Before looking in the mirror each morning, I wake up feeling like I’m 25.  When I first look in the mirror, I see someone who is 55, and am mildly distressed.  Then I look closer and, my goodness, reality sinks in.  Am I really 65?  With each passing year, time seems to go by that much faster.  And it seems, if I blink, I’ll be 75.

Doesn’t it seem like it was just Christmas a few months ago? The years seem to fly by more quickly the older Lisa and I get.  When I was a child, Christmas never seemed to come fast enough, and as an adult, the holiday’s seem to come and go more and more quickly.  Can someone please put on the brakes? 

Our elusive cat Vivian has been with us for a year now.  Vivie is not overly friendly and more evasive than not.  Hopefully she will outgrow this behavior.  Anyone want a cat?

A few weeks ago Ian helped me cut out and glue my first segmented bowl.

Our friend Norm made Lisa and me a wooden cedar lantern, and the making of the bowl, in return, was our gift to Norm and his wife Mary.  I think the bowl turned out well given it was my first try. 

For safety reasons, Kevin had the Sequoia tree cut down, the one located in the back yard of the family farmhouse in Corvallis.  After the tree had been taken down, Kevin counted the growth rings on the stump.  The tree was 85 years old, and that is young for a Sequoia.  I was able to get a few pieces off the top of the tree to be used in the making of bowls.  It will be a few years before the wood is dry enough to turn on the lathe.

Lisa’s nephew Jacob has a small sawmill he uses to cut logs into slabs.  He dries the wood slabs in a large kiln and then sells the slabs.  He drove all the way from Utah to Corvallis, with his business partner, to get the Sequoia tree.  They used Kevin’s tractor and forklift to lift sections of the tree onto their trailer.  On their drive back to Utah they stopped at a weigh station.  Their load weighed over 32,000 pounds.

 Lisa and I spent Thanksgiving week visiting Lisa’s sisters Kate and Christine, and Christine’s husband Dave in Arizona.  On Monday we all drove to the small community of Williams in northern Arizona.  Williams is known as the gateway to the Grand Canyon National Park via the Grand Canyon Railway.  The train transports visitors to the south rim and Grand Canyon Village.

In December, rides are provided on the Polar Express Train.    

On Tuesday morning we boarded the train for my first visit to the Grand Canyon. 
 

Though the skies were cloudy, which limited the variation of colors, shadows and shapes, the canyon was still remarkable.  And then, during the last hour of our visit, the sun peaked through the clouds and provided the view we had hoped for.

Dave and I walked a few hundred yards down the Bright Angel Trailhead to see the ancient Indian cliff paintings.  Most everyone on the trail walked by not realizing the paintings were there.

Lisa and I saw lots of Saguaro Cactus growing in Arizona.  We learned the cactus takes 10 years to reach 1 inch in height.  In 95-100 years it can reach a height of 15-16 feet.  Only then will it begin to grow its first arm.

While in Arizona we saw a number of Waymo cars.  Waymo is a self-driving technology development company, a subsidiary of Google.  Users in the Phoenix area can use an app to request the service.

Vivian recently turned one year old.  In observance of her birthday there was no cat themed attire, no new toys, no cat birthday portrait taken, no indulging in a cat birthday cake, no cat drinks, no pin the tail on the cat, nor cat nip favors for the guests (not that there were any other guests).  All Vivie received was a single candle in her canned food and a photograph.

Vivian has been a challenging cat, not at all what Lisa expected.  Lisa hoped for a loving, affectionate, and playful cat.  Vivian has turned out to be aloof, unfriendly, and antisocial.  She bites when she does not want to be touched, and hides when company comes for a visit (maybe this is normal cat behavior).  I think it is time for Vivian to find another home.  Lisa is hoping Vivian will grow out of her bad behavior, and is willing to give her a little leeway and addition time in our home to see if there is improvement.  For the time being, I guess Vivian is staying.

Daughter Sasha, her husband James, and their boys Elijah, Ezra, and Gideon live in Orem, Utah, but they always seem to find time, at least yearly, to come to Anacortes and spend a week with us.  Lisa and I always enjoy their visits and we try to find different activities to involve the boys in to keep their interest level high.  Below are pictures taken during their visit.  

