DECK LOG ENTRY 2182100Z MAR 10 - I'M BACK

As the image suggests, I'm back from an extended absence that was attributed to a great many causes too numerous to list. What's important is that I'm back here adding content that may or may not provide value but is offered just the same. This entry will be brief as the intent is to reestablish comminications channels after remaining EMCON ALPHA for the lengthy period during my absence, so up to date status follows, with more to come.

Moored starboard side to Berth 4 at US Naval Station Nofolks, with six standard mooring lines doubled fore and aft. Ships present include USS NEVERSAIL DD-420, USS WHATSANANCHOR DD-421 and various ships and auxiliary units of the US Atlantic Fleet. The plant is cold iron with the ship receiving all hotel services from the pier. Sounding and security watches have been posted. Section III is on deck with the bulk of the off watch crew ashore. The Commanding Officer is aboard. Senior Officer Present Afloat is COMNAVSAMLANT embarked in USS NEVERSAIL.

Multifaceted Homes

This post might bring this outfit a little free advertising, but at the moment we're feeling interested in exploring a home design that many would argue is unconventional.

For our August visit to the Big Island we found and rented Hale Kea, a private residence on the mauka end of HPP near Maku'u Drive. We very much liked the appearance of it from pictures provided by Mark and Ron, the guys at Hawaiian Paradise Vacation Rentals, and found it even more to our liking once we saw it in person. Our initial line of thinking about this style of a dwelling was that its uniqueness in the shape (equiangular/equilateral polygon) and interior (100% finished wood - no sheetrock on a single wall) would be nice for a few weeks' vacation lodging but might be a little too unconventional for our taste as a permanent residence.

Although the house was not much more than 1000 sq/ft indoor space, it featured almost the same area of covered lanais creating a larger, greatly more roomy feeling. The multiple structures joined by lanais and a covered breezeway added to the illusion by increasing the footprint of the dwelling to that of a 1600-1800 sq/ft house.

As our 2 weeks R&R passed while we lived in this little house surrounded by one of the most well planned and tastefully planted landscapes we've seen anywhere, itself an inspiration for the potential that our own property has if we tend to it right, we became accustomed to the rich, natural surrounding inside the house of woodwork everywhere. This is a function of the constuction method of this house being single-wall, meaning that the interior of the framing and exterior siding are not covered with drywall and painted rather, the framing material and inside surfaces of the cedar tongue and groove siding are of a clear or nearly so quality to accept stain and varnish, resulting in the interior wall surfaces being treated to become the final interior wall finish. Single-wall construction is popular in Hawai'i and has been used there for many years.

A few weeks after our return from vacation, on a whim I did a google search for modular home manufacturers and found to my surprise, that the company that made this house is located right there in the Shipman Industrial Park near Keaau...practically right in our own back yard. This discovery caused me to look a little deeper into the designs, and the process by which Multi-Faceted Homes creates these unique houses.

What I've found so far in the limited time devoted to this research is that (a) the more we look at other designs of this style, the more we seem to like it. It feels a little like you're living inside a beautiful piece of furniture, or a wooden ship. (2) The company has a great variety of design configurations due to the modular design method and no load-bearing walls other than the exterior shell made up of flat panels, framed and sided at the factory and assembled on site, the number depending on the square footage of the home being built; and (c) putting up one of these homes is fast, once type of foundation (slab or post and pier) is determined and installed. Turnkey condition of course is additional time.  Overall however, I think this construction method should be faster than conventional stick-built construction.

This is a sample of one of their floorplans that shows a similar configuration to that of the August rental house. The difference to note here is that the structure joining the two faceted modules is enclosed and the space used for kitchen and laundry, and has two bedrooms in the main hale. Our rental was connected by the open-sided, covered breezeway, and the kitchen occupied the space where the left most bedroom is shown in this plan, partition wall removed. This illustrates the flexibility achieved by no load-bearing interior walls.

Another thing that this concept permits is a relatively easy ability to expand by adding another module, or expanding either the main hale or master suite with a rectangular extension. This is shown in other plans on the company's website.

One of the considerations about building a house with unconventional design is eventual resale. Although not as extreme as a geodesic dome golfball-looking house or one built out of shipping containers or stucco'd straw bales, many would avoid a design that did not fit the mold of modern home design. In our case, as shortsighted as it sounds, this is not of great concern since we plan to spend the rest of our lives in the house we build and selling it will be someone else's issue to deal with.

