Air Temperatures – The following maximum temperatures were recorded across the state of Hawaii:   

Lihue, Kauai –                       
Honolulu airport, Oahu 
Kaneohe, Oahu –                 
Molokai airport –                 
Kahului airport, Maui –             
Kona airport –                     
Hilo airport, Hawaii –          

Air Temperatures ranged between these warmest and coolest spots near sea level – and on the highest mountain tops…as of:

Barking Sands, Kauai 
Hilo, Kauai 

Haleakala Crater –   (near 10,000 feet on Maui)
Mauna Kea –          (near 13,800 feet on the Big Island)

Hawaii’s Mountains – Here’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 sometimes not working correctly.

 Aloha Paragraphs


http://soulofamerica.com/soagalleries/maui/Maui-Sunset_Secret_Beach.jpg

Glenn has had a family emergency in California, and will back in Hawaii on April 18, current weather forecasts for all areas in the islands, will continue to be available on the upper left hand margin on each page of this website.

 


Current weather map  

The following numbers represent the strongest wind gusts (mph), along with directions:

                 Kauai – 
                 Oahu –
                 Molokai –
                 Kahoolawe –
                 Maui –
                 Lanai –
                    Big Island –

We 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 –  Here's the latest looping satellite image. Here's the latest looping radar image 

Here are the 24-hour precipitation totals (inches) for each of the islands as of:
 
                Kauai
                Oahu
                Molokai
                Kahoolawe
                   Maui
                Big Island 
 

My Father is deathly ill in Long Beach, California, and I will be there supporting my Mom, and my brother and sisters through this experience. I will be back to the islands on April 18th, at which point I'll begin my normal daily updates again. In my absence please refer to the current forecasts for each island…in the upper left hand corner of this page.

When I have chances, I'll come back here and leave notes about how things are going for me here in California. I greatly appreciate all the support that I'm personally receiving during this trying time in life. Aloha, Glenn

Thursday night in Long Beach / March 22nd – It was a quick flight, we got in more than a 1/2 hour early. I was in the Los Angeles airport just momentarily, before the Super Shuttle picked me up, and we were on the freeway in a matter of minutes. I got to my Mom and Dad's house, got a nice hug from my Mom, and right away had problems on their computer! The mouse wouldn't work, but after a little fiddling, got it working ok. So, now settling in, and will go to the hospital in the morning to see my Father. Aloha, Glenn

Friday night / March 23rd – I spent 11 hours in the hospital with my Dad today, mostly just sitting there watching him sleep or move around. We didn't converse at all, and at the most, he opened one eye and looked at me a couple of times, as I was speaking to him, although not sure if he knew it was me or not. I mostly spoke to the nurses and doctors, and the folks who were called sitters. It was a long day, not a normal day at all…I'll go that far. I understand that southern California has some rain coming Saturday through Sunday…I like that! Aloha, Glenn

Saturday night / March 24th – I just got home from the hospital a few minutes ago (1015pm), after being there for the last 13 hours. I hadn't eaten in so long, and couldn't figure out what to have, so I ate some of the things that I'd bought yesterday: organic bacon, eggs, and orange juice…and a few chips. This is a very unusual meal for me to eat, especially right before going to bed at almost 11pm! I felt that I really needed some sustenance after such a trying day, before I head back to the hospital first thing in the morning.

It was by far the most difficult of the days that I've been here in Long Beach so far. My Dad was transferred from one hospital to another smaller one, as we have taken him off of life support. The family had to face the fact that my Father isn't going to get better, and realize that his quality of life is greatly reduced, and getting worse day by day. We made the decision to settle for his comfort now, which is our greatest desire. This will be made available to him through this very last part of his wonderful life. Meanwhile, a vigorous Pacific storm will be dragging its tail (cold front) through southern California on Sunday, which will wet things down this afternoon. Take care, Aloha, Glenn

Sunday night / March 25th – Well, there goes another 13 hour day by my Dad's bedside, one very well spent…although fraught with the ups and downs that are hard to avoid. The fight seems to boil down to keeping him medicated enough that he remains comfortable. This sounds perhaps easier than it actually turns out to be, and is at times very difficult and frustrating. Anticipating when he will begin to get uncomfortable, and then allowing the next course of medication to kick in, is not an easy task. I don't want my father to be in the least bit uncomfortable, and yet it seems unavoidable at times. It's feels like such a luxury, like the best thing in the world, when he is sedated and sleeping peacefully. On the other hand, its like a nightmare when he's moaning and moving around in pain, truly!

