News From Guam

Subject: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 19 Jun 03 - 10:12 PM

I considered making this a BS thread but this will be a musical journey as well as a life journey. For I have discovered "...thar's folk music in them thar islands!" I heard some bluegrass and other music on the local NPR station and called to talk to the DJ. I have no transportation until August when my little pickup arrives so we will be hard pressed to get together. Apparently he and his band are taking a couple of months off. But there's hope.

And, of course, I'll be headed for Australia and New Zealand while I am here so the Oz Mudcats can expect to see me sometime in the next 6 months or so.

Guam is a fun place to visit but I haven't made up my mind about staying. But I have been here a week now. Only 103 weeks to go… (Just so you know, I had to stop and do the math. I am not counting down the days.)

I haven't done much here yet but go to work and then back to my room at the end of the day. But I did get out this weekend, in a rental car, to see the island.

This is a very beautiful place. There are mountains. The pictures I downloaded from the web do not do them justice. The southern villages are merely groupings of houses in a general area, no real formation or plan. There are beautiful homes and there are squalid homes. They nestle side by each in the villages with neat yards bordered by overgrown piles of junk. Many homes and businesses were damaged in the typhoon last December and have not yet been repaired.

The northern villages are more urban in nature, with businesses creating strip malls and gas stations all over the place. There are real shopping malls up there as well as the tourist areas in Tumon. The tourist area is aimed largely at the Japanese so the businesses have signs in Japanese and English. There are Japanese, Korean, Chinese, and Australian channels on the TV. There is even a channel called The Visitor's Channel that shows what to do and where to go on Guam. It is broadcast mostly in Japanese though so I cannot figure out how to find the things they advertise.

But things are not very rosy in Guam right now. I went into the tourist area and the place was a ghost town. Between the sagging Japanese economy and fear of SARS there are very few tourists in town. Guam is hurting.

I am living in the Bachelor Officer's Quarters out on the end of a road by the quarry on the base. I am surrounded by lawn and jungle out there. This is a good thing and a bad thing. I have re-injured my knee and it is proving to be a bother. Take my advice and purchase stock in any company that makes Ibuprofen. But I am buying a bicycle today and hope to be able to get out to the mini mart, a restaurant, and some of the other services available here. I am looking forward to that. Without transportation I exist on cereal and PBJ sandwiches.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: wysiwyg
Date: 19 Jun 03 - 11:34 PM

.... thinking of you ....

~S~

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: katlaughing
Date: 19 Jun 03 - 11:50 PM

{{{{{{BRETT}}}}}} and big smooches, too! Thanks for letting us know how you are and for the tour. Sending some good, healing thoughts for your knee and spirits and for a more varied diet!**bg** Goodonya for finding the music!!

luvyakat

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Ebbie
Date: 20 Jun 03 - 12:16 AM

Thanks for the look. Stay in touch; I'm sure we'd all love updates. The best of luck to you.

Ebbie

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Mark Cohen
Date: 20 Jun 03 - 01:32 AM

Brett, let me know if you plan to wander over to this part of the Pacific...we now have a monthly open-air bluegrass and acoustic jam session here in Honolulu!

Aloha,
Mark

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Allan C.
Date: 20 Jun 03 - 06:17 AM

Really do appreciate the update, Brett. I'm especially liking your personal glimpses. What a treat!

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Willie-O
Date: 20 Jun 03 - 06:30 AM

Yeah, keep those cards and letters coming, big guy.

W-O

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Brían
Date: 20 Jun 03 - 07:08 AM

It is very nice to hear from you Naem'. The Press Room seemed strangely empty without out you. In fact as everyone was in Mystic it was strangely empty. So are you going to trade in your guitar for a banjo?

Brían

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Alba
Date: 20 Jun 03 - 07:22 AM

Helllllllllo Brett.
Sounds like a bit of adjusting time will be required (from Maine to Guam, well of course it will! LOL) but I have Faith in you to seek out and find the Positives which will help to dispell any negs you may encounter.
It is great to hear about the Music...that must have been a bonus for you.
Thinking of you and sending you Healing energy for that damn Knee problem.
The Bike will be a help in getting about and it won't be long till your Truck is there and that will make a big diffrence I'm sure, especially to your menu. Nobody can survive on Cereal and PBJ sandwiches alone!:>)
It is great to hear from you. Looking forward to your next post.
Best Wishes coming at ye
A:>)

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 20 Jun 03 - 08:27 AM

Great to hear you're still in good humor. A good sense of the absurd should help float you through the next few weeks until you establish your base camp and friendship circle.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 20 Jun 03 - 09:03 AM

A friend once told me about a summer she existed on cornflakes and gin . . . (is there a song there someplace?)

Hey, the bike sounds like a good idea! To help take off the pounds that PB&J will put on. Might even prove more practical for local travel than your pickup.

Really good to hear from you -- and scaring up some music shouldn't be too difficult. There seems to be music everywhere including a number of homemade bands in Antarctica. The music you find should be "hotter"!

Linn

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: GUEST
Date: 20 Jun 03 - 10:30 AM

hey Dad! good hear you're doing well. :-) i'm dutifully practicing my flute and printing out all the music i can find online. :-)
talk to you soon.
love
kelli

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Cool Beans
Date: 20 Jun 03 - 11:35 AM

If you run into Manny Crisostomo, the most famous person in (on?) Guam, tell him his old compadres in Detroit send their good wishes.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: MMario
Date: 20 Jun 03 - 11:41 AM

Are the reports about the snake population dnesity greatly exaggerated?

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: catspaw49
Date: 20 Jun 03 - 12:18 PM

Me and Mario need to know!!!

Hope it goes all your way Brett. Bound to be some problems at first but let's hope they work out quickly. Stick with creamy PB just in case you prone to diverticular problems......ne need to add in anything like that too!!! (:<))

Spaw

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 25 Jun 03 - 01:04 AM

I am getting closer to getting online from my room. Hopefully tonight I can really get things rolling. I will be spending the next two days in an orientation and tour of the base and the island. I will eat some more Chamorro food and see some of the sights. I wonder if I should post some pictures somewhere? Or maybe I'll wait till our Northern climes are covered in snow before I send in pictures of me lolling on the beaches.

Mark, I expect I will be sending some quality time in Hawaiilater on this year. There are a number of meetings that may require my presence. Hold open a place in the circle.

Cool Beans, I work with a Fred Crisostomo. I'll ask if he knows him. Is there any real world name I can give him?

Yesterday I sat down to lunch with some of the office staff. they invited me to share their meal. It was corned beef hash cooked up with onions and hot peppers served over rice with fine dene sauce. Fine dene (pronouced feenay dehnhe)is a vinegar and soy sauce mixture with a combination of onions, peppers and spices in it. Very tasty. None of them had ever heard of eating hash and eggs for breakfast.

I mentioned a number of the stories I'd heard before arriving on the island. We all got a good laugh out of them, including the snake density. While the brown tree snake is an ecological catastrophe none of the locals have seen them more than a few times. One of the gus mentioned being bitten once but you have to go looking for them to find them. On the other hand I have seen the rare Guam Rail, a flightless bird, twice now (at least I think I have).

I'm planning to go snorkeling this weekend. I hope it doesn't rain on me... [GRIN]

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: AllisonA(Animaterra)
Date: 25 Jun 03 - 07:26 AM

How great to hear from you, Brett! Keep this thread alive- we want more! And pictures now would be great, even if it is in the 90s here in New England!

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: GUEST
Date: 25 Jun 03 - 11:04 AM

The colors ARE unbelievable, aren't they? The turquoise water is amazing. The reef fish are amazing, too.

Seems most of what I heard in the way of music when I was there was Jimmy Buffet. I asked once about 'local' music and got more specific...Chamorro or islander music...and I was able to turn up a tape of a local guy singing Freddy Fender in Chamorro. That's about as far as I delved into the music.

Swimming is good exercise for leg muscles, so maybe your knee would benefit from snorkeling. If you're into the whole fishing thing, get a spear (but stay in the shallow water while spearing...sharks). That'll supplement your diet. Check out the edible varieties at a local fish market first, though.

I was there just as video cams were becoming a big thing and wished I'd had one. If you can buy or borrow one, I suggest making a list of what you find exotic right now, before you become accustomed to it, and get some film of it. Like the local 'convenience stores' with the eyeballs in jars and dried fish hanging from the ceiling and signs in ten launguages. And is the Colonel Sanders statue with the slanted eyes still outside the Kentucky Fried Chicken in Agana? And the Oriental-featured John Wayne statue outside the Agana shooting club? Stuff like that. You get used to those things after a while, so if you find it unique now, maybe write it down for later photographing.

I remember a lot of signs on the island like "No beer sold to miners". One time I was in line and looking over the shoulder of a short woman who was reading a letter, left to right, some oriental script, and when she saw me looking over her shoulder, she hugged the letter to her chest, like I could read the damn thing.

Strange the things you remember. I sure wish I had photos or video of the things I saw there, though. So you might want to give that a thought...taking pictures.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: SINSULL
Date: 25 Jun 03 - 05:56 PM

Cereal and PB&J? Don't they deliver pizza and Chinese there? Careful of Colonel Sanders. Rabbit in Australia, cat in NYC... brown snake in Guam?

PM me with an address and phone #.
Mary

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 26 Jun 03 - 04:11 AM

I'm finally on line at "home". No more posting from work!

Guest, you are right. I need to make a list so I can film it later. But then, until I get off the base I cannot see much that strikes me as unusual. The base is a microcosm of the god ol' USA. There are some sad people who come to Guam and never leave the base.

Sorry Sinsull, but I didn't eat Kentucky Fried Chicken in Maine. I'm sure not going to eat it here in Guam when I can get so much else.

The people here apparently don't have traditional music. Much was lost while the Spanish owned the island. There was a concerted effort to stamp out the Chomorro culture. The Chomorros lived in a matriarchal society with clan villages when the Spanish arrived in 1521. By the time the US took Guam in 1898 the old life style was gone, all the surviving chamorros had been rounde up from all the Marianas islands and installed in barrios on Guam. Whole islands had been decimated by disease, warfare, and forced removal.

But there are many customs and practices that have survived. The elderly are still honored. The fiestas, now often a religious celebration, appears to be a hold over from the earlier tribal practices. A Chomorro will not go into the jungle without a mometary hesitation while s/he appeases the old forest spirits. And while in the forest there is no loud talking, singing, or any other behaviors that might anger those spirits.

I just spent the day in an orientation class and I learned a lot. I'll spare you the details of the services available on the base and give you the neat stuff about the island.

Guam is near the peak of the world's tallest mountain if you measure from the base at the bottom of the Marianas Trench. That mountain, Mt Lamlam, is over 38,000 feet tall. The peak is 1,338 feet from sea level which makes it only 190 feet lower than Maine's tallest peak. But there's no snow on this one!

We are in Typhoon Alley. We are always in COR 4 which means we are always within 72 hours of typhoon conditions. (COR = Conditions Of Readiness) There is no month of the year that has not seen a typhoon so you cannot say there is really a typhoon season but June to December is generally considered to be the season.

There are two climate seasons, the dry season and the rainy season. The dry season only averages 4 to 6 inches of rain a month. The wet season runs up to 14 inches a month. Basically it rains almost every day but there are rarely days with a heavy cloud cover. The rains come in squalls that last a short time and move on.

Guam was the site of the banzai charge of WWII and the last. It was also the place where the last Japanese soldier surrendered in 1972. However, as it turned out, he did not go into the jungles when the Americans landed and drove the Japanese army into the hills. Rather, he deserted when the bombs started to fall. He stayed in the jungle for all those years because he was ashamed.

All the land mass in Micronesia, if accumulated in one place, would only equal 2/3 of the lad area of Rhode Island.

Those are the bare facts. We had presentations by representatives of various commands and facilities available to us on the base. Some of the women who spoke to us are very beautiful. The Chomorros are descended from the Australasians rather than the Polynesians. These are the same people who crossed the land bridge and became the American Indians. Having learned that I can see some physical features they share.

