Whale Entanglement

Today was a Linda Adventure.

My adventure was at the Kilauea Lighthouse where I try to stop by daily to watch the birds, but mostly the humpback whales offshore. This week has been amazing for spotting whales. It has been easy to spot and watch new groups of 4-6 swim by every 10-15 minutes. (One of the docents at the lighthouse and I think they're being rather sexy right now).

Today, I saw a large whale with what looked like orange plastic near its pectoral fin and tail. At first I thought it might be some sort of radio tag. But, two? Two men nearby told me they'd been watching and could clearly see the plastic was buoys. We had an entangled whale. It didn't seem to be too distressed, but the lighthouse called the NOAA Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary headquarters. We informed Ed Lyman, an entanglement expert, about the whale. While we waited, each of us kept our eye on the group of whales as it traveled to the east and south of us. The U.S. Fisheries Department came out and questioned us. We helped the official spot the group, and the U.S. Coastguard was sent out to tag the whale so the entanglement team can try and free it of the lines.

From the Fisheries person, we found out that another whale had washed up on shore on the west side of the island. There had been a sighting of a humpback whale that was entangled in rope with orange buoys a few days earlier and it was thought that the dead whale was one in the same. The entangled whale was still alive. I'll let you know what I find out about its outcome with the entanglement team. Visit http://hawaiihumpbackwhale.noaa.gov  to find out more

Usually, we inform you of our dogs' happenings. Today was a quiet day at home for the dogs. Sea-Sea gave us a scare last night. She became ill quickly - 104.5º fever, vomiting, lethargy, heavy panting, tremors. After an IV treatment, a heavy dose of antibiotics, and doggie aspirin, she's been resting all day with no fever. Keep your fingers crossed for our old girl.

Perfect Day at the Beach

January 20, 2012 - The dogs went to doggie day camp today. It was sunny and bright down on the south side of the island at Poipu Beach.  The water was calm and the tourists were paddling about. We decided to join them and snorkel.

There were a lot of fish (large ones) in very shallow water and with dozens of snorkelers kicking about. That seemed so unusual. Usually snorkelers scare fish away.  These fish didn't seem to mind all of the humans around. I giggled as people floated on their rafts oblivious to  the  many fish swimming beneath and around them. Highlight of the day? Two large green sea turtles munching on algae on the rocks.

Below are some pictures I "borrowed" from the Internet for those of you not familiar with some of the Hawaiian fishes and the green sea turtle. Turtles were four-five feet in length.

humu humu nuku nuku apua ‘a, reef trigger

raccoon butterflyfish

Christmas wrasse

Green Sea Turtle

Just Had to Share...

Sam and Sea-Sea at Anini Beach, January 10, 2012

Sam continues to amaze us...

When I went to Oregon to adopt Sam, the breeder, Tonya, said, "So, Steve, we've been explaining this to Sam and he understands. He knows he belongs to you now." Sam was 4 years old and had been in several home environments. And he kind of did act like he understood. Okay... So, as a joke and for fun we have started talking to Sam and explaining things and guess what? He does seem to understand.

Fast forward to the other day and Sam and Sea-Sea's first big adventure to a doggie daycare camp called Whiskers Resort. It looked really well run and we hoped that our dogs would fit in well. Linda told Sam, "You are going to a fun camp with other dogs and you can play but you have to make sure Sea-Sea is okay."

When we picked them up the lady could not wait to tell us that they had both had a great, fun day and...Sam, stayed with Sea-Sea for the first hour and a half. Then he went and played but came back off and on all day to check on his elderly aunt.

We're just going to keep talking to him! -Steve

Happy New Year!

"Hau'oli (happy) Makahiki (year) Hou (new)"

(Pronounced: how-OH-lee mah-kah-hee-kee ho)

That one just won't stick in my brain. I'll keep practicing. Sam just says, "Woof."  Sea-Sea sends her wags.

