News From Guam

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 13 Oct 03 - 08:46 AM

Actually the festival takes place every four years. I provided the web sites because I thought you all might like to see the places I am now within reach of.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 13 Oct 03 - 08:43 AM

Next July will be the big Pacific Festival Of The Arts. Last year the festival drew 24 of the island nations with over 2,000 participants. If you want an exotic vacation this is the time and place to take it.

The web address for the festival is here.

And here are the addresses for the other island nations. Have fun surfing.

American Samoa
Australia
Also Australia
Cook Islands
Also Cook Islands
Federated States of Micronesia
Also Federated States of Micronesia
Fiji
Also Fiji
Polynesia-franc•ise
Also Polynesia
Guam
Also Guam
Hawaii
Kiribati
Marshall Islands
Also Marshall Islands
Nauru
Aotearoa-New Zealand
Also Aotearoa-New Zealand
Niue
Also Niue
Norfolk Island
Northern Mariana Islands
Also Northern Mariana Islands
Nouvelle-CalÈdonia
Palau
Papua New Guinea
Pitcairn Island
Rapa Nui
Samoa
Solomon Islands
Tokelau
Tonga
Also Tonga
Tuvalu
Vanuatu
Also Vanuatu
Wallis et Futuna
Also Wallis et Futuna

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Bill D
Date: 12 Oct 03 - 11:30 PM

sounds like great adventures going on, Brett!,,even the pie!...yes, it is beginning to get chilly here, but reading about warm breezes and surf and waving trees helps divert our minds from approaching Winter...and we will toast you at the Getaway in some fitting way..*grin* ..take care!

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: GUEST
Date: 12 Oct 03 - 05:12 PM

Go for the throat Big Fella!

Woody

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 12 Oct 03 - 05:09 PM

One more month, Brett, and you'll be snorkling the Great Barrier Reef. Watch out, you Great White Sharks! Here comes the BIG FELLA!

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: GUEST
Date: 12 Oct 03 - 05:08 PM

I can't wait!

Woody

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 12 Oct 03 - 05:05 PM

Woody! How have you been? Niice to see you here. I'll check out that thread.

Fortunately I don't know of any pictures in my tacky getup. But then, I sucked down some pretty good margueritas early on.

Jeff's is the perfect place for me to take my winter picture. Along about February I plan to get a picture of myself at the beach settled in my chair with a nice cold drink in my hands as I dabble my feet in the water. I just want to share my suffering with all my friends in the Northern climes.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: GUEST
Date: 12 Oct 03 - 04:42 PM

Thank you Jeri.

Peter

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Jeri
Date: 12 Oct 03 - 04:34 PM

Peter, if you go up to the top, look in Quick Links for "Log In" and go for it. Cookies just crumble sometimes for no apparent reason. Web ants maybe.

Brett, I don't know if I'd rather see piccies of you a la pie or in the tacky getup! Another charity thing we used to do sometimes is have the SPs, MPs or WhateverPs lock up commanders. People would then have to donate money to buy their way back out. Woe unto the commander who was strongly disliked!

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: GUEST,Peter Woodruff
Date: 12 Oct 03 - 03:53 PM

Why have a been relegated to guest status?

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: GUEST
Date: 12 Oct 03 - 03:49 PM

Bret,

There is a thread on Mudcat you must address, "ingrediants for a good folk club." I saw multiple rainbows from the Harding Plant the other day. You would have been pleased.

Woody

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 11 Oct 03 - 08:01 PM

This is a land of rainbows. The rainshowers slide through quite often so there are plenty of opportunities. Coming in to work off the mountain I can see rain showers off in the distance in all directions. There are very localized, pouring down sheets of water, in a small area. You can be dry in Agat and drowning in Santa Rita, next village over. It's so much fun to watch the showers move across the island.