These people are very friendly. One of the presenters saw me come into the dining room at the club and invited me to join her and her friend for lunch. She didn't know me from Adam but that meant nothing to her. We were also advised to make a point of going to some of the local fiestas. We were told to take something, soda, chips, or a dish of food. Note, this is a village affair and back home would be a relatively private thing. Here they say we will be welcomed, pushed to the head of the food line, and be handed a large plate of food to take with us when we leave.

Tomorrow I get off the base again to see more of the island. We are going on an orientation tour. I am really looking forward to this. More later.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 26 Jun 03 - 08:31 AM

Brett-

It's hot and humid here in Maine, two days in a row over 90. Guess we'll have to live in the van for a while...

Charley Noble

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: katlaughing
Date: 26 Jun 03 - 11:26 AM

It's sounds beautiful, Brett. I love your descriptions and it also sounds fascinating. Thanks!

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: M.Ted
Date: 26 Jun 03 - 12:32 PM

Don't forget to take your instruments to the fiestas!

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 27 Jun 03 - 02:37 AM

I went on a tour of the island today. What beautiful place. I heard some wonderful stories from our Chamorro guide, Dave, and saw some dynamite countryside. I have now seen brown tree snakes, latte stones, Spanish forts, Chamorro arts and crafts, and tourist junk shops. And I have eaten more Chamorro food.

The first stop of the tour was at the museum on the base. It is, unsurprisingly, devoted to WWII on Guam and in the Pacific. They have exhibits of weapons and photos of soldiers (Allied and Japanese) and combat conditions. There are uniforms and models of ships and aircraft. And out front they have a Japanese two man midget submarine.

Then we stopped at the USDA shed where we got a lesson in the animals of Guam and the brown tree snake. They showed us pictures of the birds of Guam, a live monitor lizard, and a live snake. The monitors here on Guam apparently get up to 5 feet long. They have very sharp claws and will scratch pretty badly if cornered or annoyed.

The snake population is controlled around the ports, shipping and airports. They have traps baited with live mice. The mice are in a separate compartment in the center of the trap. The snake climbs in, cannot reach the mouse and cannot get out either. They say they catch about 12,000 snakes a year. They brought out a live specimen, he looked to be about 4 or 5 feet long. It was hard to tell because he kept writhing about the man's arm. They showed us the teeth and the fangs.

Every ship and plane that leaves the island has to be inspected for snakes. The use small dogs, Britanny and Jack (something) terriers. We got a demonstration of the dogs at work. There were six cardboard boxes set out with snakes in two of them. Sure enough, when the little dog got to the snakes she sat down and was rewarded with a biscuit. Then they took us out back to see the snake pit. I was expecting a massive ball of writhing snakes. Instead it was a set of cages with about five of the snakes. Four of them were sleeping. The fifth was the one we had seen earlier. He was not a happy camper and kept striking at us.

After that we drove down around the southern end of the island stopping at various scenic overlooks. We saw Ceti Bay and Umatak with it's Spanish fort, Cocos Island, the Inarajan tide pools, Talofofo, and Ylig River. Then up through the middle of the island up to Two Lovers Point, a scenic overlook high on a cliff. Then it was off to the Chamorro Village for lunch. The Chamorro Village is a misnomer. It is actually an outdoor shopping area with touristy shops and restaurants. I got a fiesta plate consisting of rice, pancit, shrimp kelaguen, cole slaw (made with red cabbage), chicken and pork barbeque, and an item that can only be described as a shrimp flavored hush puppy. Other choices appeared to include whole tilapia (fish).

At Two Lovers Point I went into a gallery of Chamorro arts and crafts and saw some wonderful stuff including some original old artifacts, machetes and woodworking tools, and old carabao driven plow, and wood carvings and ceramics. I bought a book about Chamorro master craftsmen (men and women).

Later at the Chamorro Village I made an important discvery. I found a CD of traditional Chamorro chants but I'd spent so much on the book I couldn't shell out the $35 for the CD. However, I know it's out there so I am on my way.

After lunch we drove up to the Plaza de Espanol where we toured the old Spanish governor's house and then we walked over to see the latte stones and some Japanese caves. The plaza included the gardens, now just grass and hedges, and the original chocolate house where the governor would serve hot chocolate to his guests. The latte stones are the foundation stones of the old Chamorro homes. They were of different heights depending on the social status of the owner. These were seven feet high. There were 8 of them in 2 rows.

Then we were off to the heights to look down on Tumon Bay where the invasion came ashore in 1944. It's quite a view from up there. You can see the whole sweep of the bay with Agana laid out on the shore.

And, finally we came home. I had to wait out a rain squall before I rode my bike back to the room. I got here just in time. It is raining now. It was a wonderful trip and I am very glad I went.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: MMario
Date: 27 Jun 03 - 08:10 AM

CARABAO plows? on Guam? Really?

never mind - just looked it up - my mistake in spelling.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: katlaughing
Date: 27 Jun 03 - 10:45 AM

Latte stones? Did they serve up real latte?**bg** I'm loving this travelogue and the CD sounds wonderful!!

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Giac
Date: 27 Jun 03 - 12:30 PM

Thanks, Brett! Talk about taking a trip and never leaving the farm ... **Grin** Sure do appreciate the tour.

How does the air smell? And, is there thunder, lightning and wind, or just straight down rain?

Glad you're enjoying the place -- and equally glad there aren't more of those snakes.

Mary

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 27 Jun 03 - 07:49 PM

Carabao are a small domesticated water buffalo. They were brought in over the years to help with farming and now are kept by some families as pets. I saw two on the trip. They were tied out in yards.

The air has an odor but I've been unable to dfine it yet. I've heard people in the tropics talk about the odor of the jungle being an odor of rotting vegetation but that is definitely not it. The air is humid and heavy so that may be part of the problem.

There are thunderstorms but none that are really terrific. I have heard thinder rolling but not seen anything yet. I asked about it once and didn't hear anything that would indicate a dramatic weather event. Generally the only weather event that people are concerned about is the typhoon.

Interesting point, the locals universally do not like the heat. I am talking about people born and raised on the island. In fact, our guide yesterday mentioned that he grew up here without a/c and never noticed the heat until he started living in air conditioned cool air in his home and car.

Unfortunately, Kat, there was no latte at the latte stones [grin]. Actually the word is pronounced LAT'-ee. Maybe that's why there are no coffeeshops named after them.

The latte stone shape is everywhere on the island. Even the bus stops carry that shape.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: GUEST
Date: 28 Jun 03 - 10:29 AM

I remember flowers strung around the horns of the carabao. Photos of things like that is what I mean. I brought back a couple recipes from Guam...like the kaliguen. You might want to get the recipes of the things you like. A lot of it's really simple stuff. Like the one (forgot it's name...maybe just sesame noodles)...angel hair pasta with soy sauce, honey and sesame oil and a few sesame seeds. Served room temp. Good, inexpensive and exotic dish to take with you to functions when you return to the states...conversation piece.

I enjoyed the small Filipino restaurants. All kinds of exotic food, and at the first one I went in the owner said 'You want that fried rice with or without?' 'With or without what?' (Incredulous look from owner) 'Spam.' Seems Spam made such a hit in the islands during WW2 that it was incorporated into the local haute cuisine.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: SINSULL
Date: 28 Jun 03 - 12:09 PM

How is your Knee, Brett? You mentioned re-injuring it. Wonder if the natives would like to try some Maine treats...maple sugar candy, blueberry anything, lobster, Shepherd's Pie.

How are your instruments handling the humidity? How are you handling the humidity?

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 28 Jun 03 - 05:18 PM

Last night I got some bad news from home. My daughter's best friend, the kid I always considered daughter number 3, has been diagnosed with leukemia. She has begun a 6 month battle back to health. I was up half the night crying.

I thought there wasn't much I could do from the other side of the world but this morning I sent her an email reminding her that I am awake while everyone on her side of the world is asleep. If she wakes in the night and needs to talk to someone I am here. That makes me feel better at least. I hope she takes me up on it.

The guitar I brought with me is doing fine but it hasn't been out of the air conditioned room for any length of time yet. The real question will be after a typhoon during that stretch when I have no power and no a/c. My other instruments are in a wooden crate on the slow boat to Guam.

I got out to see a movie yesterday. During the orientation on Thursday we were briefed on a bus system run my the Navy. Not only does it get people around on the base but it runs up to other bases and goes to several areas in town. I went up to the Guam Premium Outlet (the GPO as it's known locally) to see The Hulk. I had dinner in the food court where I finaly ate kim chee and then I wandered up through the mall. There were jewelry shops and clothing shops and all the usual mall treats but it looked somehow different. It took a while to figure it out but it doesn't have the same stamp to it that malls on the mainland have. I have been in malls from California to Maine and they all seem cut from the same set of cookie cutters. This one is very different in style and the stores that make it up. It seems to shine more than the others I've been in, as though sparkling reflected light was important. And the stores were not the usual mall fare. Here the stores had more brilliant colors and were brighter than I am used to seeing.

Guest, there is a book of Guamanian recipes available in the local bookstores. Maybe I should get one of those. I like your idea for using Chomorro food for pot luck dinners in the future but it won't be kelaguen. [Grin]

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Mark Cohen
Date: 28 Jun 03 - 08:45 PM

Brett, what exactly is it you're doing there? I know you told us on a previous thread but I've forgotten. (Or is it one of those jobs you're not allowed to talk about?)

By the way, Guest, Hawaii has the highest per capita consumption of Spam of any of the 50 states. (A local favorite is the Spam musubi.) For the same reason....tons of the stuff shipped over during WWII.

Snorkeling in the rain is fun...the only bad part is that there's often no sun, so you can't see as much. I went swimming with spinner dolphins last weekend on the leeward coast of Oahu--can you find those in Guam?

Aloha,
Mark

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Nancy King
Date: 28 Jun 03 - 09:57 PM

Wow! I'm learning a lot! Thanks for the travelogue, Brett! It's true I haven't given a whole lot of thought to the nature of things on Guam before, but I'd always pictured it (in black and white...) as bare and rocky and full of Japs and GIs. All those movies, y'know. Thanks for setting me straight!

Hope all goes well for you --

Nancy

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Ebbie
Date: 28 Jun 03 - 09:57 PM

And Alaska is #2 in the consumption of Spam. For the same reason, plus being canned, it didn't spoil enroute.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: CarolC
Date: 28 Jun 03 - 11:40 PM

Great thread, Brett. Thanks for posting it. So sorry to hear about your daughter's friend.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 29 Jun 03 - 02:47 AM

I am a contract specialist for the Navy. In other words I buy stuff with the tax money you pay into the Government. And before someone brings up the $400 toilet seat I would like to point out there is only one organization responsible for that and it is the one who passed the laws I have to conform to. If you want details on how the system works PM me and we'll start a (long) correspondence.

And yes, there are Spinner Dolphins here. I am working on figuring out when the boat trips go out from the base dive shop so I can start snorkeling. This weekend I was going to go down to Gab Gab Beach for my first snorkeling trip but it is closed. Last Wednesday someone drowned there and the safety officer has closed the beach till further notice.

Mary asked earlier how my knee is holding up. I'm sorry I seemed to ignore your question. It is doing better. I don't know if it is the healing, the exercise, the glucosamine, or a miracle but it is better. It still bothers me bit not as much as earlier this month.

I just got back from a trip to the Navy Exchange. That may not sound like much but it was on the bicycle and is the longest trip I have tried to date. I went to the furniture store, the Exchange, the Commissary, and the Dive Shop. I took my backpack and came back with it full to bursting and my legs aching. I was sure I was going to be sunburned but I seem to have escaped that so far. I am getting browner though.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Mark Cohen
Date: 29 Jun 03 - 02:51 AM

Oh, and Brett, it might make you feel a bit better to know that the cure rate for the common forms of childhood leukemia is pushing 80% these days.

Aloha,
Mark

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: GUEST
Date: 29 Jun 03 - 01:24 PM

Maybe they used bogus octopus in your kaleguen. Got to use the real thing, you know. No Spam. We have an annual Spam-o-Rama locally, by the way. Like the Pillsbury bake-off...new recipes using Spam. Spam-berry pie, Spam-scicles...things like that.

