Hawaiian Islands Weather details & Aloha Paragraphs / October 15 – November 18, 2014

October 15-21st – In actuality my vacation began October 15th, although with hurricane Ana bearing down on the state…I couldn’t bear to stop my reports. So, I flew to San Francisco that evening, and took the Marin Airporter to my friend Linda’s place in Corte Madera. I covered Ana night and day, setting my alarm at 2am each night, to get up and access the latest information. It was a different way to begin my autumn vacation, although I felt moved to do it that way…under the circumstances.

October 22nd – I’m now down in Long Beach, at my Mom’s house, and have decided to call off my coverage of what’s now tropical storm Ana, well to the west of Kauai…as she continues to move away. My brother Steve flew in from Texas yesterday, and he’ll be here through the next week. My sister Judy has a day off from work today, so she’s going to come over and spend the day with us as well. As the oldest brother, and now that my Dad has passed away, I’ve called a James Family meeting…just to see how everyone’s doing. I’ll catch up with you again soon, Aloha…Glenn

October 23-24th – Here in Long Beach, the weather remains about as good as it could be. High temperatures are running from the upper 70’s to the lower 80’s during the days…with minimums in the lower 60’s. Skies have been totally clear with just a few minor cirrus streaks moving overhead at times. I’ve been walking with my Mom each morning for about 30 minutes, coming back to enjoy breakfast with her and my brother. My sister and her husband spent a good part of the day with us yesterday afternoon. I cooked a special dinner for everyone, which fortunately turned out really nice. The World Series (baseball) is happening now, so we end up in front of the TV each evening. A weak cold front is expected to move through our area this weekend, which will cool temperatures off quite a bit…which is fine with me. My brother is playing golf this afternoon, so my Mom and I will likely putter around in her garden. I will check back with you soon, for another chapter on being with the family. Be well, Aloha…Glenn.

October 25-26 – Hi again everyone, it’s Saturday morning, and I have a big day coming up. As I’ve been doing the last few years, I’m coordinating a 6th grade class reunion luncheon. This will include the teacher, Mr. Andy Seymour, along with several of his first students…from way back in the 1950’s. By the way, Mr. Seymour was the head lifeguard in Seal Beach, which made him such a hero to all of us little kids! We’ll all meet at a nice restaurant on the beach, and spend several hours together, talking and enjoying a nice meal together.

Then, I’ve been invited to join an old friend, Jack Keck, who I attended elementary, junior high…and high school with here in Long Beach. He and his family live in Oceanside, down towards San Diego from here, and have purchased a great 17 acre ranch as a second property. Jack has invited me to spend a couple of days with him there, taking the opportunity to catch up, and just hang out together. He’s promised some excellent Mexican food, good drinks, and I’ll bring several balls to play catch with. He and I were on the same Little League team, and perhaps we’ll watch the World Series tonight and tomorrow night too. I think the next several days will be very interesting, and I look forward to sharing some of the high points with you when I get back here to my Mom’s on Monday. Aloha…Glenn.

October 27-28 – Hi again, I’ve had a good couple of days since I last wrote. Two days ago I had my 6th grade class reunion, which included having my 6th grade teacher! There were six of us in attendance, and we talked steadily for three hours, while having a nice lunch together. There were many fond memories shared, and we all took pictures afterwards.

I had rented a car, and after our lunch, I drove almost two hours south towards San Diego. I had those plans on meeting with my friend Jack, who couldn’t make our reunion lunch…although he did attend the last two. At any rate, I met him at his home in Escondido, which is inland just northwest of San Diego. We visited for a while with his wife, before taking off for the 35 minute drive to his ranch. I was delighted with his 17 acre place, and we immediately settled into popping a beer, and making dinner together. We then plopped down in two comfortable chairs in front of his big screen TV…to watch the World Series.

I had a very comfortable room in his rustic 3 bedroom adobe house, with 3 fireplaces. He made every adobe brick that he built the house with! The next morning, he made us eggs and potatoes, and we ate that with [what he called rocket fuel]…which was dark roasted coffee. Since he and I had played baseball together as kids, we played catch out in the front of his place many times. It’s so relaxing to throw the ball back and forth, while talking, stopping at times to enjoy the wonderful scenery surrounding his place. We ended up driving into Escondido again that day briefly, hooking-up with his wife Anne for more chatting, she’s a lovely lady.

We drove back out to the country, after stopping at the store for a few more supplies. He lives way out there, and a good part of the road is dirt towards the end. We took a nice walk around his property, and he told me that he see’s bobcats, and lots of deer, with an occasional mountain lion sighting. We watched the World Series again that evening over dinner, which turned out to be a great game. I haven’t owned a TV of my own for well over a decade, so I really enjoy seeing good sports once in a while at a friends house while vacationing. Jack is a very nice person, really generous…and it reminded me what I liked about him all those years back!

The next morning we had a quick breakfast, coffee, and I packed my stuff up into his truck. We drove back to his town house, visited with Anne a few more minutes, and then I hopped into my rental car for the drive back to my Mom’s in Long Beach. Jack graciously invited me back later this coming winter or early next spring for another visit, and promised to have at least one of his fireplaces going, which I would very much enjoy…as I love sitting in front of a fire!

