Whats with the hats

Aloha: Did any of you watch the Kennedy thing on TV? I saw parts of it and the pallbearers were from the different branches of the armed services. I could not believe the hats the Navy guys were wearing. When I was in the Navy if I had worn my hat like that I would have been busted. They looked like they belonged in a cartoon, not in such a solemn occasion.

I have been told that the last year that Hualalai had snow was in 1936. Hualalai is the third active volcano on the island of Hawaii. Kilauea and Mauna Loa are the other two. On Maui, Haleakala is the only other active volcano in the State of Hawaii. There is another active volcano in the chain and that is Loihi off the coast of the Big Island. Loihi is still under water and if you want to wait around for a few thousand years you may be lucky enough to see it emerge from the "briney deep". I have decided not to stick around for that. The airport in Kona is built on the last flow from Hualalai.

The volcano report is SOS. The Halema'uma'u vent is putting out quite a bit of SO2 gas, but the Pu'u 'O'o vent is actually below its 5 year average. Happy are the people living in the Glenwood area.

I will not be sitting for my mo'opuna this week. I just got a tool set so I think I will try to build shelves in the closet and try to get some order around here.

God bless and keep all of you safe and sound.

Kick back Saturday

Aloha: Today is a great day!!! Just wet enough outside to allow us to kick back in the house without guilt. I checked the rain gauge this morning and there was just a trace of "wet" in it. I wonder when I will get an amount that I can actually measure. (It is a good thing this thing has spellcheck.)

As I have said the weather today is a little misty. It is on the cool side. Right now it is 60 on the "sunny" side of the house. The volcano is SOS. There is a new home page for the HVO website and they are asking for old photos of the volcano. In the old days publishers would take a black and white photo and hand paint it. As a kid a neighbor of ours, Mrs. Eshelman, had an album of colorized pictures. She also had a picture of Hualalai with snow. The picture was taken from the Kohala mountain road and showed Mauna Kea, Mauna Loa and Hualalai covered with snow. Hawaiian oral tradition tells of snow on the windward side of the Big Island from the top of Mauna Kea to the sea at Laupahoehoe.

What have you all been thinking about lately? I have been thinking how anybody can take a rationed commodity, increase demand by 8%, do nothing to increase the supply and lower the price of the commodity.

May God bless and be nice to each other.

Getting older

Aloha: Reading the blog "my crazy world" reminds me of all the good times spent down at South Point. We would go to Ka'alu'alu and walk back along the coast to look for glass fishing floats (glass balls). We had a Volkswagen that we used as a "jeep". Usually it was just my mother and I. Now that I am retired I have a companion that thinks my knees are just great. My companion is Arther Itis. Many times we would take the long way out of the area by going to the Point proper then out. That way we would past the green sand beach. It is really a sight. The area is very hot and dry. The beach itself is hard to get to as it is down a cliff. While I was an Anthropology student at UHHC we worked a few sites in the area. That would be in the early 70's.

I am in Hilo today and am just waiting for the clock to tell me I can go get my mo'opuna. It is cloudy in Hilo today so not so hot. Volcano was very nice when we left this morning. Still no water in my new rain gauge. I hope to be able to measure some rain while it is still new.

The volcano is doing its thing. I did not see any glow again last night but the report said there was one last night. The plume was very heavy this morning. For the last few months it has been thin and wispy. SOS again.

God bless and take care of each other.

Today, 8.26.09

Aloha: As you can see I have no idea what to title today's blog. When I first started this I would just leave the title blank. For some reason I now feel I have to put something up there.

Yesterday was a bad day for CJ. Auwe!!!! The teacher had to send a "nasty-gram" home. He is just 3 years old and does not really understand that there are consequences to actions. Pretty heavy concept for a 3 year old. I know quite a few adults who have not yet grasped that concept.

Today school gets out early. Here in Hawaii Wednesday is a short day for school for the students. The teachers have a full day but on Wednesday the last period is for things like teachers meeting, class preparation, and such. At 1p I have to rush to pick up Anakam then run to the school to get CJ before 1:30. If I am late I will have to pay the school $15 for after school care for as little as 1 minute late. Of course I could leave him till 5p, but then I will lose out on "papa" time. I am not about to give up my time!!!!