Although this could be one of many impulsive ideas to come, for the moment, we like it, the financial aspects are attractive, and we think we could get used to living surrounded by rich, warm woodwork. The multi-faceted hale is under consideration for a possible solution for our housing requirement when our time comes to build. Besides, right angles aren't everything.

DECK LOG ENTRY 142300Z SEP 09

POSIT: 027° 08' 36" N / 080° 10' 44" W

Moored Port side to at Berth B-4, Stuart FL inboard a nest of six ships. Six standard mooring lines, doubled and spring lay out fore and aft. Topside security sentries posted, Starboard section on deck. The engineering plant is Cold Iron, main space roving watch taking soundings hourly. Receiving ships power, potable water and sanitation services from the pier. Material Condition Yoke is set throughout the ship. The Captain is aboard. Ships present include various units of the US Atlantic Retired Fleet, SOPA is COMSAMLANT, embarked in USS NEVERSAIL.

I Must Be Looking Up A Lot Lately

POSIT: 027° 08' 36" N / 080° 10' 44" W
DTG: 102021Z SEP 09

Leaving my neighborhood this morning on my usual route to work, I turned onto the road from the entrance to our community and saw this rainbow. We get a lot of rain this time of year - it's the tropics - but I'm used to seeing a lot more mosquitos and quarter-sized raindrops that hurt when they hit you than I am rainbows.

It was worth a stop to admire it for a minute. Work will always be there.

Now Haul Over All Hatch Hoods And Gun Covers

The title of this post is from US Navy Manual of Commands and Orders, 1945. I refer to it often.

The sky opened up this morning on my transit to work. Not unusual here, given that this is the tropical rainy season, except that typical weather patterns usually bring the thundershowers in the afternoon. The rain is often heavy enough to cause severe street flooding and very limited, sometimes no visibility. But there was something else about this mornings rain that reminded me of my late father and something he used to tell me about certain weather conditions like this.

In this picture, the bright spot in the left center is the sun shining through the deluge. My Dad, using his extensive knowledge of the sea and meteorological matters told me many times that, when the sun shines and it rains simultaneously, it means only one thing; that the Devil is beating his wife.

Mobile Blogs, Geotagging, Phantom Pain In Citrus Trees

Having only just discovered the buttons that permit use of mobile device to post (Blake and Damon...I watched you do it, or, Rommel, you magnificent bastard! I read your book!), first tactical post showcases my tangelo tree. The phone settings indicate the photo will be geotagged with location. Amazing, if it works. The picture quality of the crackberry's camera is poor, which is a negative.

The tree used to occupy the space you see here in our side yard with a circle of new sod. It was ill-placed in the beginning, grew too big for its space, and went to glory sacrificing its wood...and its life to smoke a hog, in keeping with the highest tradition of barbecue to celebrate Labor Day.

We have the watch...rest easy, Yardmate.

Meanwhile, the key limes in the upper right foreground continue to flourish, and the sun will come up again tomorrow.

COMSAMLANT UNIT SITREP 040105Z SEP 09

POSIT: 027° 08' 36" N / 080° 10' 44" W

Once again, the Cold Iron Watch decided to go UA. He's got a reservation at the end of the Captain's green table without an ashtray when he comes aboard. I had to get a Tiger Team in here to police up the ghost turds out of the overhead (dust bunnies for civilians), wipe down the bilges and get those decks swabbed. This bucket was a mess after riding the hook cold iron for this long again. Most landlubbers and other sand crabs would think after a glance that she'd been mothballed. Sincerest apologies to any interested parties and/or followers for caulking off, actual or perceived.

This post is actually motivated by my sister-in-law Marisa’s urging me to write about the Facebook pictures we’ve been posting during our recent vacation to the Big Island where, as of June of this year we became owners of a piece of land that we’ve set aside for the site of our future retirement home. (Reminder to self: Come up with an appropriate name for the place…it seems to already have the feeling of a place that should have a unique name, appropriately Hawai’ian, specifics TBD).

