You can use the following links to see what’s going on in our area of the north central Pacific Ocean
.  Here's the latest NOAA satellite picture – the latest looping satellite imageand finally the latest looping radar image for the Hawaiian Islands.

Hawaii’s MountainsHere’s a link to the live web cam on the summit of near 13,800 foot Mauna Kea on the Big Island of Hawaii. This web cam is available during the daylight hours here in the islands…and when there’s a big moon shining down during the night at times. Plus, during the nights you will be able to see stars, and the sunrise and sunset too…depending upon weather conditions. Here's the Haleakala Crater webcam on Maui…although this webcam is not always working properly. 

Tropical Cyclone activity in the eastern and central Pacific Here’s the latest weather information coming out of the National Hurricane Center, covering the eastern north Pacific.  You can find the latest tropical cyclone information for the central north Pacific (where Hawaii is located) by clicking on this link to the Central Pacific Hurricane Center.  A satellite image, which shows the entire ocean area between Hawaii and the Mexican coast…can be found here. The 2012 hurricane season here in the central Pacific, and the eastern Pacific…both end on the last day of November.

Here's the latest weather map – click on the map for a larger version…

 

 

Aloha Paragraphs 

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 I will be on vacation from October 4th through November 13. In my absence you can get the weather information you need…by clicking on the links for the island forecasts…on the upper left hand margin of this page

 I will provide a travelogue of my activities as I come and go between northern and southern California, and the Colorado Rockies. These writings will appear just below…along the way.
 


October 4 – I'll be leaving Maui early this afternoon for a flight to San Francisco, arriving there around 830pm. I'll take the Marin Air Porter across the Golden Gate Bridge into Larkspur, where my friend Linda will pick me up. As usual, she'll have a bowl of homemade soup, with crackers and cheese, and a small glass of red wine waiting for me when we get to her house. We already have a plan to drive out to Tennessee Valley early Friday morning, for a brisk walk to the coast. She's a birder, so she'll have her binoculars out, telling me about what types of birds we're seeing and hearing. I'll likely be able to check back in here at some point during the day on the 5th. I'm so excited about being able to go see family and friends!

October 5 – I'm here in Marin County , just north of San Francisco, and I like it. Linda and I began the day going to Tennessee Valley as expected. We saw a little cottontail rabbit, and a covey of California Quail, among lots of other smaller birds. We walked all the way out to the ocean, where I put my hand into the foamy water rushing up the sandy shore…it was chilly. We stayed home at her house the rest of the day, and did small odd jobs that were outstanding. We just came in after putting up a wind chime in the black fig tree, to alert her when the raccoon's arrive on a raiding party. She gets out of bed, usually late at night, and throws water on them, which scatters them lickity split. We're just getting ready to be picked up by friends for an evening at the Marin Film Festival. This is a private party, with pupu's and wine, before the film is shown, which is The Zen of Tony Bennett. I'll let you know tomorrow what I thought, hang loose wherever you're reading from! Aloha, Glenn.

October 6 – First off, I enjoyed the Marin County Film festival party in Mill Valley last night, that occurred in a wonderful theater instilled with history, fine wine, delicious pupu's and desserts…and parts of the societal upper crust. I saw lots of Porsche, Mercedes Benz, BMW, Jaguar, Audi, and even Ferrari…such fine automobiles here in this wealthy part of the country. As for the film we saw last night, The Zen of Bennett, Linda gave it an A-, while I came up with an B+. Linda and I hiked Tennessee Valley again early this morning.  We saw a Coyote, those Quails from yesterday…and another single small rabbit. It was such a lovely way to start the day! Linda went off to an Audubon work day this morning, which gave me three hours to call my Mom, read, and just catch my breath for a moment, oh yes I AM on vacation!

When she returned we had lunch, and drove over to the small community of Ross, which lead us to the Phoenix Lake trail. We stopped off for wild caught King Salmon, white potatoes, broccoli, and a small container of fresh made Creme Brulee for dessert, on the way home. We will sautee the broccoli, and Linda is roasting the potatoes with olive oil, and fresh picked Rosemary. We're drinking wine, in this case, a nice Pinot Noir from Kynksi of Santa Maria Valley, California. I'm heading out on the back deck now, the weather has been about as perfect as could be! I fly down to Long Beach to see my Mom tomorrow, who I know will be reading these words. Mom, it will be wonderful to see you, to sit down and talk, and share a glass of wine with you in the early evening, in the progressively cooler weather of Southern California. Aloha for now…Glenn.