Our Christmas was merry and bright. We went to the west side of the island for the day. We enjoyed the 100 foot white sand dunes, clear skies, and beautiful waves on Polihale Beach. It's a wide and very long beach literally at the end of the road. It was a fun, jumping-around-in-the-waves day. We also went to Koke'e State Park. (More on the park at a later date. I want to keep this blog short.) It was a beach day for me, photography day for Steve, drive around in the truck day for the dogs. Pictures below are from my I-Phone.

New Year's Eve was spent at Poipu Beach. They had a music festival and fireworks show. A reggae band was the big hit of the night. Irie, Aloha -  it's all the same, right?

The dogs stayed home. We had our first experience of fireworks on the island. On the Honolulu news, the reporters spoke about staying inside on New Year's Eve if you have asthma or respiratory conditions. I was thinking, "Yeah, right!" OMG! The island air was totally filled with smoke from what seemed to be just about everyone on the island shooting off fireworks.  (They're legal here).  I guess they're illegal on Oahu, but the reporters said that wouldn't stop anyone there. Steve coughed all the way home from Poipu Beach. The dogs were fine when we got home, sporting dogs that they are...plus, Sea-Sea can't hear much anymore.

We wish you a healthy,  joyous and prosperous 2012. We value your friendships!

Season's Greetings!

Mele Kalikimaka to all of our friends!

More about us, but first...

One of the favorite songs we've been hearing on the island is the Hawaiian version of 12 Days of Christmas. I've copied the lyrics below. For your enjoyment, try going to YouTube to hear the song being sung. Here are a couple of versions that are fun:
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GoMmIEKgks 

or,  a cute hip-hoppy version :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0n9SnuvX28&feature=related

(Hang in there for the dance. It's worth it.)

(The 12 Days of Christmas local style)
- by Eaton B. Magoon Jr., Edward Kenny, Gordon N. Phelps

Numbah One day of Christmas, my tutu give to me
One mynah bird in one papaya tree.

Numbah Two day of Christmas, my tutu give to me
Two coconut, an' one mynah bird in one papaya tree.

Numbah Tree day of Christmas, my tutu give to me
Tree dry squid, two coconut,
An' one mynah bird in one papaya tree.

Numbah Foah day of Christmas, my tutu give to me
Foah flowah lei, tree dry squid, two coconut,
An' one mynah bird in one papaya tree.

Numbah Five day of Christmas, my tutu give to me
Five beeg fat peeg... foah flowah lei, tree dry squid, two coconut,
An' one mynah bird in one papaya tree.

Numbah Seex day of Christmas, my tutu give to me
Seex hula lesson, five beeg fat peeg (that make TEN!),
Foah flowah lei, tree dry squid, two coconut,
An' one mynah bird in one papaya tree.

Numbah Seven day of Christmas, my tutu give to me
Seven shrimp a-swimmin', seex hula lesson,
Five beeg fat peeg, foah flowah lei, tree dry squid, two coconut,
An' one mynah bird in one papaya tree.

Numbah Eight day of Christmas, my tutu give to me
Eight ukulele, seven shrimp a-swimmin', seex hula lesson,
Five beeg fat peeg (that make TWENNY!), foah flowah lei, tree dry squid, two coconut,
An' one mynah bird in one papaya tree.

Numbah Nine day of Christmas, my tutu give to me
Nine pound of poi, eight ukulele, seven shrimp a-swimmin',
Seex hula lesson, five beeg fat peeg, foah flowah let, tree dry squid, two coconut,
An' one mynah bird in one papaya tree.

Numbah Ten day of Christmas, my tutu give to me
Ten can of beer, nine pound of poi, eight ukuklele, seven shrimp a-swimmin'
Seex hula lesson, five beeg fat peeg,
Foah flowah lei, tree dry squid, two coconut,
An' one mynah bird in one papaya tree.

Numbah Eleven day of Christmas, my tutu give to me
Eleven missionary, ten can of beer, nine pound of poi,
Eight ukulele, seven shrimp a-swimmin', seex hula lesson,
Five beeg fat peeg, foah flowah lei, tree dry squid, two coconut,
An' one mynah bird in one papaya tree.