The journey began departing West Palm Beach early on Friday, August 14th and arriving at Hilo on the East side of the Big Island around dinnertime that day; connecting in Atlanta for the 9-hour leg to Honolulu. Nine straight hours in a Boeing 747-400 with 360 other passengers is not a particularly pleasant experience, but we knew our destination was worth the temporary discomfort. Fares were also much better than the same time last year; our tickets were almost half of what we paid in 2008. Following the brief layover in Honolulu the 40 minute interisland flight with Hawaiian Airlines got us into Hilo around 5 PM… as usual, without our luggage…that airline seems to prefer bringing your bags to you at your lodging a few hours after you arrive and that seems to happen to us every time we connect with Hawaiian from any other airline, in this case Northwest/soon to be Delta.



Seats on Hawaiian Air interisland flights are consistently priced at around $50 per seat, and there’s a flight from Honolulu to and from almost all of the other islands about every hour on a typical day. Although there’s insufficient time for the airline to offer much in the way of refreshment service on interisland hops…none of their interisland flights take more than 30 or 45 minutes…I always like the little cups of Passion Fruit/Guava drinks they pass out to passengers during the brief time you are at cruising altitude. Sort of gets your palate in the right calibration for tropical tastes yet to come.

I’ve noticed several HA pilots flying the Boeing 717 jets, aside from appearing very young, use flight techniques that some travelers may not be used to. Besides the aircraft being smaller and more maneuverable compared to larger passenger jets, proximity to populated areas of some of the islands’ airports, mountains and prevailing winds require skilled hands-on piloting, and some of the landing approaches seem tricky to me. Take, for example Hilo International. The normal approach brings aircraft southeast over the north shore of Hawai’i then follows the Hilo Bay coastline in a continuous port turn. Lining up on the runway heading with wings level at almost the same instant as the wheels contact the ground brings the planes in low enough over the town so low that guests at the Hilo Hawaiian Resort on Banyan Drive can wave to the passengers through the aircraft windows from their lanais.

Route from Honolulu to Hilo (Appx 45 minutes, 219 NM)

Hilo International Airport final approach

Upon our arrival at Hilo we picked up our rental car and stopped by the Safeway for some basic supplies to get us through the first 24 hours at our rental house in the Hawaiian Paradise Park subdivision in Upper Puna, the location of our property. The subdivision is about halfway between the towns of Keaau and Pahoa, about 12 miles or so south of Hilo.


Puna District, Island and County of Hawai'i

We chose to rent a private residence during our last few years’ vacations after realizing that we can get much more space, amenities and privacy for the same price as a hotel room, as well as the savings from cooking our own meals. Selection of this house was based on a couple of factors: proximity to our property – we wanted to live in the neighborhood for a few weeks to gain a feel of the area, the climate, the neighbors, traffic, sounds in the night. Small shops, some surprisingly good restaurants, a very cool tavern (Aloha, PVC!) and 2 farmers markets provide necessities, refreshments and fresh local produce.

Maku'u Farmers' Market

Pahoa Village Cafe (Wahine agrees - good place)

The rental house itself, named Hale Kea (The White House…don’t ask me why - I saw no white anywhere in the house nor any evidence whatsoever of Presidential occupants) was as cool as you can get. Two individual structures, one self-contained with kitchen and dining area, living room, bedroom and full bath; the other contained the master suite with private bath, study and laundry room, connected together by a 30’ covered bridge. Plentiful lanai space all around the house, and a small pool and hot tub. The grounds of the 3-acre property was beautifully landscaped with native and tropical trees, palms and other plants, inspiring us with ideas for our property when we begin our own project. Rock walls built from the indigenous lava, and lava outcroppings coming out of the landscape were particularly eye catching and we hope that we can one day see our own yard look this good.

Master bedroom house foreground, passageway leading to main house in rear

Amazing landscape

Main house and pool deck

The interior of the house was all stained and varnished natural wood, giving us the feeling of being in the hold of a wooden ship. A photo album on the coffee table was filled with pictures that showed the progress of construction for this owner-built house, and confirmed my assumption that the owner spent a lot of time sanding the walls and ceilings. Still, a strikingly beautiful appearance, which also inspired with more ideas for our own house.

