November 28, 2010: We explored in and around the caves of the waters at Holoholokai Beach Park, Kohala. This dive helped me narrowly avoid serious “bottom time” withdrawal; and a case of “DRY Gills”! 😉
Beautiful caves with “sky lights” allowing the sun’s rays to dance gracefully about the shadows of the depths, and giving us glimpses as well as photographic opportunities of several marine animals that make themselves scarce in the daylight hours. We found their “hiding” place 😉
We found a Whitetip Reef Shark (Triaenodon obesus) and some fish commonly referred to as Squirrel Fish. These caves, with Andy’s help, also presented me the opportunity to finally photograph a Nudibranch that I had not seen before. Nudibranchs and Flatworms are both very interesting life-forms indeed!
Just one of the messages and some of the fun, reinforcing incentives at the Fall 2008 Read Aloud Program (RAP) at Waikoloa.
The Read Aloud America Read Aloud Program (RAP) is once again seeking volunteers to be volunteer readers as well as volunteers who can substitute as readers on short notice. This news is from Hawaii247.org!
There will also probably be a need for volunteer escorts to assist in getting groups to the assigned reading rooms and back to the cafeteria. More information on the schools offering the RAP and the dates each will be presented may be found here –> Read Aloud America Read Aloud Program (RAP) as well as contacting the representative for Read Aloud America RAP at (808) 224-1727 for more information.
The Fall 2008 Read Aloud Program (RAP) at Waikoloa had an impressive turnout.
I first had the incredible Privilege to be a part of this GREAT Program in Fall 2008 at Waikoloa Elementary School as a Reader Escort! As you can see from the post that I made after the first night of the RAP sessions in August 2008, it was an awesome experience! It only got better from there right down to the very last night that was a mix of laughter and joy as presentations were made; and an undertone of melancholy for the end of this wonderful, semi-weekly event.
It was very similar and just as FUN at the Waimea RAP during the same time frame. They staggered alternate nights and dates to make both possible as well as making it possible for me to volunteer at both! I gained an immense amount of information and ideas in addition to an understanding for what keeps the attention of the children. If it is possible for you to go and sign up, please do! They can usually put any and all volunteers to helpful tasks; and the rewards are numerous.
Early in the week, I get a call from Dave at Blue Wilderness Dive Adventures with an invitation to join them again this year for a trashy dive…huhhmmm…One Small Group of Dive Buddies: Dave, Lori, Joy, and Deb. A few of the many that turned out to support the efforts.
I mean another Puako Beach Clean-up Dive on Saturday morning, September 18th 😉
Both Andy and I joined in on last year’s effort on September 12; but, “sadly”, Andy had to work on the Mountain this year on the scheduled date. This year, while he was on Mauna Kea Summit, I went shore diving bringing in rubbish of all types and taking pictures as best as I could in the murky water so near the Puako Bay shoreline.When it is now so much a Part of the Reef that it would destroy more of the coral than would be benefited, we leave it embedded.
We didn’t have to dive very deep to bring up a lot of rubbish such as car tires, a vehicle break cylinder, numerous drink cans (what a waste of HI-5‘s!),Catch of the Day: A nice sized anchor! yards of abandoned fishing line with a couple of large hooks attached, some golf balls, a few “what’s its”, and a boat anchor (Lori got her workout on that one) — and that was just what was pulled out of the water.
The take for the day.
The onshore team gathered up way too many cigarette butts, a rusty section of barbed wire fence with rusty posts, a dirty diaper or two, more golf balls, and a few more “what’s its”!
Off to the Waste Disposal site so near the Bay. Why this gets dumped in the Bay instead… ??? …The “what’s its” lead to some interesting speculation of what the former function was prior to becoming rusty litter :-O Much laughter ensued from the comments put forth!
Thursday, August 12, 2010: Work today from 7:35am to 2:05pm.
By 2:45pm: driving to Kona on a partially routine shopping trip and to pick up an item that had been back-ordered.
By 6:45pm: All items checked off the to-do list in quick order and I begin the drive back home…
Approaching the airport intersection, my car displays a well overheated status…I was glad airport was the next turn, and I dive into the first location that seemed to make sense – the Rental Return lots on approach to the airport.
I owe a great big Mahalo to the Alamo rental-return employees! Theirs was the first lot that looked inviting to an ailing vehicle not of their own fleet.
They let me allow my car to cool down sufficiently and then loaned me a water jug so that I could fill the radiator. It took a bit of time for it to cool sufficiently so that I could safely add the water.
Well, that would have been great if my radiator cap hadn’t have suffered a huge going-to-pieces 😐 When I took off the cap, part of it remained in the radiator fill spout and part of it bounced off in the dark not to be seen again. I managed to remove the piece that was blocking the spout and filled the radiator when it had cooled; but the cap would no longer make a seal.
Oh. Boy. Andy was doing an all-niter on Mauna Kea. Now what to do?
I called the Mauna Kea Visitor Information Station and asked for him. He was in the middle of a “Star Tour” and would call back. Several minutes later when he did call back, I explained the situation. After I called the insurance, I determined that the best thing to do was to call a tow truck. Thankfully, there had been a tow company dropping off a vehicle earlier; and one of the Alamo guys suggested writing down the phone number.
I called T&T Towing 24 Hour Service, and they dispatched a truck right away. Alamo was forced by liability issues to request that I move my car off their lot and they were VERY polite about it as well as helpful. I limped my car off the lot (and watched as the temperature gauge quickly began to rise), and found an area by the curb that was not painted red to wait.
In about 15-25 minutes, the truck appeared down the street and I waived him down to show him that I had moved the car. He quickly, but carefully put my car on the wheel lift; and we were off. I was finally home by 10:00pm! Thank you T&T for being there and not breaking my pocketbook!!!!
Thus I walked to work and back home again on Friday; while allowing Andy to enjoy the whole night at 9200 feet observing the Perseid Meteor Shower and taking astrophotos.
I am sure he will soon post some of the results to his Blog “A Darkerview“! 🙂
