News From Guam

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 31 Jul 04 - 11:49 AM

And you are as happy as "clams at high water"? Aw shucks, I best clam up!

Cheerily,
Charley

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 31 Jul 04 - 09:31 AM

I think I forgot to mention that we had giant clam for dinner one night in Palau. We went to a market called Yano's where the three of us each bought a different meal to share. Wakana bought the clam. It was in a metal foil dish, about six inches long by three inches wide and at least two inches deep. The dish was full of clam meat in a kind of butter sauce. Most of the clamn had be sliced into strips, each one the size of the meat from a good sized quohog. But there was also a hunk of meat in there about half the size of my fist. I asked the waitress about the size of the clam. She said she didn't know but that the meat in that dish was HALF the meat from one clam! It was pretty good.

Wakana moved in with me today.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 30 Jul 04 - 06:34 PM

It's OK Sandra, I have that idiot well in hand. It's amazing what living in the real world will do to a conservative red-neck. Get that ignorant fool down in the subconscious where he can be monitored.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 30 Jul 04 - 08:58 AM

Happy birthday to the REAL Brett - not to the fake one (may it spend it's next few birthdays inside)

sandra

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: bbc
Date: 29 Jul 04 - 10:46 PM

Sigh. Identity theft? Boo, hiss! I'm glad you noticed before more was taken. What a world.

Barbara

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 29 Jul 04 - 10:32 PM

I forgot to mention that I have been the victim of identity theft. When I checked my email yesterday I found that I had used Western Union to transfer $500 to someone. I quickly told W.U. that the transaction wasn't mine but they didn't do anything and the money was picked up by a Joseph Barbauto. Then I got a call from the fraud department of MBNA about my LL Bean credit card. It appears this character has been having a high old time with the card number to the tune of $1600 or so. The card is now canceled and the money will not be my responsibility.

You know, this wasn't nearly as painful as the TV commercials for ID theft protection make it seem. I wonder what I'm missing?

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 29 Jul 04 - 09:37 PM

I am not enough of a wordcrafter to be able to distill my life into rhythm and rhyme. I wish I could express my appreciation of my friends and life in song.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 29 Jul 04 - 08:41 PM

Not too shabby, as we say here in Maine.

I suppose you might have achieved your presant state of bliss through meditation, or even medication, but sometimes spacial displacement achieves the same state. I suspect it's the romantic explorer in you that kept you open to new experiences and a new culture and I think you've done a great job of exploring. Now, where's the song of celebration?

Cheerily,
Charlie

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 29 Jul 04 - 07:34 PM

Wow! Thanks for all the good wishes. It was a good birthday. Wakana made me a nice dinner, pork chops in ginger sauce with rice and miso soup, and gave me a lovely card and some gifts. And then I come to work to find all these greetings from my friends. Lovely.

It has been a hell of a ride, Amos, and you are right that I am in a much better place than I was a year ago. This thread has been very good for me, both for what I write here and for the personal things I knowingly leave out.

And now I am 52. Looking back over those years I see a bumpy road, sometimes smooth sometimes washed out, but all leading to the person I am today. There have been some major changes over those years. The boy I was fortunately was changed into the man I am. And I am grateful for those changes. I can see the person I might have become if not for the turns I took on that road and I know I would not have liked him. And I am sure you would not have liked him either.

The changes I have experienced in my lifetime come from a variety of sources, my failed romances, raising my kids, my work experiences (good and bad), my days of poverty and the very few days of plenty. I see that I must be grateful for them for making me this person who can attract and keep such wonderful people as his friends.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Amos
Date: 29 Jul 04 - 05:34 PM

It sounds to me like you're doing a damn-sight better now than you were a year ago Brett -- and it has been year of the most INnerestin' adventures I must say!! You started this thread just over a year ago, and it's been a helluva ride!

A

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: JudyB
Date: 29 Jul 04 - 04:51 PM

Brett -

Happy Day!

JudyB

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Amos
Date: 29 Jul 04 - 03:44 PM

HB, Big Guy!! Yer doing great!! Keep it up.

A

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: SINSULL
Date: 29 Jul 04 - 02:17 PM

Happy Birthday, Brett! Celebrate.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: JennyO
Date: 29 Jul 04 - 12:33 PM

Another year older and wiser Brett? Hope it's a good one for you.