Living room

Kitchen, Breakfast bar

Once we got settled in to our (temporary) residence, I really didn’t want to leave. The seemingly endless day of travelling almost 5,300 miles, coupled with my amazement and feeling of contentment at my surroundings made me think I would be just fine for 2 weeks right there. That didn’t easily fit with Lois’ desires, as she was ready to go do and see things almost as soon as we set the bags down. In the end, we compromised fairly by alternating days of away activity with days of slothful laziness and leisure around the house.

A small yet diverse group of folks who either reside in and around Puna or have serious plans to move there have come together in the last year through the PunaOnline social network, of which I am a frequent reader/contributor, and we were invited as guests of honor to a dinner party by this group at the home of our realtor and friend Wes and his delightful and talented wife Devany on our first Sunday on the Island. The fare was designated Taco night so, since we were not prepared to make enchiladas or even a bowl of guacamole we opted to bring the active ingredient for the margueritas. I stopped by the store on the way and picked up a bottle of Commemorativo. This idea proved valid because when we arrived, we were immediately provided with hugs and greetings of Aloha, and Lilikoi margueritas. Lilikoi is the Hawaiian name for the Yellow Passion Fruit and I was surprised to find them not only an interesting twist to a tried and true recipe but also very tasty. The blender was running in a full duty cycle to make the exotic margueritas, and we drank many of them. Devany is amazing in the kitchen, her background including extensive travel and living abroad, master of a great variety of cuisine, and her chorizo tacos and all of the sides were superb, although the margueritas could have clouded my memory of the details to some extent. I can say without hesitation that whatever Devany decides to put on the menu is guaranteed to amaze the most discriminating diners. The other guests were mostly all residents of the various subdivisions in Puna, all were welcoming and engaging, and we came away with some more new friends.

The next 12 days saw us visiting various sites around the Island, including activities such as:

- Exploring our property
- Visits to several dormant and active sites of volcanic flow from the Kilauea volcano
- A morning touring the biggest and most populated botanical garden either of us have ever seen
- Two drives across the Island to the Kohala and Kona Districts on the west coast, where we got in some sightseeing while searching for the birthplace of King Kamehameha 1 one day, and to join the celebration of Hawaii’s 50th Statehood Anniversary with music and other activities at Kailua-Kona
- Visiting with friends, shopping, dining, shopping, partying, more shopping, and as I insisted upon, plenty of chill time on the lanai at our rental

Property Exploration

We drove down the road to see our property; since I went to Hawai’i in April on the property search by myself because of several factors, Lois had not previously seen the land other than in pictures I took or overhead imagery. What a difference an in-person visit and real-time eyeball inspection of the lot can make on someone’s enthusiasm. Prior to this visit, I sensed an absence of intensity in her interest in my obsessive-compulsive behavior from the concept of buying property in the Islands. Once she spent time walking the lot, looking at its features and various views, the trees and other plants in residence, and the surprisingly adequate size of the acreage, she was talking about tagging trees we want to keep, hiring a machinery operator to help us clear and grade the lot, planting palms, designing our house to maximize the view of the ocean from there. I think now I finally have her buy-in on this idea and it makes me feel more confident that it is the right thing for us and our future. That’s a good thing…the title for the place has our name on it and Hawai’i County will be looking for a check from us to cover the property taxes every year.
A few shots of the property follow. Believe it or not, amongst the trees, bushes, grasses, vines, cracks and holes but relatively even grade this place has a great future because we have a vision. It might be slightly myoptic by the time we realize it but vision just the same.


Exploring and inspecting the interior of our new property, and getting ideas about where would be the ideal place for our house, the driveway, landscape features, trees and plants present on the land, and identifying new concerns was our goal for this trip. We accomplished alot of those tasks but now realize the magnitide of the list of tasks ahead of us. By the way, when I say new property I mean more than simply new owners. The last volcanic activity in that area was between the years 1420 and 1470, or about 550 years ago when the site was layered with fresh lava; only a snapshot in time compared to the age of the rest of the earth.


Wild Tibuchina trees are as proliferous here as the Ohia. We will keep as many of these as possible. Amazing how a plant that people pay high dollar for in the mainland grows wild everywhere here.


Rear of lot looking makai (seaward). Ocean is 1100 yards beyond the lot line and the sound of the waves crashing on the rocks can be heard. With the right architecture we are hopeful for a glimpse of a blue horizon.

Two feet firmly planted on our own lava on our Island.

