I am sitting at my new 27” Apple iMac computer this morning.  My previous iMac computer started to give me problems and I thought it best to replace it before the internal motherboard died on me, which is what happened to the one previous and I lost a good deal of information, data, and photos.  Hopefully this iMac computer will last another 7 to 8 years or longer.

The church recently held their annual Father / Son campout at Deception Pass State Park on Whidbey Island.  Ian, Lucas, and I attended.  So would that be the grandfather, father, son outing?  Or the father, father, son outing?  Or the father, son, son outing?  So confusing!

The park is in a beautiful setting in the fir trees and next to Cranberry Lake.  Lucas spent much of his time fishing on the lake.  There was much excitement when he hooked a record setting fish (as seen in his eyes).  It’s like they say, it’s not the size of the fish that counts.  It’s the anticipation, the tug on the line, the fight, the battle between man and the aquatic unknown.

Lucas slept on a foam pad and Ian slept on his new air mattress.  Both got a good night sleep.  I, not so much.  The older I get the more I like sleeping in a comfortable bed.  The next time I sign up for sleeping in a tent it will be a resort style experience with all the amenities and glamor associated with traditional camping.

The Polar Bear swim was held early Saturday morning.  The first 12 (insane) participants received a doughnut.  No amount of inducement or persuasion would get us into ice cold water, especially when the outdoor temperature was not much warmer.

When you camp you want a hot breakfast and that is what was provided.  Eggs, pancakes, bacon and sausage prepared over a flame bring a highly appreciated sense of the wilderness experience.  Something you can only get while camping and being outdoors. 

Many of you are aware that Lisa, and her sisters, own a 2 acre lot south of Hilo, Hawaii.  They inherited the property when their dad passed away in 2004.  Their aunt purchased the property in the 1950’s, back when Hilo was the “happening” place to be. 

There has been a lot of information on the news recently regarding the Kilauea volcano eruption and we have found it difficult to get specific information as to whether the lava flows are (or could) impact the property which is located in the Fern Acres Subdivision.  I was able to pull up some current information on the web that I want to share with you.

The first picture below shows the location of Fern Acres, highlighted in red, on the big island of Hawaii.  The second picture indicates the boundaries of the subdivision, highlighted in red.  The third picture shows where the current flows are happening, colored in dark brown.  These flows are happening to the south and east of Fern Acres, further down the mountain in and around Leilani Estates.  For now, the property is spared from lava flows.

For six months now, Lisa and I have been violating the round hole, square peg rule.  Instead of ignoring the reality that there is no way we are going to fit into the new house in the Doe Run neighborhood, we have attempted to squeeze our square peg lifestyle into the home’s round hole, but it has been for not.  The straw that broke the camel’s back, the final square peg needed to tilt the balance into not selling our home and buying the one in Doe Run happened the other day.  The garage is too small for our truck and car.  Well, let me rephrase that.  We can squeeze both vehicles into the garage, you just can’t get in or out of them when they are in the garage.  Lisa and I have come to the conclusion that we are happy here in our home on the water on Washington Court and we are staying. 

 Our home

Doe Run home