Back from a short vacation

[Notes_Norton]

Spent a week in Hawaii.

Kiluea erupted just for us (The ranger said we won the lava lottery) – went to the top of Mauna Kea (technically the highest mountain on Earth) – saw the night sky at +10k feet – caught COVID in the plane – spent one night in a hospital – walked across lava fields – ate junk food – hiked nature trails – observed wildlife and feral animals – saw most of “The Big Island” and had a great time.

Isolating at home until the COVID bugs are gone. I've been gigging since 1965, and this is the first time I'm missing a gig. I would play, but I don't want to give COVID to our elderly audience. Too many of them have died already.

That makes all 50 states plus Puerto Rico, St. Thomas USVI, St. Croix USVI, and St. John USVI for us. I guess we'll have to go to Guam next.

 

[Bapu]

I've been to Guam twice. My second grandson was born on the U.S. Army base there in 2000.

[Bapu]

I only been to 15 US states in my entire life.

Edited September 22, 2023 by Bapu

[Bapu]

Long before his trial for murder we saw O.J. in the Atlanta airport. He was not running and jumping over seats. He was walking quite nonchalantly.

Edited September 22, 2023 by Bapu

[Bapu]

Welcome back Kotter, erm Notes.

[craigb]

I've got friends that are still in Hawaii right now.

I think I'm somewhere around eight states and 18 countries...

Ok!  Well, I'm off for a short vacation myself!  I'll be gone until I run out of money.  See you in about 30 minutes!  ?

[mettelus]

12 hours ago, craigb said:

Ok!  Well, I'm off for a short vacation myself!  I'll be gone until I run out of money.  See you in about 30 minutes!  ?

A friend in high school cracked me up saying similar when I was at his house once. I totally forgot what the subject was leading to it now, but distinctly remember him standing up and saying, "That's it! I am running away. I will be back when I am hungry!"

[Shane_B.]

I had the opportunity to move to Hawaii a couple years ago. I've never been there but my wife at the time spent a lot of time there for work. She was working in a military base. Stayed there for 2 weeks at a time then the last trip she stayed there an entire month. They liked her so much down there that her company asked us to relocate to their office there. Wages aren't the same there as everywhere else and she would have taken a massive pay cut so we declined.

We used to travel all over the country. I'd take work vacations with her where she was traveling. I've been to 20 states that I can recall off the top of my head, probably more, all at no travel cost other than food. I was very lucky to have that opportunity. 

By far Utah was my favorite. If I win the $700 million Power Ball drawing tonight that's where I'm going. Buy a 10,000 acre ranch. Build a modest little log cabin right in the middle. And nobody would ever see me again.

Edited September 23, 2023 by Shane_B.

[Notes_Norton]

I liked Hawaii a lot. It was a lot like South Florida in the late 1960s and early 1970s, before Central AC and overcrowding.

I had a great time, but a week on the Big Island was enough. I didn't sit by the pool on a beach and sip cocktails with an umbrella in them, I grew up in Ft. Lauderdale, FL, so that didn't interest me – too much like home. As much as I liked it, I wouldn't want to move there. I'd get rock fever after a while.

Mrs. Notes and I do not have children (no kids, no pool, no pets, no debts, no regrets). We live on musicians' wages, without a lot of material possessions, but spend money on travel experiences. Besides for the USA and territories, we've also been to more than half the Canadian provinces, 7 Mexican states, Bahama Islands, Bermuda Islands, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Saint-Martin/Sint Maarten, Jamaica, Cayman Islands, England, Scotland, Wales, Gibraltar, The Netherlands, Hungary, Spain, Italy, Morocco, Czech Republic, Austria, Australia, Russia, Japan and China (From the Great Wall down to Hong Kong).

Of those places, the ones I would like to live in are USA, Spain, and Australia.

Before COVID, Mrs. Notes and I were planning a trip to Madagascar. It's still on the wish list, along with 50 or so other places. I don't have 50 years left, and we can only go once a year (unless we win the lottery), so we'll see what we can.

The only “Tour” we took was in China. We prefer to take local transportation or rent cars, and not only visit the important tourist sites, but get out of them to the real countries, too. But in China, I couldn't read the bus/train schedules or the road signs, so it was our only option.

Some people like possessions, others prefer experiences. Either way is OK, and I'm lucky Mrs. Notes and I have similar desires.

 

Insights and incites by Notes ♫

 

Kiluea:

Edited September 23, 2023 by Notes_Norton

[Bapu]

4 hours ago, pwalpwal said:

anywhere else outside the us of a?

UK, Canada, Mexico, Carribean & Guam

Edited September 23, 2023 by Bapu