As this has been a historically lengthy post for this blog, I'm going to now proofread and get the CSO's chop on this message. UNIT SITREPS released during the next week will focus on other activities included in MIDPAC EX 09-02.

Sierra Whiskey sends from the Radio shack onboard COMSAMLANT DET STUART.

BT

Unrelated to Nautical Matters but...It Still Pisses Me Off

I feel strongly enough about this (having had recent dealings with this Town for this very reason) to write about it. I hope the alleged offender wins his case.

By BILL DIPAOLO
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, August 12, 2009

JUNO BEACH — A lawsuit alleging the white van used to issue citations is illegal has been filed on behalf of a motorist who was cited for speeding on U.S. 1.
The suit, filed in Palm Beach Circuit Civil Court on Tuesday, alleges the citations are illegal because they are issued to the owner of the vehicle. The town is presuming the owner of the vehicle is guilty before proving the owner was driving, according to the lawsuit.

"They are finding you guilty before you have a chance to prove you are innocent," said Attorney Jason Weisser, who filed the lawsuit on behalf of William Zoeller, who July 11 received a $125 citation in the mail.

The lawsuit seeks a refund of the $125 and damages in excess of $15,000. The suit also asks that the town stop using the van to issue more citations.
The lawsuit is also filed against LaserCraft, the Georgia-based firm that supplied and maintains the van, and other companies involved in the process.
Councilman Jim Lyons said the town's defense will be that the citation is a civil penalty and does not go against the driver's record.

Since the van was first used in March, about 4,000 citations have been issued. Motorists moving at least 9 mph faster than the posted speed limit are mailed a $125 citation for the first offense. Second offenders - there have been about 120 - are issued a $250 penalty.
The citations are sent to the owner of the vehicle when the van takes a photograph of the license plate.

Motorists can pay a $50 fee and file an appeal.

The driver's license is not suspended if the driver does not pay after 60 days, and a collection agency is notified to collect the fine.

This is a picture I took of the van parked along the road in Juno Beach the day after I got my notice, which I paid with little consideration of the legal implications. This article leads me to believe that I could have possibly avoided my pocket getting $125 lighter that day. I could use that extra buck and a quarter on our vacation.

USS HAWAII Arrives at New Homeport - Pearl Harbor

Reported in Undersea Enterprise News Daily

The Virginia-class nuclear-powered attack submarine, USS HAWAII (SSN-776) arrived at her new homeport of Pearl Harbor on July 23rd, greeted by family and friends of the crew, Navy officials and state dignitaries.

HAWAII is the third Virginia-class submarine constructed and the first submarine to bear the name of the Aloha state. HAWAII is capable of supporting a multitude of missions, including anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface ship warfare, strike, naval special warfare involving special operations forces, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, irregular warfare, and mine warfare. USS HAWAII's official motto is "Kūpale ‘Āina," translated from Hawaiian, "Defending the Land."


Previous US Navy ships bearing names associated with Hawaii include the Los Angeles-class ex-USS HONOLULU (SSN-718) (now decommissioned and placed in the Navy's submarine recycling program), the Benjamin Franklin-class ballistic missile submarine ex-USS KAMEHAMEHA (SSBN-642) (same fate as SSN-718), and the World War II-era light cruiser, ex-USS HONOLULU (CL-48), recipient of eight battle stars for WWII service and a major player in the Battle of Leyte Gulf in the Philippines, disposed of in 1949 after 11 years service.

A Blogger account of HAWAII's voyage from the mainland to her new MIDPAC homeport is chronicled here by her Commanding Officer, CDR Ed Herrington, US Navy - a most interesting read.

USS HAWAII SSN-776

Mahalo nui loa, CDR Herrington, Officers and Crew of USS HAWAII for your dedicated service and for safely bringing this most capable addition to the Fleet to Kō Hawaiʻi Pae ʻĀina.

Aloha!

US Navy photos by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class N. Brett Morton/Released

COMSAMLANT UNIT SITREP 041600Z JULY 09

First, let me dust the cobwebs out of here...

Ok, better now.