Ian and Kaylene suggested we visit the Gordon Farms Autumn Market, located in the farmland near Burlington.  During the fall season you will find pumpkins, squash, and gourds, in all shapes and sizes.  We purchased carving pumpkins for Elijah and Ezra.  Ian and Kaylene also bought pumpkins for their family.  The Farm also has a corn maze which we all spent time in, but we did not get lost. 

Pumpkin carving on the back deck.

Somewhere, at sometime in my life, I learned the number one accident in the home involves falling from a ladder.  And, like most accidents, you never think it will happen to you, until it does.  What’s the old saying? It’s as easy as falling off a ladder.  Yes, it is.

On Thursday morning, while James and I were getting the kayaks down from the ceiling of the garage, the kayak suddenly let lose from the support bracket, pushing me back off the ladder to the concrete floor below.  My feet were at about a 5 foot height, and I remember thinking to myself as I was falling backwards, “Crap, this is going to hurt!”

Sure enough.  It did hurt.  A lot.  I landed on my back, my right shoulder and arm (yes, my bad shoulder).  It knocked the wind out of me and it felt like I had broken my back or a few ribs.  Howling in pain, James ran and got Lisa who was soon at my side.  Kaylene called 911 thinking I would need an ambulance to take me to the hospital.  Sasha looked on wondering what she might do to help.  Within a few minutes the pain began to subside and I began to breathe more normal.  I told Lisa not to send an ambulance until I could do a self diagnosis of my condition.  In time I was able to sit up and then stand.  Yes, I hurt, but I didn’t feel any broken bones.  The ambulance was placed on hold.

I remained sore the rest of the day, and night gave me little sleep.  On Friday Lisa insisted I was going to the doctor, urgent care or the emergency room.  We ended up in the ER.  Four hours later we got a summary of my condition.  I sprained my wrist and shoulder, and received multiple contusions on my right arm, sternum, breastbone and ribs. 

Given the height from which I fell, and the hardness of the concrete floor of which I landed, it could have been a lot worse.  I’m simply thankful I wasn’t a statistic, one of the multiple hundreds of people who die every year from ladder falls.

Cranberry Lake is only a few blocks from civilization, but you feel you are hours away.  It’s a calm place to paddle with a kayak and that is where we ended up Thursday afternoon.
 

We were able to celebrate Eli’s 9th birthday during their stay.

Rock collecting at Deception Pass Park

 Walking the Fidalgo Bay Spit

Good-bye till next time.

Have you had Bubble Tea?  I had my first glass earlier in the week and it was fabulous.  Bubble tea (also known as pearl milk or boba tea) is a Taiwanese drink containing tapioca balls.  Give it a try.  Make sure you get the ice-blended version, put in a blender and resulting in a slushy consistency.  I think you’ll like it.

Pete and Sari came for a visit and it’s always nice to spend time with them.  Pete and Sari are off, once again, for Europe, spending a couple of years there before returning.  Sari is quite photogenic and loves to have her picture taken.

I met with my orthopedic surgeon following the MRI taken on shoulder.  I have inflamed tendonitis, bursitis, and small cartilage tear.  The good news is I do not have rotator cuff tear.  It’s tough getting old.

I started taking prednisone a few weeks ago for my Polymyalgia Rheumatica (PMR), a powerful steroidal medication used as a immune system suppressant.  Earlier in the week I also began taking Methotrexate (another toxic medication) and will begin weening myself off prednisone within the next three months.  The medication is working and my inflammation is under control.  I will continue to take methotrexate for the next year and then begin to slowly take myself off the medication, hoping the inflammation does not return. 

The airport shuttle picked Lisa and I up at Old Salts Market, a small convenience store down by the waterfront. Old Salts is the furthest pick-up and drop off location on our route, only a couple of minutes from our home in Anacortes.

The next stop was the ferry terminal, picking up a passenger coming in from San Juan Island.  While we waited I snapped a picture of the sunrise over Ship Harbor Bay.

That night in Maui, I snapped another picture as the sun went down just beyond the coastline of Lanai. We had seen the sunrise from Fidalgo Island and the sunset from the island of Maui, all in the same day.    