Right now the news channels are going on about Kennedy. I usually did not agree with him but the man was able to work with those who disagreed with him. Enough said.

It looked like it was going to be a nice day in "God's country". The volcano report is SOS. I copied this off the HVO website. The Halema`uma`u Overlook vent continues to glow at night, with an incandescent hole on the floor of the vent visible on the Overlook Webcam after dark. Ash production remains low and is composed mostly of rock dust from frequent small collapses. Gas-rushing sounds were constant during this morning's ash collection, and only minor rockfall and rock slide sounds were heard. When I checked the overlook webcam I did not see any glow. I do not know how to copy two sections at the same time so I will say tremor is elevated and RB2S2BL quakes are at background levels.

As Woody Woodpecker would say, "That's all folks". God bless and be good to one another.

In Hilo again

Aloha: As the title says I am in Hilo today. Anakam and Topher are working today so I have to pick CJ up from school. This will be the first time I have the pleasure and I hope I dot all my i's and cross all my t's. I think I will be doing this for the rest of the week.

I went to Wal-Mart this past weekend and only checked the tape last night and guess what. Another survey! Get your chance to win one of five $1ooo gift cards and a whole bunch of new friends. I think I will pass. Forty pieces of junk a day is enough.

Boy, is it hot in Hilo. This Volcano boy is just not used to this kind of weather. Volcano was cool and a little wet this morning and it was quite wet on the way down this morning. This house that T&A are renting is made backwards. The living areas are on the hot side of the house. Chocolate candies melt on the kitchen counters and the cold water tap has hot water in it.

The volcano report is SOS again today.

Pray for our Republic and may God bless all of you.

Mailbox enpty?

Aloha: A few months ago my receipt from Wal-Mart had an offer for a $1000 gift card and all you had to do was take a survey. Well I bit and did the survey. That was months ago. Last week I got an e-mail from Wal-Mart urging me to claim my card. I filled out another list of questions and now I get about 40 junk mails a day for all kinds on "goodies". I had used my old work address, not my personal one, or my blogging one, so am not too bothered about all the attention. In case you are wondering, I have or have had 6 different addresses. I set up only two. My former employer set up three and the cable company set up one. I only use three.

The weather up here in Volcano is cool and cloudy. I am still waiting for my rain gauge to collect some water. All in all another beautiful day in paradise.

The volcano report is SOS. Tremor is slightly elevated and RB2S2BR quakes are on the low end of "background" levels. No mention of tephra today. The last month was only rock dust, no fresh spatter.

Aloha oe. May God bless and be kind to each other.

Ego boost

Aloha: My new follower sure gave my ego a boost with her comment on my last blog. Now the pressure is on continue in the same vein.

Later this afternoon I will be going to house sit my oldest daughters house for one night. The house is only a few years old so she does not like to have it vacant for a long weekend. She also has dogs that need to be fed so I got elected. Everybody will be returning to their homes Sunday, sunburned, tired and dirty. Then it is off to work on Monday. I think I will be sitting my "mo'opuna" this week. Topher is expecting a call on Monday to find out if he will be working the rest of the week. I hope so as I kind of miss sitting that special 3-year old.

The weather today is cloudy. No rain yet, just no sun either. The volcano report is SOS. When I checked the overlook webcam last night I though that the glow was not as bright as it has been the last few days.

May God bless all of you and may He bless America.

A Pleasant Surprise

Aloha: I got a pleasant surprise when I signed on to my blog today. I have a new follower! She is a grand-niece of mine. Her mother lived with my mother for a time, way too long ago. My sister, Vovo, did a wonderful job with her children and my nieces and nephews have done a great job with their children. I just reread what I wrote and it is rather convoluted. How about this; my sister is Vovo. Vovo's daughter lived with our mother after she finished high school. My niece's daughter is now a school teacher (boy, I am getting old) and is now a follower of my blog.

