Thursday 6/30/05 - Sunday 7/10/05

A few tidbits I thought I would share.  It's just not the same to not be able to add pictures but I have a bit of news and a couple of things that were interesting the last week. My camera will be here on Monday from the Sony repair shop... finally! 

First, I did get the Movie Tours job and I start this coming week.  I will do my initial ride-along this Wednesday and then start working weekends.  I went on the tour and it was so fun!  The van carries 14 people with nice comfy reclining seats and a big TV screen at the front.  The narrator changes the clip as we pass the locations.  For instance, when we drive by the location where the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park stampede it is on the screen.  Another that was interesting was the scene where they arrive at the airport and we are driving by there.  Then we watched the original pilot for Gilligan's Island and went to that beach location.  This Beachhouse was where we walk around to see the shipwreck location.  The beach location hasn't changed a bit.  We then went to Hanalei to walk down the pier where The Wackiest Ship was filmed.  The very best part of the tour was going to Coco Palms.  This is where Elvis always stayed, where the blue lagoon is, where he got married, etc.  Movie Tours is the only tour company that is allowed on the property.  We walked in through a gate that the narrator, Wendy, had a key to.  We saw the restaurant and bar with the thatched ceiling, we walked along the lagoon.  We walked near where Elvis and Priscilla were married.  We saw the outside of the huts.  It was very exciting.  I think this was the best part of the tour as I have been reading about the plans for Coco Palms since I came here.  Closed since 1992.  Here are a few links that are very interesting about that.  I think I've written about this before but not sure.  I also saw the plans for the new project as I know one of the realtors that is working with the new owners.  Very interesting. 

Wendy knew a lot about the plants as she also works at one of the Botanical gardens here.  At Coco Palms there was a plant on the sidewalk I had never seen and I asked and she told me it was a small Noni Tree (Morinda citrifolia in Kauai).  This fruit is purported to cure colds colic, congestion, conjunctivitis, cough, diabetes, and also is professed to be an anti aging product.  It is known that Noni fruit stimulates the production of T-cells and there is research being done with it now.  Just the night before I heard a man talk about this fruit and all of the preparation he was doing as his physician had suggested he use it for his diabetes.  The bad thing is the fruit smells like rotten cheese and needs to be handled with care to get the full benefit.  The man I was listening to said he makes the juice by straining it and once it's in the refrigerator he dilutes it so it is not bad tasting.  He said it's quite refreshing.  Very interesting.  I might pick some and see what it tastes like.

So, the tour went great, the lunch they provided was fabulous and I met some really nice people.  In particular a nice gentleman from London who gave me his email address for information about Sussex where he lives in case I need it (our family is looking for relatives there).  So anyway, I had a fantastic time and can't wait to start next week.  I will be driving only at first and then will be trained to do narration after quite awhile as two others start at the same time I do so I will not need to learn it very fast which suits me fine.  Tons to learn.

Small world here.  I was at the UPS store picking up a package when I met Kathy who is the airport delivery UPS employee.  When I told Cathy and Bill (manager and owner) I got the job and we were talking about it she came in and told us how she had worked there and was even the operations manager for awhile.  So, that was great as I got a bit of gossip about my new job and felt really comfortable after our discussion in my decision to work for Movie Tours.  Sounds like a great place to work.

Last week I went to a showing of a new video that was made for the KAHEA (Hawaiian Environmental Alliance) group.  It was a video that just came out about Hawaii's coral reefs and what we can do to protect them. It was pretty amazing.  It lasted an hour and I learned tons that I did not know about reefs.  Why they die, what happens to the water and how it decreases the reef growth, etc.  The video is called "Oasis of the Pacific: Time is Running Out".  Here is a trailer for it.  It was a pretty amazing event. The producer talked after and I enjoyed the production and also the discussions after at the reception.  I didn't feel like I had to convert to a vegetarian after :).  I felt very comfortable and I felt like I could make a difference.  It just gave me information I needed and a few things I can do to help the coral reefs here.