The color thing in the mall...the colors ARE brighter there. It's either an atmospheric or optical-anatomical thing. I'd still be there if I were a painter. Gaugin saw the optical phenomenon. And the lay-out of the mall...you're in the Orient. Well, sort of. Like the last line in the movie, when Jack Nicholson is having trouble adding things up...'It's Chinatown'.

Check out some of the big Japanese hotels in Agana. They have penthouse bars overlooking the bay...sip a spam and soda and watch the sunset. Wander around the hotels...some of the Japanese tourists there have never seen an Occidental in their lives except when they got to the airport in Agana. It is REALLY strange to have an elevator door open and have someone gasp and bow at the same time. I think 'mushi-mushi' is Japanese for hello, and I used to bow back and say 'mushi-mushi, y'all'. Guam is like the ultimate multi-cultural theme park.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Leadfingers
Date: 29 Jun 03 - 01:55 PM

Good luck with the tour mate . I did fourteen years in the R.A.F.and
managed to get out to Singapore and Hong Kong So I can appreciate a lot of what you are experiencing.We had the same sort of clowns who never went off base too but it is well worth getting out and seeing how the locals live.Food and life style differs so much round the world.Keep the Saga going mate and have a good time.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 29 Jun 03 - 07:57 PM

The big hotels on hotel row have suffered quite a bit lately from typhoon and loss of tourism. Hotel row is a ghost town these days with stray couples wandering hand in hand but nothing like what I am used to seeing back home in the touristy areas. There are no crowds.

As a result Guam is suffering terribly. There is a lot of typhoon damage that isn't getting cleaned up and that contributes to a general atmosphere of decay. The local government is going through a series of forced cost cutting measure. People are hurting.

Thanks, Mark, for your words of encouragement. We have our hopes up and are rallying to the cause. She is one of the Wanderers, six of us who played D&D in a family game that ran on for at least 8 years, from when she and my daughter were only 11. She is my older daughter's best friend and an incredibly talented artist. At the games she used to pick up tiny scraps of paper, candy wrappers, etc., and fold them into tiny origami figures. Her character sheets are always covered in intricate doodles of characters and weapons. She's quite a kid and I expect this fight will add something to her art.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: sed
Date: 30 Jun 03 - 07:21 PM

How many of the locals ride bicycles? Are modified bicycles used to haul cargo as well?

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: GUEST
Date: 30 Jun 03 - 07:37 PM

Too bad about the hotels. Nice ones. Should have good deals on rooms and happy hours, then.

The dogs...snake hunters. Jack Russell Terriers, most likely. Bred as tree climbers to go after squirrels and such. I bet they ARE good with those snakes.

I need to pull up a map of Guam and refresh my memory. There were a couple of great little beaches down south...off the path. One wasn't much good for snorkeling, but the layout and sound...coral cliffs and a surf sound like inside a conch shell. One of the more amazing acoustic experiences I've ever run across.

Let's see...there was a 'shell club' down south that met once a week. Nice folks. Learn a lot about marine life there. Should still be going on and easy enough to find.

And I remember a local event...maybe connected with Discovery Day...where they had a big deal tree-climbing contest. That was a hoot. Contestants from all over Micronesia. Climb coconut trees on a slant of about 45%. Race to the top. Lots of rivalry between Guam and Palau, etc.

Oh, and coconut crabs. I never saw one, but I saw the holes at the bases of coconut trees. Some of the locals said they were as big as cars, but there are some small cars there. The crabs come out at night and crack coconuts in their claws. Or was I being set up for a snipe hunt? Never had the guts to go out at night and thrash around looking for crabs that could eat me, but I wish I had made the attempt...must be an amazing sight.

Coolest thing I did on Guam was hitch a ride on a sea turtle. Snorkeling in the bottom of a bomb crater when one approached overhead, and I hurried up and caught on to it...just barely, they swim fast. Then there were the dark blue starfish. Some friends and I got GREAT pictures with them...just holding them up and smiling with the mountains and sea in the background.

The bomb craters...shelves of white coral going out a couple hundred yards from land...coral a couple feet beneath the water. Then the big drop off to turquoise water...sharp division line. But on the white shelf, turquoise circles where the American shells fell as the US took the island back from the Japanese. We found an old Jap gun emplacement at the edge of the water...little cave area with the big metal gun-ring still in the floor. And ammo still in the coral as you snorkel. Rifle cartridges dropped by troops coming ashore.

The sense of isolation really catches up with you when you get bad news from home. That's why tours on Guam are short for military and non-military. Lots of teachers go there from the states for the experience, but once you touch down on Hawaii and then travel on west several more hours, you KNOW you're way out west. And all that water you flew over. Gives you a real sense of remoteness.

The computer should help now, though. Voice chat might be a good thing to look into. Best wishes.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 30 Jun 03 - 08:29 PM

Guest makes a good point about "news from home." When I was in Ethiopia in the Peace Corps in the 1960's, we'd hear about things happening back home: cities burning in race riots, Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy being assassinated. Word of mouth still reached us but we felt really out of touch, on another planet so to speak. Some times that was a good feeling. When it's a family crisis, it's not so good.

Charley Noble

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: SINSULL
Date: 30 Jun 03 - 08:47 PM

Have you done any work yet? You are over there on my tax dollar, right?
Mary, working on being a female curmudgeon.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: open mike
Date: 30 Jun 03 - 08:51 PM

i think that6 would be Jack Russell Terriers.
My daughter's boy friend is Chimorro and the
food his family eats has a lot of coconut milk
in it! one of the best things he makes is egg-
plant in coconut milk. yummy. and lots of fish!!
Good luck to your daughter's friend.
glad you can offer might time counselling services!
what is your work there? a two year committment i
take it? I can ask Nick about his relatives there.
i believe one uncle or cousin teaches scuba diving.
enjoy your stay! thanks for the travel diaries!
Laurel

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 03 Jul 03 - 06:54 PM

Well, it's the Fourth Of July Holiday. For those of you on the east coast of the USA it is still Thursday evening but here in Guam I woke up to rain. However the squall has moved on and it is hot and humid out there. The weekend lies before me and I don't know right now exactly what I'm going to do.

More later. Have a great holiday, everyone.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: open mike
Date: 03 Jul 03 - 08:07 PM

If you see any members of the Funes family...say hi from Laurel in CA!
I am just now reading an interesting book--you might also find it of interest. It is The Isand of the Colorblind, and contains almost 100
pages about Guam. Author: Oliver Sachs, a psychologist/Psychiatrist
/neurologist who has written several other books: Awakenings
(from which the movie was made, Man who mistook his wife for a hat, Anthropologist from Mars, Seeing Voices, and others.
Is there a library there? If so they should have a copy!
If they don't--they should get one!
I have seen one of those crabs--
unfortunately it was made into a clock..
a very large clock!
I also saw a miracle cat who stumbled out of a carge
container which had just arrived in CA from Guam...
it had survived somehow inside with no food or water
for how ever long it took the boat to get the cargo
here...it was a long time...some weeks i think...
the original incredible journey!!
apparantly there is an unusual incidence of color
blindness on Guam, and also a syndrome called Lytico-bodig
which presents as a ALS (Lou Gehrig's type paralysis)
or another form shows up with tremors and dementia.
I have not gotten to the Guam chapter of the book yet,
but Dr. Sachs is a huge fan of Cycads, a primitive species
of tree, which are found in abundance on the island.
Thanks for keeping us posted on your experiences there.
Laurel

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Alba
Date: 03 Jul 03 - 08:21 PM

Happy 4th of July Brett. Hot and Humid forecast for Maine...90's tommorrow!
Whatever the Day brings...Have a great Holiday.
Thinking of you.
A

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 04 Jul 03 - 12:13 AM

Brett,

It's hot and humid here in Texas also--so you're in good company. Have a good July 4th--it's one you'll remember, that's for sure! I'm really impressed that you went ahead and made this big move. What an adventure!

SRS

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 05 Jul 03 - 06:04 PM

Well, this weekend wasn't much to write about. It rained most of the day on the 4th but the weather cleared off enough for the fireworks display. The fired them off over Polaris Point and we watched them from across the bay. My friend Jon and his family took me down there to see them. It was the most elaborate display I've ever seen but that isn't saying much. I've never seen the fireworks displays in the big cities.

Yesterday I rode the bus to the GPO and walked down to the Lone Star Steak House where I had the first real sit down meal I've had since I left Maine. Then I bought a pair of Teva sandals, went to see a movie, and headed home.

This morning I woke to rain again. I guess they were serious when they said we were in the rainy season.

I haven't been able to get back to the Chamorro village. I want to pick up some bits and pieces to send home but without transportation that is getting to be a bit of a problem. I may rent a car next weekend.

Thanks for the holiday greetings. Laurel, I'll keep an eye out for that book. It would be interesting to see what he has to say. Alba, your weather sounds hotte than here, and I can get out of it with all the air conditioned buildings. Stilly, I too am amazed I went through with this. When you consider that adventures are long periods of boredom interspersed with moments of excitement and interest then this does qualify.

I hope to get to Gab Gab Beach today with a side trip to the base marina to check on boat rental.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 05 Jul 03 - 06:51 PM

Hey, Brett! We're shipping out another barrel of your mail.

Charley Noble

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 05 Jul 03 - 07:04 PM

That should be all. I filed the change of address. They should quit delivering there.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 06 Jul 03 - 07:35 PM

Yesterday, while most of you were asleep, I went snorkeling in the waters off Gab Gab Beach. I biked over, a relatively easy bike ride but long. The road to Gab Gab runs along the high ground and offers some beautiful views of Apra Harbor. Apra is a working harbor so you have big ships moving in and out and moored along docks.

When you get to Gab Gab you have to come down off the high ground and you do it all of a sudden on a winding road with a 90 degree turn at the bottom. If you fail to make that turn you are into the sand and then the water.

My first stop was all the way at the far end of the road where they have picnic pavilions and tables set up. I just sat and enjoyed the view and the breeze for a while. Then I put on my reef walking boots and waded into the water. The water was as clear as glass and warmer than the air! I got way out from shore and never got in deeper than my knees. The bottom was sandy but studded with groups of rocks. This was definitely not snorkeling territory. There was nothing of real interest.

I waded ashore and moved to the other end of the beach. There is a swimming hole set up there, built to look like a swimming pool with three sides. The fourth side is the open ocean. There were stairs leading down into the water. Entry was easy and the view was terrific. I swam out over a mostly sand bottom in about ten or twelve feet of water. There were fish all around. I saw a little pink parrot fish and a small fish with vertical black stripes and a green head. At one point I swam through a cloud of tiny fish.

But it wasn't all good. It has been decades since I spent any time in the water and I can't remember when I was last in salt water. I seem to have gained some, uh, er, "positive buoyancy" since then. I couldn't stay on the bottom without a lot of effort. And I couldn't get my ears to clear so I had some pain from the pressure. And my mask kept filling up with water leaking in around my moustache.

But I had a good time and will go back as often as I can. The struggle back to some form of fitness is a long and difficult road.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Roger the Skiffler
Date: 07 Jul 03 - 09:23 AM

Great pieces, Brett, keep 'em coming!

RtS

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 07 Jul 03 - 09:33 AM

Ooooo--describe that water some more! Sounds wonderful. Thanks for telling us about these experiences. (That road you describe, with the 90 degree turn, sounds like one we used to travel going to a beach near my home on Puget Sound. Only if you missed the turn, you had sapplings and a railroad track before beach and water.)

I think we're all struggling with the "positive boyancy" issue these days. :)

SRS

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 07 Jul 03 - 12:41 PM

I stuck my toe in the surf at Reid State Park on the coast of Maine this weekend; it's warmed up to 62 degrees F.

Charley Noble

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: GUEST,MMario
Date: 07 Jul 03 - 12:45 PM

SIXTY -TWO? Wow! that is WARM...!!!!! Cape Cod Bay almost NEVER gets up into the 60's.

tho granted - my days of swimming all day in 55 degree water are LONG gone....

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 07 Jul 03 - 05:41 PM

So, warmed up some this summer, has it Charlie? Well, you go jump in there and let me know if you make it out. As for me, I'll take this tropical water.