October 8 – I arrived in Long Beach yesterday, where my Mom picked me up at the airport. We talked awhile at her house, before driving out to the store for a few things. I had to of course get a few organic items for my short stay. My Mom thinks I'm a little crazy for worrying about such things. She's 90 years old, and has never eaten organic food, and as I have to agree…she's certainly remained very healthy all her life! We had a nice dinner, after sitting out in her patio at sunset with the two cats, and a glass of wine over more good conversation. I slept just fine last night, and at the crack of dawn, she poked her head in my room and said "ready to walk"? We walked quickly for about a mile an a half, enjoying all the yards that we passed along the way. I told her that from what I can see, 90 is the new 70…she's good! We had more conversation over breakfast, and now she's washing some of my clothes. I'll have a few more things to share later today, but wanted to catch up with you before I get caught up with this and that along the way. 

October 9 – I leave this morning for a week long trip to Colorado, where I'll be visiting an old high school surfing buddy of mine, and his long term girlfriend. I haven't seen David and Lisa for over 35+ years, so it will be a grand occasion I'm sure. They live well outside of Durango, in a cabin with a barn, in a rural area at 7,200 feet elevation. I mentioned to them that I would enjoy sleeping outside, as they have a very warm sleeping bag for my use, with a good pad under me. They then went on to say that they have been seeing a bear around lately, and that there are occasional mountain lion sightings too. Well, as you can imagine, I immediately told them that their idea of sleeping in the barn was perfect!

At any rate, I'll be at their place for seven days, and they are both avid hikers, and even mountain climbers. So, I'm sure we'll be out everyday walking around in deep nature, and they've said that the Aspen and Cottonwood trees are still in bright yellow foliage…which I'm really looking forward to seeing. I have skied in the Rockies a long time ago, but haven't been in Colorado in many many years. They don't have a computer, so I'll be out of touch with you, in terms of these updates, until I get back to my Mom's here in Long Beach on the 16th of October. My brother Steve is flying in from Texas that same day, and we'll both be in LB through the 25th of October. I'll be keeping notes of my daily adventures in Colorado while I'm there, and will share them with you upon my return. Here's wishing you a great week wherever you're spending it! Aloha, Glenn

October 9-16 – I just spent a week in southwest Colorado, which was incredible! My main focus was being outside in nature, and spending as much time as possible looking at, and being around Aspen trees. Those trees, which had the most wonderful yellow leaves, were abundant in this area. As we drove up towards 10,000 feet, the leaves had all fallen….although the white bark trunks was beautiful in their own right as well. Everyday except one, we took drives up into the high country for amazing hikes into those areas with the most dense Aspen groves.

The weather was perfect, with sunny warm days, and cool nights. There was a short period of clouds in the middle of my trip however, when a weather system pushed inland from the west coast. This arrived with thunder and lightning, and breezy conditions during the late afternoon. I sat outside and watched the show, and in the back of my mind hoped that the temperature would fall enough for snow. The next day, and despite the weather, we headed out for yet another great hike into the mountains. We ran into hail first, which I couldn't help but run out into, standing there all excited and getting lightly pelted. A little while later, the rain turned slushy, and finally there were a couple of snow flakes that thrilled me…I was practically jumping up and down! 

While I was there at David and Lisa's property, or on the road driving too, I saw lots of deer, some of which were no more than 10-20 feet away. David feeds the local birds each morning, so there were lots of them flying around. The deer came and ate the tidbits of seeds below the feeders, as did chipmunks and squirrels. Each morning I got up before dawn (I slept in the barn) and sat out watching the break of day, warm inside a down jacket and fleece gloves. David would bring me out a small cup of coffee, and we would hang out together for a couple of hours talking. The weather turned warmer and dry after the cold front went through, although the nights dipped down into the upper 20F's to lower 30's. One of my favorite other things was chopping wood, in preparation for our nightly fires in the wood burning stove. I was in charge of this, and was happy to do it…as I love sitting in front of the flames listening to music.

