Saturday, April 11, 2009

4-11-09 Spring In The Spring


4-11-09 Spring In The Spring
Originally uploaded by Willie C
Today, I committed myself. I am now committed to get back on my daily bike ride schedule. The financial distaster, as well as simple wintertime lethargy, have kept me in my chair while not at my computer scrounging away at a few miscellaneous Belco jobs.

It's time for the old guy to get back to looking at his active participation in life, so, I'm starting with the trail.

I noticed today that the trailside spring project looks almost done, now. Over the winter, a young fellow has been singlehandedly making these "improvememts" to the little spring, and now it looks as if it's about ready for people to enjoy. As the summer progresses, and the elephant ears grow in the outflow stream, it should take on a very soothing appearence.

I was thinking as I rode today, that my oldest daughter introduced me to Facebook not long ago, and since joining that happy group, I've become "friends" with a large number of my four girls' schoolmates, as well as a few of my own. Since starting to communicate with my old high school crowd, I've began to reminisce bigtime. I've started cataloging some of my teenage adventures in Hawaii at Willie C's Honolulu, and waxing very nostalgic on Facebook with my friend Lew, whom I'd only seen twice since 1954. I suppose that nostalgia is a favorite pastime for old people, and there's no doubt that I'm an old person.

2 comments:

Bruce said...

Hi Willie - I tried leaving a comment on your wonderful "Willie C's Honolulu" map (nice job) - but it didn't seem to upload. Maybe it will show up. In any case, I'll share it with you here:

"Hey Willie - I never know what I'll stumble upon when I read your ramblings from Texas. This one brought back memories. I was stationed on Ford Island for the first 1 1/2 years I was assigned to the USS Mariano G. Vallejo - SSBN 658 blue crew. We operated out of Guam.

I lived in a little apartment across the Ala Wai from the International Marketplace. Of course, it was a long walk around. I used to take the water taxi out to the island and go right by the Arizona.

After my 3rd patrol out of Guam, we brought the boat back to Pearl, and the gold crew took her through the Panama Canal and out the the Atlantic. Our new homeport was Charleston, S.C., and we operated out of Holy Loch, Scotland. Scotland was great - better than Guam, for me. But I sure wasn't happy trading Oahu for S.C.

Cheers,

Bruce"

Willie C said...

I see they have a bridge out to Ford Island, now. I really love those GoogleMaps. They're great for exploring vicariously the places you've been, and the places you'd like to go.

Yeah, I can imagine not being happy about trading Oahu for S.C., but as a Texan, I felt a little bit hemmed in by the island. I was really sort of glad to be back to the wide, open spaces.

I've expressed my love for New Mexico, and by now, everyone should know it.

When I lived in Kaimuki, I took the bus from a spot about a block and a half from my house,down to Aala park, when Aala park was located on the Mauka side of Beretania Street (they seemed to have moved the park, I suppose to make way for some sort of commercial development).

Right across the street from my bus stop at Aals Park, there was an old shack which appeared abandoned, with the sign Trader Vic's on it. Then, when some lady officers that my dad worked with took us there for dinner one time, I found it was just about the best restaurant in town! I found out that "Trader Vic" had restaurants all over the world, or at least in very stragetic spots.

Many years later, I suppose it was about 1970 or so, the local Austin radio station had an interview with Trader Vic and his daughter. One of the things he said that impressed me was that if he ever retired, he'd move to some acreage he owned near Taos, and settle down. I was very impressed by a world traveler having feelings about the land of enchantment similar to my own.

Willie C