Last evening I realized a bit late that I needed some milk for my breakfast so I hopped on the bike and headed for the mini mart. The sun was just going down behind me and lit the mountains with a soft glowing pink light. The air had cooled down into the 70's and had a nice tropical feel to it. Birds were singing and I almost ran down a toad. My run back to the room was in near darkness. It was a sweet ride.

Back on June 30 Sed asked about the use of bicycles here and bicycle transports. The locals stay out of the heat as much as possible. And the roads are not set up to allow biking. There are no shoulders on the roads and the drivers don't leave much room for the cyclists. THe only plce that is good for biking is here on the base. Pickup trucks are common and it is not unusual to see several people, including kids, riding in the back.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: SINSULL
Date: 07 Jul 03 - 09:14 PM

Positive buoyancy...I like the sound of that. Much nicer than what Jennie Craig and my doctor have to say.
Thanks, Brett.
Mary

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 08 Jul 03 - 03:09 AM

What a banner day! I got mail! The first mail I've seen since arriving on the island. And it wasn't just bills. I got letters and pictures from my kids and Winterbright sent along something hilarious as well.

And then Christmas got even brighter. I GOT WHEELS!

This afternoon the Vehicle Processing Center notified me that my truck had arrived. So my mentor and I headed right over there, through a torrential downpour, to pick it up. I am so happy!

Of course, I have to get it inspected and registered before I can go anywhere but I hope to get that done tomorrow.

Huh, it's raining again...

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Lana
Date: 08 Jul 03 - 06:27 AM

Yay for wheels!! :-D I thought your truck wasn't going to be there until August, I guess it made it a bit early. :-)
Enjoy your new improved freedom.
love
kelli

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 10 Jul 03 - 05:11 AM

Wheel trouble already. When I picked up the pickup I found that the a/c wasn't working. I had some trouble with it before I left so I figured I would get it serviced and recharged and I would be golden.

Once I had it inspected I stopped in to see about an appointment for the work. The woman behind the counter said I would have to bring it back on July 23. But then the a/c mechanic said he could do it then and there. So I left the truck and went to work.

When I picked it up later that day the mechinc explained that the a/c relay wasn't working. Their parts computer was down and he couldn't get another relay but he gave me the part number so I could get one myself. He told me he had taken a relay from another system to get the a/c working.

My suspicions were aroused. I asked what systems were no longer working but he said that everything was fine. I didn't pursue it. I paid the bill and left.

On the way back to the room it started to rain. I turned on the wipers and then found out what wasn't working. He had taked the relay from the windshield wipers!

Let's think about this for a minute. It is the beginning of the rainy season. If a car needs anything its good wipers. And what did he disable so I could ride in cool comfort?

Ah, the adventure continues...

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 10 Jul 03 - 08:21 AM

With regard to:

"Birds were singing and I almost ran down a toad."

On Guam what mode do the birds and toads sing in respectively? We eagerly await enlightenment.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: GUEST
Date: 10 Jul 03 - 08:23 PM

Your vehicle has taken the first step on the road to becoming a 'Guam Bomb'. Your mention of an 'inspection' made me chuckle. Given enough time, all cars on the island end up as Flintstonemobiles, with no working systems and floorboards rusted through so you have to apply the brakes like Fred Flintstone. But that's fine, as long as it gets you to the beach. Good luck.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 10 Jul 03 - 10:32 PM

Charley, it's myxolydian of course!

Guest, I'm hoping modern autos last longer considering the amount of plastic in their bodies. However, that may just be a vain hope. I expect I'll be carrying salt water into the cab as well as plenty of sand.

What a morning! I finally got the truck registered. Everyone told me horror stories of the slow service at DMV. However I breezed in and out of there. I didn't get slowed down until I got to the pass and ID office at the main gate. I was in line for an hour only to be told they had no decals and that I would have to get a 90 day pass. And to get that I needed to join an even longer line. Fortunately they accepted that I already had a decal and ony needed to get that registered in their system. Now I can leave the base whenever I want.

The house hunt begins!

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 11 Jul 03 - 06:26 PM

It's Saturday morning here. I rose early and headed out on the bike to explore the abandoned runway. I had seen the end of it on one of my earlier forays and was gratified to see no signs restricting access. I headed up on to it and rode on the old pavement, skirting tufts of grass and potholes.

At one point I came upon a large mown field that was obviously a shooting range. The targets were out there at a preposterous distance but then I realized that suppository guns regularly shoot at preposterous ranges. Killing humans apparently isn't the same as hunting a deer with only one shot in the chamber.

Farther on I found the actual runway. It is still in decent shape. It dates from WWII so it is not a mile long desert of pavement. Rather is is only as long as it needed to be. The jungle comes right up to the broken edge of the pavement making it a wide lane with green walls. The only sound was the wheels on the pavement and the birds in the greenery.

It occurs to me that when I say "jungle" upi may be getting a different mental picture than what I am actually seeing. Perhaps a better word would be "brush:. This is not a rain forest with towering trees and vines. Rather what I've seen so far is heavy undergrowth with palms sticking up out of it. When you go up the Snake Road you drive through a stand of bamboo. Otherwise I have seen nothing that looks like a set from the old Tarzan TV show.

Ah well, the day is getting on and I want to explore the nothern part of the island. You on the east coast are preparing for bed on Firday night. When you wake there will be more here.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 11 Jul 03 - 07:42 PM

So what is the story about the snakes? Any of them to be seen on Snake Road?

Thanks for the reports!

SRS

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 12 Jul 03 - 06:57 AM

No, there are no snakes to be seen on Snake Road. That is a local name given to the road because it twists and turns like, well, a snake.

Please bear with me, this is rather long. I have taken to using this as my Guam diary.

This morning I headed out with every intention of going straight up to Anderson and exploring my way back. However, I rarely do what I intend to do when I walk out the door. Once I went out the back gate I went right instead of left and headed south into Agat. Halfway through the village I spotted a sign for Santa Rita so I took a left. (A right at that point would have put me into the ocean.)

The road headed almost immediately uphill. I was glad not to be on my bike. Santa Rita is a pretty little town. The houses nestle on the hillsides surrounded by yards and jungle growth. I spotted an apartment complex with a "For Rent sign and made a mental note to come back. The name of the complex was Gold Mine Apartments. Having been a landlord I did not think the management had slightest idea what they were thinking when they came up with that name.

The road continued uphill past a water treatment plant (for cleaning fresh water as opposed to a sewage treatment plant). It started to rain so I had to pull over for a while. I used the time to study my map which told me I would link up with the Cross Island Road, Route 17. When I got to that intersection I made a right and headed east to the other side of the island. I was in the high ground for sure now. The jungle was gone and the scrub brush dominated the scenery. And what a lovely vista I had. I could see down into green valleys where the scrub gave over to jungle again, there was a wide open blue sky, and the sun was bright. The trades blew constantly and the occasional palms tossed their fronds in the breezes.

I finally hooked up with Route 4 just south of Ylig Bay and headed north at last. Earlier in the week I had seen a poster advertising a show of photographs at the Island Arts Center at the University Of Guam. I decided today was a good day to track that area down and see the photos. Along the way I took an occasional side road to see where it would take me.

This is such a wonderful place. I would get on a 2 lane road and it would degrade till it was a single broken partially paved track leading into the jungle. And at the end of it would be 3 or 4 houses surrounded by junk cars and the detritus of life. Chickens ran everywhere and dogs drooped in the heat. The houses are not very big but most have a wide shaded veranda where it looks ike the families spend most of their time. I have seen living room type furniture there with TVs and charcoal grills and car parts and animal cages and you name it. Generally the veranda includes a picnic table as well. Often there is a car parked in there also.

I finally got to the UOG and found the arts center. It is in a converted concrete block house. The exhibit took up all the room. I couldn't see any evidence of any permanent exhibit except for a couple of glass cases with traditional basketry and carvings. The photos on display were taken from 1915 to 1917 by Mrs. ____ Paul, the wife of a Naval engineer stationed on Guam. They are wonderful studies of island homes, ways, festivals, work, and play.

After I left the campus I headed up to Anderson. I was getting hungry I thought I could score a good meal at one of the restaurants on the base. It took quite a while to get there. Travel on the island just seems to take longer than it would on the mainland. Back home I would figure on running to Brunswik and back to Bath in half an hour. Here that same distance seems to take three quarters of an hour one way! Of course part of the problem is the island speed limit of 35 mph. But there is a lot of traffic as well once you get into the northern part of the island.

Once I got to Anderson I had to find a place to eat. Burger King surfaced almost immediately but I rejected that choice out of hand. Of course, I had never been to AAFB before so I was flying blind. I drove around and found the PX and the commissary (grocery store). There was a vendor selling barbeque outside the PX but when I put in my order she informed me all she had left was hotdogs. Not a good sign.

I visited the PX and thought it was better equipped than the Exchange at the Navy Base. The Commissary was better as well. Infact the whole base looks better than the Navy Base. Air Force bases as a rule always look better than Navy bases. I don't know why. Navy bases always look shabby for some reason.

Anyway, I headed out to find some food and always wound up back at BK so I finally succumbed to fate and bought a Whopper Junior and fries. I guess a $3 lunch is not too bad. It was worth every penny I paid for it by then. Breakfast had been a long time ago.

After that I headed out to find Tarague Beach. This was something I only knew from the map. I headed in the general direction that I thought it had to lie and found a sign the said "Beaches". This was promising. The 2 lane road wound off into the jungle so I followed it.

I'd like to stop here and offer some explanation of the geography of the island. This is a volcanic island (yeah you were right, Charley). The southern hills are extinct volcanoes. However, the northern end of the island is old coral reef thrust up through tectonic action and the receding sea. As such it is relatively flat ground but it is also high ground. The northern end of the island has no mountains but it is all cliffs that drop into the sea.

I kind of knew this but it was a dramatic realization when the road I was following took me through a cut in the gliffs and out upon a road literally cut into the side of the cliffs. Laid out below me was all of Tarague Bay. The cliffs fell to a flat plain that ran out to the sea. Below me was jungle that ended in white sand beaches and blue green ocean. Between the sand of the beaches and the surf line was a wide stretch of shallow water and reef. Trust me, this view was magnificent.

Unfortunately I couldn't watch it because I was quite literally suspended on the side of the cliff with air to my right and a rock wall on my left. And I was a long way up. The tree looked like little toys down there and I knew I'd have a long time as I fell to curse myself for a fool if I managed to drive off the road.

At the bottom the road ran left and right as it paralleled the beach. I went down to Tarague Beach where I found a busy campground and all that white sand, clear water, and white surf. It was amazing. It was also at this point that I realized that I had been on the island for almost a month and I had not yet seen a woman in a swim suit. The skimpiest bathing gear I have seen so far was on children. The women must come out to sunbath somewhere…

I visited Tarague, Sirena, and Pati beaches. The scenery just took my breath. I have seen beaches in Maine, the Carribean, Florida, California and the Mediteranean. I have never seen anything as beautiful as Tarague Bay. It caps them all.

I tore myself away from all this and made my way back up that cliff road. I was tired and my head was aching from the heat. I used my a/c for a while but I eventually turned it off and opened up the truck. I wanted the air on my face and the sun on my arm. At the top I was ready to turn right and head back when I spotted a sign that said simply "Scenic Overlook" and an arrow pointed left. What could I do? I turned left. The road wound up between industrial type buildings and paved areas with helicopters. Overhead a big cargo jet thundered into the air. The I came to a place where the road turned right and a sign pointed left into a field. I turned and drove across the grass to see a stainless steel rail set in a concrete wall. I left the truck and stepped up to the rail.

Oh, I wish I was writer enough to express what I saw there. All that I have described was laid out below me in a long sweep of jungle and sand and reef and water. The colors were all so brilliant and clean. And way off in the distance hulked the island of Rota, the next one in the chain. It's forty miles off but it is very clear in the clean Pacific air.

I tried to take a picture but my little camera wasn't up to the task. It was at that point I realized I really need to buy a good camera.