POSIT: 19° 35N 154° 56' W

The reason my blog has gone idle for so long is because I have been trying to resist the urge to discuss our progress toward buying our land, from fear of jinxing the effort in any way. Sailors are known to be somewhat superstitious, and until we closed escrow I had a concern, real or imagined - it doesn't matter, that something would go wrong and cause our deal to fall apart if I talked about it prematurely.

Today's post serves as my official announcement that effective 30 June, we are legal owners of an acre of Big Island property that will one day be our retirement home. From the half-dozen properties on the list that I brought home from my April visit to Hilo, and after many hours of comparison and detailed research, we selected a lot 6 streets from the coast in the Hawaiian Paradise Park subdivision in Upper Puna, nearest landmark being Kaloli Point about 12 miles southeast of Hilo.

As the frigate bird flies, the property is about 1100 yards from the ocean, and when I was last there tromping around in the trees, brush and wait-a-minute vines I believe that I could hear the waves crashing on the cliffs at the end of the road. At an elevation of between 80' and 85' above sea level, there is also a possibility that it will command a view of the blue horizon to our east to observe sunrises over the Pacific Ocean, with the right architecture and placement of a house. Looking toward the mauka direction we will see the often snow covered summit of Mauna Kea, measured from its base on the sea floor at 33,476' - technically, the world's tallest mountain.

Although the property is currently densely overgrown and fairly challenging to navigate through the number of non-native, invasive species of trees, bushes, vines and other plants that we will remove in their entirety, it also features a fair count of younger ʻŌhiʻa trees that I noticed during my April visit were in partial bloom with it's colorful Lehua flowers. This tree, like many other things in Hawai'i has a mythological tale that ties it and it's flower to the fire goddess Pele.

Our aim is to clear and maintain our property in a way that best supports the native species and permits our house to fit in with and coexist with the natural environment to the greatest extent possible. To qualify that, since we have an intense interest in landscaping and gardening we will plant ornamentals and specimens not native but are nonetheless "friendly" to the local surroundings and pleasing to the eye. We plan also to engage in small-scale fruit and vegetable gardening to pass our time as well as to put food on our table. It's a compromise that we feel will enhance, rather than detract from the land and our one day home.

At this point, the house is only in discussion of ideas, but we have begun scouring for information to give us ideas about what our house will be. We do have a few ideas in their infancy, or cocktail napkin sketch phase, and from these we hope to develop a design that meets our requirements, desires, and budget from which drawings can be developed and our home built. For now however, we have not planned anything resembling a time schedule, as we continue to assess our setback in the aftermath of the economic crisis most of us have endured. We are very hopeful that our economic future will improve and help us reach our end goal.


I would be remiss if I failed to mention our newly acquainted yet already very good friends Wes and Devany, as catalysts in our achieving this milestone; Devany for her spot-on recommendation of her husband Wes to represent us in the realty transaction, and to Wes for his sound advice, generous, bordering on charitable effort, and patience in putting up with me during our seemingly unsatisfiable search for property, data collection and representation at the bargaining table and closing. Beyond that, both of them have won our longlasting friendship and we feel fortunate to consider them among our short list of friends.
I can't say that this step gives me back the Kama'aina feeling that I had when I left Hawai'i at the end of 1992 after 8 years in Pearl Harbor, we do feel like we now have one foot firmly planted in the place that we know we belong since the first time each of us saw Kō Hawaiʻi Pae ʻĀina.

Malama pono.

UNIT SITREP 071500Z MAY 09

Aloha, Makamaka...Long time no post.

Busy times afoot both here in homeport and deployed, the last several weeks having me in Seattle for a week on a work trip followed by a side trip to Hilo for as much property searching I could fit in during six days.

I was greeted at the Hilo airport with ceremony in Bristol fashion and in the Island tradition with leis after the hop from Honolulu by my very good Shipmate and friend Lee, whose gracious generosity and Aloha, and that of his entire Ohana demonstrated with crystal clarity how genuinely kind and welcoming local people are. They welcomed me into their home making me feel immediately like a member of their Ohana, with an open invitation to stay with them as well as unlimited use of a pickup truck with which to explore the properties on my list. Lee's family is nothing short of delightful. Mahalo nui to all members of every generation whom I met and with whom I made instant friends.

Wes, my realtor and new found makamaka and his charming better half Devany were equally generous and welcoming by hosting me in their home for an evening of engaging company, great food and drink, the intoxicating view of Hilo Bay from their lanai overlooking the cliffs, and expert, thorough support in my property search during my week on the Island.

