North To South

I woke up this morning in Anchorage, Alaska to a day that wouldn't get above freezing and I'll sleep tonight in Kailua, Hawaii where the night won't get below 70 degrees. May I never be so jaded to lose my appreciation of the beautiful world God has created and the miracle of being able to travel within it!

First Days In Anchorage

Man, it's good to be in Alaska! Lows around 10 degrees and highs below freezing... I have no heavy coat and had to buy a hat to keep from shivering as I walk around the block to a restaurant, but it is so great to be here and be in the cold!

Anchorage is beautifully framed by snow-covered mountains and there's a light dusting of snow in shady spots. The sun only gets about "two fists" above the horizon, but slides along all day long. I love seeing my breath in the cold air again. As we drive to Fort Richardson, the salt dust hovers along the interstate. Last night, the Aurora Borealis was out (though I didn't see it from my hotel window). Everyone I have met is as friendly as the midwest and though I have no real use for cold weather gear right now, it's great to walk through the shops.

You may think I'm crazy... maybe I am just stir crazy... I love Hawaii for all it is and I love Alaska for all Hawaii isn't. I fly back on Friday afternoon, but already I know I'd like to return sometime. What a place.... :-)

Unusual Week Ahead

The week has already started out in a strange way. Both Saturday and Sunday has been overcast, cool and rainy. Let me explain a little so you don't get the wrong idea... "Overcast" in Hawaii means blowing puffy clouds that occasionally coalesce into a bigger cloud that disperses within minutes. "Cool" in Hawaii means temperatures below 75 degrees. "Rainy" in Hawaii is a heavy drizzle that lasts for a few minutes and then dries up.

So when I say that the sun hasn't shown for three days and the rain has been constant with occasional downpours and it's been cold enough to pull on a blanket at night - you'll know that it's been strange - almost like the mainland!

Anyways, I've used the time to finish a long-term project for my company and planned for the week to come. This week, I'm going to Anchorage, Alaska! When I last checked the forecast, it wasn't supposed to get above freezing while I'm there. It has already snowed as well, so I'm excited to go! The only issue is that I am well outfitted for Hawaii, but all of my winter gear is in storage somewhere in Minnesota! It shouldn't matter because I'll be mostly doing business indoors...

I'm hoping to get back in the water when I return. My scuba gear has been dry for 3 weeks - far too long! Watch for alaskan updates and pictures this week!

Fall In Hawaii

Now that I have a year's perpsective in this place, I can feel Fall coming in Hawaii. The days are partly cloudy instead of mostly sunny. The high temperatures range in the mid 80's now instead of the high 80's - on the way down to the low 80's of deep winter in January. Surf action is shifting to the North shore.

Friends sent us some beautiful fall leaves from Minnesota. I miss fall. I miss winter. I miss seasons all together! I'm sure everyone sympathizes with me as the frost settles on the pumpkins.

It makes me blue at times.... So blue that I'm going to shake off my blues with a dive beneath the deep blue sea this weekend! Sweet justice for a former Minnesota boy, huh? ;-)

- Joe
(writing on the road with my Blackberry cell phone)

Broken Foot

Hi Everyone! This past week, we've had our friends from Minneapolis visiting. Don & Rindy Koukal used to be our neighbors and have really been an inspiration to us over the years. We managed to convince them to visit our Hawaiian world for a week.

Shortly after arriving though, DeAnna broke her foot when she jumped into the shallow end of the pool! After getting her to the doctor for the X-ray that confirmed the pain, we've been nursing her through the week until Wednesday when I'll take her to the Orthopaedic surgeon for an evaluation of her situation. We're told that it may be Thanksgiving before DeAnna can get around normally....

DeAnna landed hard on her heel bone and actually broke her heel - very hard to do and very painful. She's been confined to the couch to elevate her foot while the swelling goes down, but we managed to get her in the car for a driving tour of Oahu Sunday afternoon. Shopping was a bust for the girls (but who knows, that might be a blessing in itself)!

Don and Rindy have been good sports and I've managed to play tour guide to get them out around the island while DeAnna is resting at home. We've been to Waikiki, the North Shore to see the season's first big waves, Spitting Cave, Pu'u Ualaka'a (seen here), Ala Moana Mall, Hanauma Bay and many other favorite sites

I even managed to get them to roll in the sand at Halona Beach, just like the movie, "From Here To Eternity". Though the results might not be Hollywood, it was fun! Out of all our visitors, they are the only people that have tried the movie scene. Having Don & Rindy here has reminded me how much I miss our friends and home in Minneapolis. They leave Tuesday morning and DeAnna and I will both really miss them.

In the meantime, Wednesday morning, we'll be visiting the Orthopaedic surgeon in the morning; I'll be visiting an Orthodontist in the afternoon for some minor oral surgery (I'll be drinking my food for a while) - it will be a busy week of medical attention.

In other news, I've been keeping up with my job as well as my old bosses' job now that he's departed for Germany. It's been very hectic and my role here is shifting from project coach to deployment advisor. I will go to Alaska over Halloween week to teach a class and I'll reprise my role as instructor again for Green Belt class in November and December here in Hawaii.

I'll also be making a trip to Dallas in mid-November for a meeting of Accenture top-performers! I'm not sure how, but someone has noticed the work I do all the way out here in the middle of the Pacific, so I'll spend two days shaking hands with folks that are more highly placed in the company...

Keep DeAnna in your prayers. I'll update the blog again after we know more Wednesday.