Jenny

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: bbc
Date: 29 Jul 04 - 12:28 PM

Welcome home, dear. Hope that new year of age is resting lightly on you. ;) BTW, I recently visited my sister in Yarmouth & her husband brought home 2-pounders to boil for dinner. Made my day!

Barbara

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: freda underhill
Date: 29 Jul 04 - 11:41 AM

Happy birthday, Brett!

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 28 Jul 04 - 10:20 PM

Here is a joke printed in the Palau weekly newspaper, Tia Belau. It seems a man in from the outer islands had never seen a baseball game before. After hearing the explanation and watching most of a game he was getting into the mood, cheering the runners and cursing the umpire. Then a player had to walk to first base. The out islander started to cheer him on exhorting him to run. His friend stopped him and explained he had to walk because he had four balls. The out islander then started to cheer, "Walk proudly, son, walk proudly!"

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 28 Jul 04 - 10:15 PM

Still feeling the shock and awe of the festival. If our leadership in Washington could formulate this kind of shock and awe then the world would be a much brighter place.

I mentioned the music. Every booth had music from their culture, usually playing on a small stereo, but occasionally with a live performer or group of performers. The Taiwan gooth had a drum band playing bamboo drums and others. The bamboo drums were tuned lengths of bamboo that carried the melody while the other drums carried on a complicated rhythm.

I saw the Samoans dancing and playing pan pipes. The smallest had a high pitch, like a piccolo and the largest must have sounded like a bass viol. I couldn't make out their sound with all the ambient noise. THe amazing thing was that the players were also dancing very energetically! They must have had enormous stamina. They were up there for a full half hour set and didn't stop playing or dancing for very long at all between numbers.

I saw the Polynesians swaying their very seductive style accompanied by guitar, drum, and uke. I saw other dancers re-enacting battles and love stories.

Everywhere you looked at the festival there were bright colors, on the people, in the booths, in the trees, everywhere. People gathered from different nations, chatting and comparing their work. They told jokes and laughed easily without animosity or anger. People helped each other with loads and with hanging banners. It was a very comfortable and happy environment.

Once I get a few moments I will provide more details of what we did. I took notes as I went.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 28 Jul 04 - 08:05 PM

Home again! What an experience. I don't have time to go into it here. I checked my email today and found to my surprise that I have sent $500 to somebody using Western Union's services. Don't remember doing that so I guess I have to go freeze my account.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 25 Jul 04 - 01:21 PM

Good! So far our heros haven't been seized as hostages by international drug trafficers or the CIA. I advise avoiding fresh salad, unless you boil it carefully or douse it with iodine (but not too much iodine!).

Wonder if they've hooked up with the rest of the sailors?

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 24 Jul 04 - 11:47 PM

Yes they have an internet cafe! I am writing from the local Starbucks Cafe. You can tell it is a Starbucks because of the handlettered sign on the door. And inside you can get Starbucks coffee.

What an adventure! We arrived yesterday afternoon after a flight through Manila. The pilot took us on a tour of the islands from the air before coming in to land. Just picture it, a large Continental airliner flying low and slow over the islands while the pilot gives a running commentary on what we could see out the windows.

After immigration and customs we caught a taxi to our hotel. We are bunking in with Sandy. She had reserved a room with a large bed but we asked to be changed to a room with twin beds. I brought an air mattress and we managed to fit that on the floor between the beds. Not the best situation but better than sleeping on the beach, especially as we have heard that the local mosquitoes are carrying dengue fever,

I hadn't been able to get any sleep before leaving Guam so when we arrived I'd had about 2 hours sleep in the last 36 hours. I needed a nap and so did Wakana. Sandy headed right out and we fell asleep.

We woke about 6:30 and headed for the festival. It was dark by then. The traffic was heavy on Koror Town's main road. We walked about a mile and a half to the festival gorunds to find them closing up. So we walked on the a local restaurant, Furosata's, where we got some supper. They had a lobster special so I had to satisfy my curiosity about the Pacific lobster. Wakana got pork chops with ginger sauce. Hers was wonderful. Mine was... less so. It was a female lobster with a huge egg mass under it's tail. The meat was dry and relatively tasteless. I tried the eggs and they were completely flavorless. Ah well. I hadn't expected them to be as good as Maine Lobster and they completely lived up to my expectations and more.