My wife, her brother and a good friend went camping for the weekend. She took all the dogs so I am here all alone. Now I can have the Fox News Network on all day. Both of my daughters also went camping but did not know that their mother had planned this trip so are going to about the same area, South Point, with a group of their friends. The area they are going is where, in the late 50's early 60's my mother and I would go to look for glass balls. My knees no longer allow me to go hopping all over the rocks so now I just walk on level ground, and sleep in a bed.

It is a glorious day in Volcano today. I do not think there is any other place as beautiful as Volcano on a day like today. Fantastic!!!!!

Volcano report is SOS again. Not really anything new to report.

Anybody reading this blog is welcome to comment on the blog. You do not even have to identify yourself although it makes it easier for me to know if I should answer the comment if I know who is writing.

That's all folks! May God bless and be good to each other.

Earthquakes

Aloha: I have been asked what has happened to the earthquakes? For those of you who do not know the earthquake website color codes the quakes; red is a quake that is 2 hours or less old; blue two days; and yellow 2 weeks. After 2 weeks the quake is dropped from the map. Today's map has only yellow quakes. This is from the HVO website: The number of RB2S2BL earthquakes is relatively low. No earthquakes were located beneath Kilauea during the past day. I guess that Pele is not very active at this time. I find it odd that for an earthquake to be located on the map it has to be recorded on, I think, 5 graphs. RB2S2BL stand for "recorded but too small to be located" That is why there are no quakes below 1.6, If you check the Yellowstone website you will see quakes as low as 0,1 located on their map. I guess they have lower standards than we have in Hawaii. Same USGS though. Sometimes it will get confusing because on the update HVO will say that an earthquake was located under Kilauea but the map will not show the quake. I think sometimes the HVO staff gets confused about the recorded vs located distinction. I hope I have not stirred up the mud too much. It really is clear to me.

For the volcano report, tephra is down, tremor is down, quakes are down, SO2 is up, no hissing from the vent and no rockfalls heard. The overlook cam records a glow at night. Can I say SOS.

The weather in volcano is rather nice. It was wet when I got up this morning and I thought I would be able to report water in my new rain gauge. There was just a trace. We got nothing from our hurricane and I am guessing that we will not get anything from Guillermo. Yesterday afternoon I heard thunder and thought that Hilo was getting a bit of rain but was wrong. I do not know where the booming was coming from.

It is "Woody Woodpecker" time. God bless and be good to each other.

Feedback

Aloha: Here I sit, trying to think of something interesting to write about. My brother, Nabru, is "enjoying" his tropical storm in Florida, Our TS is passing to the north and will cut off our trades for awhile, which means more vog on this side of the island.

The weather is pretty nice. Partly cloudy with a light breeze. As soon as the "Glenn Beck" program is finished I will take a walk to the PO. Years ago I joined the Democrat Party and still on their rolls. When I first joined I was very active in the 2nd district in Hilo. I was considered to be a raising star behind the scenes. Not as an office seeker, but one who works out of the public eye in the party to get others elected. To make a long story short, I came to the conclusion that Democrat or Republican are just two sides of the same coin. Heads or tails, Democrat or Republican, the coin is still a quarter. Nabru calls them Demopublican and Republicats. Well, my short story is getting long. I am now looking at the Libertarian Party.

The volcano is SOS. The glow is not strong enough to be seen on the HVO webcam, but shows up as a bright white spot on the overlook webcam.

God bless and take care.

Hello

Aloha: Hey, it has been awhile since I wrote. There is not much happening on this end of Paradise. The last storm was a bust and I hope the next one is just as exciting. The projected path is just a tad north of the last one so it is looking good for now.

The weather today is very nice. I just got back from the PO and it was rather hot out in the sun. My friend, Arther Itis, started to bug me about my knees so I guess I will not do much more walking today.

