List of Entries, February 2026

 Entry titles are listed in order from oldest to newest (top to bottom) in this index; however, the actual blog entries are posted from oldest to newest (back to front).  Thus, the 2005 entry will be at the back end of this blog.  Find a topic in the left-hand column, then click on the corresponding archive year in the right-hand column to get close on a time scale to the desired entry before scrolling up or down for the specific entry.

 December 2005-   Building my first boat, Leaving home and Nebraska (my bio) 

February 2016-     Travel Blog, Croatia preview

March 2016-         Iceland, Copenhagen, Zagreb, Slovenia, Croatia, Montenegro, Ireland

July 2016-             Scandinavia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Berlin

September 2016-   Colorado

November 2016-   California coast

December 2016-   Washington DC, Island of Maui

March 2017-        Argentina:  Buenos Aires, San Carlos de Bariloche, Mendoza

May 2017-           Northern Italy preview

July 2017-            Alaskan cruise

September 2017- Venice, Lake Garda, Lake Como, Lake Maggiore, Genoa, Nice, French hill villages,                                        Portugal & Algarve 

October 2017-      Lisbon & Sintra, Washington DC

December 2017-   Eastern Caribbean cruise:  St. Kitts-Nevis, Martinique, Antigua, Barbados, Grenada,                                Puerto Rico

February 2018-     South Pacific preview

March 2018-         Tahiti & Tuamotu cruise, New Zealand

April 2018-           New Zealand South Island, Australia

September 2018-   Road trip to Colorado. Idaho, Wyoming

September 2018-   Galapagos Islands, 2015

September 2018-   Panama 2014 trip

September 2018-   San Blas islands cruise 1981

October 2018-       Krakow, Poland

November 2018-   Zakopane, Danube, Budapest, Azores

January 2019-        European trip preview

May 2019-              northern France, cruise to Med, Mallorca, Rome, Copenhagen

July 2019-              Azores, Maine, Cape Cod preview

August 2019-         Omaha visit

September 2019-   A Voyage to Remember, Florida to Panama, 1980

October 2019-        Azores, Maine, Cape Cod

December 2019-    Puerto Vallarta

February 2020-      Madeira Island, Azores

April 2020-            The Lost Vacation (due to Covid), Switzerland, (now rescheduled)

August 2020-         Road trip to Montana

October 2020-        Road trip to Arkansas

April 2021-             Living in Panama, 1979-1982

July 2021-               Brazil preview (canceled and rescheduled April-June 2022)

August 2021-        Raising Children in the Military

September 2021-    Switzerland:  Lausanne, Interlaken, Lucerne, Zurich

April 2022-             Road Trip to Omaha, Washington DC, and Florida 

May 2022-              Roatan snorkeling, Our 1972 Road Trip

August 2022-            A Lifetime Travel Partner

June 2022-              Bocas del Toro snorkeling, Panama               

October 2022-         France:  Strasbourg, Colmar, & Mulhouse

                                Switzerland:  Basel, St. Gallen

April 2023-             Spain, Canary Islands, France, England, and DC

September 2023-    Scotland, Sardinia

November 2023-    Travel Planning Details

December 2023-    DC, Dubai, Mahe Island (Seychelles)

January 2024-        more Seychelles Islands, Maldives Islands, Sri Lanka

February 2024-      South Africa, a brief stop in Brazil

March 2024-          Snorkeling Sri Lanka & Maldives

April 2024-            Military Travel

September 2024-   Revisiting the Past, Germany

October 2024-      Garmisch, Germany to Hall, Austria

                              Salzburg, Munich, and Onward

                              Istanbul, first encounter

                              Cappadocia, the Balloon Capital

                            

November 2024-    Back to Istanbul and a Cruise

                               Tuscany, Italy

                                Living in the Sweet Spot

January 2025-           New Destinations 

February 2025-         A Time for Reflection

March 2025-             Puerto Rico, instead of a Cruise

May 2025-                 Japan

                                   Taipei, Taiwan

                                    Manila, P.I.

                                    East Malaysia, Brunei

                                    Semarang + Surabaya, Indonesia (Java)

                                    Celukan Bawang, Bali

                                    Benoa (Bali) plus Sumba, Komodo 

                                    Cruising

                                    Perth, Adelaide, Tasmania

                                    Maui

August 2025-            Careers and a Hobby, New Travels

September 2025-        Rewards Beyond Money

                                    Dentistry is about people

October 2025-            England

                                    Colmar, Alsace, and the Vosages Mts.

