawe trees. Because the island (Kaho'olawe) has been getting some rain the powers that be have decided to have the gang plant native ground cover, bushes and shrubs.

I was not able to get in touch with the driver of the Island Market truck so will have to pick up my wife's "tank" on Saturday. She comes back tomorrow evening. I wonder if she will have to swim out to the landing craft. Only time will tell. CJ's mother does not believe that she had to swim ashore last year. I was under the impression that she had told everyone about that.

Take care and be good to each other. God bless.

Aloha: Hey readers, question! I started to use just the summery of the HVO website, then changed to the more detailed report. Now the question. Which do you prefer?

Here is the more detailed report from the HVO site, in red as usual. Past 24 hours at Kilauea summit: Strong northeasterly winds kept the plume moving southwest yesterday. Overnight, faint, but stronger than last night, glow from a source beneath the north vent rim was recorded by a webcam near the Halema`uma`u Overlook. This morning, a white plume is moving low and southwest over the Ka`u Desert.

A very small amount of ash was collected downwind of the source this morning, a definite decrease from previous days. Sulfur dioxide emission rates remain elevated and variable. The most recent average measurement was 1,500 tonnes/day on February 2 compared to the 2003-2007 average rate of 140 tonnes/day.

Seismic tremor levels abruptly increased about 25% around 3:30 pm yesterday, abruptly dropped by half at 4:44 am, and then just as abruptly increased at 6:10 am to remain at elevated values. Three earthquakes were strong enough to be located beneath the south summit caldera; 1 earthquake was located beneath the upper east rift zone. The number of RB2S2BL earthquakes remain within background values.

I got a call from my wife this morning. Her group of Kaho'olawe workers lucked out this trip. The ocean was calm enough so that the landing craft was able to get to the beach and they could walk off. Last year the whole bunch had to swim ashore. When she first started to go to Kaho'olawe the group was flown in be helicopter. As money dried up so did the perks. This year they have to pay for the privilege of doing manual labor.

It was warmer up country this morning. A mist was coming down. Wet all the way to Hilo. When the clouds release moisture the heat that kept the moisture suspended is released so the area is not so cold. It was 56 degrees in Volcano this morning.

KAR called yesterday and the "tank" is ready. Anakam left for school and I forgot to find out what time she needs me tomorrow. If it is late I could catch a ride to Na'alehu with the Island Market truck and bring the "tank" home. We shall see what we shall see.

Well, CJ is wanting "papa" to play with him so I will close. God bless and take care of each other.

Kaho'olawe

Aloha no: It was a clear and crisp day in Volcano when we left this morning, but it is raining in Hilo. Most residents of the Big Island do not realize that Hilo gets more rain than Volcano. I think the reason for this is that Glenwood, between Hilo and Volcano, is one of the wettest communities in the state.

The volcano update from the HVO website is next. Today I think I will print it in orange. Past 24 hours at Kilauea summit: Weak winds yesterday morning produced some spectacularly bad air quality before moderate trade winds resumed in early afternoon. Overnight, faint glow from a source beneath the north vent rim was recorded by a webcam near the Halema`uma`u Overlook. This morning, a white plume is moving low and southwest over the Ka`u Desert. Small amounts of ash were collected downwind of the source this morning, most of which was glassy spatter including a lot of fresh Pele's hair. Near the vent, waxing and waning gas-rushing noises could be heard. Sulfur dioxide emission rates remain elevated and variable. The most recent average measurement was 1,100 tonnes/day on January 30 compared to the 2003-2007 average rate of 140 tonnes/day. Seismic tremor levels remain elevated despite abruptly decreasing by a few percent around 9:20 am yesterday morning and again at about 8:30 pm. One earthquake was strong enough to be located beneath the south summit caldera; 7 were located on south flank faults. The number of RB2S2BL earthquakes remain within background values. Somebody asked about the two 3+ earthquakes. There were actually three quakes. When I checked the website nobody had reported feeling them so I did not report on them. Today I see that the latest two have reports of being felt.

Today Anakam starts at 'Imiloa. She will put in two hours today, same on Tuesday, and four on Friday. The internship is for eight hours a week.

I dropped my wife and her brother at the airport this morning. I mentioned that she was going to Kaho'olawe to clear Keawe trees this week. The people who go have to bring their own lunch for today. Last year everybody that took PB&J sandwiches had them taken away by the TSA because the jelly is a gel, even when spread on bread. When will the very rare thing known as common sense kick in? Auwe!!!

God bless everyone and take care. Do not forget that American ends with "I can".

Aloha kakahiaka i'a kakou. It is a glorious morning here in Volcano this morning!! Cool and crisp. Forty two when we got up. It is 10a and is now 50. Volcano update from HVO webpage, in red, follows.

Past 24 hours at Kilauea summit: Northeasterly winds kept the plume moving toward the southwest resulting in good air quality in the surrounding communities yesterday. Overnight, faint glow from a source beneath the north vent rim was recorded by a webcam near the Halema`uma`u Overlook. This morning, a white plume is ascending vertically in weak winds resulting in some poor air quality. Sulfur dioxide emission rates remain elevated and variable. The most recent average measurement was 1,100 tonnes/day on January 30 compared to the 2003-2007 average rate of 140 tonnes/day. Seismic tremor levels remain elevated. Two earthquakes were strong enough to be located beneath the south summit caldera and 2 were on south flank faults. The number of RB2S2BL earthquakes remain within background values.

I did not get to post anything yesterday as, for reasons unknown, this machine refused to hook up to the Internet. When I first logged on it was fine but while I was checking the Volcano websites it quit. My resident IT person informed me she has not seen a computer with so many issues as this one. Every time I turn it on it goes to a "found new hardware wizard" and I have not installed any new hardware. I hope that my luck holds as she will be going to Kaho'olawe tomorrow to cut down Keawe trees. Keawe is not a native tree so it will have to go!!!

The man at KAR is sick so my wife's "tank" is not ready so I did not get to ride the bus Friday. Saturday we went to Ocean View. My wife taught a class to Red Cross volunteers on the use of an AED with CPR. It was a beautiful day all around.

I do like to get comments on this blog. Someone asked about Anakam. She is CJ mother. I do not know who "Mr B" is but I believe he is a friend from California.

I will be in Hilo sitting with CJ this week so will be writing this blog from there. Hope all is well with all of you and may God bless each and every one of you.