Last night I went to the KPRG Thrift Store Ball with a couple of friends. Music was the "...melodious strains of Twisted Finger..." KPRG is the local NPR station. The theme was to wear the tackiest outfits you could dig up. I wore a pair of shorts held up with wide green suspenders and a thin black belt, a Hawaiian print shirt tucked in, high white socks, and sandals. I hung a camera around my neck and wore a straw hat. When I walked up to the ticket table a tall man with flourescent red hair and a pink ball gown welcomed me as the biggest Japanese tourist he'd ever seen.

The music was old rock and roll delivered by a three person band with a drum machine. They were pretty good. The dance floor would crowd up pretty regularly. The costumes were pretty imaginative. The radio personalities were good clowns and kept the party rolling along.

The ball was held at Jeff's Pirates Cove, a bar and retaurant right on the shore in Ipan, Talafofo. I even met Jeff and talked with him for a bit. The name of the place predated him. He bought it when it went up for sale and one of the prospective buyers talked about plans for changing it. Apparently Jeff got thrown out of the place a few times as a kid when he tried to get served in there. Now he is a middle aged man with a white beard running around running the place with his tank top t-shirt and bandana on his head. Nice guy.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: bbc
Date: 11 Oct 03 - 01:41 AM

Nice, Brett, they have rainbows in Guam, too! :)

bbc

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: katlaughing
Date: 11 Oct 03 - 12:18 AM

"Spaz" is that his real name? Oh, perfect!**bg**

The party sounds like a blast. Thanks so much for the continued info on the trad. music and the culture!! I hope you can point us to some CDs., when you find them, and other sources for some of the great things you are telling us about.

luvyakat

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 10 Oct 03 - 07:36 PM

I think it was canned chocolate pudding. I didn't get much of a taste. I wanted to get the goo out of my eyes so I could see the woman get her pie. Besides, she and her sister are the pranksters in the office so I really didn't trust the ingrediants of the pies.

I woke this morning, a lazy Saturday morning, with a rainbow shining in the sky outside my window. What a start! The day awaits...

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: GUEST,bbc at work
Date: 10 Oct 03 - 11:08 AM

Yum--chocolate cream! Homemade, I hope?

best to pie face,

Barbara

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 10 Oct 03 - 10:03 AM

how to make friends with a dog!

sounds like a mad, fun day

sandra

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 10 Oct 03 - 06:56 AM

It wasn't strawberry-rhubarb, it was chocolate cream pie.

The party was a pretty good time. We played volley ball, horseshoes, ate lots of barbeque, plenty of kelaguen, lumpia, brownies, kimchee, and soda and beer. We had door prizes and music.

Then it was time for the pie-in-the-face event. They auctioned off the right to push the pie in our faces. The auction was a riotous event. Our boss, the commander, was very active in the bidding. My partner in crime, the other branch head was auctioned off for $16. The CDR paid and gave the right to the branch head's wife. I went for $21. The high bidder was the father of my young intern. He gave the right to the intern. And the other person, the woman who set up the pie-in-the-face event, went for $26 to a coalition of people. The other brach head was first. We gathered around as he perched himself on an overturned bucket. His wife stood beside him and after some good natured banter she carefully pushed the pie into his face and slid it up on to the top of his head.

And then it was my turn. I stepped up to the bucket and remained standing. The intern stepped up to me. I was threatening him with dire retribution if he went through with it. He pretended to stumble and the pie went into my face. I caught the pie pan before it fell. Everyone was laughing. The intern was bent over he was laughing so hard. I reached over with a handfull of pie I'd scraped from my beard and patted him on the head. Then I took the pie pan and chased a couple of the people who had voted for me.

I was barely able to see. I had pie in my eyes and dripping down on to my shirt. I could barely make out the tiff when the woman was pied. She apparently tried to share the wealth with the woman who delivered the pie. Everyone was laughing and having a good time.

The tug of war, which I expected to be more organized turned into a rout with everyone from upstairs on one end of the rope and the downstairs people on the other end. Those of us from upstairs trounced the downstairs group. I tried to shanty but the gang was so rowdy and everyone was laughing, shouting, falling down and staggering back to the rope that there was no hope of a shanty being heard.

