Hawaii

Bill and I joined other family members of Bill's brother Dan and his fiancée, Beverly Turner, for the festivities surrounding their wedding on February 19 near their home in Keauhou on the Big Island. Since we were there six days, we had some time to explore new places and visit several that have become traditions on our trips.

This seems to be the season for courtship. Here's to Valentine's Day and Weddings!

This is the very soft, cuddly, playful Lexie Lou. Oh...the blue thing is (or was) a ball.

Bill and I managed to find some places we had not yet visited, even after ten previous trips to the Island. This was one of them, Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park, which portrays and celebrates Hawaiian history and culture. The wall is a heiau, a Hawaiian temple. The shallow water is a fish trap, where ancient Hawaiians could capture fish that came in on high tides and stayed when the tide receded.

The Kaloko-Honokohau National Park is home to green sea turtles, Honu. Visitors must stay at least twenty feet from the turtles, so I was glad my camera could zoom.

We have seen many petroglypys like this on the Kohala Coast in the past, so we were on the lookout for them in Kaloko-Honokohau National Park.

 We stayed for three days in the Kona Makai condo complex where Bill's mother lived during the last few winters of her life. I've always liked walking to the lava beach on the property, particularly at sunset.

I took a picture of this orange spotted gecko just outside our front door. Another one was sharing the bedroom for awhile.

We have some rituals when we are in Kona, one of which is eating lunch at Huggo's on the Rocks.

Another lunch tradition is having a frosty Kona brew and a fresh fish sandwich at the Harbor Restaurant and watching the fishing boats come in.

The Ocean Rider Seahorse Farm was another new attraction for us this year. They breed seahorses to live in aquariums in an effort to discourage people from capturing wild seahorses, which are endangered and don't live very long in captivity--a few months maximum. They have seahorses here that are 13 years old. They are sensitized to being around people. We each got to form a "reef" with our fingers and allow a seahorse to curl its tail around them. Those are Bill's hands.

Beverly and Dan on the night before their wedding

I told Hallie which end of the conch shell to blow in and how to hold her lips, and she was able to get a good sound on her very first try.

 Friends Karen and Larry Ostley hosted a party at their home for family and mainland guests the night before the wedding. Here's Nephew Mark recording the event with his camera.

Bill and Allison, who stood up for Dan and Bev

Dan's grandchildren, Hallie and Mitchel Marker, were the flower girl and ring bearer.

Jean and Bill just before the wedding

The wedding party: Allison, Dan, Hallie, Beverly, Mitchel, Bev's son Jon, and Bill

Bill Recognized for Community Service

I got a call in early January from the Ripon Chamber of Commerce requesting that I get Bill to the annual Chamber dinner on January 22 without telling him why. He was given the Community Service Award, which was more than well-deserved. 

 Bill receives his award from Chamber Executive Director Paula Price.

Jack Frank (American Legion-Community Group Service Award), Steve Barg (Friend of the Chamber), Judy and Cal Larson (Larsons Famous Clydesdales-Small Business Award), Kathy Schwandt (M&I Bank-Large Business Award), Bill Woolley (Community Service Award), Jac Gruenwald (Ripon Commonwealth Press-Distinguished Service Award)

Article about the event and awards in the Ripon Commonwealth Press

Aftermath of the Blizzard

Much of the country was treated to a huge blizzard yesterday. Today dug out under beautiful sunny skies.

Ripon, Wisconsin: The drift in our back yard.

Chicago: The street in front of Al and Mindy's house
This is where we park when we leave our car with them before flying out of O'Hare on our trips. Needless to say, we're happy it's in the garage in Ripon now and hope this doesn't happen in a couple of weeks when it will be parked here.

We Actually Like Winter

December and January brought us monster snow piles. The trucks have been hauling a lot of it away from the front of our house to keep the fire hydrant clear. It's pretty out there, provided one can hunker down in a warm house and enjoy the view. February is blowing in tonight as a blizzard, complete with howling wind and frigid temperatures. It's a good time for indoor projects, and we always have plenty of those.

We made a quick January weekend trip to Chicago to see Al, Mindy, and the girls and to see Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind featuring our favorite Neofuturist, Rob Neill, who grew up next door. http://www.neofuturists.org/ Rob lives and works in New York, but he's doing guest performances in Chicago and living at Al and Mindy's for a couple of months.

A Ripon newcomer has taken over two of my Historical Society tasks: Webmaster and Keeper of the Online Obituary Database. The phase-down has begun.

Those are Bill's wood piles and my snowshoe tracks in the woods behind our house.

The Yankee Tipper, with its metal cap, long slippery tube, and spring-loaded base, is the best squirrel-proof feeder we've ever found. The lesson to be learned from squirrels: Never Give Up! This one got tipped off over and over this morning before experiencing the sweet taste of success.