Lisa and I stayed at the Maui Hyatt Regency Resort in Ka’anapali, located just north of Lahaina, the same resort we had stayed in two years earlier.

We arrived to the Hawaiian Islands a day ahead of Hurricane Olivia.  By the time Olivia reached Maui it had been downgraded to a tropical storm, and the storm engulfed Maui up until our last day on the island.  If we went outside we accepted the fact we would get wet.

                                    Lisa and I having lunch at a wet outdoor cafe. 

Lisa and I didn’t get in a round of golf, we didn’t get to go star gazing on Mount Haleakala, and we didn’t go snorkeling.  Most of our time included indoor activities (like shopping).  One activity we always try to include is Warren & Annabelle’s Magic Show in Lahaina.  Always fun, always hilarious.

                                                  The sun finally came out. 

 

                                                We had one afternoon of sun.

Though it rained during most of our time in Maui, it didn’t really matter.  We simply enjoyed spending time together, away from our regular daily routine back home in Anacortes.

Our next vacation stop was Kauai to meet up with friends Richard and Leslie Goddard from California.  We stayed at the Marriott Vacation Club in Po’ipu, on the south side of the island.  

Tropical Storm Olivia had moved northwest from Maui and was no over the island of Kauai (lucky us).  The first two days it rained, including a day of golf at the Hokuala Ocean Course near Lihu’e.  Rich and I got soaked, but heck, it was a warm rain.  

Rich and I were able to play four rounds of golf, three of which were in the sun.  While Rich and I played golf, Lisa and Leslie would go to the spa, work out, shop, or lay in the sun.

I have been playing with Bridgestone golfballs for years.  I have always believed they are the best golfball for the style of golf I play.  Although, the older I get the less distance I’m able to get when I hit the ball.  I was reading about Callaway golf balls and they were advertising a ball that might work better for older golfers like me.  I bought a few of the Callaway golfballs with the intent of doing a comparison test against my longtime Bridgestone golfballs.

On the first tee at the Hokuala Ocean Course I hit both balls, one after the other.  Now, if you know anything about golf you know that hitting a ball off the tee with a driver, you will have a wide window of where the ball is going to end up.  The chance that two balls are going to end up near each other, 250 yards out, is slim to none. You can imagine Richard’s and my surprise when we found both golfballs resting as close together as they were.  In golf, these things just don’t happen.  The winning golfball?  Bridgestone by 24”.  

Whenever Lisa and I are in Kauai we stop and order a couple of Puka Dogs, a Hawaiian style hot dog.  Have you had one?

We also head off to Uncles for a serving of “Shaved Snow.”  Shaved snow is flavored fluffy ice, mimicking real snow.  Sweet milk is poured on top making heaven in a bowl.

Chelsi’s husband’s family (the Ritters) were also vacationing in Kauai and we met up with them on the beach in Po’ipu.

One of the lesser known sites by visitors on Kauai is Makauwahi Cave.  At the trailhead to the cave we parked our car adjacent to the CJM Stables where the Kauai All Girls Rodeo Association were holding a rodeo.  We were able to watch the Goat Tying event.

Down the two mile cave heritage trail, and a short path through the trees, leads one to a tiny slit in the rocks.  Crawling on all fours through the crevice, and once back on your feet, you find yourself inside a cramped chamber that quickly opens into a magnificent, garden like natural amphitheater.  Welcome to the Makauwahi Cave, a massive cave and sinkhole considered to be one of the richest fossil sites in the Pacific.  We found it to be an amazing place. 

The ladies picked a perfectly calm day for a seven hour outing on the Holo Holo Charter’s 65 foot Catamaran.  After sightseeing and hearing the history of the Napali Coast we headed across the channel to the “Forbidden Island” of Niihau and a snorkeling spot at the Lehua Crater.

During our trip the boat came upon a school of Spinner Dolphins.  These dolphins are known for their acrobatic displays in which they spin along their longitudinal axis as they leap through the air.

Below are pictures from our boat ride.  

                                                          Snorkel location

Rich and I played our final round of golf at the Poipu Bay Golf Course.  The course is sprawled between lush mountains and rugged ocean cliffs.  A visually stunning golf course.

Below are additional pictures from our trip: