The Pot Calling the Kettle Black

Posted by Ron on Maui

The pot was a mess. It had been slaving over the fire all day long, and it was so sooty and grimy that it was feeling out of sorts. The kettle had also been used, being the receptacle for the freshly cut apples. Spices were added along with the apples, then the entire contents were dumped into the pot for cooking down into the delicious apple butter. The kettle was never used over the fire, because it was copper and would have conducted the heat too rapidly, causing the apples to burn. Now the apple butter was cooling in glass jars, and the cleanup had started. The pot was placed next to the kettle, while awaiting its turn to be washed.

The pot glared at the kettle. Because the kettle's shiny surface was so fine, it reflected the pot. The pot could see that the kettle was as black and grimy as it was, not understanding that the image it saw was really its own image. "Hey, Kettle! You're filthy! Why don't you get cleaned up? If you had any self respect, you wouldn't look so shabby."

The kettle could not understand the pot's criticism, because it knew that they had both worked hard all day. Because it could not see its reflection in the pot's surface, it assumed they were both dirty. It felt bad to be criticized by the pot.

The moral of this story is: I am not going to say anything about no one posting to this blog, because I have also been lax at posting regularly!

This is the most sofisticated guilt trip I could think of. It is sufficiently convoluted, that your will probably be scratching your head for days trying to figure out who is whom. HA, HA! Enjoy!

Pictures!!

James and I on the hammock in Alex's backyard. I had been sitting on it while Alex made the finishing touches to her make-up when James joined me and then this photo was taken. Alex was also in one of the pictures but it wasn't a flattering photo to her at all so I won't post that one! Kind soul that I am.

This is Alex, James and I just before leaving for the tropical plantation.

Alex and I are objecting to Tracy's (Alex's mom) idea that we should both kiss James on the cheek for the next photo.

Here we are sitting at our table. We all look so evil in this one! Not one of us escaped without red-eye! Going down the table row starting on the left is: Zach, Kylie, Sheilah, James, Alex, me, Kristy and Elizabeth. Not shown are Devon and Marc.

That's Kylie and Elizabeth talking to me just after we arrived. The bracelet was a last minute adjustment to our dresses that both Alex and I had to make. If fell out just before we left but worked well most of the night.

This was the first time they had seen my haircut and that is why they are making the faces they are! The girl in pink is Kylie, and the girl in black and white is Kristy.

Prom (at last!)

I know this is exceptionally late and that the novelty has worn off but here, after much pushing and coaxing, is my account of prom night 2006.
I had work in the morning but as soon as I got off I came home and gathered my stuff before heading over the Alex's house. Veronica left for Bridget's house around the same time. At Alex's we got all gooped up in make-up and stuff, but for some reason could not bring ourselves to get into the dresses we had pondered so thoughtfully over in the store. We would go into the bedroom where they were hanging and look at them and admire them and then turn around and go back to the living room to do something else. Finally five minutes before we were about to leave we got in our dresses and came out to see that James had arrived. Everyone being present and accounted for (and dressed) we headed out to the car and proceeded to argue over the front. I won, but only by stating that it was Alex's car and she always gets to sit in the front and then by reminding James that he had it when we went prom shopping and when we went to the movies. Happy with my success I jumped into the front seat after everyone was arranged in the back and prepared for the trip to the tropical plantation. It was only about a five or ten minute drive and we could see the rain shadow from Kihei. Luckily by the time we got there it was only sprinkling and we didn't get soaked. As soon as I stepped from the car I looked up and found myself staring into the face of a video camera. Slightly embarrassed and hoping I hadn't done anything too terrible while extricating myself from the small confines of the tracker, I helped everyone from the car and was kind enough to warn them of their impending stardom in the movie Ryan was intent on taking of our arrival. After everyone had successfully removed themselves from the car and the video camera had been safely pointed in another direction, we proceeded to follow the path through the gardens to the main building. Upon seeing our arrival all of our friends gathered around, got us signed in and we all exchanged compliments on dresses and hair. Pulling up another table we all sat down and started to laugh and talk and tell funny stories of getting ready and all the preparation we went through, all the while more and more of our acquaintances showed up. Eventually tired of sitting we all stood in a circle on the otherwise empty dance floor and waited for things to start. Finally after the bulk of the people arrived they opened the buffet and we all ate and had a good time until the DJ got there. When the dancing started everyone piled onto the dance floor and we all had a wonderful time. I was a little worried because I didn't know how to dance but soon lost my fear because I definitely wasn't the best or worst dancer there. I mostly danced with my friends in a circle but did dance with James a couple of times and most importantly had a ton of fun. They played some really good music: Sugar we're going down; Hips don't lie, etc... and everyone was laughing and having a blast. Alex and I both sat out a few songs and went outside or to a nearby window to sit down and cool but other than that danced the entire time. Prom ended at ten and mom and dad had agreed to take Alex, James and Bridget home so we all piled into our car. After everyone had been delivered to their homes we returned to the apartment and took some pictures and then went to bed. Only this time I was reluctant to remove the dress I was so hesitant to put on earlier that day. (There were/are so many fond memories in that dress.) I know that we all had a blast and can’t wait for another dance.
Anyway, that was prom night . Sorry it's late but all of your prodding’s finally got to me Jennifer! Now you just have to get Veronica to tell her side of the story! Hope you like the pictures; I still haven't gotten the ones from Alex so I'll just e-mail those to you when I do.

As Long As I'm Here

As long as I'm here, it doesn't matter where "here" is.

Still, it would be nice to know!

MVH

Family Picnic at Missouri Veterans Home

We left for Missouri mid-morning. It was a beautiful day. The mountain looked so majestic when we lifted off. There was still snow on the peaks in the high country and the prairie was its usual brown. After all the traveling I have done for the number of years I have traveled, I still feel apprehensive leaving home but this particular trip had me feeling happy and excited. I was so anxious to see Dad again but knew this weekend would be filled with many emotions – not all of them good. It was a very pleasant flight until we were beyond Kansas City. The turbulence began. I have never had a smooth flight into Lambert Airport in St. Louis. It must be the river or perhaps the Arch – who knows – it is always bumpy. Nevertheless, we made it in safely and proceeded to get our car. We were going to take I70 to 270 to 44. It had been a long time since I have driven in or around the St. Louis area. I was shocked at the amount of traffic there was. There were major traffic jams at l:30 in the afternoon. I had never been in such traffic – not even in my travels to the East Coast. Where were all these people going? Missouri must have received their federal money for road improvement because there was road construction on every highway (which did not help with the congestion). We continued our journey south, stopping for a late lunch at a Steak N Shake. While being a very quaint establishment, the food was not as good as either Steve or I remembered from our past. I did have to get some pictures of the unique signage.

We arrived at Dad’s a little while later. The grounds were alive with activity. Tents were being set up, a stage prepared and many tables and chairs set up. When we walked into his core, we were pleasantly surprised. All the residents were in the day room and everyone was being cleanly shaved and getting haircuts in anticipation of the big day. There was so much excitement among the residents. Dad was very clean-shaven and looked really nice. I noticed he was not wearing any shoes. I went to his room and was able to locate two right-footed shoes. Steve and I decided we would head down to the Rolla WalMart to buy him some shoes. On Dad’s door, there was a note posted that he would have visitors for the Family Day event. There was also a note stating that an “outfit” had been picked out and put aside for him to wear. I must say, the home was going all out for this picnic.

We stayed at the Best Western in Rolla. After shopping for shoes and socks for Dad, we checked into the hotel and settled in. We found a really nice lake not far from our hotel. We decided it would be great to walk around the lake and take some pictures. We came across a man fishing with his daughter. It made me think of the time when Dad had a camper and I met him at his campsite for an overnighter. We went fishing together and almost froze it was so cold. I still have that picture. Anyway, I digress, we started around the lake. The man had caught a big turtle and we were all off in the grass trying to locate this booger because he so wanted to show us. Meanwhile, his daughter was “manning” his fishing pole that was getting many hits. He finally went back to his pole only to discover he had caught not one but two fish on the one line. One was caught with chicken liver and the other with a worm. Being as how proud he was of this feat, we had to obligate him with a photo. We were equally impressed but continued around the lake.

The next day, before heading back up to St. James, we explored Rolla - located in the foothills of the Ozarks. Rolla has been ranked as one of the top 100 best small towns in the U.S. and is also home to the University of Missouri, which boasts of one of the best engineering schools in the nation. There are only 4300 students who attend the university. We visited the Stonehenge exhibit, which is a half scale replica and was built by engineering students. It was remarkably accurate to the Stonehenge located on Salisbury Plain in England constructed more than 4000 years ago and stands as one of the world’s outstanding engineering projects. It makes me proud to be an engineer!! While it was incredibly significant for small town America, I must admit I much more enjoyed visiting the real Stonehenge while living in England.

We headed up to St. James and took Dad outside. He did so well in his walker. At times, he would just sit down but after a bit, was eager to continue on his trek. I thought the crowd was significant. There were many Navy, Marine and Army personnel who came up from Ft. Leonard Wood to help with the festivities. Ft. Leonard Wood is located approximately 30 miles southwest of Rolla on I-44. These very dedicated women and men helped with the residents of the Veterans Home in getting them outside, helping with their lunches, dancing with them and just visiting with the residents. Dad ate a lot and then we walked all over the grounds. Again, he would become tired and sit for a while but was always ready to go further. Steve was worried about him being in the sun without protection, so took his very favorite straw hat (purchased years ago at Hilo Hattie in Maui) and put it on Dad. That was the end of the hat for Steve. There were several occasions, when I was taking pictures, when Steve tried to raise the hat so Dad’s eyes could be seen, but Dad would have nothing to do with that. He firmly placed his hand on the top of his newly acquired hat and no one was going to remove it or take it away from him. We spent a lot of time outside with Dad and he really enjoyed moving about. After taking him in, I was startled when Dad suddenly let go of his walker, took my hand, and walked with me. He held on only with his left hand on the walker and we walked up and down the hall. At one point, he very clearly stated “let’s go” and walked toward the door. I was shocked that he said the words so distinctly. The staff wanted to freshen up the residents as most had returned to the air-conditioning of the core, so Steve and I walked about the grounds. We took many pictures and when we returned, Dad approached me and had the most mischievous look and grin on his face. He proudly handed me a putty knife he had found. I turned it over to the staff and they were amused he had found it on a construction cart sitting in the hallway. Suddenly it was time to go. Both Steve and I hugged and kissed Dad and told him how much we loved him and turned to leave. I looked back and he was sitting in his walker, against a table with no one around just staring into space. I felt so sad I cried but was glad we had made the journey.

We headed back to St. Louis. We had a very early morning flight so had decided to spend the night in St. Louis to eliminate the drive. On our drive back, we stopped at Union Station and visited the Hard Rock Café.

Union Station is a lot different than I remembered when I once lived there. They have done a remarkable job at saving old town St. Louis. We were able to see the Gateway Arch.


The weather that day was so perfect. After putzing around down town, we headed to our hotel. It was a pretty early night as we were both tired from the traveling but most especially from all the emotions we had experienced that day.

Our trip back to Colorado was uneventful and we were both glad to arrive home.

Radians

Imagine a circle. The circumference of the cirlce is 2 times pi times the radius of the circle (2*pi*r).

Now say the radius of the circle is 1. The formula of the circumference of the "unit" circle (a circle with a radius of one) is two times pi. (Since the radius is one, we can eliminate the multiplier "radius" from the equation.

The circumference is 360 degrees. It is also 2pi: 360=2pi. The units are radians. 360 = 2 pi radians. Dividing both sides by 2 results in 180=pi radians. It follows that 90 degrees equals pi/2 radians.

Thus we have a way of describing an angle that relates very directly to the formula for circumference! And how cool is that!

Looking for a few writers

OK, people. Other than the Letts', who have their own blog which they post to regularly, I seem to be the only person contributing to this blog. IS THERE A PROBLEM? Everything I have read about creative writing says to write often. We will acknowledge that our efforts will not be Pulitzer Prize material. Some of it will be downright bad (see my last post). But if one never posts, one will not grow as a writer, will one? So let's (not Letts') get going! Jennifer and Marianna are our inspiration! We can do this! GO! GO! GO! WRITE, WRITE, WRITE! SCORE!

The Antherium

Written by Ron on Maui.

When life hath you befuddled, and you don't know where to turn, go to the Antherium, where you will get all the antherth to your quethionth.

Or ith that the name of a flower?

Kona Wind

Written by Ron on Maui. May 18, 2006.
The smoke from the sugar mill rose straight up out of the stacks this morning. Usually it was blown south by the trade winds. The foul smell that emanates from the factory had nowhere to go and was especially overpowering as I drove past on my way to work. With no wind, the West Maui Mountains were unusually cloud free.
About 10:00 AM, a slight breeze started stirring. The windsock was clearly confused. It would point south, then hang limp, then jump to the east or west. All at once, it swung around and pointed to the north. It was going to be a Kona Wind day!
In Hawaii, the normal wind is from the northeast and is called the Trade Wind. The winds are almost always Trades. This is why the rain forests are on the east or windward side of the island. The leeward side is dry and warm. Kihei!! But during a Kona wind, wet may be west, both sides wet, both sides dry. It all changes during a Kona wind.
As the velocity of the air increases, small bits of grass and trash free themselves from their prison against the south boundary fence and begin a headlong rush across the tarmac, tumbling frantically to the fence on the opposite side of the airport, there to wait patiently for the next wind change.

Slider Birds

These Java Sparrows come to our birdfeeder, which is just off our lanai. They are a very noisy, boisterous bird that are very fun to watch. Notice that at the feeder, and in the trees, they are in pairs? A bird will tolerate its mate, but will cruelly drive off any other bird. To get a space at the feeder, a bird will fly alongside or come up from underneath and attempt to get a bird to leave. If it does, it takes its place on the feeder and then will fight with the remaining bird to drive it off. Of course, it is trying to get the newcomer to leave. If the newcomer succeeds, its mate will join it and they will quickly grab some of the birdfood, because a new challenger is sure to be right there.

We call them slider birds because when they land on the palm branches, they slowly slide down the branch to the trunk! It is so funny, because they don't seem able to stop the slide.

These are the most common bird we see at the feeder. Other species: house finch, red crested cardinal, zebra dove, francolin, common mya, Japanese white-eye, chickens, northern cardinal and spotted dove.

The Paths Taken

The Paths Taken
Written by Ron on the Island of Maui. May 17, 2006.

This little Hawaiian village is on the northern shore of Maui. The beach is a rock beach: no sand, but the beach is entirely made up of rounded rocks about the size of a coconut. From the overlook where this picture was taken, you could hear the rocks grind together every time a wave crashed in to shore. Because of the distance, the grinding sound would come about midway between the waves. What must it be like to live in a house here and listen to rocks being tossed about by the waves?

I think this is the village that Richard Ho'opi'i is from. He is a famous Hawaiian falsetto singer that last year had his music put in the Smithsonian. We saw him perform at the Maui Mall last fall. His music is beautiful, and his range is incredible.

We were born under a wandering star. Our belief is to pursue a dream. For each of us, this represents a personal quest. Some of us move about. Some of us pursue a career, some of us are content, some are restless. Sometimes, our perspective changes and we yearn for stability, or more adventure, or for each other. Life is a journey. This is our journal.