Neil and I were discussing the other day how you can find so many different micro climates on one small island. We still have so much to explore. The other day we hiked through a pine forest with a blanket of pine needles all around cushioning our steps. Another hike takes us through rain forests full of mud and streams. And still other hikes are over stark lava fields of black broken lava, leading right down to turquoise ocean bays.

We continued a busy summer since I wrote the June Update. Neil’s mom, Jean, arrived July 1 to start her scuba diving lessons before Neil’s daughters arrived. We went in the water several weekends and she is doing great. (see picture on June Update) She is still getting used to clearing water out of her mask. I finished teaching the summer session at college right before Mailea and Ari arrived the third week of July. Among the numerous activities they did this summer, one was to get their Advanced Certification for diving. We did a Navigation, Naturalist, Deep, Night, and Photography dive. They are looking really comfortable in the water.

We went to Hana one weekend. The long road to Hana was well broken up by numerous stops to jump in swimming holes. And I do mean jump. They got me to jump one that was off a 10 foot rock before they took me to the next that was probably about a 25-30 foot jump right next to a waterfall. Jumping is fun but hitting that water can sting! Neil said afterwards he forgot to tell me to stay straight up when hitting the water. Now he tells me. Still they got me to try it again the next day on this small jump pictured here when we hiked up Oheo Gulch (formerly know as Seven Sacred Pools). I had never hiked this famous trail before. And as always, they know secret paths that we took to find places not everyone gets to. We hiked up the stream at one point and then swam through 3 pools and even had to swim under the waterfall to get to this spot to jump. This area is a narrow gorge with steep rock walls and ferns. It feels like a fairyland. The main trail continues up through a dense bamboo forest. In the middle of the forest with the trail cut wide and straight, there is an incredible view of a 200 foot waterfall. An incredible day. We returned from Hana the following day continuing the drive around the island on the dry side of Haleakala. Here we swam in another sacred swimming pond with a waterfall pouring into it and the mist rising above the surface. This drive has incredible views which remind me of the Painted Desert. The colors of rock and soil in this ancient lava flow and craters are fascinating.

I was asked to teach again at the college 3 weeks before classes, as usual. I had to start preparing immediately. I am teaching 3 classes, two of Computer Literacy and this time added Computer Science II which is Data Structures. In this class, I have had all the students in class before which makes it fun, and we again use the Java language as the example code.

Mailea and Ari had to go home too soon to Nipomo, California, for soccer practice, and oh yeah that other thing, school. And Jean headed back to Minnesota to her other grandchildren. Neil and I did get in a dive and a hike before he had to leave a week later for Oracle training on the mainland. He got me a book so I wouldn’t be bored while he was gone. But I didn’t have a chance to open it till the Friday before he came back from his two week trip. I seemed to have a lot of catching up to do! Plus the social life continue: Dinner with friends. And there was Vajra and Jason’s baby shower. Had to play cards with my women friends. (We play a game called Liverpool about every other week. Bet $1 a game, sometimes make almost $2, sometimes lose a whole $1!) Helped a friend a few hours with auditions for her new play by acting as stage manager. Hopefully will see a major production of “The Garden Behind the Moon” on Maui next June.

The most time consuming activity is Aikido. We are currently going 3 or 4 nights a week. (I continued 3 nights a week even while Neil was gone.) We have a “test” next week to move to the next level and, of course, I was concerned a month ago that I was not ready and needed to attend a few extra nights to prepare. I am feeling better prepared but as with most things, this is a life long endeavor. I am enjoying it, but do hope to cut back to 2 nights a week again after the test.

I have put out some pages for my sisters, Pamela Beamer and Melanie Levy, plus the exciting new addition of a new great-nephew!

Written October 2000