Before I Get Started...

Before I start posting the good stuff from our trip to Kauai, I have some comments and questions.

Although we live in southern California, the only truly "major" airport is in Los Angeles. LAX is about 60 miles (and three traffic jams) from our house. Every time I have to go there, I'm reminded of how much of a zoo it is. They also have the surliest and most rude TSA employees I've seen. It's like they are prohibited from EVER cracking a smile. How about shoes? If you must take them off (which I understand,) why don't they at least carpet the floor? Also, how about giving you a place to sit down, to put them back on?

If Hawaiian Airlines is ever an option in your travels, you won't be sorry if you choose them. Well, you may be sorry if you are taking any luggage. A single suitcase will cost you $25. A second one is $30. I guess this is pretty much standard these days.

Okay, the airline is great, but why does airline food suck?  I guess that question can be expanded to "why does airline, airport and hospital food suck? So seriously, what the heck is this thing? They said it was a ham and egg sandwich! Yeah right! It looked like a souffle gone bad, served on a soggy roll. Of course, if you want better food, you can always upgrade to first class. They have much better food. I know they do, because since the FAA made the airlines take down all the curtains between first class and cattle class, you can clearly see what they are eating!

The service was good and the flights were great, the plane even had a wing. It might even have had two, but I'm not sure because I could only see this one.  I guess the crappy food was a good trade-off for having such great and smooth flights.

We had to change planes on Oahu. The main city, Honolulu is just like a big city. I guess that's because it IS a big city. To me it seems like a more tropical San Diego (complete with suburbs). I've spent some time here and it's a great place, but I wonder why the airport has very little air conditioning? Maybe the local folks are acclimated to the humidity, but many of the people just passing through looked they were going to pass out.  Still, Oahu is a fantastic vacation destination in it's own right. We wanted something smaller and more remote, so it was on to a smaller plane, destined to a smaller and more remote island. An island that has legislated against development, crowds, and in some cases progress. A place with more wild chickens than people.  Just our kind of place!

I promise you, this was the main road that took us away from the airport.

and led us to this road,

and finally to this spot...

Although we did spent quite a bit of time relaxing on this very spot (the chair is off of our patio), we did some exploring and had some adventures. Photos (better ones) and stories relating to them, will follow...

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Double Teaser From Kauai

My feet having a great time in Kauai. Yes, those are mosquito bites. We went on a hike and I forgot to apply bug juice.

A terrible pic of yours truly, but you can still tell that the wahines were digging me!

I think this was taken about two minutes before the police came

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A Teaser from Kauai

We are VERY happy with the condo we rented.  I took this photo from just outside the patio door, about 10 paces from the ocean (I think I could get used to this). We have very limited internet access and to post this, I had to hitch hike on a neighbor's wireless signal, so I have no idea how long that will last.

I visited Kauai about 30 years ago and was very surprised about how undeveloped and rural is was.

I'm totally happy to report that so far, it hasn't changed at all. I probably won't be able to post anything until I get home, so until that time....Aloha!

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On The Road Again...

I haven't been able to spend as much time here as I'd like to lately and that isn't going to change for a while.

We are currently out of town and will return just in time to catch an early flight on Monday morning to the beautiful island of Kauai. It's a fantastic place and you know I'm going to have at least one camera on me at all times.

We are supposed to have DSL where we are staying, but I'll believe it when I see it. Maybe I can post some stuff while we're there, but if not, I'll meet you all here when I get back. Until that time.... 
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After reading the title of this post, does anybody besides me have the song "On The Road Again" by Canned Heat, stuck in their head right now? Or maybe a different song (with the same name) by Willie Nelson?  I have both bouncing around (part of my ADDness, I presume.

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Dogs Are Sociopaths -- Part 5 -- Intelligence

Doesn’t a dog notice that when it goes from one room to another it walks freely through an open door? When that same door is closed, do they really think they can simply scratch through it? Or better yet, dig under it?

How about when they go outside? Even if there is plenty of unplanted dirt around, why do they have to dig up your flowers, garden, or your entire lawn?  What about swallowing rocks? And last but not least, what about that nasty little habit some of them have, that involves eating their own poop? Some dogs are not very smart…

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This is the last entry on dogs for a while. I do, however, have a few things to say about my favorite (truly) animals. Cats...

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Weekend Reflections - Dana Point

Taken directly into the bright sun, but I loved the harsh conrast.

Enlarge for best viewing.

Weekend Reflections by other photographers at Newtown Area Photo.

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Dogs Are Sociopaths -- Part 4 -- Perversion

Do dogs have poor vision?
I'm pretty sure that the opposite is true. So then, why do most male dogs have the “need” to hump everything in sight? It could be a female dog, another male dog, a piece of furniture, the family cat, your leg, the leg of an unsuspecting visitor, or even the leg of your child!
Many dogs are perverts…

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Dogs Are Sociopaths -- Part 3 -- Vandalism

Most dogs will destroy anything they can get their teeth into. This is especially true if no one is home to stop them. A bone or that special “chew toy” just isn't enough. They want to chew on something that belongs to you instead. Your furniture and clothing are good. Your newspapers, magazines and books are great. Your shoes, glasses, toothbrush, dentures, or collectibles are fantastic. If a dog can get to a box or bag of food, forget about it! It will tear it open and scatter the contents all over the room. If you are lucky enough to walk in and catch them in the act, they will have the unmitigated nerve NOT to be sorry, guilty, or even remotely afraid! No. they will still want to jump on you, lick you, and be taken for a walk.

Don’t EVER leave a can of spray paint sitting around when you go someplace; you’ll probably come home to some type of demented canine graffiti. Many dogs are vandals…

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