Speaking of music, David is a fine pianist, and when we found a piano in an old hotel in the small town of Ouray, the manager let him have at it. Lisa and I sat behind him, and enjoyed his playing very much. We also drove through another even smaller town called Silverton, which was classically located in the bowl of the surrounding higher mountains, the tops of which were all covered with snow. In sum, it was a wonderful time, and I'm so glad that it worked out just the way that it did. I felt a little sad leaving Durango, although I was very much looking forward to seeing my Mom, and my brother Steve, who had just flown into Long Beach from Houston, Texas…a few hours before I arrived. I'll check back in with you soon, Aloha, Glenn.

October 17-19 – Hello again, I'm well established back into life here in Long Beach, with my Mom and brother Steve. The long and short of what's happening here…is working with my brother on various projects. He heads out before sunrise every morning, to get his coffee and take drives around the area…mostly down towards the beaches. I'm out before dawn most mornings for my quick paced walks around the neighborhood. I get online too, to check in with the NWS forecast office in LA, and SF as well. All three of us have been watching the playoff baseball games on television, which will determine who plays in the world series games next week.

I find it very rewarding to hang with my family, and doing the work of keeping my Mom's property going strong. It's different not having my Dad around, whose name comes up often…mostly in humorous and loving ways, as his memory lives on in our own experiences of him. Today is another busy day coming up, in which I'm sure we'll get lots of stuff done as usual. I'll be here through most of the next week, and then fly up to San Francisco, and on to Marin County briefly. My friend Bob will join me there in Marin, before the two of us head north to the Sonoma County coast…Bodega Bay to be specific. I'll check in with you in a day or two, and let you know what's going on between now and then. By the way, after a spell of hot weather, there's a change on the horizon coming this weekend, which will begin a cooling trend, with cloudier skies, and chance of light rain or drizzle, which is more than fine with me. Take care, Aloha…Glenn.

October 20 – I'm excited about today! Let me tell you why… I had a 6th grade teacher named Mr. Andy Seymour at Carver Elementary School here in Long Beach. I was so impressed with him, as he was not only my teacher, but also the head lifeguard at the Seal Beach Pier. I started surfing in Seal Beach, and used to ride the surf mats there while I was very young too. My first job in life was renting those surf mats, from a small shack there on the south side of the Seal Beach Pier.

At any rate, all these years I had thought how wonderful it would be to meet this teacher again, my favorite through elementary, middle school and high school. I didn't find any teacher until I got to the University levels, that I found as inspiring…and that was because they were meteorology professors. I finally was able to track down Mr. Seymour earlier this year, and invited him to have lunch with me.

At the same time, I was able to find a couple of my best friends from that 6th grade class, and they will join us for lunch today as well! Their names are Jim Hennessy and Jack Keck, and I tried to get in touch with Sharon Rogers and Vicki Tupper too. They were a couple of cute girls in my class, who I had a major crush on at the time…although they can't join us I believe. We'll be eating at a beach front restaurant near Seal Beach, called Busters. By the way, Mr. Seymour lives in Seal Beach, Jim lives in north Hollywood, and Jack lives near San Diego, and of course I live in Kula, Maui. I'll get back to you later about how all this turns out to be. Aloha, Glenn.

October 21-22 – Our 6th grade class reunion, even though it was attended by only three former students, and our teacher…was perfect! Jim, Jack, myself and Mr. Seymour, sat down for lunch right on the ocean front, and got through visiting and catching up almost three hours later. It was great to recall many of our classmates, and fill each other in on what we had been doing all those years. We literally hadn't seen our old teacher since we left that class back in 1958, and truthfully he looked not a day over 70 (if that), despite being 80 years old! The three of us all noted that Mr. Seymour had inspired us greatly in our lives, and that we had respected him so much back then. Sitting there with him brought up those same feelings for all of us, and I am thankful that I had our waitress take a picture of us sitting there at the table together.