I felt a suspicious pain in my left foot as we walked back to the hotel. I couldn't see anything in the dark and I had stepped in mud anyway. But my sandal was definitely being unkind to my foot. Once I was home and washed I found a huge red blister on the back of my instep. Walking today is painful but necessary.

The hotel is unlike any I have ever seen. The corridor leading to the room is sheathed in Philipine mahongany plywood and well varnished. The floor is covered in red ceramic tile. The room is also shethed in the same way with white tile on the floor. The shower has a spot heater feeding the shower head. The beds are plywood platform beds with foam mattresses.

Gotta take a break. I'll write more later. The music is amazing!

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 23 Jul 04 - 09:15 AM

We all look forward to hearing about your further adventures at the South Pacific Festival in Palau. I wonder if they have an internet cafe? I guess we'll soon learn.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 23 Jul 04 - 06:04 AM

A few days ago I drove by a construction site just inside the gate. There was the usual tableau of engineers and workmen grouped around a hole gazing at something down inside while heavy equipment idled nearby. They had obviously found something they didn't expect and I entertained thoughts of unexploded ordnance closing down our offices.

Today when I tried to go to a meeting in another building I found the roads blocked off in all directions. A few minutes later some heavy equipment, a crane, a huge dump trailer and a flatbed truck came by. The flatbed was hauling the obstruction, a tank, as in a tracked fighting vehicle. They'd lifted it out in one piece, or at least the largest piece that was left of it. It was covered in dirt and roots. What an amazing sight.

Tomorrow morning at 6:45 AM Wakana and I fly out for Palau. I will be away for a few days. I expect it will be a lot of fun.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 21 Jul 04 - 12:45 AM

You're welcome, Harpgirl. It's been fun keeping it up. Ordinarily when I try to keep a journal I lose track of it within a few days. With this I feel some reponsibility to keep it going because I am not just doing it for myself. Instead I am bringing a little known part of the world to others, and a part of myself goes into it as well.

This morning as I walked across the parking lot Kip called out to me to congratulate me on my retirement. Then he said something that really touched me. He thanked me for my 28 years of service. I didn't think about it til then but I have given (sold?) 28 years of my life to this country. It was unusual that he had thanked me for that.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: harpgirl
Date: 20 Jul 04 - 11:42 PM

I've enjoyed your blog, Brett! Thanks....harp

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 20 Jul 04 - 11:38 PM

Actually boulders from Maine would make a nice addition. Want to send me a couple of tons?

I have been playing around making table top fountains. I made one for a friend who was getting married. It used a blue 12" ceramic/stoneware bowl, a field of polished stones, a ridged upright piece of stone, two upright pieces of driftwood, some seashells, and her wedding invitation. The water comes out from under a shell on top of the ridged piece of stone and ripples down behind the invitation into the field of stones and shells. The invitation as delivered to me was rolled up and inserted into a clear plastic decorative tube.

The other one I built uses a smaller bowl (only plastic) and a ceramic flower pot. The flower pot is tall with a bell mouth like a trumpet. The sides are decorated and it stands on four little feet. It's only about four inches tall. While building the other fountain I knocked the pot over and broke a large piece out of the rim. The new fountain has the broken pot lying on its side in a field of stones with the piece next to it and water flowing out of it over the broken part.

Fun!

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 20 Jul 04 - 12:48 PM

Joy, indeed!

Don't forget to move that box of boulders I packed for you in Maine. They might even come in handy.

Charley Noble

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 20 Jul 04 - 02:25 AM

I hope so! The alternative is unacceptable.

Not much to report. I did my laundry (everybody cheer) but other than that the weekend was quiet.

The canoe has gone to Palau as has the crew. The canoe left on a barge on Monday, the crew left on Saturday. They have a week to repair any damage and learn how to sail him without falling off. The trip to Palau was donated by the shipping company and the return trip was paid for by the Festival committee. Unfortunately the return trip includes stops in Shanghai, Hongkong, and one other port and the canoe has to be transhipped at each stop. We are worried that we will only get busted wood when it comes off the ship in Guam, whenever that happens.

Assuming our canoe arrives safely our next order of business is to rebuild our canoe house. After that we start carving on our smaller two man canoe. So far it only looks like a log but Manny can see the canoe inside.