(Numbah Twelve day of Christmas the bes', and the bes' stuff always come las'...)

Numbah Twelve day of Christmas, my tutu give to me
Twelve TELEVISION, eleven missionary, ten can of beer,
Nine pound of poi, eight ukulele, seven shrimp a-swimmin',
Seex hula lesson, FORTY steenkin' peeg,
Foah flowah lei, tree dry squid, two coconut,
An' one mynah bird in one papaya tree!

Music and lyrics published by Hawaiian Recording and Publishing Company, Inc., and copyrighted in 1959.

Sam and I taking a walk on Hanalei Bay Beach at sunset

                                               

Regarding us: THE Latest Blog...or somewhat of a Christmas Letter

We are alive, well, and very moist here on Kauai. For those of you wondering what happened to us, my husband said that the dogs and I were getting very boring and very Christmas letter like in our writing. So, I stopped writing. Well, now you get the news since Thanksgiving:

•We've been Tebowed. The Broncos are one of the most popular teams here. They are 3rd behind San Fran and Oakland. We're watching the Buffalo game right now. (4th quarter - ugh!) It's nice to get Bronco games and it's been fun watching Tebow grow as a quarterback. What an outstanding young man on and off the field! It's a nice change in the midst of the not-so-nice news one usually hears about pro athletes.

•Rain. There has been a lot of rain here. We Coloradans aren't familiar with dampness and gray skies. But the good news is that when it seems like it's been gloomy for awhile, the sun does finally appear and Kauai is its gorgeous self. So, those of you with snowy days, know that winter does exist in Hawaii. The tropics do have bad weather.

•In regards to weather, we do feel like locals. People told us that 65º feels cold here. It does! It must be the humidity factor. It's a good thing that 65º is a night time temperature.

•We are finally exploring the island. Last week, we went on a Sierra Club hike to an archeological site.  We visited and learned the history of the Makauwahi Cave (basically a sinkhole). Creepy stuff, like old Hawaiian royals buried behind rocks... We ventured on to learn about some beaches we had visited before. Fun, beautiful, and good exercise. We are looking forward to doing a lot more exploring.

•Sam was neutered. He woke up during the surgery and howled the most horrific screams I've ever heard from an animal... It continued for quite awhile. People waiting with their dogs looked horrified. I was ready to leave the island when he came out of the surgery. I immediately called one of our Colorado vets and asked if she had ever experienced a situation like that. The answer was that some types of anesthesia will cause an animal to be vocal. I'm not quite sure that was what happened, but I've calmed down over the past two weeks. Sam is fine now. (For those of you who don't know, we couldn't neuter Sam until we arrived here. We were advised that any physical changes to an animal after the application was received by the state could cause him to be refused admittance upon arrival.

We've been learning more about our boy. He is very adorable, sweet, and charming on one hand. On the other hand, he is not dependable. Sam is what I'd call an ADHD doggie. He is easily distracted by anything that moves. (Kind of like the dogs in Up) Yesterday, he took off when he saw a dog about an 1/8 of a mile down the beach. He ran so fast away from us, he could have won the Kentucky Derby. I jogged down the beach to get him and there he was crying and sniveling. I couldn't determine if the dog bit him, or, he hurt himself running like that after the surgery. We don't think he learned his lesson. He's a lab. We're sure that something similar will occur again in the future.

•Sea-Sea hasn't been feeling too well. She got a centipede sting and that has been an issue. The sting area has been swollen for awhile. We were told by the vet it takes a long time to heal. Poor thing! She's been on antibiotics and had the area lanced. On a positive note, Sea-Sea loves standing in the shallow water at the beach. There is a nice quiet beach about 5 minutes from here and she will just stand in the water forever. (She's also senile. We think that is part of it).

•We like going to the beach with the dogs.  From tourists to locals, we've met some nice people that are drawn to our guys.