A day later I find myself at a family reunion, at least with most of my family present. There were six adults, and two children present. We played catch in the driveway, and I took the kids on a walk down the street, where we found a swing. They like me swinging them, and I enjoy it too. The men just got back from buying pizza's, drinks, potato salad, and cake for dessert. The baseball game was on TV, with San Francisco playing St. Louis in the playoffs, which some of us watched at times, while others sat outside watching the sunset and into the evening. It's fun to be a part of the family, even though my brother and I live out of state. I'm enjoying myself, and am glad that I still have many days left here in Long Beach. I fly north to San Francisco, and then on to Marin County to meet my friends Linda and Bob later in the new week ahead. I'll be back in a day or two, with more of what's going on here on the home front. Aloha for now…Glenn.

October 23-25
– These last few days here in Long Beach, at my Mom's house, have been very enjoyable. I've had the opportunity to spend lots of time with my family, doing this and that, with the pleasure of sitting down for our meals together each day…which is a treat. I'm about ready to wrap up this part of my trip in southern California and Colorado, as my brother Steve flies back to Texas now, and I fly back up to San Francisco. By the way, all being SF Giants fans, we were all delighted to see the first game of the world series games won by them!

I'll take the air porter across the Golden Gate Bridge to Marin County, and Linda will pick me up at Larkspur Landing. She and I will hang out, while Bob finishes teaching class, and drives over to Marin from Sacramento. We'll likely have a glass of wine together in celebration, and then hit the hay pretty soon thereafter. There's a good chance that we'll get up early and take the short drive to Tennessee Valley, for a walk out to the coast.

Bob and I will take off heading north later that morning, for a drive up to Sonoma County. We have reservations at the Bodega Bay Birdwatch for two nights, which is exciting! The weather is forecast to be excellent for this Friday through Sunday bay side experience. I'll be writing more about my time there once I get back to a computer on the 29th. Bob and I will head a short ways inland later in the day Sunday, arriving at my friend Greg's house in west Sebastopol. Here's wishing you well until I get back online to bring you up to date on my ongoing vacation in a couple of days, be well until then! Aloha…Glenn.

October 26-27 – Hi everyone, Bob and I are up here in Sonoma County, at Bodega Bay actually. Bob lives in Placerville, California, in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada. He's married with three grown kids, and grand kids too. He teaches at the University of California at Davis, San Francisco State University, and several community colleges as well. At any rate, he and I went to college together at Sonoma State University, way back when. Back to the present, we got to this fabulous Birthwatch late yesterday afternoon, and we have both fallen in love with it! I'll have more to say about my wonderful experience at this vacation rental, who my friends Chris and Annie own…who live on Maui. I didn't think I would have a computer, although Bob brought his laptop with him, so I'm able to write once in a while. The weather is absolutely perfect, clear and warm, although was cool earlier this morning. Listening to Joni Mitchell on pandora.com, getting ready to eat some oatmeal, toast with cashew butter, banana, orange juice…and then of course a nice cup of espresso. The Birthwatch has everything, and I mean everything, and is exceptionally clean. More soon, Aloha, Glenn.

October 28 – We've had such a good time here at the Birthwatch, watching birds of course, and also the tides coming in and going out, along with the fog too. It was mostly clear during our stay, although this moisture, like we're having at the moment, makes for good weather watching too. We stayed here on the bay all day yesterday, with only a couple hour excursion out to the Bodega Head, to watch gray whales spouting just offshore, seals and even a few sea lions too. The rest of the time we just walked around, and lounged at this wonderful house we're in. It's really mellow, and peaceful to sit outside and be with the bay, and its natural pulses. I invited an old friend over, who I hadn't seen since way back in the 70's. Robin lives in Forestville, and we all enjoyed a gloriously colorful sunset with wine…out on the deck. We ended up having dinner together too, and sat around visiting until around 11pm, with the world series game going on in the background. All things considered, it was about as close to a perfect day as possible! Aloha, Glenn

October 29 – I got to my friend Greg's place last evening, and found him, the mother of one of his son's, Gillian, who is a doctor of Philosophy at Sonoma State University there too. All of us, including Bob, had a great dinner with wine, while we watched the SF Giants win the world series. I woke up Bob well before dawn, it was still dark outside here in Sebastopol, and we took a long walk. It was clear overhead, although there was fog in the low areas around the edges. He and I went out to breakfast at a great little restaurant in the small town of Graton after that. We hung out talking and enjoying the views and warm sunshine, before he left for the drive back to his wife. It was a little sad as he drove off, although shortly thereafter I was engaged in a good conversation with Greg. He had errands to attend to in town, so I just hung around in his large home, having lunch, and reading a book I found here of Gillian's called "Wilderness and the Heart."