My prime order of business after Palau is to paint the house I will be moving into. It needs paint bad, inside and out. The nice thing about a smooth concret wall is that you can use a roller and that is just what I intend to do. First hit it with the power washer, roll on a coat of paint, move to the opposite wall, hit that with the power washer, roll on a coat of paint, then go back to the first wall and give it the second coat. Next day do the other walls. Then it's inside for the finicky work. The landlord needs to do some work in there and I need to build some stuff before I move in. I will have the power turned on and start banging out bookcases so I can unpack my library. I need to make some space so Wakana can ship her books in from Japan. Sigh, it figures I would take up with a reader...

I just wish I could read her books but the are all in Japanese. Her brother sent her some antique Japanese comic books (late 1960s and early 1970s) and she was thrilled. Of course I couldn't make out anything in those pages but they didn't seem to have a problem with nudity.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 16 Jul 04 - 09:08 AM

life begins!

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 15 Jul 04 - 07:37 PM

One thing I do NOT expect after October 1 is to be bored. There are so many projects that need more time than the occasional evening hours I have been able to give them so far. One is to build my workshop. I will have a shipping container moved on to the property and install insulation, electricity, windows, and light. It won't be much but it will be good enough for my uses. I need to build an Adirondack loveseat so Wakana and I can enjoy sunsets from our front yard.

And I want to write. I long to write. I have been using this thread to dip my toe in the river of words and I find I like it. There have been story ideas, fiction and nonfiction, swinging though the vines that fill my mind. It's time to capture them and get them caged on the printed page.

One friend emailed me worrying about what I might find to do while retired. I reassured her that I would find plenty to do. Between trips to the other islands, Japan and Australia, I will also be flying around the world next year. If I don't find the inspiration I need at home I will find it in the adventures yet to come.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Amos
Date: 15 Jul 04 - 12:57 PM

I think you will still find plenty to write about, Brett -- just because you are cutting off a huge amount of boredom out of your life doesn't mean you have to replace it!! Just fill it with lively curiousity and new discoveries, man! And music!!

A

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 15 Jul 04 - 12:01 PM

Brett-

We all know that if you accepted the job at the Kittery-Portsmouth Shipyard, as soon as you had wrapped things up in Guam and were flying back to the States the U.S. Congress would have pulled the plug on the base.

I think you're making an inspiring choice. I'd retire too, if anyone had been thoughtful enough to have hired me.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: JennyO
Date: 15 Jul 04 - 03:52 AM

Onya Brett. I think you have made the right decision. Life's too short.....

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 15 Jul 04 - 03:33 AM

Not uch to report these days. My friends in Portsmouth, NH, may groan when they hear of the message I got earlier today. It was an email from the office in the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard offering me the supervisory job back there. Imagine my living in the Kittery area and having all that music so close to hand.

But the message was too late. I have already applied for and been approved for retirement. And besides, I REALLY do not want to shovel snow.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 11 Jul 04 - 10:55 PM

Yesterday we officially launched the Quest. She was beautiful in her new coat of red black and white paint. He waited by the shore as we milled about, talking, selling meals and drinks, taking pictures, and entertaining the people who had turned out to see him go back into the water. The dancers showed up. There were 60+ of them and they danced and sang for our proa.

Then, at 1:30, he slid bravely into the water and floated there while the crew got the rigging finished up and prepared him for the sea. They sailed off and promptly ran aground. They got him off and continued out the harbor mouth where a problem with the rigging left them drifting until the fetched up on a little beach at the harbor mouth. Finally they got things squared away and off they went.

The second trip went smoother though our friend Al, a sailing captain by trade, was on board. As they sailed by one of our number shouted out, "Al, sit down and shut up!" He answered, "It isn't in my nature!" Apparently he made a number of comments on how to "improve" things that were not taken well by the rest of the crew. Sigh. Such things happen in groups.

The last trip went out with only one skilled canoe man on board. We were worried about that but Al was there and he was skilled with sailing and handling boats and Frank had been out several times so we decided they would be fine. They were out for a while and when they returned I heard Al comment to the others that what happens in the boat stay in the boat. Three of the crew were suspiciously wet. And the ep-ep was broken, a two inch piece of wood neatly snapped in two. They came in for a great deal of ribbing and had to explain themselves.

It seems they were having trouble with the balance of the proa. Al wanted to sail it with the tam out of the water. At one point while shunting the sail Frank fell off the boat. Later they lost a paddle and Brandon dove in to retrieve it. Then, in trying to hike out on the ep-ep to maintain the balance Paul fell against the ep-ep and it broke under his not inconsiderable weight. pitching him into the sea and nearly capsizing the boat.