I started teaching again after my month off last Tuesday and Thursday.  How nice that was to go to work again.  I really enjoyed my class.  The director also took my class and he seemed to really enjoy it.

You might find this interesting.  My electric bill was 25 dollars more this month.  I thought it was kind of strange as I couldn't think of anything I had done differently.... then I remembered.  My first month here I hand washed my dishes.  But his month I had accumulated more dishes (from Gayle above me) so I was using all the dishes and then running the dishwasher instead of washing them by hand and using the dishwasher as a drainer.  Interesting.  It was noticeable because my bill was only 83 dollars last month and went up to 107 this month.  We have solar water heaters so the electric bills are tremendously low.  Also, no air conditioning.  I have a window unit in my master bedroom but have never used it and don't think I will ever need to as it rains enough to cool down and there is a nice ocean breeze here.  Anyway, I asked Linda if they had raised the adjustment (gas price they charge in addition so your bill can fluctuate) and she said no, so I think that was why.  Weird, I really didn't think it cost that much to run a dishwasher.  I will use it some but not all the time like I was anymore.  I really like having a low electric bill.

Last Wednesday I took Todd and his two boys to beaches on the North side of the island.  We went to Anini, Queens bath, Hanalei, and then Tunnels (I've written about the first three before).  The surf was less than 2 feet with very little breeze.  It was amazing.  Queens bath was very low and it was startling to see the amount of fish trapped in the tide pools. We had a nice short swim and I did very well climbing the hill back up this time... the gym is totally helping.  Anini was beautiful but the seaweed was mucking up the coral so we continued to Tunnels.  I have been here tons of times to take photos but the tides and rip are always so terrible (Hal surfs here) that I have never snorkeled there.  It was like glass.  You could see everything; the 'tunnels' of coral, the brightly colored fish, the clear blue green water.  It is by far the most stunning thing I have ever seen here so far.  By the time we got there (with surf boards the boys hadn't been able to use) it was only around 9:30am.  We walked around and got our gear out and then we snorkeled all day.  I've never been so sore as I was the next day.  I went in at least a dozen times.  We didn't go home until 5pm.  I'm so glad we had planned an all day trip as I had made plenty of food in the cooler and we ate tuna salad for lunch and dinner and never left.  I saw fish I have never seen before and met my shade neighbors who were from New Jersey, Honolulu, Huntington, Alameda, and Oahu.  Everyone was very excited as no one had ever seen it like this before.  It got quite crowded around 3pm.  I saw one man that had come earlier and went back to town to bring different people.  The news traveled fast.  Todd's son Nick had a Hawaiian sling so I got instruction on using that and then quit as I decided I didn't really want to kill a fish, just learn how to in case I ever needed to do it.  I really think I would like to do that if I can find someone that will take half my take as pay to clean it :).  I just don't have any desire to clean something I can buy at the end of my road so cheaply already fixed up.  I wish I had the words to describe this experience.  It was the most miraculous day I have ever had!

News about Paul (youngest brother).  He was near London when the bombing occurred and sent us all an email.  One thing he wrote me tonight was that they had him label his suitcase at the train station the following day - a new rule it seems.  He spoke about some of the comments from the locals but nothing really specific.  He is on his way now to Normandy, Belgium, Holland, and Germany, and then returns on Thursday.  I'll write more if he has other news to share about that.

Well, that's about all.  I've been experimenting with the new Microsoft Video producer so I can make mini videos on my site... so look for that soon when I get my camera back.  Aloha!

7/10/05 Update - This was so interesting and I know Paul will be happy to share so I've posted his "narrative".  Here is an email he sent the family about his latest trip.  So descriptive Paul.  I have seen "Saving Private Ryan" and so agree it is great but not as informative as I would have liked so I will definitely look for "The Longest Day" as I have not seen that one.  Your descriptions made me really want to go to this location.

Picture from:http://www.remaxkauai.com/rental-homes/tunnelsbeachvilla/