It's now around sunset, and I'm watching the Monday night football game on TV, before Greg and I have dinner. I'll get to bed early tonight as usual, and will be up early Tuesday morning. I have plans to visit another old friend of mine, Jeff, who I used to visit on Vashon Island, Washington, who now just bought a place 1 mile away from Greg's…which is amazing! I'm using a Mac computer, which is different than using a PC, and I'm just getting used to it, wish me luck, and I hope this update works properly. I'll get back online at some point again soon. Aloha for now…Glenn. 

October 30 – I was up before dawn again this morning, and went out by one of the picture windows and watched the day begin, first clear…and then fog rolled in. I spoke to Greg when he got up, and then took a long walk over to my friend Jeff's house. His wife and he are both pyschologists, she a Phd, who work together as a team at times. We had a very nice visit with coffee, and some good catching up. I then walked back over to Greg's, and we ended up driving into Sebastopol to pick up his son at school. Lunch was at one of my favorite Mexican food restaurants in the area, before heading over to a park…for some baseball playing.

I'm back here at Greg's now, drinking a late afternoon espresso, and enjoying the fading light through the nearby Redwood and Douglas Fir trees. A lady friend of Greg's is coming over this evening for a visit, so it will be nice to meet a new person. It was another good day, and with a big change in the weather expected later tomorrow, that should be interesting. I'll tell you more about that on Halloween, although now that I think about it, rain won't be good news for the tricker treaters! Finally, best luck to all the folks on the east coast, who have been dealing with tropical cyclone Sandy. Aloha for now…Glenn.

October 31 – Hi again, Halloween has come and gone, and it was a very fun day. I started off the day early as usual, reading, having breakfast, espresso, and sitting at a large window watching the clouds lower. I read a poetry book called Rough Honey, by Melissa Stein, which I enjoyed very much. I'll be getting a copy of it when I get back to Maui, for sure. As I knew that a wet cold front was approaching, I brought in dry wood from outside, and lit up a small blaze in the fireplace. I sat and had the luxury of time, as first drizzle arrived, then light showers, which lead into a moderate rain. The main rain shield of the front arrived in the early evening, just about the time that Greg and I drove over to Forestville, to a Halloween party.

This party was really nice, with a table full of great mostly organic food, nice wine and ales too. I met some nice folks, and went out with all the kids for tricker treating…in the cool rain! We all got a bit wet, although it was fun to go door to door, and see what kind of candy was given out. His son was in this bunch of kids, and I was one of the designated folks carrying flashlights. Greg and I got back to his place around 9 or so, and we watched a bit of television, a show called The Newsroom, with Jeff Daniels, which was entertaining. As many of you know, I don't have a TV, and haven't for many, many years, although that doesn't mean that I don't enjoying sitting in front of a large screen once in a while. I had a great dream last night, although I'm hard pressed to remember it now, although it had something to do with spirituality I as I recall vaguely.

November 1 – The days are beginning to melt together, now that I'm spending some concentrated time in one place, here in Sebastopol. We had a quick cold front move through recently, and now apparently, we'll have record or near record high temperatures setting in over the next 3-4 days. Then, a sharp cooling will arrive thereafter, just about the time that Bob returns to pick me up…as we head north up the coast for our next get together. Looking back one day, I hung out with my friend Jeff most of the day, which was lots of fun. He and his wife had a nice fire going when I got there, which was pleasant as I had walked through the light drizzle on the way over there.

He knows that I love wood and everything to do with fire, and brought out some cedar that he had brought down from his other place up in Washington, and handed me a small sharp hatchet. I spent some time splitting kindling for him, which is one of my favorite activities in the world…bet you didn't know that! He had some business in Sebastopol, and I went in with him for lunch and a long conversation outside the restaurant. I got back here to Greg's in time to sit by the large back window to watch the sunset, and read more poetry. We had a big dinner, while watching The Newsroom again, which he tapes. I like that show quite a bit, and if I was a television person, I'd probably be hooked right away. More soon, bye for now…Glenn.