When I got home, my niece Jennifer arrived, and she spent the rest of the day with my Mom and Brother and I. We had lunch, and then drove down to Seal Beach, for a walk out on the pier, and then down main street, looking at all the many shops. We came back and sat out in the patio, enjoying each others company, and having a glass of wine at sunset. Jen left for her drive back home, and the three of us settled into an evening of watching a game in the National Football League. My Brother Steve had to head back to Texas early this morning, so he was up and gone, picked up by a airport shuttle well before sunrise. My Mom and I are on our own now through Halloween afternoon. I’ll catch up with you again soon, I trust everyone is doing well and fine! Aloha…Glenn.

October 31 – Hi again, and a big BOOOO to you! This is my last day here in Long Beach, after about 10 days of good times here at my Mom’s. It was wonderful spending time with my family, and seeing several of my old friends too. It’s amazing how well my Mom is doing, as she is 92 years old now. Everyone remarks how young she looks and acts, and its true, she seems more like a woman in her 70’s! My little side trip down to Jack’s ranch was very pleasant as well…and of course, my 6th grade class reunion as well. Today I’m taking care of the last few details of my stay here, as the autumn’s first significant storm pushes down through the California coast towards this area. Everyone here is looking forward to finally getting some rain, after the usual dry and hot summer months.

I’ll be flying up to Sacramento early this evening, being picked up by my friend Bob and his girlfriend Tia at the airport there. We plan on going out to dinner, and then heading home to their place outside of town. The three of us will visit some Saturday morning, and maybe have lunch together, before Bob and I take off for the coast in Marin County. We’ll arrive at my friend Linda’s place in time for a glass of wine out on the deck, and maybe fire up the bbq too. Northern California has gotten into this first good rainstorm today, and with the weather turning cooler in the wake of the cold frontal passage, Linda has promised to spark up her fireplace. The three of us will pal around Sunday, likely going for a walk out towards the beach in Tennessee Valley. We’ll probably stay a second night, and then head up north to my friend Greg’s place in west Sebastopol…in Sonoma County.  I’ll catch up with you again then, which will be in early November. Aloha for now…Glenn.

November 4th – Several days later now, right on into the month of November. The last several days I’ve been here in northern California, a little time down in Marin County at Linda’s again, this time with Bob. We had some good times down there, eating very well, and taking numerous hikes around that beautiful county. The day that I flew from southern California up north, was the same day that the area’s first significant cold front swept through. California finally received some very welcome rains, followed by the first chilly air of the autumn season. Everyone was exclaiming how cool it was, both in terms of the rainfall, and in regards to the air temperatures as well. I loved it all, as that’s what I like when I’m on vacation, and partially the reason that I come so late in the year.

Typically I come during the second half of October, when the hurricane season begins to wind down…in the central Pacific at least. Speaking of weather, the models are suggesting that we have the next 7-10 days filled with dry and pleasant conditions…as the Pacific storm track remains north of here. I must admit I’d like to manifest another couple of active cold fronts across northern California, before I jet back to Maui. I’m in the process of settling down here at Greg’s, just inland from the Sonoma County coast. He’s an excellent poet, among other things, and his place is loaded with the latest and greatest poetry books. I very much enjoy having the time to hunker down and do some much-loved reading. I should be able to check in with you every couple of days, or perhaps even a bit more than that over the next almost couple of weeks. Be well…Glenn.

November 8th – Hi again everyone, I trust that everything is going well for you! I’m still here in west Sebastopol at Greg’s. The weather continues to be perfect, that is if you prefer sunny warm days, and seasonably cool nights. Speaking of the weather, I see that there’s a cold front draped over the central part of the state of Hawaii, bringing clouds and showers to the islands. This frontal boundary will usher in cooler northerly winds and drier weather in most areas, until around Wednesday, when another cold front approaches …although will likely stall before arriving. Now, back here to Sonoma County, I must say, as I always do, I love it here! I’ve been enjoying the company of my friends, including Greg’s son, who is very sports oriented. He and I play catch regularly, and are on the ping pong table as often as we can too. I take an early morning walk each day, and enjoy just hanging out around Greg’s large five acre property. He’s got many fruit trees, Douglas Fir and Redwoods among many other varieties…and I just slowly shuffle around in the warm sun and slightly cooler shady areas. We’ve been out to baseball fields in Sebastopol throwing and hitting the ball around, and today Greg and his son are over near Stockton at a soccer match.

This gives me the whole day to just hang out here alone, with lots of time to read and just be mellow. Last evening Greg and I, and another friend Susan, all went to see the new film Birdman, which was excellent! It was the most stimulating film that I’ve seen in a long time, and as for a grade…it easily warrants a solid A. We then drove over to a restaurant called Peter Lowell’s, which is one of the favorite that I’ve sampled so far. We often go to another place called Willowwood for breakfast, although for other meals at times too. At the time of this writing, and laying down at the foot of this desk is the family dog Blaze, I wish I could show you a picture of my near constant companion, he’s a great doggy. Greg has made one of his cars available for me to use today. I’m not sure where I’ll go, if anyplace, although it feels nice to have the option to cruise the same roads that I did way back when I lived in this area back in the early to middle 1970’s. During that time, I lived in Jenner, out at the mouth of the Russian River while I was going to college…which was easily one of my favorite times in life so far.