•Both Steve and I are taking painting lessons. We both really like the artist. Fred is a kind person who truly embodies the Aloha spirit. Though painting is something Steve has never done, he's hoping to learn from the perspective of a painter to see if it helps him with his photography. Speaking of Steve's photography, you might want to visit his blog: stevegandyphotography.blogspot.com 

 I, on the other hand, am learning to paint without drawing first. I haven't painted in 20+ years so I am excited to give this a try. Fred has an interesting technique. He teaches one thing that you  work on during the lesson. Then he fixes your painting, so you can move on to the next lesson without worrying about what wasn't done correctly.  He says that after completing a few paintings, you really see how important each step is to complete a painting and get the necessary practice with each of the skills he teaches. It's nice to have the time to learn from an artist like him.

•On the horizon: Paddle board lessons! The weather wasn't cooperating these past weeks on the days we were free to try it.  January is now our time to get the lessons.  The influx of Christmas tourists has occurred, so we'll just wait. Also, we need calm water. Some of the days this past month had 15+ foot waves. The surfers were happy. (We can boogie board on the not so big wave days.)

•Whenever possible, I swim. The waters have been rough and I heed the caution of the lifeguards here. I can't read a rip current for the life of me. I can only tell if there's a really obvious one. There are a few beaches where I can swim safely on most days. To swim in open water feels good. It's been a long time since I've been able to do that.

•Forced retirement, not working in science education, was really hard for me. After being away from work for two months, I can now say it's easier for me to read and truly internalize what's going on in science and science education. That has been a good thing for me. My mind feels more refreshed and creative at the present time. Hope it lasts and my brain doesn't become waterlogged.

•We've been seeing humpback whales breach, tail slap, and blow from the shore. We've also seen turtles and spinner dolphins. We plan a February trip to Maui to whale watch with Lesley and Terry Thompson. We're very excited about that!

•May your holidays truly be bright! We miss our friends and family on the mainland.

Aloha,
Linda

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to all of our friends and family from this beautiful island! 
We wish only the best for all of you. It's hard being away from the friends that we have always spent our holidays with. It's just hard being away from friends. We look forward to spending the day with Kristin and John and a whole heap of their family and friends. It should be a fun day. In the spirit of Thanksgivings past, I get to bring vegetables to the event! Nance and Karis know of my previous annual vegetable assignments.

Good News:

• Our cars arrived salty, but safely. It's wild to be on an island driving our own vehicles. No rental car!

• Sam has managed to scare most of the chickens to the outer parts of the property. When we arrived, chickens were roosting on the lanai.

• Sam loves the beach! He has been running, swimming, fetching, licking faces, and enjoying the experience just about every day!

• Steve and I are walking on the beach daily. 

• We're starting to explore places we haven't seen before. (More to come on that. More of that to do!)

• We saw our first famous person on the island. We saw Will Smith today. He is more handsome in person than he is on the screen. 

We are grateful to have all of you in our lives. We feel lucky to have the opportunity to be here and see what it is truly like to live on a tropical island. It is a great adventure for all of us. 

More from Carmel: Can you tell?

                                                               Linda and Sam?

 

Linda and Sam?

 

Santa Barbara to Kilauea

                                                  Sam wasn't so sure he wanted to leave SB!
                                                    Maybe too much California Cool time?

This is a very late update as we have been extremely busy these past weeks.We are in Kauai with Sam and Sea-Sea safe and sound. More about the journey...

Big Sur, Ragged Point Resort - The views up and down the coast from the resort were phenomenal. Steve tried to get some good shots. I'm not sure he had the best light. Below are pictures from my I-Phone. Sam and Sea-Sea got to eat outside at the restaurant with us. They got along with the manager and everyone else. They tend to get lots of hugs wherever they go. Monarch butterflies and hummingbirds were everywhere. I always wanted to see the monarch migration and had my chance. There were also hundreds of elephant seals basking in the sun near the Hearst property.  The drive up to Carmel was just one incredible ocean view after another.