Oh, and as an illustration of how high and far I was from the beach, I couldn't discern the people I knew where down there. The cars were mere dots. I am talking a very real and very high cliff. My mother suffers from a fear of heights. She has already said the heat and snakes are enough to keep her away from Guam. The scenic overlooks would be the final straw in firming her resolve.

As I drove back to the gate I stopped at a sign that identified a relic B-52 bomber. I could see just inside the jungle a piece of a wing. A trail led in to it so I headed in. There is a sign in there that identifies the tail sectin as a piece of Old 100. Apparently this was one of the last 3 bombers to bomb Viet Nam at the end of that war. After the war the plane was displayed in the base park but age and corrosion led the safety officer to condemn it as unsafe. The plane was then scheduled to be broken up as part of (get this) the Strategic Arms Limitations Treaty (SALT). Let's think about this. SALT was intended to rid the world of some of the weapons of mass destruction. And what did the Reagan administration include in the American numbers? This aged and decrepit display aircraft. Be that as it may be, the Air Force was not forced to destroy Old 100. A typhoon did that. The tail section disappeared for a while until another typhoon stripped off the jungle and revealed its hiding place. So the local Boy Scout Troop created a memorial for it in place.

I stayed only long enough to read the sign and urinate on the last Viet Nam bomber before I headed south. By now I was very tired. It had been a long day.

I detoured down through hotel row, the center of tourist activities. The local tourist department has come under fire for not working hard enough to attract tourists to the island. I can't testify to their effectiveness but the center of tourist activity is definitely one of the quieter areas on the island. There was little traffic and very few people in the streets.

I got back on Marine Drive and pushed on south. Then as I came up on the Chamorro Village I realized I had not yet bought any presents to send home. And that is the best place I have seen yet for tourist trinkets. I stopped in and bought a couple of pretty bandanas for daughter number 3 who will be soon losing her hair (temporarily) to her chemotherapy. I also got her a Chamorro coloring book and a woven strawgrass sea turtle. I bought daughter number 2 a bracelet and a carved porpoise and daughter number 1 got a ___. I can't say it here because she is the one who is monitoring this thread. And I got Charley Noble a ___. Of course, he will have to wait for the package to arrive to find out exactly what it is but he has been such a good friend and he has always wanted a ___ I couldn't resist. I plan to go back to pick up more island trinkets for certain other friends as well.

I also bought myself a CD of traditional Chamorro chants. It is very interesting. The chants are in Chamorran of course and combine men's and women's voices as well as hand clapping and some form of rhythm instrument. I need to read the liner notes before I can offer more than that but these are definitely doable from the stage with audience participation.

I headed south but made one more detour. I wanted to stop and get the phone number for the Gold Mine Apartments complex. When I got there I saw they had canopies set up in the back and there were people there. I walked back and asked for the manager. A tiny Chamorro woman in a denim skirt grabbed her keys and led me up to look at the apartment. It was on the second floor and was very clean. It had recently been renovated. She proudly showed me the new refrigerator and range and explained that both bedrooms were air conditioned. There was a balcony on the back of the place with the hookup for a washing machine and a deep sink. The apartment was tine, only four rooms, two bedrooms, a bathroom, and a kitchen/dining/living room. Even as reduced as my possessions are I could not fit into that place. And the rent for this magnificent palace? $650 per month plus electricity.

After that I drove through Santa Rita again and on one of the side streets I noticed a "House For Sale" sign. "What the hell!" I thought and made the turn. I followed the single lane uphill past crumbling ruined houses and places that were surrounded by junk. Anther turn took me down hill and then I saw the place. Perched above the town and staring out at the sunset was a magnificent pink stucco mansion with huge windows and sculpted grounds. It was protected by a concrete wall and iron gates. When I got home I looked it up on the internet. They only want $600,000 for it or they will rent it out for $4000 per month. I wonder if electricity is extra?

So that was my day. I am tired now and will rest.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: SINSULL
Date: 12 Jul 03 - 07:30 PM

Wonder if they allow pets, Brett.

Also wonder if we can get that part for you here and ship it over. It is worth a try. PM the Part Number and I will contact a few dealers.

Keep in mind that the second bedroom can be used as a living room/ guest room with a convertible sofa. That leaves a bedroom/ kitchen/ dining room. Sticker shock and all.

Hope you are keeping a supply of bottled water in your truck. Freeze it before you leave and it will stay cold all day.
SINS in mothering mode.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 12 Jul 03 - 08:32 PM

Hi Mary,

Even as a living/guest room that apartment is way too small. If I have to fit into that size I may as well buy a sailboat to live on... hmmm, not a bad idea.

My parents have already shipped me the part. They sent it priority mail so I wonder how long that will take to get here. Thanks for the offer.

I was out on my bike by 6:30 this morning. I thought I'd head over towards Gab Gab but security was erecting barriers at the head of the access road so I continued down the hill to the marina. I made a swing in to the parking lot for the museum to take a closer look at the midget submarine they have displayed there. Then I noticed a road that I thought would lead to San Luis Beach so I headed in that direction. The road led me out to a causeway with ocean on one side and swamp on the other. Halfway out I found that security had been there before me and I could go no further.

I stopped to take in my surroundings. I was looking out over most of Apra Harbor. The shore showed evidence of some sort of structure, a dock or quay that had been built of steel and concrete a long time ago. This part of Orote Peninsula was once the landing site for the big ocean crossing passenger seaplanes and I may have been looking at the passenger terminal.

The water was broken but a shoal of tiny silver fish leaping free of the water, obviously escaping some predator. Nearer a large crab scuttled along some weed covered steel hunting for its own breakfast.

On the other side was a marshy grassy area. There was open water near the road. At first I thought it must be tidal but the water is the dark brown of marsh water, not the clear sea water from the other side of the causeway. I could see little fish swimming in the shallows near where I stood and evidence of larger fish breaking the surface farther out.

Now I am going to try to find American Music and Shimbros Music, two of the three stores on the island that sell musical instruments. Wish me luck. I tried calling but got no answer and no answering machine. As with so many other businesses one or both of them may have been wiped out by Typhoon Pongsana.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Amos
Date: 12 Jul 03 - 11:42 PM

Good luck, Brett!

What's with all the security deployment? Rebels in the jungles?

A

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 13 Jul 03 - 03:53 AM

Who knows. On a military base no one asks questions. It could be anything from a simple exercise to precautions for loading munitions.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 13 Jul 03 - 06:36 PM

Brett-

Sure looks like you're getting into a nice phase of exploring. Glad you finally got off the base.

I'll be eagerly awaiting your shipment of my gift, the shrunken head I've always wanted. I wonder if it will resemble that of our noble president?

Take your time in house hunting. There's a good one out there somewhere.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 13 Jul 03 - 07:11 PM

Eww, Charley, no shrunken head is that ugly, or that dumb!

And you don't have to worry, it is not a shrunken head. It is something ELSE you've always desired. And Judy might not mind hanging it on your walls.

Oh, what the hell, I may as well confess. It is a carving of Sirena.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: SINSULL
Date: 13 Jul 03 - 08:31 PM

A miniature submarine?
My father worked on a miniature sub set up in Rockefeller Center during WWII to raise money for War Bonds. He often wonders where it ended up.
Or is this a real sub?
M.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 13 Jul 03 - 09:39 PM

The sub is a Japanese WWII two man sub that ran aground off Guam. The crew was never found and no one knows what its mission might have been.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 15 Jul 03 - 02:38 AM

Yesterday as I wandered into the center of the office to get a 3-ring binder the gang at the lunch table invited me to sit down with them and have some ham hocks and taro leaf. Actually one of them first offered me a wedge of yellow and brown food-like substance and said I should have some keet-chit. At that the whole table errupted in laughter.

I knew then that the gauntlet lay there to be picked up and, not being one to refuse a challenge, I asked the question. Well, the food-like substance was quiche. But the word was Chamorro for sex. Not that they would tell me right away. No, I had to drag it out of them. Finally they came up with a Chamorro dictionary and let me read the definition for myself.

That launched a great discussion on Chamorro words and their meanings. One of the group is studying the language at UOG and had all kinds of questions for the native speakers.

In the meantime I ate the ham hocks and taro leaf. I'm afraid the ham hocks did nothing for me. They were cooked up in beans making a brown mash with the "meat" a roll of lumpy looking stuff. The taro leaf on the other hand was very good, cooked in coconut milk and ginger and some other things. It made a green and white mash that had a very distinct flavor. They commented that some people, when they cannot get taro, use the same recipe for spinach. Of course the meal is served with rice and fine dene sauce.

This morning I went to look at a place to live. It's in the village of Santa Rita up in the hills. It's a duplex and the side I might rent has 4 bedrooms 3 bathrooms, and a balcony that runs all around the second floor. There is a small yard and plenty of parking. It's on a side street off the Cross Island Road. I would never dream of driving those roads if we ever got ice here but that will never happen in my lifetime, or the next two years, whatever comes first...

And, drum roll please, this evening I am going to a Sotta, an open mike down in Tumon. I am taking my guitar along but I don't know if I want to try performing yet. It will depend on the audience. But tonight I begin my musical exploration of the island.

Wish me luck.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 15 Jul 03 - 08:43 AM

goodonya! enjoy the evening. If the music is as interesting as what you've seen so far, you're in for a treat.

Reading your diary is like being in Guam. Thanks for sharing your experiences. I'm looking forward to meeting you sometime in the future.

sandra

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 15 Jul 03 - 08:56 AM

Good luck with the "open mike down in Tumon." One never knows who will be encountered at such an event on the far side of the world. We eagerly await your report.

Guess we'll go down to the Five Islands wharf today for another lobster dinner.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: GUEST,MMario
Date: 15 Jul 03 - 12:56 PM

Only four bedrooms and three bathrooms? My GAWD! I know Guam is primitive, but how are you suppossed to live in such a hovel! ;)

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 15 Jul 03 - 04:53 PM

Well, that was an interesting evening. When I arrived I found chairs set up and some people playing around with a slide projector. I introduced myself and that began what I hope will be a long and interesting relationship. Larry, a retired teacher and part time instructor at the UOG is studying ancient Chamorro chants and song. The tiny woman working with him on the projector is one of the other professors but I didn't catch her name. She is Japanese and my ear isn't trained to catch the syllables yet. However, she was the featured poet and was preparing an illustrated recitation of her Tanka poetry. Larry introduced me to Leslie, one of his former students and the young woman who was the driving force behind the Sotta. By the way, I don't have a working definition of Sotta yet but I believe it's a Chamorro word.

Anyway, Larry, in his spare time is working on a traditional Polynesian canoe that he and a group of his friends and a traditional Chamorro navigator want to sail to the other islands in the chain. They made one voyage, from Palau, but the canoe was badly damaged in the last typhoon and they are trying to get it repaired. I've been invited to join them on Saturday as they work on it.

As we got closer to the kick off more and more people showed up. They were mostly younger people but there were a smattering of those who were closer to my age. Once things got rolling and performer followed performer I realized I was involved in a poetry open mike. The performers ranged from a little girl preparing for first grade to a woman who commented on how menopause was affecting her memory. The little girl recited a Chamorro chant which the MC translated after she finished. What followed included a Korean-American boy who read his school essay on finding peace between North and South Korea, his sisters who performed a series of little skits THEY thought were hilarious, a young man, definitely Chamorro, who read his angry poem on the loss of his cultural background, and the usual run of kids for whom life has turned out to be more complex than they liked. One of the first presenters stepped up to the mike dressed in a bright red dress and long brown hair draped over her shoulders. She was hot. If I was 30 years younger I'd have been tracing after her myself. She recited a poem about meeting a man. She started with a soft breathy voice that she worked up to the excitement of sex and then ended with the words, "Hey! You gotta pay!" Very funny.

When I set out for the event the sky was cloudy. When I stopped for supper it rained a little but that's not unusual. After I got there it started to rain with a little more serious intent. The venue was an open area in the middle of a small covered outdoor shopping mall. The performance area was at the intersection of two "halls" of shops. High overhead was an arched roof. As the rain increased we found that the roof not only leaked but that the wind blew the rain into where we were sitting. That delayed the beginning and then later on it interrupted the proceedings. So there we were, sitting in wet chairs and getting dripped on. But the people hung on. I met more interesting people including a DJ from the local NPR station who invited me to play on the station and a former writer for the Pacific Daily News, the local paper.

