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:

Sunset over Washington Park

I’m not who I used to be just a few short months ago, but I’m not considered to be “really” ill, either. Instead, I’m somewhere in between. Lisa and I have tried for weeks to figure out what’s wrong with me. We have visited numerous doctors’ offices, I’ve had mass quantities of blood drawn, and even went online to better understand what ails me. 

Yes, there is definitely something wrong. The joint pain has been over the top.  We have had no diagnosis that we can hang all my pain symptoms on other than polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR).

Naturally, I have became stressed. The psychological effects have taken their toll.  I don’t have a new identity that takes into account my loss of possibilities and capabilities, and I haven’t adjusted to those differences and losses yet. 

The physicians and other health care professionals we have consulted ruled out some things, but after awhile, no one knows exactly what is ailing me. The simple fact is no single test can validate whether or not I have PMR. I have all the symptoms (aches and pains in my shoulders, buttocks, and hands, limited range of motion, fatigue, weight loss, etc) so therefore I must have the disease. A disease that can last anywhere from six to thirty months.  After remission it can come back later in life with a vengeance. 

The doctors say corticosteroid medications are helpful in reducing symptoms and are my only option going forward.  My orthopedic doctor gave me a cortisone shot in each shoulder on Monday which has alleviated most of the shoulder pain and has allowed me to sleep the last couple of nights. The cortisone has also migrated to other joints offering some relief.

The naturopathic doctor recommended adhering to a well-balanced Mediterranean diet that can provide additional benefits and can also counteract some of the side effects linked to the corticosteroid drugs. Fortunately, Lisa already does an excellent job of making sure we eat well.


Lisa and I were having dinner with friends the other night and I was asked about my PMR. Half way through my commentary they became disinterested and turned away. Maybe if I’d been diagnosed with a condition better understood and sanctioned by the medical establishment (like cancer), I’d likely receive the sympathy and support offered to those who are really ill. Neighbors and friends might actually leave casseroles or offer to mow our yard.

I’m going to have to carve out a new identity for myself that accounts for this new health issue. The adjustment isn’t going to happen overnight. Luckily, Lisa and I will be in Hawaii in a little over a week and I can’t think of a better place to make an adjustment.