He is still alive now, although I'm walking a fine line here, in wanting him to stick around, and on the other hand, wanting him to go. Writing those words is very difficult, but they are intimately true, just because I can't stand him to suffer. This honestly has me crying some now, just trying to embrace the still fresh image of him doing just that not long ago. The nurses, who I'm getting so close to, keep saying "give that shot of pain killer little more time to work." Although, honestly, even one minute of it not working…is like an hour too long! I'm pretty sure many of you can resonate with some of the things that I'm relating, to all of you then, and now me too…my heart goes out to all of us. This experience is a real life changer, and I absolutely know that I will be a different man once this is behind me. I'll catch up with you on Monday, be well until then, Aloha for now…Glenn.

Monday night / March 26th – Oh my gosh, what a day, although as it turns out, each day since I've arrived here from Maui…has been such a huge set of 24 hours. Long story short: the room that my Dad was in had two other men in there, and one of them always had his TV turned up all the way. I had all the staff asking him to turn it down, and he would until they walked out of the room, and then right back to the top volume. I finally got so irritated with this, that I had to take matters into my own hands, and walked over and unplugged his TV. He immediately started cursing and threatening me, while I calmly walked over to my dying Fathers bedside. This caused quite a ruckus in the facility, but the truth is, that I didn't give a…lets just say darn. The staff slowly came to me through the rest of the day, and said they didn't blame me at all. At any rate, I got my Dad transferred to another room, where he can reside in peace, and my family members can commune with him, rather than a blaring TV set.

I spent all day there, other than a brief time when I went to a morturary (I don't know how to spell some of this stuff) to arrange the cremation. All of my parents friends and family have passed away now, so my personal family will, what is the right word here? I guess just get together and look at all the pictures my Mom has of them, as they raised the four kids in our family, and all the places they traveled to around the world, after my Dad retired from the dental business. I anticipate that we will share our thoughts and feelings about my Dad. We'll probably laugh quite a bit at some things, and cry at others, I don't actually know, since I've never done it before. Speaking of myself, I'm starting to get tired, and know that I'm going to get even more so over the next several days. I don't mind though, and in a way I feel honored to be the one in the family who is taking care of business, serving my Dad in this last way that I can. He took very good care of me, as has my Mom, so that it's just what I want to do, even though before this happened, I didn't quite realize it like I am now. Take care, and thanks for letting me express myself in this way, and as all of you know, I'll be back to my regular weather reporting before too awfully long. Aloha for now…Glenn.

Tuesday night / March 27th – Today was a day that was different than the rest, that I've been spending with my Father. I started off taking a pretty long fast walk, and then having breakfast and a cup of coffee with my Mom. I then drove over to the facility, and spent the morning with my Dad, while the person in the next bed (this new room has just two beds rather than three) left to have surgery. This left my Dad the only one in the room, and changed the tone of our being together greatly. The difference today was that I had told my sister that she could drop off the kids, her sons, with me. This left her with a couple of hours of visiting with my Dad. She said she told my Dad lots of stories that she remembered in her life, about she and he I guess.

I took the two little girls (Lilly & Piper) to a park near where our family used to live, and not far from where my parent's house is now. It was fun to push them on the swings, and to watch them play with the other kids. They got to playing with a couple of other kids, whose Mother was there where we were all hanging out. This very nice lady and I began to talk, and she teaches Yoga and Pilates. Since I've recently taken up Yoga again, we had a nice conversation about my Father and about her raising her two kids. My sister texted me that she was ready to get the kids back, so I drove them back and she took off. Her husband then visited my Dad, and my younger sister was there too. I had gone home to finally get some food, and another small cup of coffee. I tried to nap for a while, but for some reason just couldn't succeed, so I'm still tired, and now that it's near 11pm, I'm about ready to hit the hay.