Carmel River Inn, Carmel and Monterey - Though nice grounds for the dogs, the "cottage" was expensive and pretty much felt like you were at Outdoor Ed in the clapboard cabins. The good part of this leg of the journey was seeing family.

All four of us got to spend time with my sister, Connie, my brother-in-law, Tom, and their girls, Calene, Erin, and Tawni ( We also met their boyfriends). Connie and Tom love this part of California and were great tour guides. We did Carmel Beach, a famous dog beach, where Sam adopted a little girl and played with her. He also got the "Brewsky's, otherwise known as "Labrador Butt Tucks." He ran wildly up and down the beach. Sea-Sea followed another lab that she thought was Sam. Poor old girl! No Clint Eastwood in Carmel. Oh, well!

We spent time at the Monterey Bay Aquarium,  hiked on the Monterey path with family, and spent time at Asilomar State Beach.

Calene is in the biological science illustration program at UC Santa Cruz (The Banana Slugs!). She's working on a dive boat on weekends.  Tawni is busy at Cal State Monterey Bay. Her schedule is filled with student government responsibilities, as well as her full course load. She had the best Halloween costume ever. Tawni and a friend made Fem bot costumes. They looked the Austin Powers role parts.

Our greatest surprise was that Erin got engaged earlier in the week! We got to meet Kevin in Monterey. Erin and Kevin drove all the way from Fresno to see us.  Lucky us! We were able to celebrate the engagement with the entire Luczo family at a nice restaurant. They are both at Fresno State University.

Oakland - Ugh! This is where our adventure was no longer smooth sailing. We got our vehicles to Matson, the company in charge of containers, cars, and all things going to Hawaii. However, there was a dock strike. We were told we would need to wait a few days, but that wasn't possible as the Dept. of Agriculture appointment for the dogs couldn't be changed. Matson worked out an arrangement by the end of the day to get us into a lot. Our cars would later be towed to their facility. The people there were nice about working with us. But, it was a long, long day at the docks. Right now, the car and truck are sitting in Honolulu waiting for a full barge to come over to Kauai.

The Flight - It was quite an event checking in the dogs in San Fransisco. It took over an hour at a very small gate with very large dog crates, plus 4 pieces of luggage to step over and around. At least, we were checked in at the same time. I'll give United credit for that and the people were nice. Sam got sick on the flight. He was very sorry about the situation. He's our experienced flyer so we think he thought he was abandoned. Plus, their time without being able to relieve themselves was over 7 hours. Since he's fairly new to us, Sam definitely likes to stay near by. He's doing much better now. Sea-Sea was our trooper. She made the flight just fine.

Kauai - We made it to Kauai only to be introduced to a major winter storm. 5.5 inches of rain poured down in 24 hours. And, the storm went on for a few days.  Bad News - The fear lurking in the back of my mind of the house being rented for 2.5 years and not being taken care of while the owners were gone came true.  Good News - The owner (Wendy) is here and taking care of things.

There was a brown water alert where no one was to swim from the North Shore down to the airport on the east side after the storm. It wasn't safe to swim. 

Wendy introduced us to her gardeners - lovely, friendly people. Hazel has become my mentor. I've learned to hack away weeds on the island. I'm learning about palms, orchids, Heliconias, and centipedes. There are also a few poisonous plants and frogs on the property. Wild stuff!!!

11/13 Kauai Update:  The weather has been gorgeous. Sam loves swimming in the ocean and retrieving. Sea-Sea stands in the salt water panting and smiling. Sam is our Kauai Chicken Chaser. We're waiting for him to catch one very soon. Kristin is teaching me about cleaning red dirt, mold, and mildew, as well as how to keep ants, cockroaches, and rats in check (prevalent on the island). We went shopping for island survival goods and my mind is still spinning from the information.

We've enjoyed seeing Kristin and John. They are so much fun and keep us laughing!  More later...