On Our Way

I've been having access problems with wifi, but I think that we are on the right track now.

On Tuesday, when we're working on bikes, I tested a beer from Hawaii just a practice session.

Here I am at my bar in the back yard

Not as good as Budweiser but OK, well sorta OK.

Update.

Through security and ready to board.

More soon from the islands. 

Norm

Here Today Gone To Maui

Maui Here We Come!

Just a few days until we leave for Maui!
We are staying on the west side of the island just about where the yellow arrow points.

This is the view looking south across the bay.

Here we are preparing for the trip.

We leave on Wednesday and it is a five hour flight, look for an update sometime Friday night or Saturday morning.

We plan on getting ourselves ensconced and finding our way around before my next post.

Because Anne now cannot have caffeine or acid, she drinks herbal teas and coffees.

However, she just stepped up to the plate and is now sipping on a coconut water.

Be still my heart!

So we bought a tea kettle from Amazon, it is quite small and only holds 0.5 liters (whatever that is)

It is dual voltage and therefore will work in Italy in August when we make that trip.

Aloha Nui Loa

Norm

Arizona

Trip To Arizona

We set off for Arizona, at about 9:00 AM to avoid traffic this is about a five hour drive.

We told Barb and Leon we would be there about 2:00 PM.

Of course I forgot about the one hour time difference during the PST months.

Consequently we did not arrive until 3:00 PM, OOPS!

As we approached Palm Springs the snow was still very evident on the mountains.

We stopped a a roadside fruit stand to pick up some stuff and saw this truck and trailer.

Now what you would do with that many cacti I really don't know.

Make Tequila maybe!

I had sent Leon a picture of a decoration on the outside wall of a steak restaurant.

He decided that he could make one himself.

A good job he made of it too, actually I think that his is better than the original, can you spot the difference?

 I have mentioned this in a previous post, but this time I saw the finished product up close and personal.

The original is below.

Barb and Leon had a barbecue set up for dinner that evening, we all sat around outside and enjoyed Leon's cooking. I had a steak that would have done Desperate Dan proud,

We met up again the next morning and after going out for breakfast, we all went back to their house.

This was the first time that we had walked around the neighborhood where Leon and Barb live.

We got the grand tour with our local guide, Leon.

There are some beautiful parks in the area.

 

As is common with a lot of places with limited rainfall, they make the most use of water features in the parks.

During the afternoon, we headed for the ballgame at Surprise Stadium.

Kansas City Royals Vs The Milwaukee Brewers.

It was a really close game all the way through, but eventually the Royals came through in the clutch.

We had great seats on the first base side with a good view of the field.

As usual, we stayed at the Hampton Inn. This time they just jacked the room rates through the roof for spring training. A 159% increase over the rate for the same room after spring training is over.

All too soon it was time to say good bye and head for home.

I gassed up the truck in Surprise for about $1 a gallon less than it is here in Huntington Beach.

All in all a really pleasant trip and a great couple of days with good friends.

Ciao Bella

Norm

Arizona Here We Come

The Day Before

Today after the rain storm I took Missy to the park.

What a wonderful resource we have right here in our neighborhood.

Of course, as it has been raining Missy has to sniff everything and add new markers.

Sometimes she thinks that she is a Harley and needs to mark her spot.

 This is the path through the original park named for a former mayor of HB, Norma Gibbs. Complete with the Eucalyptus trees planted by the Graham family, hence the "Graham Street" running right past the park. 

Just to add a note of annoyance here, it is "Past the park" and not "Passed The Park" as I read in a BBC news article yesterday. Even though it does "Pass the park"

Where is Richard Baker when you need him?

This is the new part of the park which was built when the old Meadowlark airport was sold and a housing tract was built in its stead.

As you can see, even though we have not had a lot of rain, the little we have had, has done wonders for the grass.

Finally, a comment about the election.

Well said, whoever said it.