The volcano is just doing its thing. Tremor is going up and down, SO2 was way up the other day (2050 tonnes a day), but is back down to 700. The normal in 170. The report is that there is now a hole in the bottom of the vent. A hole in the vent in the crater in the caldera. Maybe I should just say HVCC from now on. Just like the earthquakes, RB2S2BL. The volcano report for today will be SOS.

My mo'opuna is adjusting to the structure of school. He still like to do his own thing, but is getting better every day. On Friday he did not eat when the other children ate but did not make an issue of it. When he is with me he goes to sleep at 2p, but at school sleep time is 12:30. Sometimes he sleeps and other times he will lie quietly.

I was asked how my weight loss spell is working. Auwe, not so good. It worked for about 2 weeks and I lost 4/5 pounds. Now I am back to my old habits.

That's it for today. May God bless and be good to each other.

A calm day

Aloha: The storm has broken up and past the BI to the north. We did not get any rain up here in Volcano. I put up a rain gauge and so far I have gotten is trace amounts of rain. We have a lot of misty and drizzly days up in this area and I guess that is what I am recording.

The storm changed the wind pattern a bit and so the vog is heavy between Volcano and Hilo. I hope the trades come back this afternoon to take care of that problem.

For the second night in a row there was a glow in the vent in the etc, etc..... The RB2S2BL quakes are below background levels. I would venture a guess and rate the volcano at SOS.

I think that will be it for today. May God bless all of you and may God bless America.

Weather Again

Aloha: Yesterday I thought that by this time today we would be getting very, very wet. Well, today is a beautiful day in Volcano. The sky is blue and the sun in shinning. I do not think it will be like this all day however. The storm has changed course a little and will be going north of the Big Island. Good for us, bad for Maui. A few years ago, when I was working, something happened at work and I said to the person it happened to, "Better you than me." and he got very angry. He said I was wishing him bad luck. I hope the people of Maui do not have his attitude. It does seem that the bullet dodged the Big Island.

For the first time since the 4th of July there was a glow from the vent in the floor of the crater in the floor of the caldera last night. Not much, but a glow. My biggest worry about the storm rain is the steam that would be produced at the volcano. A steam explosion is not out of the realm of possibilities. I think a steam explosion is what ended about a century of activity in 1924. If memory serves there was a death from that explosion. As far as the volcano report, it is SOS.

I really have to take notes. I sit down and once I start to write I forget what I was thinking. I get so involved in what I am writing I forget what else I wanted to write about.

I put a new thing on my blog so you can "vote" on how much you liked the days blog.

May God bless all of you and may He bless the USA.

Weather Forecast

Aloha: Today will be mostly a weather forecast for the next few days. I "lifted " this off the Accu-Weather site that I go to for weather information. The lifted part will be in red.

As of 5:00 a.m. HST, Felicia has been downgraded to a tropical storm with 70 mph winds and gusts near 80 mph. Felicia is located around 595 miles east of Hilo, Hawaii, near 20.6 degrees north latitude and 146.0 degrees west longitude. Felicia is moving to the west near 15 mph. The central pressure is at 994 millibars, or 29.35 inches. As Felicia moves westward over the next few days, it will cross over water with temperatures about 77 to 79 degrees at the surface. These cooler water temperatures will aid in continued weakening. The system is also moving into a highly hostile environment with stronger shear. This is already separating the deeper thunderstorms in the upper-level center, from the low-level center, which is farther west. Felicia should weaken to a tropical depression sometime later today or tonight. The projected track shows a weak depression or storm remnant crossing the Big Island of Hawaii.
Despite the expected weakening, a tropical storm watch has been issued for the Big Island of Hawaii and for all of Maui County. Depending on satellite trends, a tropical storm watch may be issued for the entire state.
The main storm impacts will be heavy surf and torrential downpours to the state. The heaviest surf and rain should occur mostly on the east and southeast shores of the islands, especially the Big Island of Hawaii. The surf will increase from Felicia on Sunday into Monday and relax on Tuesday night and Wednesday. The heaviest rainfall will occur during the day on Tuesday. A dangerous flood potential exists early next week, especially along the east-facing mountains of the Big Island.

