Good thing none of you accidently kicked the camouflaged Sargeant as you were taking your seats! I wouldda needed to be excused after getting any kind of rounds fired at me. Clean-up in Isle 13. *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* When Mike and I lived on St. Kitts, we'd go to the various beaches on Saturday or Sunday and hang out. We'd go snorkeling or just beach combing and afterwards we'd pop into any one of the many little restaraunts dotting the beaches. One of the little resteraunts was near Frigate Bay where you could get a burger and fries or lobster. All pretty much the same price. This little place also would rent boards for windsurfing and we'd do that sometimes too. (Good thing I'm a very good swimmer! LOL!) We were windsurfing one Sunday afternoon and saw several other people having fun doing the same. There was one guy who seemed farther out than recommended but he'd whip that sail around and come flying back to shore and then out again. He seemed to be testing his skills and racing abilities. He put on a very good show for everyone with his twirls and effortless jumps over the waves. Time to go home so we packed ourselves up and took a last look at the ocean and the few windsurfers that were still out there. Hmmmmm. The very skilled guy was *really* kinda out there but was coming in closer. We told the restaraunt owners that one surfer is waaaay out in the ocean. They knew. That's what he always did. We went home. The next day ... lots of activity in Frigate Bay. There's a windsurfer missing! Eeeeeekkkk! That's the guy we saw! There were literally HUNDREDS of small fishing boats and catamarans as well as official boats looking for signs of the surfer. Nothing! :-( The United States Coast Guard was asked to help in the search. Mike told someone where we last saw the surfer. The maps and all were pulled out and there was a grid search made of the ocean as well as volunteers were combing the beaches and rocky shores in search of a body that may have washed up. Day 2. Nothing! No body. No board. No sail. Plenty of shark in the waters though. :-( Day 3. HOORAY! Waaaaaaaay out in the middle of no where, a recon. plane spotted something in the water. The Coast Guard went to investigate. It was the surfer laying on the board. He had been caught up in a strong ocean current and was about 400 miles off shore! He had taken down his sail and tried to protect his horrible sun burned body from getting more sun burned. But he was alive! He had severe sunburn and beyond. He was also severely dehydrated and spent about 5 days in the hospital. Somehow he managed to not get eaten by the ever present sharks. He told us that he had a school (if that's the right term) of dolphins around him all the time. They had protected him from the sharks! He said he had been watching sea turtles swimming and he wasn't paying attention to time or where he was going. By the time he realized where he was ... waaaay far off shore ... it was too late and he wasn't able to get the board back to land. What a frightening thing to survive but what a cool experience to tell the grand-kids one day!

Bella, IMHO, either island will be a pleasant experience. As long as you're coming from a US state en route, you are blessed by our forefathers with the 2nd Amendment. A proper firearm in either your daypack, tent, or car lockbox will go a long way in ensuring good neighbors and happy camping. Our experiences in Oahu are not unlike those others on this thread, the homeless are suspiciously welcommed in Hawa'ii, but they seem to stay to themselves and not raise much of a racket (compared to our SoCal tweakers, got bless 'em!) but we sleep a lot better with the P4 between us!

2014 back to the "Beaten Path" in the Absaroka Wilderness, northeast of Yellowstone National Park, this time with a fishing rod in hand. I assisted taking a group of scouts last year there. This time it will be an adult-only fishing trip. If you have the skills to backpack, this is one of the most beautiful places on earth. Can't hike? Take the car can ride from Red Lodge, Montana to Cooke City, Montana, a breath taking trip up over 10,000 feet. Best time is mid July to mid august. Dine in Red Lodge, really nice town! Be sure you have good brakes, some parts of drive not for the faint-hearted. Be sure to stop at the Top-of-the-World store along the way. If you hike it, start on Cooke City side at about 7500 feet, up over top at about 9900 feet, then down to 6000 feet at East Rosebud, about 26 miles. 2 really long days for super athletes or minimalist light weight hikers or a nice 3 to 4 day trip for the average Joe. Abundant water and nice lakes to camp by such as Russell Lake, Ouzel Lake, Twin Outlets Lake, and Rainbow Lake. Huge waterfalls thundering through many sections of the trail on the north end. 200 folks in the area on an average summer day, spread out over miles of wilderness but lots of side lakes/trails if you want to explore without others nearby. Camping at trail heads is $20 a car per night, parking free at trail heads, and camping is free in the wilderness. Some special camping rules apply, mainly distance from water sources, but very manageable. Check it out on Google Earth, East Rosebud going south-southwest toward Wyoming. Steve

One the secretaries in my office is totally blind. She is just amazing. I work in NYC and she takes 3 different subways to get to work. She doesn't hesitate to ask for help if she needs it, but that is rare. She and I both loved spinach pies from a restaurant nearby and whenever I went there I'd bring her one. One day she asked how to get to the restaurant and I gave her the directions (she did not want anyone to accompany her). A short time later, she was back with her spinach pie! She said she got there all by herself and when she got right to the door someone asked her what she was looking for and she said the name of the restaurant and they guy said you've found it and opened the door for her! She went to a camp for the blind when she was a child, actually she still goes some years.