Before I end today's story, I wanted to share a little of what I experienced tonight. When I got back to the facility, it was quieting down quite a bit, and I took the liberty to close the door to my Dad's room. This finally allowed me to be with my Dad without all the distractions of people walking by, and whatever. I started thanking my Father for all the things he provided me, including my first bike, teaching me to fish, and for coming to my Little League practices and games, among many other things. I forgave him for the spankings he gave me, and for smoking cigarettes all his life. I cried while telling him my feelings about so many things, which finally allowed me to let go of some of the emotions that I knew where welling up inside of me.

I ended up just holding his hand for several hours, and just breathing with him, while we sat there together in the semi-dark room. I felt like I was approaching some sort of closure, although at the same time I know that his last breath will be tough, and I'm not even sure that the word tough will capture my feelings, if I happen to be at his bedside for that…which I hope that I am. ~~~ Thank you for letting me share these intimate feelings with you, it sometimes feels like too much to tell, and yet, I'm gradually realizing that this is a journal of sorts, that I'll be able to refer back to later in my life. My Mother is reading this too, which I think gives her a new perspective on her son's feelings about the family. I'll continue to write, knowing that many of you have had this experience, so you can relate…while others of you haven't reached this part of life yet. Aloha, Glenn.

Wednesday morning / March 28th – I was laying in bed sleeping last night, when my cell phone rang at 158am in the morning. I knew that wasn't going to be a pleasant conversation, and as it turned out…it wasn't. I was of course informed that my Dad had just passed away from the complications of pneumonia. I was there until around 10pm Tuesday night, and disliked leaving, as I did each night, but after all those hours I was so worn out. I had used the time alone with him last night to say all those things that I needed and wanted to say, so I am greatly thankful that I had that opportunity. There will be more to write of course, but for now, I just wanted to let you know. Again, I've so much appreciated all of your support, and all of your really kind and heartfelt words, they have helped me enormously! Aloha, Glenn

Thursday morning / March 29th – What a difference a day makes is a rather famous saying, and it sure holds true for me now. There was such an edge to life before my Dad died, rushing between the hospital and here at home each day. Now, since he has passed away, I'm feeling tired and rather flat…perhaps even leaning towards being depressed. Depression isn't something that I'm familiar with, but I suppose this feeling is about as close as I get. I'm giving myself a break for a couple of days, so I can assimilate all the feelings, and to find my solid footing again. My Mom is still sick, but is gradually feeling some slow improvement. The kids that I was babysitting two days ago have come down sick too, so I've pretty much been surrounded by ill health since I arrived here in California. I'm healthy, and continue to feel ok, other than this slackness in my energy today. I continue to eat well, and am sleeping fine at night, and even laying down several times during the day to rest. I'm sure that I'll regain my energy in a day or two, and am still taking my long walks each morning here in Long Beach. Best to you all, Aloha…Glenn

Friday evening / March 30th – Today was an easier day, at least less emotional…which is quite a change from the last week. I finalized the cremation process, and my Mom notified Social Security of my Fathers death. I took the opportunity this afternoon to get in touch with an old friend, my best friend from elementary, Junior high…and high school. We have touched base a couple of times (via email), but haven't seen each other since the 60's! So we have finally connected enough over the last few days, that we have a luncheon arrangement here in Long Beach this coming Monday.

As I consider getting together, I can feel this ground swell of conversation in the air. We will have so much to speak about, that I honestly don't know where we'll begin. At the same time, this old friend's (Jim) Mom married my other best friend's (Bob) Dad about 35 years ago…both of their previous spouses had passed away.  I'm going to go see these two folks tomorrow, as they knew me well as a small kid. It will be fun to see them, and I believe they are both near 88 years old. I'll let you know how this goes at some point on Saturday, after I get done visiting with them. Aloha, Glenn.