After all the excitement I got my 12 string from the truck and found a quiet spot to sit and play. One or two people joined me. There was a breeze blowing in off the water and it sighed in the casuarina trees. Boats and ships sailed by in the harbor. It was a lovely day and a beautiful evening.

I left the party with a plastic bag full of BBQ. When I got home the neighbor's dog, Spaz, was chained out front. I tossed him a few pieces of meat and made his day.

Good day over all.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 09 Oct 03 - 08:56 PM

***********************************************************************************************************'s!;~)

Save me a slice of the rhubarb/strawberry!

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: curmudgeon
Date: 09 Oct 03 - 08:33 PM

Ask rather, who would not want to see that!

It might be some kind of Mudcat fundraiser as well; t-shirts, posters, coffee mugs -- Tom

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 09 Oct 03 - 08:04 PM

A picture of me with pie all over my face? Now who would want to see that, I wonder? *GRIN*

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: curmudgeon
Date: 09 Oct 03 - 07:12 AM

Please, Brett, make sure to have someone take a picture of the event so that you can post it here for all of us to share -- Tom

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 08 Oct 03 - 11:14 PM

New words! I learned some new Chamorro words today.

At lunch someone brought in a big pot of chili and there were some other local dishes, put-put, a spicy salmon salad, and a new form of fine dene I hadn't seen yet. Put-put is a kind of spicy hot dog or sausage, big round and juicy.

In the course of a riotous lunchtime conversation I learned that you never say put-put to a woman who is not your wife. It refers to her, uh, er, delta of Venus, her vaginal area. At the same time you never use the word chili in polite conversation. It refers to the reproductive organ that only a man has.

Needless to say, lunch today was very noisy with plenty of laughter.

Oh, and the results of the pie-in-the-face voting changed dramatically while I was out of the office yesterday. When I left the office on Tuesday I had garnered only 9 votes. This morning the count has me up to 414 votes and in the top three to receive pies in our faces. I guess I better bring a change of clothing to the party. I can feel the love. The big conversation about this event is what will be in the pies? People are assuming the worst, sardines, onions, tuna fish, etc. Should be an interesting afternoon.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 08 Oct 03 - 08:00 AM

Well, 306 posts and we are finally into the music portion of this thread....

What a resource the MARC is. I went over there and found a small but well put together study room with computer catalog and plenty of work space. The librarian had to get the books from the stacks.

Before I began I asked for Dr. Salas. Her name had been given to me by a friend who met her and recognized her as the source I was looking for. She greeted me with a smile and took me back to her office where she gave me a crash course in Chamorro music. She explained that the Chamorro had incorporated the Spanish influence into their music during the two centuries that the Spanish dominated the island. However, they didn't put Chamorro words to Spanish tunes. They used their own tunes and put Spanish words to them. When the Japanese took the island in 1941 it was not too long before the Chamorros had put Japanese into their songs. Most of the songs were insults aimed at whatever country was in charge at the time. She sang me a song that poked fun at the Spanish and then one the children sang about the Japanese.

One form of traditional music used by the old Chamorros was the chamorita. This was a type of song, generally used by the women, in which gossip was passed or certain members of the village were teased. One woman would sing a verse. Then another would chime in with a verse. They would keep this up all day as they worked by the river or in the fields. Some forms of the chamorita did include men and these were courting songs. The two lovers would sing their songs to each other, mildly teasing and often with sexual innuendos. It was the only way to say what they were thinking without the stigma of speaking about it. Apparently more was allowed in song than in speech.

She told me the old Chamorros sang in a high nasal tone. The songs were wistful, melodramatic, and romantic. Even the work songs were used more to keep company than to regulate the rhythm of the working people. No shanties here. But the songs are very melodious and have been influenced by the Latin rhythms of the Spanish. And today the modern singers are rediscovering the old music and rearranging it to the taste of the modern population. The radio station, 102.9 FM, is the all Chamorro station. I have listened to it and heard Chamorro covers of modern pop songs. However, according to Dr. Salas, they also play the traditional music of the old people. Have I worn you all out with repetitions of how much I respect these people?

Dr. Salas got out her guitar and sang a few of the old songs for me as we talked. She is a bright Chamorro woman, tall, about my age and full of life. She says she comes from a musical family and all her family gatherings include music from all her family members. She spoke of the traditional instrument of Guam and hearing the grand master playing it. She is one of the few people who recorded him before he died. Somewhere out there is a CD of the old man playing the instrument.

She also is a story teller. She is hosting an evening of stories sometime soon. She asked me if I'd like to fill in as needed when I told her I'd been memorizing story poems back home. I hemmed and hawed but I would love to do it and we left it there.

I left her in her office and went out to the library. After a little work in the catalog I asked for three books. The librarian brought me four. One was a reprint of a July 1949 article from the Jurnal Of American Folklore which included several songs complete with notation. Another was an actual songbook published by CHAMPS, the Chamorro Music Preservation Society. They had thirty songs complete with notation and chords. Unfortunately there were no English translations. Then there was a children's songbook full of Chamorro songs. And lastly there was a pamphlet titled Three Chamorro Songs. This last was just a repeat of the songs in the 1949 atricle.

I made a bunch of copies and brought them home for further study. I hope to make some real progress with these.

Good stuff.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: katlaughing
Date: 08 Oct 03 - 01:09 AM

I'm still reading and enjoying your beautiful and meaningful writings, Brett. It's just wonderful to learn of another country and its customs, landscape, etc. through one who is as open and able to paint such word pictures as you. Thank you and please continue to sahre as you are moved and able.

A date??!! Yahoo!!

luvyakat

P.S. the google ads at the bottom of your thread are for "The Bark Stops Here" and "Innotek Bark Collars Work!" That's pretty good, picking up on what you wrote! It'd be hard for me to pass that dog by everyday, knowing it was tied out like that most of the time.:-)

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 07 Oct 03 - 07:35 PM

You know, Barbara, your post sparked a memory from my childhood for some reason. I remember Dad mentioning his visit to Guam and looking it up in the encyclopedia. I remember thinking I would never want to go there though I don't know what it was that made me think that. I'm going to have to cogitate on that for a while.

Today dawned bright and sunny. There is a lovely breeze blowing out there. This appears to be the time of year when the plants put on their showy displays. The flame tree in the side yard has blossomed with beautiful brilliant fire engine red flowers. The plants in the planter are sending up lovely yellow and red flowers. Driving to work I drive through patches of the tall grass with the white mare's tails. There are blossoms in places that have heretofore been only green. This is not unlike back home where the leaves are turning bright colors in preparation for winter. Somehow I think the winter here will not emulate the winter back home.

I recently got the storm shutters off the side windows on the house. When I rented this place all the storm shutters were up and we inspected the house by flashlight. The first thing I did on moving in was to take down the shutters I could reach. That left the shutters up on two windows in the kitchen/living room. This weekend I finally got to them and the difference in the room is remarkable.

My neighbor in the other side of the house, Nick, keeps his shutters up. I think they are on the low side of the income spectrum and he probably does it to conserve energy, i.e., reduce solar heating and keep a/c costs down. His dog has learned that I am not a threat and does not bark as much as before. I still will not approach that animal. He looks quite vicious. He spends some of his time leashed in front of the house. The leash is a piece of heavy chain, we're talking car towing heavy chain, big links, attached to four concrete blocks. I think he wears himself out just dragging it around.

The seafarers have found a couple of logs big enough to build a new canoe. One is up in Pago and the other is a huge piece of driftwood washed up on the rocks somewhere. I've seen a picture of it. They need to drag it off into the sea and the Coast Guard has agreed to do that with their cutter. I think they are now looking for a way to move the logs to a work site.

It's tough because they are still $1000 in the hole from buying the Quest. As I understand it they bought her for $5,000 which they've been paying off as best they can. They've been selling T-shirts, asking for grants and now we will be helping out with a craft fair and holding a silent auction. We are having a bunch of hats and more T-shirts made up to sell as well. They look like they'll be pretty snazzy. There will be a picture of the Quest under full sail on the hat and the T-shirt will have a picture of the utt (canoe house) on the front and the Quest on the back. The sleeve will have a reproduction of the navigator's tatoos on it. I'm looking forward to getting some of those to send home as Christmas presents.

It's time for some breakfast and then I'm off to the UOG to find the MARC. This will be a good day.

Oh, and I have a date next week.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: GUEST,bbc at work
Date: 07 Oct 03 - 12:02 PM

Brett,

I hope there will be another time in the future for us to see each other. I think you're a lovely man. In regard to your writings on Guam, I appreciate them. I've travelled to various places, but I suspect I'll never get to Guam. It's really nice to hear your reactions to the place.

best,

Barbara

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 07 Oct 03 - 06:43 AM

That lets out most of my co-workers but the seafarers and their families would probably know something.

We are getting set for a big party at Gab Gab this Friday afternoon. Those of us in management are throwing the party for all the hard workers who got us through the end of the fiscal year. One of the women came up with what she calls a fun-raiser (spelling correct) to help pay for this party and to put money forward for the Christmas party. She is selling votes for which three people in the office should get a pie in the face. At the party she will auction off the right to "deliver" the pies. The victims can buy their way out by matching the vote money. I'd like to say this is an ancient Chamorro ritual but she got it from the Air Force office she worked in before she joined ours. Still it makes for a fun mental picture, an ancient culture built on throwing pies at each other. Sure beat slings and arrows.

Yesterday at lunch the young officer who was tapped to organize the party brought a clipboard and deputized us all to help with the plkanning. He had planned on hot dogs and hamburgers and that was fine with the crew. But somehow they got to talking about previous new year parties and before we knew it we were lined up for ribs, chicken and steaks. Then the other jobs started to get passed out. I was tapped for producing another sin cake. Vince has to do his beans. Norma has to provide a huge bowl of red rice. I don't know who has to make the daigo. It was funny how this party for the workers became a party for and by the workers, and how cheerfully it made the transition. These are special people.

One of the seafarers, Gordon, is in the States right now learning to build concrete dome houses. It is a technique for low cost housing developed for third world countries. He wants to develop the idea for the islands. He thinks he could put in a ceiling at the 8 foot mark for the families to retreat to when the storm surge floods the villages. He wants to build them with arched doors so the water can flow through the "downstairs" while the family is safe "upstairs". It's quite a nice idea really and I hope he can pull it off.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Roger the Skiffler
Date: 07 Oct 03 - 03:58 AM

Lovely stuff, Brett. Ask your Chamorro colleagues/neighbours about ant-deterrent. I bet they know some local plant that they use to keep them out. In my limited forays to exotic islands (Cooks, St Lucia)there were still people who knew and used local plant lore rather than synthetic products.

RtS

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 07 Oct 03 - 01:07 AM

Tomorrow I will take the day off and run over to the University Of Guam (UOG). It takes a little while to figure out what is being said when you hear someone mention that place. UOG is pronounced as one word (yoo-OH-gee).

Anyway, I am headed for the MARC (Micronesian Area Research Center). My hope is to meet either Dr. Salas or Dr. Diaz or, if I get really lucky, both of them. They are sisters and their specialty is Chamorro chants and song. One of them is also a music teacher. Failing that I intend to leaf through the collection in search of any recordings of the music of the Chamorros. I have high hopes.

Thanks for letting me know that people are reading this. I had hoped I wasn't whistling in the wind. I enjoy sharing my adventure but I didn't want to be talking to an empty room.