When my turn came along I felt a little out of place. This was, after all, a poetry open mike though it had been advertised as being open to any performers at all. Still, I felt like a cat in a dog kennel. But inspiration had struck moments before and I had written this:

Poets in the rain,
Speaking of life and love,
With lightning in their words,
And thunder in their hearts,
These are the poets with wet butts.

That was greeted with enthusiasm so I went on to do Henery The 8th and Mary Mac. My performance was well received. I had taken my guitar but didn't want to get it out of the case in those conditions.

I stuck around for a while longer to hear several more poets and then around 9:30 I bugged out. It was a great evening. Unfortunately there is no next one to look forward to.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 15 Jul 03 - 04:59 PM

By the by, thanks for the comments. I was beginning to wonder if people were getting tired of this thread.

Sandra in Sydney, you may get your wish. I am hoping to get down to your neck of the woods before the year is out. My daughter's best friend is attending college in your town and I've always wanted to get to Australia.

MMario, I just don't know how I'll handle that house. As I see it there is a room for my library, one for my woodshop, one for my daughter and one for me. Each of the upstairs bedrooms has a sliding glass door that opens on to the balcony. There are very few houses in the neighborhood so there is a nice view, though it is only open ground and not the ocean or any of the deep valeys of the interior.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Amos
Date: 15 Jul 03 - 05:09 PM

Fascinating blog you got here, Brett!! Love it. Keep up the good work!

A

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: katlaughing
Date: 15 Jul 03 - 05:48 PM

There's a book in this Naes...hope you got the new camera and are taking lots of piccies to go along with your wonderful narrative! Thanks so much for sharing with us. It is just like being there...fascinating!!

luvyakat

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 15 Jul 03 - 08:02 PM

Is this a blog? I had no idea!

I have been invited to a Novena dinner at a co-worker's home. I'll be going up there tonight. Sounds like fun.

By the way, I am working on converting this thread to a Word document with pictures. If you are interested in getting a copy send me your email address by PM.

I do not yet have a decent digital camera.. the one I am using so far is on the back of my PDA, a Palm Zire71. It's all right for snapshots but the resolution isn't very good.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 15 Jul 03 - 08:31 PM

Brett-

You'll just have to point out what fun it will be if the open-mike thing becomes a regular monthly event. Sounds like a great way to get to know people.

And when you start planning that Oz foray, give Judy and I about two months notice and maybe we can join you in Sydney. November/December works best for Judy in terms of her work schedule. Sandra N. is a fine contact, along with Bob B.

Oh, the lobsters at the Five Islands wharf were just great! The fog melted away in the harbor while we were eating, revealing the usual fleet of lobster boats, Boston Whalers, sailboats, ducks and sea gulls.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 16 Jul 03 - 04:50 AM

I didn't get to the Novena. I woke early this morning with a pain in my gut and it got worse through the morning. I finally left work and spent the afternoon asleep. It still hurts some so I am staying in tonight. It must be something I ate. Maybe the sausage pizza I had for dinner.

Charley, you can depend that I will let you know when I head for Australia. If you need two months to plan for that then figure on heading out there in November. I need to see how my home situation works out before I can commit. In the meantime let's start the prliminaries and target the middle of November. How does Thanksgiving in Australia sound?

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Roger the Skiffler
Date: 16 Jul 03 - 06:48 AM

Brett, re: taro.
I've eaten it in many forms during two magical holidays in the Cook Islands. I can't say it made me want to seek it out elsewhere but the nicest way IMHO was taro chips (what we Old Worlders would call crisps). Very tasty.
Keep the stories coming!

RtS

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 16 Jul 03 - 08:58 AM

Brett & Charley - make sure you're in Sydney for the 4th Saturday. Charley has had a floor spot at my club waiting for him for almost 2 years.

You'd be among friends - Bob is our photographer & Canberra Chris will be part of the entertainment in Nov & JennyO might be on the door. Seems like most Sydney Mudcatters are Dog supporters - Chickie is webmaster & she sings with Callie. And JennyG & Roo have been known to visit and Alison will be encouraged to visit that night, too.

sandra

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: JennyO
Date: 16 Jul 03 - 09:28 AM

Yes, and if you happen to be in Sydney on the first Thursday of any month, my folk club North By Northwest is on. Sandra is always there, too, probably on the door. We help each other out a lot. Look forward to seeing you.

Jenny

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: KateG
Date: 16 Jul 03 - 02:14 PM

A magical thread....round the world without leaving my desk (yet). Please keep posting.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Amos
Date: 16 Jul 03 - 03:06 PM

ANd BRett is kind enough to absorb the digestive problems for us as well. Hope he turns up okay! Sure makes travel easier!

A

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: M.Ted
Date: 16 Jul 03 - 03:08 PM

Brett,

The thread just keeps getting better and better. Please keep it up. And I hope you're feeling better--

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: CET
Date: 16 Jul 03 - 06:47 PM

Brett:

What I want to know is, what's a suppository gun?

Edmund

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 17 Jul 03 - 12:36 AM

Edmund, any proper rifle is loaded through the Mouth (muzzle). When you jam a shell (suppository) up the other end you have a suppository gun.

Let me see if I have this straight. We should plan to be in Sydney on the fourth Saturday of November and the first Thursday. That will help in planning this trip. You with me on this, Charley? Looks like we'll have to plan on either the end of October and the first of November or the end of November and the first of December. Please note, neither one is a problem for me. Sydney is an easy reach from where I am. You are the one who will have to do the difficult planning.

This morning the pain in my gut woke me. I decided to avoid the rush and get to the hospital early so I arrived at 5:00 AM. After the usual round of paperwork and other standard measurements I finally saw a doctor. Looking at him I wondered if his mother knew he was awake so early in the morning. He felt around and probed and prodded. He couldn't figure out what it was but he was pretty sure what it wasn't. He gave me some painkillers and valium and sent me home. When I got back to my room I took some pills, ate breakfast and lay down for a bit. I woke up around 10:30! Good pills. I have a follow up appointment on Tuesday. In the meantime the painkillers help but I am high as a kite.

As I write this there is a lovely storm raging outside my office window. The wind is tossing the palm frond and tre branches and the rain is pouring down obscuring most of the moutain views I have. I can hear the wind howling past my windows. I feel bad for the security guards out there on the base entrance.

Next Monday is Liberation Day. We have been offered liberal leave in order to participate. The holiday celebrates the liberation of the island from the Japanese towards the end of WWII. Apparently this is an all out holiday. It is one of the biggest events of the year. Some people have been camped out next to Route 1 for a week now, preserving their place for the parade. I may have to take the afternoon off to go downtown and see what all the bruhaha is all about.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Lana
Date: 17 Jul 03 - 06:53 AM

hey dad, i hope you feel better soon.

i finally solved one of my durham university problems and got an answer about going full time. according to the woman who has been helping, everyone will know who i am when i get there cause of all the administrational headaches i'm causing. now i just have to get the loans sorted, but that office still won't let me talk to the woman i want to talk to or answer my phone calls. it's really annoying.

love you,
kelli

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 17 Jul 03 - 09:16 AM

Brett, I hope you're feeling better now.

The fact that I have been waiting 2 years for Charley to get to the Dog doesn't mean he can get away with just a song - 2 members of Roll & Go will be twice the value! We might even be able to round up all the members of our (almost) resident shanty singers The Roaring Forties, and naturally the famous singing Dog audience will join in.

sandra

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: GUEST
Date: 17 Jul 03 - 11:54 AM

Discovery Day is another big holiday, I recall. The day when Magellan 'discovered' the island in 1521. April something or other. Can't recall the name of the really cool little cove where Magellan weighed anchor...the one with the rock lookout thing built on the hook of land at its high point. Worth checking out and getting some pictures of. You can photograph the whole bay where Magellan anchored in one frame. Postcard photo.

I had to do some radio work when I was there, and FCC rules applied...only English could be spoken on certain frequencies. One guy I worked with would go ballistic when he'd hear Chamorro being spoken, and one time he jumped on the radio and told the sender to speak English. Told him in Chamorro. lol.

When I related this story to an old-timer on the island he said as a boy he watched how the Japanese dealt with such issues. If you spoke English during they Jap occupation, they cut your head off on the spot. Yes, they were rather happy when the Americans returned.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: GUEST
Date: 17 Jul 03 - 12:03 PM

Oh, and have you checked out the beaches yet where the Americans landed when they re-took the island? White shelves of coral extending out to the drop off to turquoise water and round blue pockmarks made by incoming shells hitting the coral? Those are great places to snorkel. Scuba classes train in the holes...not much clutter...easy to go up and down to get used to the gear. Cool photos, too, of the blue bomb craters.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: katlaughing
Date: 17 Jul 03 - 12:08 PM

There are some interesting photos and comments about Magellan and the Chamorros on this page.

kat

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: katlaughing
Date: 17 Jul 03 - 01:30 PM

Brett, that seems like such a neat place, so much to learn about and explore. I was just looking around on the website I linked to in my previous posting and found this wonderful and charming story about the last Chamorro who knew how to make and play an ancient instrument called the belembaotuyan. Be sure to read the last bit, esp. there are some recordings of him somewhere out there! Very kewl!

Can you tell I am turning slightly green with envy?**bg**

kat

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 17 Jul 03 - 07:02 PM

Those are couple of great sites, Kat. I never saw them when I was researching coming here.

Guest, the bay that has the reputation of being Magellan's landing place is Umatak. According to the local historian I talked to it is likely that is just myth. Magellan's crew was in sad shape when they rounded the north end of the island. Umatak is on the southern end. It is unlikely they traveled the whole length of the island before coming to anchor. Agana Bay was more likely their landing place.

The picture in Kat's first website above is Umatak. It is a lovely place but you have to frame your picture very carefully if you want to see something like that. The bay is surrounded by houses and a church.

I haven't mentioned it before but there are beaches here with black sand. The island is a combination of volcanic rock and coral. Where the coral has been reduced to sand the beaches are white. Where the volcanic rock has been reduced to sand the beaches are black. I wonder if there is a beach with both...

As for the Australian trip, my co-worker and fellow department head is also planning a vacation in that time frame so he and I need to coordinate our vacations. That means it may be a few days before I can definitely say I will be going at the break between October/November or the break between November/December. However, I am definitely planning on going. I am figuring on 2 weeks for my trip. As we get closer I'll start a Here-I-Come-Who-Can-I-Visit thread.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: GUEST
Date: 17 Jul 03 - 07:03 PM

Hey! That's it! The beach where Magellan landed.

Inarajan

The rock structure I was talking about is at the end of that spit of land in the upper right of the photo. You can walk up there and look down on the whole little bay. As I remember, that was a silt, black sand bay. The gleaming line at the right is from a small stream feeding into the bay, and where the rivers and streams feed the ocean the silt often washes back in and darkens the beaches. But then some of the beaches are so white they hurt the eyes. An old couple used to waylay people walking up to the overlook there at Inarajan. Had a carabao with flowers woven in its horns and sold fruit. Star fruit? Yeah...the cross section looked like a star. Nice folks.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: GUEST
Date: 17 Jul 03 - 07:05 PM

Same-time post. Check out Star Fruit if you get the chance.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: curmudgeon
Date: 17 Jul 03 - 08:37 PM

I assume, based on your most recent post, that the abdominal affliction is gone or under control. If not, do correct this situation immediately; no good in being afflicted in paradise.

Your posts are magical. You have a way with the language that brings us there with you. I look forward to reading the book.

In an earlier post you expressed delight in recieving mail. Put your snail mail address up and you might get some more; like session tapes.

Be well and keep up the thread -- Tom

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 17 Jul 03 - 09:05 PM

Brett-

Well, here's your challenge. Judy and I are checking out flights to Sydney so we can be there in reasonable shape by the 4th Saturday of Novbember for whatever takes place at The Loaded Dog. We'll certainly do the full version of "Dead Dog Cider."

Alert, Sandra N., Bob B. and Margaret W. and The Roarin' Forties, this is a serious proposal.