The end reult of the expedition was my return to Florida with a short list of six properties of interest, the first on the list being far ahead of the next one in terms of ranking. That meets my criteria for calling the trip a success, and the time I shared with my friends, old and new talking story I consider a big bonus, making my visit seem much less arduous than originally expected and truly the highlight of my latest visit to the Big Island.

A summary of the property search effort:

Having spent six months on only marginally effective research of the Puna properties listed from here in Florida, I had narrowed my sights on Hawaiian Acres, the large subdivision of mostly 3 acre agriculturally-zoned parcels south of Kurtistown known for its relative isolation, sparse population and limited extent of development. The last part of that is my polite way to characterize HA as sort of 'wild, wild west-like;' principal reasons for that assessment being (a) poor road conditions, largely unlevel land with a good deal of evidence of flash flooding, and (c) most vacant properties extremely overgrown with vegetation that prevented adequately close inspection.

After 2 days of looking at 85% or so of the lots on the list I brought with me, Wes and I redirected our efforts to Hawaiian Paradise Park, southeast of Keaau where I quickly experienced a paradigm shift from 3 acres being my goal to smaller 1 acre lots in an environment where I found conditions much more acceptable for people like us whose sense of adventure does not quite meet that recommended for living in the boonies of an area more remote and less developed.

All in all, we looked at about 40 properties and came away, as I said with six 'possibles.' Lee volunteered to visit those on the short list last weekend to give me his evaluation of each from his thorough knowledge of the land (He was born and raised in the pineapple plantation camps around the Big Island's East Side and knows what to look for or what to stay away from). He and Patty made a trip down to Puna on Sunday and made a close inspection of the first three, their discoveries validating that my #1 choice was center target.

The property is just over 1100 yards from the ocean at an elevation of 80' to 85'- from there you can hear the waves breaking on the rock cliffs and I have a notion that with the right architectural design a glimpse of the Pacific on the eastern horizon might be possible from there as well. During their visit to Puna on my behalf Lee and Patty made the acquaintance of one of the next door neighbors whom he tells me is a most amiable sort, and who described the people on the other side as 'good neighbors.' His neighbor on the far side is also retired Navy which, if the planets align and we move to that neighborhood, the USN (Ret) population will effectively double, and provide opportunities for spinning yarns as old Sailors have been known to do since men began going down to the sea in ships, and perhaps even an occasional game of cribbage, acey ducey, or Ship, Captain, Crew. (My dice cup is a nautical artifact of exceedingly great importance).

With all information collected and analyzed to date, I feel that its time to put an offer on the table for my #1 choice. That effort is in progress as we speak, and I have fingers, toes, eyeballs crossed for good luck to bring us a quick agreement of terms with the party offering the property for sale. The only other thing I hope for is the good graces of King Neptune and Kanaloa, (Hawai'ian God of the Ocean) to look favorably upon us in our quest for our little piece of Paradise.

Funny how a Sailor spends his entire career making every effort to avoid land...in the maritime professions considered a navigational hazard, yet now I find myself looking for a place to set the navigation detail and drop anchor for the final time, to go ashore, and stay ashore.

More to come as the story develops.

A hui hou,

SW

The Sea

My Brother and Shipmate Bob "The COB" up in Virginia passed this poem by an unknown author to me in email this morning and I was so enamored by the way it mirrors how I feel but could never compose words that so accurately express that feeling. I know this is COB's feeling, and others as well. Thought I'd pass it along for the inspiration and/or enjoyment of others.

The Sea is a choosy mistress

She takes the men that come to her and weighs them

and measures them

The ones she adores, she keeps; the ones she hates, she destroys

The rest, she casts back to land

I count myself among the adored, for I am Her willing Captive.

Fleet Broadcast Range

Having not checked this out much since I started this weblog, I was pretty well surprised that it has received as many visitors from this wide a range of locations.

I find it pretty cool that people in Japan, Spain, Egypt, France, Portugal, The UK, Switzerland, Brazil, and even Louisiana have seen this blog. Aloha and mahalo nui to all, and Kudos to the Duty Radioman for keeping those transmitters dialed in.