Barbara, it's good to know you are settling into your new place. I had hoped to be visiting you this week but, as you know, the class was disapproved.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Ebbie
Date: 06 Oct 03 - 11:16 PM

I'm reading it, for sure. I try to let it go until there are at least four posts since the last time- because then I figure you have posted another vignette. Good stuff, Brett. Thank you.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: bbc
Date: 06 Oct 03 - 09:51 PM

I check every few days to see how you are doing, Brett. I'm settling in pretty nicely now in my new home. I saw 2 rainbows a few days ago, after an unexpected hail shower! My house is starting to feel like home; it's good!

love,

barbara

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Amos
Date: 06 Oct 03 - 07:25 PM

I'm still reading it, Brett!


A

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 06 Oct 03 - 07:03 PM

LOL Jeri!

As I drove home last night I noticed that one of the houses at the top of the pass has acquired a carabao. It was grazing peacefully in the front yard as I passed. It looked young. Adds another bright spot to that drive along the Cross Island Road.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: curmudgeon
Date: 06 Oct 03 - 09:13 AM

Great tales and insights, Brett. Keep the news from Guam coming -- Tom

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Jeri
Date: 06 Oct 03 - 08:57 AM

Eucalyptus & kerosene probably mess up the buggers' scent trails so they can't follow each other and probably can't find their way back home. Maybe Pine Sol would work. Or you could plug the outlet

Show me the way to go home
I'm tired and I wanna find my hill
I laid down some scent about a minute ago
I thought t'would be there still
But aimlessly I roam -
Cuz all I smell is a pine cone
As I wander, I'm bitchin' cuz I'm lost in this kitchen
Wontcha show me the way to go home!

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 06 Oct 03 - 08:39 AM

Naturally I'm an avid fan & really looking forward to meeting you in person, Brett.

not very long now!! So as Charley says, get practicing!!

sandra

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 06 Oct 03 - 08:31 AM

Hmmmm! The ants are blowing in the wind?

Well, the trick we used to do in Ethiopia, back in my old Peace Corps days, was spread fresh Eucalyptus leaves around the edges of the room. The Ethiopian ants didn't like Eucalyptus oil, and we really used to have some massive invasions. Now look, gang, this really works!

I wouldn't especially recommend spraying kerosene, like they used to do in the foc'sles of old sailing ships, although you don't smoke.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Dahlin
Date: 06 Oct 03 - 08:21 AM

Brett

    I have been following your great island adventure fairly regularly. The burning question is, "Have you fixed the windshield wipers?".

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: The Barden of England
Date: 06 Oct 03 - 02:54 AM

I've been reading it for months, and your descriptions are powerful. It'll make the UK winter bearable, after the long hot summer we've had. Thanks for continuing to brighten up the day.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 06 Oct 03 - 01:08 AM

I realized this morning there are more points I haven't addressed. There are patches of a type of grass here that grows very tall, perhaps 8 or 10 feet high. Now, with winter coming on that grass has blossomed with white mare's tails fluttering in the trades. The result is theere are now patches on the mountains that look like impossible patches of snow.

Mowing is done with weed whackers. I have seen a few lawn mowers and there is one huge field here on base that is mowed by a tractor and gang mower. But all the small patches get gangs of people with gas powered weed whackers, carefully swinging back and forth as they trim the uneven ground. And the workers don't strip down to accomodate the heat of the sun. Instead they are robed like Arabs with head gear to cover their whole head, plexiglas face plates to protect their faces, masks to keep them from breathing in the dust particles and heavy work aprons.

I hadn't realized how slick the coral road surfaces are until I left the house last night. I had the windows down in the truck and when I started out from the stop sign at the end of my road I could hear my rear wheels slipping on the pavement. Amazing.

I am fighting ants in my kitchen. They are coming in through the electrical outlet that feeds juice to my coffee maker. I cleaned up the counter and set out an ant bait to try and dissuade them from coming in. They are very tiny and they move very fast.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 05 Oct 03 - 07:49 PM

Actually, Brett, with a little help from Photoshop and a screen-shot from some vendor website, we could put out an all-points WANTED POSTER for your missing digital camera in less time than it takes to expose yourself.;~)

What do we call the process of losing a digital camera, disindigitazation? Maybe I can re-work Tanglefoot's "Paddy's Finger."