Saturday evening / March 31st – Hi folks, wanted to catch up with you briefly about how the day went. My Mom and I spent the better part of it together, which is a good thing. We went to a store she likes, called Sprouts, which has good food, and lower prices than Whole Foods. I like the selection, as there were lots of organic choices to make. We bought a few things, and then had lunch together back at home. I then rode my sisters bike over to those folks that I was writing about in the paragraph above. Roy and Louise turned out to be as nice as I remember them from all those years ago, and I'm so happy that we renewed our friendship! The three of us sat around for several hours and shared some of the older stories, and some more current ones too. As I was mentioning, they are the Mom and Dad of two of my best friends as I was growing up here in Long Beach. These boys and I all went to elementary, junior and high school together, so we have a long history in our lives. I'll be finally seeing Jim, Louise's son this coming Monday, when we get together for lunch at a place called Hof's Hut.

When I got home from that visit, I sat outside in the back yard, to catch the last of the sun before a weak cold frontal cloud band spreads across southern California. Rain had arrived along the central California coastal late in the afternoon, and clouds were stretching into this area towards sunset. As many of you know, I enjoy seeing the approach of these type of fronts, although I'm not expecting much precipitation. It is expected to move through tonight, with cool and windy conditions filling in behind it on Sunday. An offshore flow of air will arrive on Monday, with warming temperatures through Tuesday. ~~~ Back to the present, I'll be having an organic tortilla, heated with cheese, avocado, beans, salsa…and lots of fresh salad greens on top for dinner. Typically, my Mom likes to watch TV after dinner, which I enjoy doing with her, in contrast to being home…where I gave away my TV's years ago. I'll catch up with you again soon, Aloha, Glenn.

Monday evening / April 2 –  Hi again everyone, starting off with the weather here in southern California…yesterday was really nice, while today was even warmer, with further warming expected Tuesday. This early spring warm spell will be over-ridden by a rather pronounced cooling mid-week for a few days. Meanwhile, today I met with my old friend Jim, for lunch here in Long Beach. As I was mentioning above, we haven't seen each other since the 1960's, when we went to early school together. It was great to meet him again, as he was my best friend way back then. We spent a good couple of hours together, and talked about so many things, both old and new. While we were together, his Mom called, and invited me to stop over there, and to meet his sister tomorrow. She is apparently very much into a clean and healthy lifestyle, and she thought the two of us would have an interesting conversation. At the same time, my brother flies in from Texas tomorrow morning, which will be a big treat for our family. As usual, I'm sure he and I will shift into high gear, making a list and getting to work on my parents house! I'll be back at some point over the next couple of days to report on these new affairs coming up. Aloha, Glenn.

Thursday morning / April 5 –  A few days have passed since I last shared the reality here in Long Beach. Thinking back, which isn't an easy task, considering all the things that have taken place. I had a very nice meeting with Jim's sister Jane and his Mom Louise the other day, where lots of topics were covered, the most extensive of which were health (macro-biotics)…which I had anticipated and enjoyed very much. Since then, my brother Steve arrived from Texas, and as always, we went straight into the work mode. We fixed a broken TV and the dryer, and did all sorts of clipping of the plants around the main house. My sisters husband Chris came over yesterday, and the three of us worked together all day. He's coming over again this morning, so its lining up to be another long work experience. I'm sort of the leader of our efforts, mostly because I carry around the list, and take them out to lunch. It's a good thing, as it gives us something to do, which we all enjoy. My Mom and brother are into golf, and with the Masters Tournament now having started, we relax in the evening watching the best golfers in the world, playing there in Augusta, Georgia. I hope everyone is doing well, wherever you happen to be now! I'll check back in soon, and give a few additional updates then. Aloha, Glenn.

Sunday afternoon / April 8 – Happy Easter everyone! This of course is a big family day, our first without having my Father involved. We have his ashes now, which we got yesterday…and we'll take them along to our family get together at my Sister's daughter's house. My Mom is bringing lots of pictures of my Dad, so I'm sure that his memory will be kept alive nicely through conversation and stories. We aren't a religious family, although we always appreciate the Easter spirit. Here's wishing you well, there in the islands…or wherever else you're spending this important holiday! Aloha, Glenn.