                                    Arrival at Basel

                                    Montagny les Buxy, and Burgundy

                                    Annecy & Cruseilles

                                    Yvoire & Evian, France, and Geneva, Switzerland

December 2025-        Buenos Aires to Puerto Madryn, Argentina

                                    Falkland Islands to Ushuaia

                                    Punta Arenas to Santiago, Chile 

February 2026-            Island of Hawai'i

Hawai’i, One More Time?

Classic sunset over the ocean

I first visited Hawaii in December 1966.  At that time, Don Ho was singing the song “Tiny Bubbles at a club on Waikiki Beach, and the XO on our ship also sang that same song when on duty on the bridge deck of our ship, USS Askari, which was in port at Pearl Harbor.  Our specially modified ship was on its way to Vietnam to be the mother ship for a Riverine flotilla in the Mekong Delta.  Off duty, I would walk down the gangplank with a paper bag holding my civilian clothes.  Arriving at Waikiki Beach, I would switch into my ‘civies’ at a public bathroom, then stash the bag (with my uniform) in nearby thick bushes.  Then, I was free from the Navy for the day!

Almost sixty years later, and after many more visits, we are back in the Hawaiian Islands for perhaps the last time.

Hawaiian scenery: sand, surf, blue seas, and black volcanic rock.

Spotted eagle ray in shallow water

Six months ago, I booked a short trip to the island of Hawai’i to serve as a relief to winter’s cold in Colorado.  Hilton was offering us a discounted condominium at Waikoloa Beach if we would listen to their time share presentation.  We really enjoyed the beautiful resort, but the share presentation left us unconvinced for our preferences. We had been to this resort once before, about 25 years ago and really enjoyed it then.  In fact, we never left the resort grounds on that visit.  This time, we had a rental car allowing us to explore further.

Does anyone remember the Western TV series 'Gunsmoke'?  This catamaran was previously owned by James Arness, the star of that show; thus, the name, "Seasmoke".

With a rental car, we have been able to explore more widely.  Driving to Hilo, we stopped at Rainbow Falls.  We paid about $22 for parking and admission then later realized that if we had parked only a half block away, this visit would have been free!  A nice stop but not amazing.  Later, we came across a botanical garden: $35 per person admission, more than we have ever paid.

Place of Refuge,  during conflicts if you were able to get here, you were safe.

Rainbow Falls, near Hilo

Waipio Valley

On another day, we drove to Waipio Valley Lookout.  The scene is a deep, narrow valley on the island’s north shore.  In 1946 this valley was struck by a tsunami with disastrous results so that now few people live there, although crops are still tended there today.  Hilo has also been affected by tsunamis.

View from our Marriott hotel room.

After five days at Waikoloa we shifted to the Marriott in Kailua-Kona, a different experience.  Instead of an all-encompassing resort atmosphere, we were located on the city harbor surrounded by stores, restaurants, and competing accommodation choices.  Unfortunately, the weather also changed.  Our sunny Hawaiian weather was replaced by clouds and intermittent rain.

Directly adjacent to the Marriott were grounds of a previous Hawaiian king and also a theater where Luaus were held.

Many stalls, and stores, for the tourists at Kailua-Kona

To escape the clouds, we drove to Volcanos National Park on the east side of the island.  Along the way we stopped at an unimpressive “Black Sand Beach”. When the coarse volcanic sand doesn’t extend to the water’s edge, is that still a "sand beach"?  At the volcano, the clouds returned.  Looking out across the broad caldera (2 by 3 miles across) the steaming fissures were obscured by clouds and fog with a sprinkle of rain, worthwhile to observe but difficult to capture in a meaningful photograph.  Continuing our trip, a drive around the entire island would take about five hours without stops.

Terrible weather for our visit to the volcanos.  At times a cloud would drift past and completely obscure our view.

This volcano is still actively erupting (about every two weeks); at such times it can spew red hot lava a thousand feet in the air, attracting a large crowd of spectators with resulting heavy traffic.

Our most satisfying site was Pu'uhonua O Honaunau National Park, also called the Place of Refuge".  Due to predicted heavy surf accompanying the rainy, windy weather, all the State beaches were closed, but this federal park was kept open, resulting in a crowd at this beach area.  But the park has other attractions: ponds, palm trees, a theater, a coastal walking trail, and ruins of early dwellings.  (The heavy surf never occurred).

An Indian mongoose.  Originally imported to help control rats.  Unfortunately, the mongoose is a daytime hunter, and the rat is a night-time nuisance.  The mongoose preys more on native birds and their eggs.

A green sea turtle. They are highly protected, but this one does not look healthy.

Early Hawaiian structures.  The path you see follows the coast for many miles connecting small native gatherings.

Relaxing in shade on a sunny day at Waikoloa.