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 05 Oct 03 - 06:58 PM

Hi Judy,

That's kind of a hole-in-the-bucket scenario.

With what shall I take the picture dear Charlie, Dear Charlie?

Brett

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: GUEST,JudyB
Date: 05 Oct 03 - 12:55 PM

Hi Brett - I usually lurk and let Charley do the talking, but I do enjoy reading about your adventures, and am finding Guam an interesting place.

Charley suggests you take a photo of your digital camera and post it so people can let you know if they see it....

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 04 Oct 03 - 11:55 PM

Mary, I've made a copy in Word format with some pictures in it. So far I've only done up to July 22 but I'll start on the next part soon. If you want a copy PM your email address and I'll send it along.

By the way, I seem to have lost my new digital camera. Half way through the last month I started looking for it and realized it was gone. I have torn this house apart, gone through the truck, and racked my brain trying to remember where I used it last. Of course, last month was so crazy I could have done anything with it.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Mary in Kentucky
Date: 04 Oct 03 - 11:47 PM

I'm following it. As a matter of fact, I printed out the first 50 pages and sent them to Giac. Susan formatted it in Word, small print, 3 columns. It took my poor printer all day to print it out!

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 04 Oct 03 - 11:40 PM

Thanks Charley. Thats the gathering I'd hoped to get to.

By the by, I am curious how many are still following this thread. Can we have a role call to see what the audience is?

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 04 Oct 03 - 09:19 PM

While you're watching the sunset, Brett, you might break out your 12-string guitar, tune it, and practice a few of your songs for our OZ foray. That's coming up fast, just about a month away, give or take a day or two depending which side of the International Date Line you're on.

A bunch of us will be heading for the Press Room next Saturday for the usual Shanty gathering. We'll raise a glass or two for you!

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 04 Oct 03 - 08:51 PM

I forgot to mention something I saw last Thursday. I left work late and was headed up to the Top O' The Mar for dinner. As I left the base the sun was setting behind me and there was a rain shower ahead of me. I could see a brilliant double rainbow shimmering ahead of me. That is not in itself unusual here. There are plenty of rainbows happening during the rainy season. This display was not complete, the arches didn't extend beyond my view through the windshield. The point is that they were so close I could see the rise of the land through their bases. I felt as though I could touch them. What a sight.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 04 Oct 03 - 04:57 AM

Interesting day. This morning as I headed out to meet with the Seafarers the plumber arrived. Since I'd been witing for him for two weeks so I stayed home while he changesd out the angle valves under the kitchen sink and the valve in the toilet. He had a helper with him and they talked in Tagalog as they worked.

Finally I got off to the meeting. When I got there they were holding a formal meeting. We talked for a while about the upcoming fund raising aactivities and plans for PacFest 2004. Then we started to work on the canoe. Or, rather, Manny and this old guys started to work on the canoe while the rest of us stood around and watched. The old guy had only one hand. They told me he'd lost the left one to a shark. He and Manny worked on the yahms. They fussed with the placement of the pontoon and fit the broken yahms in place. It was hard to stand by and watch but the Chamorros were working in their own language. Actually it may have been a different dialects. One young man laughed and said they were working in three different languages.

They inspected all the wood the others had cut and declared only one fork usable. We still need three more. The old guy, I wish I knew his name, attacked the wood with adze and machete. His machete rose and fell like machinery carefully hacking off precise chips. He would chop, turn the piece, chop some more, turn the piece and chop some more. When he knocked off the previosuly curved piece was thinner and straight as an arrow.

It rained the whole time they worked on the piece. I finally headed out. It was such a luxury to not have to go to the office. I drove up to the Faith Bookstore. I'd been trying to get there because they are reputed to have the best collection of books on Guam and Micronesia around. They do have a pretty good collection. The real find though was their map department. I found a great topographic map of Guam and a small map of the Pacific islands.

Then it was off for groceries and home.