They will have a number of lighthearted accusations and jibes over the next few meetings. It may take them a while to live this one down.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: GUEST,sandra
Date: 08 Jul 04 - 03:58 AM

Brett - local (ie Canberra) caravans are almost impossible to get, but hiring a camper elsewhere & driving there would be easy. It's only a 3 hour trip from Sydney.

see ya

sandra

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Ebbie
Date: 08 Jul 04 - 02:20 AM

After a year of retirement, a friend of mine reported, Not a bad day yet!
May yours be the same.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 08 Jul 04 - 12:11 AM

Hang in there Judy, you and Charley are pretty spry. I expect you two will continue to spry your way around after you retire. Of course, Charley has always been retired... or he's always been working at a stealth job.

Sandra, I expect I'll get to the National next year but all my plans are up in the air right now. I'd like to get some information on renting a caravan/camper or something for the festival. Otherwise we can tent out.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: JudyB
Date: 07 Jul 04 - 10:51 AM

Wow! Wonderful!! Congratulations, Brett!!!

One of my former bosses is having what looks to me like a wonderfully successful retirement. I think he had a sense of the way the political winds were blowing, and wanted to leave while he was at the top, and did. He had detailed plans for the first 6 months or so - trips to take, old friends to visit, and so on to keep from falling into a funk or being so overwhelmed with all the possibilities that he never did any of them. And he had some thoughts to look into for the following year. It's been 12 years since he retired; he looks a little older (don't we all) but is still active, involved in the community, traveling when the spirit moves him, and doing great. I think it compares favorably with your stories of folks who decided to stick it out - and with your solid core of a plan for the trip to England and your somewhat looser thoughts about trips to the US and Japan, it sounds to me as if you're right on track to move into the kind of happy, productive retirement my former boss has. I hope I can do as well when the time comes....

JudyB

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From:
Date: 07 Jul 04 - 04:24 AM

congratulations!! see ya next year @ the National??

sandra

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 06 Jul 04 - 10:47 PM

I have no idea on how much he is spending on it. I believe he said it has aluminum hulls and twin engines though it will be normal to cruise with only one. I will add more details as I hear them.

Sure you don't want to throw it all over for a life in the tropical islands?

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Amos
Date: 06 Jul 04 - 09:16 PM

Damn, Brett, don't tempt me. How much is that boat costing your friend to build, all told?

A

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 06 Jul 04 - 08:29 PM

Well, my friends, I did it. After long consideration and many calculations I put in my request to retire. In 86 days I will give up the day job I have held since 1981. I will be gainfully unemployed as of September 30. I will have a ritual burning of the alarm clock on October 1.

This is a scary decision but one that is fraught with possibilities. Just last night I was talking with a friend who is building a big twin hull power boat. It is built for range, not speed, and he plans to use it to visit the various islands of the South Pacific and carry small cargos and the mail that sometimes takes way to long to get where it is going. I told him I would soon have plenty of time if he wanted a crew member. He said I was welcome aboard.

Ah, what more could I ask for? Life will be good. Sleepng until I wake up, a little exercise in the morning, some work in the afternoon, plans, dreams, and an occasional nap. Someone pinch me, I think I'm dreaming.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: JudyB
Date: 06 Jul 04 - 02:34 PM

Hearing about those wonderful views reminds me of a practical thought - I remember a ways back where you described taking friends from Guam to areas one could only get to if someone in the party was working on the base - make sure you have all the photos you need of those areas before you turn in your magic card! I think your book really must have a photo section in the middle! You describe things so that I can almost see them - but once in a while, I'd like to really see them, too! (Of course, in a few more years, when I can retire, too....)

   JudyB

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From:
Date: 06 Jul 04 - 03:28 AM

wonderful descriptions of events & views as always.

enjoy your retirement

sandra

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 06 Jul 04 - 02:45 AM

Ain't life s'poze to be poetic? I sure hope retirement can live up to my expectations.

I didn't finish my description of the weekend. On Sunday Wakana and I set out to find the KAL Memorial. This is a black obelisk put up in memory of the victims of the crash of the KAL jet in 1997. You can see it from across the vally when you drive over Nimitz Hill and you can see that a road goes right up to it. We were determined to drive over and see it. We first tried to get there from Chalan Pago. We ended up at the Ordot Landfill. Then we tried a side road and ended up at Leopalace Resort. The gate guard told us we had to get there from Nimitz Hill. I didn't remember any road that would do that but we headed over there.