Today is the 116th anniversary of the United States Navy's establsihment of the Chief Petty Officer grade, marking the birth of one of the most effective, tightly-knit and unique professional fraternities the world has ever seen.

US Navy Chiefs around the world will pause today to reflect on the honored traditions of our Mess and the heritage associated with it. This is what binds us together as Brothers- and Sisters-In-Arms, enhances our effectiveness as Leaders and Mentors, and enables us to collaborate to solve problems, motivate our Sailors and ultimately, effectively fight the ship.


I became a US Navy Chief Petty Officer on September 16th 1984, before many of those serving in our Navy today were born. It was, without question the best day of my life. I learned how to be a Chief through lessons I learned from Chiefs for whom I had worked over the years as a junior Sailor, and closely observed the members of the Chiefs' Mess on my ship to develop my skills to first lead a shipboard Division of Sailors and ultimately serve as the Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Commanding Officer. Those years brought me professional and personal fulfillment beyond words and to this day, having stowed my uniform some years ago, there is nothing more important to me than the CPO Fellowship in which I knew trust in the other Chiefs and made lifelong friendships.

Today I salute all of my fellow Navy Chiefs, as well as those who will follow in our footsteps, for your service and personal sacrifices, your dedication in the defense of our Nation's freedom.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CHIEFS!

Follow this link for detailed history of US Navy Chief Petty Officers

UNIT SITREP 201930Z MAR 09 First Official Action IRT Operation Homeport Change Puna

As this weblog was begun with the intention to be the log that chronicles our progress in eventual move to the Big Island for our retirement, I am posting today to announce the first of our series of milestones toward that end.

Yesterday I bought a ticket for a round trip flight to Hilo in mid-April, where I will be looking at acreage in the Puna District on which to build our retirement home when we finish up our business here on the Mainland. I expect to be there about 5 days, during which time I hope to find that one of the places on my list will prove a suitable piece of land for our hale likaia.

Mahalo nui to my friend and Shipmates Lee and Patty for their gracious invitation to allow me to impose on their Hale 'Ohana during my visit. I am also looking forward to face-to-face talk story with several of my BI makamaka whom I have met through PunaOnline, Damon Tucker's Weblog and Devany Vickery Davidson's My Hawaiian Home.

More to follow along this subject line after completion of my trip. Aloha nui.

UNIT SITREP 111400Z MAR 09

Still alive and kicking here, claiming victory over recent engagement with locally circulating flu bug. Work schedule exceedingly aggressive here lately, impeding my attention to posting. Pushing through this crunch and will be back soon.

Meantime, 6 mooring lines doubled up, tending fair. Quarterdeck, Cold Iron and Sounding Security Watches set with all but Duty Sections in a liberty status. All conditions normal; the Captain is ashore.

Aloha

Binnacle List

Have been Tango Uniform for the better part of the last week with a respiratory crud. Recovering, but still feeling punk. Will get back to full operational status soon. Meantime, any takers on the significance to this post of the image shown here?

Back soon...Aloha nui.

Haole Honu Luau

I caught a TV news spot last night announcing a local event to benefit our Sea Turtles who frequent South Florida coastal waters; several species return to our local beaches to nest. The nesting season for some of these species is closing on us, and the Loggerhead Marinelife Center, whose purpose is to support conservation and rehabilitation of the Loggerhead and other Sea Turtles down the road a ways in Juno Beach, has announced the Loggerhead Luau event to be held on Saturday February 28, proceeds to benefit the Center.

The town of Juno Beach (among others) undertakes an annual practice of turning off lights along the nesting beaches and encouraging residents to minimize outdoor lighting to help prevent the turtles' becoming confused during their terrestrial navigation to and from their nesting sites, as they instinctively follow the brightest light back to the ocean.

Sadly, some imported cultures here consider sea turtle eggs a delicacy and people ignorant of or uncaring about laws protecting these creatures are sometimes caught looting the sea turtle nests for their eggs. The education of the public here is a significant effort to reduce the artificial lighting problem for the turtles and prevent the needless turtle egg poaching. Beaches are surveyed during nesting seasons to locate and mark the nests to prevent their being disturbed.

I hope these keiki haole honu can grow up to return for a future Luau in their honor one day. Their odds of survival are astronomical, with seagulls, dogs, marine predators and worse of all, poachers.