November 13th – Hello, the last five days or so, since I’ve written the last time…have been good ones here in Sonoma County. I’m still headquartered at my friend Greg’s place in Sebastopol. I had an unexpected call from my friend Bob the other day, with the good news that he found a few more days to join me here on the coast. We took full advantage of his time away from work…to enjoy being together. We drove out to Bodega Bay one day, and walked out along the harbor, talked with some fisherman, and had a close encounter with a couple of seals that were swimming by very close. Greg, Bob and I went out to dinner several times, not to mention breakfasts as well. The restaurants in this area are quite good, several of which serve organic fare. This afternoon, Greg and another friend Susan and I will be driving down to San Francisco for dinner. Greg’s daughter works at an upscale place in the City, that is well known…and we’ll be having dinner there. Meanwhile, we had a weak cold front move through this area last evening through the night, with still a few showers around this morning. The sun’s trying to peek out now, and is lighting up the deciduous trees, with their leaves turning yellow and red. I still have four full days left here in California, before I jet back to Maui next Tuesday. I’m beginning to look forward to getting home, and back to updating this website on a daily basis. I’ll be back with another report or two, before leaving here. Be well, Aloha…Glenn.

November 16th –  Hello again, I’m nearing the end of my autumn vacation, and am already beginning to feel the approaching reality of the tropics. I always find the mid-latitudes to be stimulating, especially in terms of the cooler weather conditions. The upcoming week is destined to be off and on showery here in Northern California…beginning soon after I depart on Tuesday. Looking back over the last few days, one of the highlights was my dinner out with Greg and Susan, at a restaurant called Delfina in San Francisco…where Greg’s daughter works. The meal was undeniably one of the best I’ve had, in a very long time, at least while eating out. We got the best service possible, with perhaps even a few extra long pours out of the Italian wine bottles. The food was so good, I would go back there anytime that I happened to be in the City…without a doubt. Another highlight was playing tennis in Sebastopol with Greg and his son, which I hadn’t done in a long time. I found that my strokes came back to me quite well, and I was delighted to have not lost my abilities on the court. Last evening Greg and I drove out to the small town of Bodega, which isn’t far from his house, for a surprisingly good dinner…at a local dive bar called The Casino. I had a delicious fish dish, washed down with an Ale from Boonville, California. There’s so much more to write, although I have to hop in the shower and get ready for a visit with another long time friend named Jeff Tipp. I’ll be hanging out with him and his wife Roberta for several hours, who recently moved just down the road from Greg! At any rate, I may come back online one more time if I can find the time, before meeting up with you again on Maui. Be well, Aloha…Glenn

November 18th – Well, here it is…at the very end of a long vacation to wonderful California. I so much enjoyed being with my family down in southern California…and all my close friends here in northern California as well! My last supper if you will, last evening in Sebastopol with Greg and Susan, was really nice. We ate a place called K & L Bistro, which had delicious food, and a great wine by the glass list. Susan and I had a great outdoor experience at Bodega Head yesterday afternoon, taking a long walk along the cliff, overlooking the dynamic surf breaking on the rocks below. I took my early morning walk this morning, the last for this trip, and was watching the approaching clouds of a Pacific cold front. This week there are three separate storms that are forecast to arrive, and the truth is…that I really would like to be here for them! Oh well, Maui here I come, and hopefully there will be some cold fronts moving across our island chain with time. Looking at the models, it looks like dry trade winds through tomorrow, and then increasing clouds and showers, at least locally, later Wednesday into the upcoming weekend. This sounds good to me, although with the trade winds blowing, likely most of the rainfall will end up along the windward coasts and slopes, rather than along the leeward Haleakala slopes around Kula. I’ll have more on all of that Wednesday morning, when I begin updating this website again. Thanks for following along in my travels, I hope you got some enjoyment, I sure had a great time! Aloha…Glenn

November 19, 2014 – Hello again this one last time, before I get back into updating this page…which I’m beginning to do right now. It was such a good vacation, although there were some hiccups so to speak, in terms of health issues with friends and family. I’m hoping that there are some improvements in that regard going forward. As a matter of fact, I strongly considered cancelling my flight to Maui yesterday, and flying down to southern California instead. There’s always a distinct transition period for me when I return, which takes a week or so to smooth out. I’m so used to being out in the country, listening to coyotes and owls at night, and spotting foxes, deer, rabbits and such…where here on Maui, wildlife is at a minimum. The weather too is so different between here in the tropics, and the northern California coastal area.  At any rate, I got home last evening, after a long 5+ hour flight across the Pacific. It’s always such a relief to get off the plane, and to be able to walk away from it, and be picked up by friends! I slept well, although woke up very early, which was fine. Check back soon, I’ll have your new weather narrative waiting for you soon. Aloha…Glenn.

 

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