My wife is with the Red Cross and they have been working with all the powers that be for the last few days. FEMA, civil defence, the cell phone companies, land line telephone, electric, the whole bunch. She can not tell me what has been discussed, and what I hear when she talks in her sleep I can not share.

On Friday the county bowling "whatever you call it" was held. Auwe!!!!! My wife wanted to get a light ball so we went to the ally early (one hour and a half) to be sure to get a light ball. We found one and then sat guarding the ball till it was time for the start. No dinner, just sitting and waiting. Two minutes before the start,my wife overhears a co-worker form another team complained that her ball is too heavy so my wife gives her the ball we gave up dinner to guard and my wife uses a heaver ball and then wonders why her fingers and arm are so sore.

This is getting long so I will close. I will try one more post before the weather gets too bad. God bless and be good to each other.

CJ's saga 4

Aloha: Well, it looks like CJ is settling down. His "listening problem" has morphed into an "ants in the pants" problem. He likes to eat only one thing at a time, ie; plain bread, no butter, jelly or anything. Plain rice or just french fries or just pancakes; you get the idea. Anakam makes him a lunch and he will only eat one thing in the lunch.

I just realized I did not check the HVO website to get the update. Auwe, I guess I will just wing it and say it is SOS.

I am in Hilo today as my wife will be bowling for the data processing team tonight. She wanted me to come down because (I am guessing) she wants to drink and needs a driver. She bowls once a year and is quite pleased when she breaks 100.

When we left Volcano this morning the weather was iffy. It was raining here in Hilo when we got here but is bright at this time. Those of you who still remember the cameras that used film you would know what "cloudy bright" is. Well, Hilo is "cloudy bright" now.

Hopefully I will not have to report any more "CJ problems", and this will be the last of the "Saga of CJ". God bless and take care.

CJ's saga 3

Aloha: Today was a very good day for CJ. It was the first full day of school. Monday and Tuesday were till 11:15, but today was till 1:15. Tomorrow and Friday will be till 2:15. CJ was sleeping when Topher and Anakam picked him up today, so he was not too happy when he got home. He ate half his lunch at school and is now sitting with Topher finishing his lunch. Guess who is in Hilo today? That's right, yours truly.

The weather at the volcano was a bit hazy with a mist this morning when we left this morning. I bought a rain gauge so soon I will have another boring fact to give you on my blog.

The volcano report is SOS for today.

I keep forgetting to tell you all about Sunday. We had a very good day at my oldest house on Sunday. Burida worked the BBQ and we really had too much to eat. Asparagus on the grill is very good. We really had a great time. I am thinking (again) about extending my porch so we will have space to be able to BBQ at Volcano. I think I will give the builder a call to get an estimate.

That's if for today. God bless and be good.

Saga of CJ 2

Aloha: Auwe! The "saga of CJ" continues. He had another "bad" day today. When Topher went to pick him up this noon he was sitting in the "time out" chair. It seems that he wanted to play with a toy car rather then participating in a group activity. Poor Anakam; read her comment on yesterday's blog (mine) and her blog, "my now".

Weather today is same as yesterday. Wet off and on. I will not be going to the PO today.

The volcano is SOS again today. I have not seen anything about the quakes in Bay of California today. There were a few yesterday, the largest 6.9. A quake that strong will knock your dentures out if you do not keep your mouth shut.

I see that Louisville Ky. got 6.5 inches of rain in an hour today. Stupid drivers think they are driving boats rather than cars. And these geniuses get to vote! Auwe!!

God bless and take care.

First day.

Aloha: Saturday was Anakam's first day at her "second" job. Today was CJ's first day at school. Anakam day was very successful, CJ's not so. It seems CJ has a "listening" problem. Hopefully the "problem" will be resolved within a week or so.

It has been raining off and on up here in Volcano, Hawaii today. I was not able to go to the PO today. I think I will have to get a set of rain gear so I can do more walking.

The volcano report is again SOS. It seems that earthquakes are down, although not so in Baja California. They were really shaking down there today.

Please pray that God blesses America and my He bless all of you.