November 2-5 – The last several days have been pleasant, very pleasant indeed. I've been doing a little of this and a little of that, nothing major though. I've been taking full advantage of the weather, as it turned clear and warm during the days, after that quick little cold front. Sitting in the sun and shade at various times of the day, depending upon my mood…and the angle and temperature of the suns rays. I've been reading voraciously, is that the correct spelling? My hand keeps reaching for poetry books, and Greg, being a poet, has lots of them, whole libraries in fact. Speaking of which, here's a quick poem from that author I was referring to above, called:

Dictator

The quail are back: the big quail,
and the smaller quail, scurrying
to keep up. They're pecking in the garden,
rooting for seeds or grubs or whatever
quail root for. They're absurd, these birds,
apostrophes bobbing from their heads,
burbling staccato in their collective fright.
Each time I see them, I feel lulled,
lazy, enormous. Each time it's like
watching puzzle pieces of myself
scattering for their lives,
and yet here I am, above it all,
leaning against the porch railing,
sipping a cool glass of lemonade, coolly
noting that for all the terror of their collective flight
it sounds like nothing so much as umbrellas opening.

It's like this on vacation, time to ponder, to sit and just gaze out into the nearby trees. Chopin Nocturnes for piano in the background, followed by a little warm sip of very strong espresso. The whole long day ahead to do nothing other than exactly what suits me, not a thing otherwise. We just set the clocks back recently, and because of that I suppose, I went to bed at 8pm last evening, and woke up at 433am. I lay there until just before 6, just to get a faint light in the eastern sky, before rising. I went for my walk in the half dark, parking myself in the woods next to an incense cedar tree, alone until five ravens spotted me…taking roost in a redwood across the way. We communed together as the sun, ever so slowly rose into sight, me silent as could be, and them cawing loudly to the awakening morning…just at the right times it seemed.

We get a new president tomorrow, or retain the last one, and I'm sure I'll be watching the TV with Greg, to see which way the tide turns. I can't say I'm not attached to the outcome, although won't be going nuts over this possible change in guard. Who are you for? Who do you think I'm hoping will win? Back to today, its going to be a record breaking event, in the world of northern California weather conditions. A trough of low pressure has positioned offshore, while high pressure is located inland over the Great Basin. High temperatures are expected to reach into the solid 80F's, and perhaps even into the lower or mid 90's! Offshore winds will bring this heat, so that I'll likely be seeking some shade, while I stroll slowly out into the fruit tree orchard, snagging a little red apple in a few moments. Kden, now that I'm referring to the out of doors, I really must venture forth again, trailing off this narrative in a gentle way, with a last few strokes on the piano keys. I'll be back, please enjoy your own vacation, or your day at the desk! Aloha for now…Glenn.

November 6-7 – Hi again, and the winner is…President Barack Obama. Moving on through the next four years, I mean the rest of yesterday and today, life remains well. The last several days have been stunning, warmer than normal, and a delight for November in this part of the country. This morning dawned densely foggy in contrast, and it has remained that way as we push in towards the noon hour. I've been somewhat trapped in the house, although in the most positive way indeed. I've been plowing through poetry books, taking deep samplings from various sources. I can't help myself here, and thus, must share yet another poem with you. I know, I know, poetry isn't at the top of most of your favorite things list. It's just that I'm staying with a poet extraordinaire, and his property is located in a deep forest setting, which naturally draws me into the fold of the present more and more deeply each day.

The Promise…by Jane Hirshfield

Stay, I said
to the cut flowers.
They bowed
their heads lower.

Stay, I said to the spider,
who fled.

Stay, leaf.
It reddened,
embarrassed for me and itself.

Stay, I said to my body.
It sat as a dog does,
obedient for a moment,
soon starting to tremble.

Stay, to the Earth
of riverine valley meadows,
of fossiled escarpments,
of limestone and sandstone.
It looked back
with a changing expression, in silence.

Stay, I said to my loves.
Each answered,
Always.