Friday morning / April 13 – Hi again, five days have passed since I last posted a few words. My family had a get together a few days ago, bringing a good completion to my Fathers passing. Since then, my brother and I powered out on the work that needed to be done at home. As I've mentioned before, he and I both love to work together as a team. Wednesday evening I flew up to Sacramento, and was picked up by my friend Susan, who lives here at around 2400 feet elevation in the Sierra Nevada foothills. We've been doing quite a bit of walking and talking, which has been fun.

Yesterday we had rain, mixed with a few flakes of snow and some sleet too. I knew we had colder air coming over night last night, and lo and behold…I awoke to lots of snow falling this morning! We just got back from a long walk out in the flakage, which was great. My friend Bob is joining us later today, and so we'll go out to dinner after a glass of wine, and then to an outdoor hot tub at one of Susan's friends house. I'll catch up with you next, at least likely, over in Marin County near the coast, as Bob takes me to Linda's for a few days before I fly back to Maui on the 18th, next Wednesday. Thanks so much for all your wonderful comments below, they have helped to prop me up through the death of my Dad! Aloha, Glenn

Wednesday morning / April 18 – Hi again, this time I'm in Marin County, and have been for the last couple of days. Bob picked me up from Susan's place in Grass Valley near Nevada City, and we drove over to the coast at Linda's. The weather has been great since arriving, with warm days and cool nights. The three of us had a wonderful time of walking out in nature, eating great food, and generally just enjoying each others company. Bob teaches at the University of California at Davis, and San Francisco State University, as well as several community colleges near Sacramento. Linda is an avid birder, and so the three of us had many good walks and talks. We hiked out Tennessee Valley to the ocean several times, and this morning we spotted a coyote crossing the trail just ahead of us! We also hiked Alpine Lake near Fairfax, and Ring Mountain near Tiburon…which were great the past few days. Linda wanted to have me share these birds that we saw over the last couple of days: Common yellow throat warbler, California Quail, and a Wilson's Warbler…among many others. She also wants to share a couple of the many, many lovely spring flowers that we saw: Tidy Tips, Gold Fields, False Lupine, Blue eyed grass, and Oakland Startulip.

Linda and I started off early this morning, leaving her house before 6am, for our last hike in Tennessee Valley. I just had oatmeal, toast and fruit salad for breakfast, and am drinking a nice cup of coffee. Linda leaves soon for her Yoga class, giving me time to pack and get it together for my ride down to the San Francisco airport on the Marin Airporter bus. ~~~ Taking a moment to reflect back upon this near month long trip to the mainland, it has been a real adventure! The larger part of this time in California of course was spent being with my family, and spending a week with my Father before his passing away. The next two weeks I was occupied with being with my Mom, brother and sisters, there in Long Beach. It was an intense time, especially before my Dad died. It was hard to leave southern California, as I felt so close to my family. I am still employed by the Pacific Disaster Center on Maui, and of course this website is still very important to me as well…thus, I need to begin working in these areas again soon. Finally, I want to sincerely thank each of those folks who shared their thoughts with me and my family, during this recent period of losing a loved one! I will be back on Maui early this evening, and will begin my regular updates on Thursday. Looking a bit ahead, I see that well established trade winds continue across the islands, while a weakening cold front will bring some increase in showers to the windward sides this weekend…more about all this soon. I hope everyone is well, Aloha, Glenn.

Wednesday evening / April 18 – Good evening, after five flight time changes at the San Francisco airport, I was finally able to take off for Maui. It was a smooth flight, although the late take off got me in about two hours after my expected arrival time. My friend David picked me up at the airport, and we went to the store for a few things, and at the same time picked up my dinner to go. My body is telling me that its 11pm (California time), while the clock here in my Kula, Maui weather tower is showing 9pm. It feels good to be home, and I'm looking forward to hopping into bed soon…I'll catch up with you on Thursday. Aloha, Glenn