We'll probably be staying with our old friends the Horvaths, assuming they're resident in Sydney at the time. Otherwise we'll just pitch a tent at Circular Quey.

Must go to that incredible Sicilian restaurant in Bob's neighborhood again, if I could only recall its name...

So get your schedule together and we'll have some great fun!

Cheerily,
Charles Noble

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 19 Jul 03 - 09:06 AM

But Charley, what are you going to do if my co-worker and his family need to take their vacation late in November instead of early. I left it up to him because he has to plan for family travel. He and his wife are a little distracted right now because she is about to give birth to their third child. It may be a week or two before they are able to plan for their vacation. And we both cannot be out of the office at the same time.

What a day I have had. My family have always complained that I have the weirdest friends. But then they've said that since the year I brought home the prison inmate who was out for the holiday. In the years since I have been perfectly at home with people in the SCA, muzzleloading buckskinners, and even, God forbid, folk musicians. Today I went forth into the coutryside to extend my record and I came up with aces.

Last Tuesday I had been invited to visit the deep sea canoe that group is repairing. I found it in the front yard of a house in a little neighborhood high up on the side of the hills overlooking Agana Bay. It was under a canopy and covered with a tan tarp. Dr. Cunningham greeted me and introduced me to the sweetest looking 22 foot red and black outrigger canoe. She is gorgeous. While we were looking her over Manny showed up. He was wearing a Budweiser T-shirt and blue Hawaiian print shorts. I could see a ritual tatoo on his leg, three parallel symbols on his calf. These tatoos were no casual decoration. There was meaning there, written in their simplicity and position. Here was The Navigator. This man learned to navigate by the stars from his grandfather, one of the last of the old time navigators. He had been through the rituals and ceremonies and carried within himself the magic passed down through the generations.

The canoe was beautiful. She is 22 feet long and very narrow. Her hull is asymetrical, mor curved on the outrigger side than on the other. Dr. Cunningham explained to me that the hull acts in the water like an aerofoil. The shape of the hull offsets the pressure of the wind on the sails. In other words the Micronesians figured out how to counteract leeway using fluid dynamics instead of a keel. These canoes are sailed with the wind always on the outrigger side of the boat. To tack the merely shft the mast, swing the sail end for end and the bow becomes the stern and off they go in the other direction. The outrigger is not intended to be used as a float. It is intended to the a counter weight for the wind pressure on the sail.

The canoe is built of seeded breadfruit tree. The seeded breadfruit is called dokdok while the seedless is called lemmai. The lemmai is worthless for building canoes, and from what I gathered, pretty much anything else. The bottow of the canoe is carved from the trunk of the dokdok and then the bow and stern are lashed on afterwards as well as the planks that make up the rest of the hull. The boat is calked with coconut fiber and hot breadfruit sap. With the hull and outrigger in place a little house of cocnit frond and sticks is built on top.

While we talked Manny worked on the canoe. He was carving a new thwart piece for the end. When he is done the piece will carry the weight of the rudder and will act as chainplate for the stays. He worked with adze and chisel.

The canoe was used cruelly by the typhoon. Ponsongwa was supposed to miss the island but instead it nailed them hard. The canoe still needs a lot of work but they hope to get it into the water soon, Their big handicap is getting the wood they need to make certain parts. Much of the trees they need to harvest were destroyed by Pongsonwa and Chata'an, the last two typhoons.

There is more about this day but I am very tired. I will add more in the morning.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Brían
Date: 19 Jul 03 - 11:15 AM

This is great stuff, Naemanson. Keep it coming.
Brían

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 19 Jul 03 - 06:31 PM

Calling Brett-

A careful review of what we posted above about flying to Sydney specifies that the Loaded Dog takes place on the 4th Saturday of the month. Therefore we are planning to fly out "late in November," not early. Now if your buddies need to go out early we do have a conflict. However, at this point we could go a week early from the 4th Saturday or stay a week later, or maybe do both if folks are as hospitable as they were last time around. We do want to visit with our nephew's new family, and we might want to dash off somewhere else as well.

Off to San Francisco for the next week or so, but I'll check in and see what you're been up to.

Roll & Go had a blast today at the WoodenBoat Show in Rockland.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 19 Jul 03 - 08:43 PM

After I left the canoe and her menders I headed out to find a used bookstore I'd heard about. I dreove around looking for it for a while and then gave up. It was well past lunch time so I decided on the Outback Steakhouse. It had been a while since I'd had a real steak dinner and I was hankering for slab o' meat. I got there to find it was closed and is only open at 5:00 every day. No lunches here.

This might be a good time to talk about the scarcity of restaurants. To start with there is no place within easy reach where I can find breakfast except the (shudder) McDonalds on the base. Outside the gate is a Taco Bell and a Pizza Hut. As you drive north along Marine Drive there is nothing that stands out as a restaurant until you get to Agana. Then you have to look hard for them because they are little dives tucked into groups of half demolished buildings. Farther up, in Tamuning, you can find places like the Lone Star Steak House and Marty's Mexican Food. Plus there is the food court at the GPO where I ate my supper last night. Also available are places like Shirley's Coffee Shop, a diner type franchis found around the islands, and Kings, some kind of burger joint. There are also places like Winchell's which is a doughnut shop and lots of Burger Kings, McDonalds, Pizza Huts, Taco Bells, and the like. What I'm trying to say is that this is no mecca for the gourmand. Even the Chamorro Village, for all that the name suggests, has three places that serve Chamorro food and the rest serve Italian, Indian, and Ice Cream.

So I had a sandwich at Blimpie's and a frappelatte from the Coffee Beanery. 'Nuff said.

I headed down to Ypao Beach Park. It was about 3:00 in the afternoon by then and I had seen something in the paper the day before that I had to check out. I settled myself in a chair and tried to read some of the research Dr. Larry had given me but I was distracted by the life being lived all around me. The park has covered pavilions for people to picnic and a few large trees. Down by the beach is a line of palms.

It wasn't full of people but there were plenty of people around. I am used to seeing people go to the beach to lie in the sun. In my experience a few hardy souls, the young and the foolish, go into the water. Here on Guam people go to the beach but they mostly stay out of the sun. There were a few people in the water but most were in under cover. There was some kind of party going on at the largest pavilion for it was full of people and had a DJ spinning tunes on a sound system that filled the park with reggae, rap, rock, and soft romantic tunes. It was quite an eclectic mix. There were parties and gatherings at other pavilions too but there were a few that were empty. There are two sand volleyball courts and they were busy as well. Down the beach I spied a white arch garlanded with flowers and realized a wedding was happening. It obviously wasn't connected with the party in the big pavilion and I wondered how the overflow of music might be impacting that happy event. Everywhere I looked children in swimsuits ran and splashed and screamed. Over the food tables people waved fans of paper plates to keep the flies at bay. The smell of barbeque fires mingled with the smell of cooking fish and meat.

It was very hard to concentrate on the article on canoes.

After a while I headed for one of the empty pavilions to wait for the 4:00 hour. I didn't know what to expect or what I'd do about it. It has been nearly 20 years since I associated with that group. I don't know what to do about it even now. But then I spotted them and wandered over to talk. The SCA had arrived with all the splash and color that they bring with them wherever they go.

Twenty years ago in Georgia I had been part of the Shire Of The Crystal Keep. Now I was looking at re-entering that world. I'm not sure I want to. But I gave it my best scrutiny. They are nice people but they are all military so that leaves us unable to talk politics. Plus they are young and boisterous and swagger a lot. Were we ever like that, I wonder? If we were it sure is annoying to those of us who are older and supposedly more mature. Be that as it may be they are nice kids and welcoming. I may visit now and again and try to learn some period stuff to bring to their gatherings. I think Fred and Julia do it right. They aren't members but they do like those people and help out when they can. I could do a lot worse than to emulate them.

So I guess I need to find some period music pieces to learn. I am looking for anything that comes from or sounds like it came from the period between 600 BC and 1600 AD. Any suggestions? I'm not sure what search criteria to use in the database.

After the park I went to supper, Chinese again, and a movie. Then it was home to write up my adventure and collapse into bed.

Thus ended another day in Paradise.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: katlaughing
Date: 20 Jul 03 - 04:34 AM

Naes, this is so wonderful to read. You really have a way of bringing it all so to life; it really does feel as though we are there with you!

Glad you liked the sites. I loved the one about the grandfather and the instrument.

Re' songs and search criteria for SCA, is you put "medieval" in the box, there are quite a few threads which come up which look useful. Sounds like fun, whether you join up or not.

Thanks so much for sharing with us, please continue. I really look forward to reading of your next explorations!

kat

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Lana
Date: 20 Jul 03 - 08:20 AM

There's always The Witch of the Westmorland. I'm planning to sing that at the Gathering this fall. It's more modern, but sounds older. :-) Thomas the Rhymer would probably work too.
I hope you have fun with the SCA. :-) I went to an Irish festival yesterday and picked up a penny whistle.

love
lana

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 20 Jul 03 - 09:03 AM

Charley - Circular Quay might be pronouncd KEY but it is not spelt Quey (tut tut tut) If your relos can't cope with you for the entire trip Dog supporters might be able to offer you a bed (or room for you tent, or even a loan of a tent!!)

November would be great - so too would be October.

sandra

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: JennyO
Date: 20 Jul 03 - 09:50 AM

Just for your information, Charlie and Brett, The Loaded Dog in October is on Saturday the 25th, and North By Northwest in November is on Thursday the 6th, so 12 days between them.

Or, The Dog in November is on Saturday the 22nd, and North By Northwest in December is on Thursday the 4th, so again 12 days between them.

Hope that helps with your planning - I realize there are other factors here though that will help determine what you do.

Jenny

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: GUEST
Date: 20 Jul 03 - 10:35 AM

The Sakura in Agana, if it's still there. Best tempura I ever had. Couple of REAL sushi bars on the island too, as I recall. The kind where you point at what critter you want and the obsessively-compulsively clean chef wipes the whole kitchen spotless before he cleavers the hell out of your selection and then serves it to you with a smile. There were a couple of Japanese restaurants, too, with the little stoves in the center of the table...where you cook your own foods. Look for the places were you have to sit on the floor. Warm sake is a treat too, if you drink. It sneaks up on you though. We watched a group of reserved Japanese businessmen in the Sakura once enter and take their places on their cushions around their long table, and as they ate they started knocking back little cups of sake. An hour later they were falling off their cushions and laughing at each other. Try wasabi mustard and pickled ginger root...standard Japanese condiments. Wasabi is the hottest thing I've ever tasted, but it has no oil base like jalapenos and such, so it doesn't stick to your tongue. Just gives you a feeling like an ice cream headache squared, and just as the pain is about to make you scream...it's gone. Great for the sinuses. And pickled ginger root may be the best tasting stuff on earth. Oh, and pick up a bag of dried cuttlefish sometime. Like beef jerky. makes a great snack. Look for the markets, too, where you can buy whole dried cuttlefish, then look around that market for some of the strangest foods you'll ever come across in your life.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 20 Jul 03 - 11:57 PM

You know, I am very open and willing to try new things. I had real sushi back in Maine, hand made and well praised by all who were "in the know" about eating bait and seaweed. I tried it. I didn't care for it and probably won't try it again. But part of that problem is that I do not really care for eating fish. Something about the flavor does not appeal.

Many years ago, when I was in college we had a Japanese exchange student at the school. I took him home to Houlton, Maine, because there were Japanese exchange students at Ricker College and he wanted to touch base with his fellow countrymen. One night me made us a Japanese meal, though I cannot now tell you what it was. I've always wondered what happened to him.

As for visiting Australia, is there enough to do and see to fill up 2 weeks? This question is asked with tongue very much in cheek. I figure to start in Sydney at the Loaded Dog and finish at North By Northwest. All the time in between will be spent looking at a land that has always been too far away to even consider the possibility that I would ever see it. What's the weather like then? If my calculations are correct you would be heading into your summer?