What else, and there's always the weather, it has taken a sharp cooling today, which I welcome with open arms. Looking out the windows now, the fog moves slowly by from left to right, in between my perch and the evergreen trees in the distance, in gentle cool wisps. The temperature is easily 15-20 degrees cooler than this same time yesterday, and will slide down the scale even further over the next couple of days. I must readily admit that I love these changes, thrive on them actually. I'm nearing the end of my stay here in Sebastopol, and will be heading even further north soon, up the coast towards Point Arena with my friend Bob. I'll check back in with you later today, or tomorrow at the latest, please be well until then. Aloha…Glenn.

November 8 – This is the last full day here at Greg's house in west Sebastopol. Thus far it has been a good one, with fairly wide swings in the weather so far. It's only mid-morning, or a little later, although we've pushed through clear, partly cloudy, cloudy, and now showering conditions over the last several hours. The main event today will occur this evening, as Greg and I, and a lady friend of his, whose an accomplished poet as well, will be having dinner together in the small community of Mill Valley…down in Marin County. Afterwards, and I'm very excited about this, the three of us will be attending a poetry reading at the Mill Valley Public Library. This event includes many well known poets, including Pulitzer Prize winner Rae Armantrout, California Book Award winner Jane Hirshfield, former poet laureate Kay Ryan, Pushcart Prize winner Brenda Hillman, and T.S. Eliot Prize winner Dean Rader, along with Amy Glynn Greacen, Bruce Bond, and Stephanie Brown will read their selections from the anthology as well as poems from their other works. This will be a rare opportunity for me to hear (and see up close) these stars, a few of which are among my favorites.

Bob arrives at Greg's tonight, about the time we get back from Marin. He and I will take off early Friday morning for breakfast at our favorite restaurant in Graton…Willow Wood. We'll head into Sebastopol afterwards, where we'll pick up provisions for our four days up north in Mendocino County. We've rented a cozy vacation rental on a bluff overlooking the Pacific. This is a place that we've stayed at several times in the past, which has a wonderful hot tub, and a great wood burning fireplace. This cloudy, cooler weather today here in Sonoma County will become even cooler tomorrow, with scattered showers, chance of hail…and even some thunder and lightning. We'll wind our way slowly north, following the course of highway 1, through Jenner, where Greg and I lived for 2 1/2 years when we were going to college back in the early 1970's. I forget if Bob and I will have connectivity up there, although if so, I'll be able to jot down what we're up to, which would be nice. If not, I'll be able to catch up with you on the 11th, when Bob drops me off at Linda's in Marin, before I fly back to the Kahului airport Maui the next day. Hope to write again in a day or two, be well until then my friends, Aloha, Glenn.

November 9-12 – This is the end, isn't there a song by that title, oh yeah…the Doors. It's the end of a six week vacation here on the mainland, both in California and southwest Colorado. I loved seeing my Mom and siblings, all of my long term friends, and of course all those new friends that came along too! Bob and I just got back from the north coast, and are at Linda's place this afternoon. The time on the coast was fabulous, just wonderful! We started each day in the hot tub, under the stars, with the sunrise a long way off. One or the other of us would go in and light the flames in the fireplace, and brew a cup of strong java to sip on while enjoying the first light of the new day. Our talking covered so many bases, its difficult to describe…really!

We spent one full day on a great beach called Schooners Gulch, with hardly a soul around. The next day we drove up to just south of the town of Mendocino, to the Big River, where we walked along a trail deep into the forest. We stopped on the way back to our rental, to a long beach in Elk, a nice little community nestled along the coast…for a wonderful colorful sunset. We got back into the hot tub when we returned, to see the last flair of the pink clouds. After cleaning up, and having a quick cup of coffee, we were out again.

We ended up at the best restaurant on the north coast, called St. Orres, for a few drinks in front of the fireplace there. It had been Veterans Day, and since I'm a Vietnam vet (I was drafted by the way), I was in a celebration mood. Why? Well, mostly because I made it through…and am still alive.  So, I fly back to Maui Tuesday (tomorrow), ending up back at my Kula, Maui weather tower by early evening. I'm looking forward to getting back into the day to day workings of the weather in Hawaii, very much in fact! I'll get back with you by Wednesday, Aloha to all of you in the islands, and goodbye for now to you folks living here on the mainland…Glenn.