On the way we stopped to look at the old Spanish fort, Santa Aguedo, that tops the cliffs in Hagatna. There are three old cannon up there, filled to the muzzles with old cans and trash. The view is spectacular. Off to the north you can see all the way to Ritidian Point. To the south the view ends at Anigua. But the water is a rich tropical blue and green and the white surf pounds on the reefs making it a marvelous blend of color and action. At our feet was the Agana Boat Basin. They don't have marinas here, only boat basins. Inshore of that was the whole town of Hagatna running up to where it becomes Tamuning and farther up the coast the big hotels in Tumon.

Coming back from the view we stopped and bought a green coconut from the vendor. We talked about coconuts, the weather, tourists, and fiestas. He notched one end with his machete, turned it over and used the notch to hold it steady while he clipped a small piece from the other end. This resulted in a small hole into the milk. He added two straws and handed it to us. Once we finished the milk he took it back and slice off a piece of the husk to form a spoon. Then he chopped the coconut in half and used the "spoon" to remove the meat. He added soy sauce and put a squirt of wasabi on the rim of the husk. Wakana used the spoon to cut the pieces smaller, dipped them into the soy and the wasabi, and we ate them up. Good stuff!

Continuing on our way to Nimitz Hill we stopped to take a look at some old WWII Japanese caves that formed the last headquarters for the Japanese on Guam. They were closed up with a locked gate but Wakana has been in there and she says it goes way back into the hill. She says there are a couple of kilometers of caves in there.

We headed up the only road off of Nimitz Hill that looked like it MIGHT lead us in the direction of the KAL memorial. It lead us north however, continually climbing Mount Tenjo. Soon we began to see wonderful views through the high growth of vegetation on either side. We emerged in a neighborhood of very expensive houses still climbing the hill. We could now see radio and TV transmission towers ahead of us. The road changed to gravel under our tires and finally we stopped where we could see deep puddles ahead. There was an opening in the vegetation with rich red mud showing where the four-wheelers had been playing. The land beyond looked firm so I pulled the pickup in there. The vista was a wide mountain valley full of jungle and grasslands. Way off on the other side we could see the houses that line the Cross Island Road, my way home every evening. There were slashes in the valley where the dark red soil showed clear. Wakana says the soil has concentrations of bauxite that retards the growth of vegetation. The slashes certainly look natural.

We had a little trouble getting out of that spot. The mud was very slippery and I had to make a couple of runs at it before we slid back on to the road. On the way back down the mountain we could see the long view of the northern part of the island. The land is rough with deep valleys and steep shouldered ridges, green with jungle and grass. Far off to the east we could see the Pacific Ocean. At one point we could see both the Pacific on our eastern side and the Philipine Sea on the western side at the same time. It was an amazing view.

By then we were tired and we headed back to the house. We stopped briefly at Polaris Point to view the carnival and get some flavored shaved ice. Then home to rest and relax. A very nice day.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Amos
Date: 06 Jul 04 - 12:06 AM

Jaysus, Brett, you're waxing awfully poetic about this. Beautifully, also. I am sure you will make the best choice! Congratulations.

That wedding sounds reminiscent of a birthday party I went to years back, thrown by an orful wealthy family one evening in Guadalajara -- heated tents, and long groaning boards and mariachi bands of the first order, and a bucking mechanical bull stand for all comers. There's something to be said for occasionally finding out how the Very Wealthy pass their hours! :>)

A

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 05 Jul 04 - 09:56 PM

It was beyond the bounds of any diet including the famous see-food diet where you eat any food you see.

Today was supposed to be the day I made my decision on retiring. I haven't seen the calculations for the annuities so I asked for a one day extension. I have a guesstimate made using the on-line calculators but that leaves so many unanswered questions.

Last night I lay in bed thinking about this decision and the associated ramifications. I thought of the bills that would need to be paid and the possibility of not being able to afford to leave the island. I thought of all the things I could do if I kept my job somehow (it is a possibility). Then I thought of how much I hate certain parts of my job, the bureau-babble that comes down from people who have no idea what they are doinng but think they know what's good for me, the early mornings and long work days, the fires we constantly put out and the arguments with contractors and clients.

Then I thought of the two friends who worked as long as they could and then died shortly after retirement. And those who retired as elderly men and spent their retirement getting sicker and sicker. I don't want to follow that road. I want to enjoy the days that follow this one and the next. I want to wake without the alarm clock and go out into the sunshine without a hurrying need to get into an office where I have to sit all day while life goes on outside.

I am tired. I feel bone weary. It is time to make a change in my life and try new things. It's time to sit in the sun and enjoy the smell of the flowers. I want to swim in the warm ocean and revel in the sighing of the breeze in the saw grass.

Life is waiting for me...

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 05 Jul 04 - 08:50 PM

Probably beyond the bounds of my South Beach Diet.

Certainly, you now have a keener appreciation for "gluttony," you sinful beast, you!

Sigh!

Charley Noble

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 04 Jul 04 - 11:05 PM

What a weekend. On Saturday my friend Olga got married. She has been in a high state of stress and tension for the last few weeks in preparation. I knew she and her fiancée had sent out 1500 invitations so I wanted to see what a big wedding was like.

Wakana and I started out late already. We followed the directions provided with the invitation and arrived as the wedding seemed to be coming to an end. However, as we approached the wedding party to render up our congratulations I realized the bride was NOT my friend. We were at the wrong wedding!

Back in the parking lot Wakana saw a friend and we asked her if the wedding was here. Oh no, she replied, that one is in Agana Heights. Someone else chimed in to ask if it was the one in Barrigada. No, Wakana's friend was sure it was in Agana Heights. There seems to be a network of information on weddings here. Did I mention how small the community is?

We found the church and slipped inside. The wedding was in progress but we hadn't missed much. The priest was late. The ceremony was long and impressive as Catholic ceremonies are wont to be. The church was beautiful with a wooden rafter ceiling and bright colored windows (not stained glass, these were panels of colored glass). When they finally came down the aisle we blew bubbles and wished them well. They released white doves and drank a glass of something golden-yellow.

We made our way to the reception at 6:00 to find a sight that I will long remember. I have not had the pleasure (?) of knowing many wealthy and influential people. I guess I have led a sheltered life. But this reception opened my eyes to a lot of rather mundane things I have long ignored.

The reception was at the groom's parents' house. Finding a place to park was a chore but we found one. Then we walked up to the celebration. There were three big white circus type canopies spread out on the lawn. There were benches and folding chairs neatly arranged on the lawn in and around the canopies. Some of the benches proudly proclaimed that they belongs to Senator Quintata. Others belonged to Senator Cruz. Senator Cruz personally welcomed us to the party. She seemed to be one of the officials keeping the party moving.

Down the center of the middle canopy was the food table. It must have been 50 feet long! And it was groaning under the weight of the food stacked up on it. There were four kinds of kelaguen, chicken and beef barbeque, roast pork, pancit, potato salad, bread, chicken adobo, taro, breadfruit, pepper steak, bananas cooked in coconut milk, salmon steaks, grilled tuna, and at the end of the table sashimi (raw fish). The sashimi had been filleted from a tuna, cut into small pieces and then decoratively rearranged on the tuna. The food line then snaked around to the next table where you could get ham, roast beef, and pork from a piglet that had been cooked whole. On the other side was the desert table with pies, fruit, cake, and wonderful little muffins.

Off to the right, under another canopy was a table that offered hot dogs and hamburgers, cotton candy, and soft drinks. Beyond that was the wet bar. It was NOT a cash bar.

The bride and groom were on a stage at the end of the middle canopy. Well wishers would mount the stage and greet them, deposit the wedding presents at the far end of the stage and rejoin the merriment. They were already up there when we arrived and they were still there two hours later when we pooped out.

Wakana and I took our place in line and began the long slow shuffle to the food. There were children all around us and old friends talking about everything from fishing and the weather to the local news and gossip. By the time we reached the end of the food tables we were showing the real stress capabilities of a Styrofoam plate and the balancing act required to carry one. We sat with some of my coworkers and tried to talk while the live rock & roll band tried to keep us from hearing each other.

And we ate. Oh God, did we eat. By the end of the evening I was too stuffed for words and regretting my sinful gluttony. We rolled our way to the car, drove slowly home avoiding as many of the bumps as possible, and dragged ourselves into the most comfortable position possible. We slept deeply and woke still full.