You know, Kell, another song to sing for these SCA members is Eileen McGann's The Knight And The Rose. You might prepare that one for the gathering too.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Lana
Date: 21 Jul 03 - 06:58 AM

yeah, i've been working on it, for some reason i can't get it to sound quite right, must be the lack of instruments. *shrug*

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 21 Jul 03 - 07:41 AM

Today, Junly 21, is Liberation Day on the island. There has been a carnival down by the Chamorro Village all month. Families have been camped out along the parade route for the last week and a half at least. Driving home on Saturday I passed families gathered around TVs under canopies, the smoke and smell of barbequing meat, and kids sacked out on cots. Excitement grew to a fever pitch to culminate in the grand parade this morning.

At the base we were offered liberal leave to participate in the holiday. On the island it was very much a holiday atmosphere.

As you may recall I went to the hospital last week. The doctor set me up with a follow up visit to the Family Practice Clinic at the Naval Hospital. The appointment was for 9:20 AM and the parade started at 10:00 AM. I figured I would do the appointment and then skate on downtown to see the parade.

But I didn't figure on a few minor problems. I wasn't sure where I was going and had to ask for directions. Consequently I arrived five minutes late. And then I remembered what I had happily ignored for all those years in Maine. I encountered that special disdain and annoyance displayed so readily by those on the fringes of the medical profession. Being five minutes late I was too late to see the doctor. When I asked the receptionist to make sure of that she expressed her annoyance silently and stumped off down the hall.

She returned a few minutes later, confirmed that five minutes is indeed too late, and then she rescheduled my appointment, pecking at her keyboard for a long time. She announced that she could reschedule me for the same day. I figured that would be great. I could see the parade and then be back for the appointment. However, she rescheduled my appointment for 10:30 and then handed me a thick packet of forms to fill out, the same forms I had filled out in the emergency room, refused to believe I had already provided this information, and sent me back to the waiting room.

Eventually I was collected by a corpsman who took my vital signs and then escorted me to an examining room. There I met a doctor, a Lieutenant Commander, who confirmed that I was feeling better. Then he started to ask about my blood pressure and my medications. I mentioned that I was getting close to running out of my medication and would need to renew it soon. That stumped them. They couldn't figure out what it was and had to do extensive research through all their books and computer databases. Then they took my pill bottle and ran the name into the Google search engine and finally they had their answers. They set me up for my refills and for some other "normal" tests and sent me to the pharmacy.

The pharmacy was another experience in frustration and waiting. There were crowds surging back and forth, children clinging to their video games and cartoons on the TV. Old people coughed up phlegm and janitors rattled buckets. And I finally got my medication.

All that took a lot of time. In that time the weather broke and rained poured down in buckets. When I left the building I could hear, at the bottom of the hill, a band bravely playing along the parade route. I decided I wouldn't go stand in the rain to watch the end of the parade and I headed back to work.

As I made the turn at Marine Drive I looked north and saw the tail end of the parade, one float moving up the street with the rain dripping off it. I felt bad for all the people who had waited so long for the parade only to have the heavens open up on them.

So now I have my meds and I can get on with the positive side of the adventure. Today I got a long run of messages from Dr. Cunningham with pictures of his adventure on the canoe trip and scenes from the island of Pagan. I've asked him for more information. I also have several articles on building and navigating the outrigger canoe to read. I guess I'll stay busy for a while longer.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: M.Ted
Date: 21 Jul 03 - 02:07 PM

I tend to be either late or very late with things. In this case, Brett, here is a link that I meant to dig out and post when you were thinking about moving to Guam--What's it like to live on Guam? It is part of a site that has lots more info on Guam, much of which you have already relayed to us, as well as the lyrics to a whole lot of great blues and jazz tunes--They moved to Pennsylvania(God Help them!) or they would have been interesting folks to look up--

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 22 Jul 03 - 04:48 AM

Brenna Lorenz's article was one of those I found before coming here. She really tells it like it is. I love her comment on the cockroaches. When she killed a "bad" cockroach her son asked if there were any good cockroaches. She said yes and when he asked how you could tell the good ones from the bad ones she explained that the good ones were already dead.

Today I heard from the realtor. We have finished the negotiations. My rent will be $900 per month with the owner paying for the water and providing a new refrigerator. I take possession on the first of August. My household goods are supposed to arrive during the week of August 4. Soon I can give up the motel life. Hooray!

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: katlaughing
Date: 23 Jul 03 - 02:57 AM

Yikes, that seems pricey, but the place sounds nice and I am glad for you that you will be able to give up your room at the base. I'll bet it will feel great to unpack your own stuff and set up house. It certainly continues to sound extremely interesting there!:-)

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 23 Jul 03 - 02:44 PM

Sounds like it's still interesting where you are, Brett. Judy and I are fairly flexible for either October or November, but we do have a priority for the 4th Saturday of either month.

"Quey," "Quay," "Pier," "Peer," "M'in chiger'in!" as we used to say in Ethiopia back when I was there in the 1960's.

Oh, there's an update on our adventures in San Francisco on the Press Room thread for those interested.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble in San Francisco

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 23 Jul 03 - 04:13 PM

OK, here we go Charlie, we are in like Flynn. Your original intent was good. My partner in crime here and his wife are going to Nebraska in Early November so we can go to Australia for the break between November and December. Plan on the 4th Saturday of November and North By Northwest in December.

Stand by, Australia, here we come!

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: JennyO
Date: 23 Jul 03 - 10:52 PM

Yaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyy!!!!!!!!!!

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 24 Jul 03 - 07:24 AM

Hey Charlie, you remember shipping out another barrel of mail back on July 5? That package just arrived today.

Not much going on this week. It's been raining all week. I managed to get out on my bike this morning but by the time I was ready to go to work it was pouring rain. Actually it was quite strange. It was not a sun shower but a sun deluge. The sun shone brightly and the rain came down in sheets.

I have mentioned lunch time at the office. There is a conference table in the center of the office surrounded by cubicles and piles stuff. On one of the shelves next to the table is a paper shredder, a printer, and a microwave oven. At noon the Chamorros in the office gather for their lunch. And if I wander through there at any point they invite me to join them. It really is amazing. It's like a pot luck every day. They sit and talk and share dishes and laugh and tease and happily share their food with anyone who will sit with them. They have been very kind and accepting of my interest in their culture. We've agreed I will have a pot luck dinner as a house warming and they will all bring Chamorro foods and drink. I will finally get to drink tuba, and eat kelaguen made by Nando.

Today we had the great old fashioned dishes called leftovers. In this case there were chicken wings, a great spinach dish, bitter melon, bananas, some kind of soft sweet tortilla, and the ubiquitous rice. Then one of the women brought out a scissors like tool and began to cut up some betel nut. And so I had my first experience with betel nut. It was like carrying a pebble in my mouth and didn't do anything for me. They say I should get better betel nut. Time will tell.

And so my day comes to an end.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 24 Jul 03 - 08:06 AM

see ya 24 November -

other stuff -
most Fridays we get together for a session so we will have to have one that weekend. I've got so much leave I'll try for some that week (I usually have some in Nov anyway!!) As I don't drive I can't offer to take you around, but I can guide you.

The Dog line up in Nov is the Shiny Bum Singers (co-founder Canberra Chris, author of the famous Toast Song) supported by Rhymin' Simon who met various English folkies when he & Jenny & the rest of the Solidarity Choir toured 2001. Floor spots will abound that night as the Bums are individually & in mass a talented lot. So too are Roll & Go members.

Hurry up November & Brett, keep writing amazing descriptions of life in Gaum.

sandra

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: GUEST,MMario
Date: 24 Jul 03 - 08:24 AM

try The Selkie and the Fause Mermaid or DaniC's There I must Lie

or the Wolfhound

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 24 Jul 03 - 01:36 PM

Brett et al-

What joy! Judy and I will do our best to pull this trip together for the 4th Saturday of November, and maybe a week before and after. We'll probably have to fly round-trip to OZ and back without any stops in Guam. We can always agree to meet at a particular time at Circular Quay in front of one of the living statues. I particularly like the one that looks like a bronze wombat.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble, still in San Francisco

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 26 Jul 03 - 01:57 AM

No new adventures to speak of. I spent this afternoon with the Traditional Seafarers Society as they worked on their canoe. It is slow going for each piece has to be shaped and fitted individually. Then they mentioned today that once they finish all the repairs the whole canoe will have to be disassembled and relashed with new caulking and lashings.

Dr. Cunningham was kind enough to show me pictures of some of his adventures in the islands. He told me of his trip to Pagan which was depopulated to escape from a volcanic eruption. He had pictures of some of the buildings in the village with aa lava halfway up their walls. He had also sent me a story from a woman whose father had been murdered in the clinic on the island. The local belief is that the spirit stays where the violent act was commited. She says the clinic is now full of lava and ash except for the spot where her father was killed. That spot is clean and free of ash.

I guess I'll go snorkelling once the sun comes back out. There is a rain squall passing overhead now and while I don't mind getting wet before getting into the water the clouds obscure the sun and make it hard to see.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 27 Jul 03 - 05:32 PM

Isn't that odd. I wrote out a full entry last night but it isn't here this morning. I'll try to reconstruct it below but for now this is another straw on an overloaded camel.

I have maintained a positive attitude so far. What I have written accurately reflects how I feel about this adventure. There are plenty of difficulties and physically uncomfortable experiences but I believe attitude makes the difference. This really is an adventure.

But sometimes it catches up to you.

I have missed having music with me on my morning bike rides so this weekend I bought a belt to hold my portable CD player and some ear buds so I could get away from the bulky headphones that don't fit under or over the bike helmet. I wore the belt while shopping and exploring this weekend. Then, this morning I got ready to go out on the bike and found one of the buckles was missing.

This is a small thing, a minor inconvenience, but it hit me hard. Suddenly my attitude had slipped and I was on the verge of tears. Rage surged through me followed by a sense of devastation. It seemed there was a dam built of tolerance for the difficulties I have expereinced. That dam burst this morning.

But I feel better now. That emotion hasn't quite passed but I am facing it with more equanimity.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: GUEST,Julia
Date: 27 Jul 03 - 08:01 PM

Hey Brett- be easier on yourself, man! You are going through a transition on every level and can't realistically expect to glide effortlessly through. Lotsa great songs come from these kinds of times- how about writing some? Think about immigrants or lost sailors. Fred and I think you are doing "swimmingly" (pun intended)
BTW Joyce is coming next week- any messages for her?
Love & Hugs- Julia

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: curmudgeon
Date: 27 Jul 03 - 08:09 PM

Brett -- Why not share some of the "difficulties and physically uncomfortable experiences" with us. It will give you a chance to let off steam while reminding us that, in some ways, things are not that awful here. After all, we Mudcatters are a tough lot -- Tom

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 27 Jul 03 - 09:55 PM

Thanks. Tom, the reason I don't share these things is that they hit me and then they are gone. Or at least they seem to be gone. For example, without windshield wipers I have to stop whenever it rains, or stay in my room if it's raining and I want to go somewhere. This, at home would be a minor inconvenience and it is so here as well. But it rains a lot.

So, yesterday, while exploring the northeastern corner of the island, it started to rain. No big deal, I pulled over, turned on the wipers and waited for them to start working. The relay is bad and they do not start up right away. If I wait five minutes or so they start to work and then I can drive again. A minor irritation.

But, as shown by the events this morning, these minor irritations aren't leaking away but are building up. I can't have that. I need to do something about poking a hole in that dam and letting that poison out. Any clues?

Julia, thanks for the encouragement. I know you'll do lots of fun things with Joyce. I wish I could be there to join you but that is a long way from here. You know, she's very interested in the Pacific with her watchmacallit quasi religion thing. It would be great if we could get her out here so she could explore it on her own. I've met some great people, almost shamens in their own rights, that she might love to talk to.

As for messages, just tell her I'm thinking of her and give her a big hug from me. Neither of you have the necessary build to give her a patented Brett hug. Fred is tall enough but neither of you have the bulk to do it up right. But do your best. I happen to know you both give great hugs. I could use one myself right about now.

As for writing songs, I'm afraid my head just doesn't seem to work that way. I have tried over the years. I keep coming up with a good start and then the whole thing either slips out of my grip or is so lame I wouldn't want to air it anyway. And I certainly can't come up with enough words to make a song long enough to sing.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: JennyO
Date: 27 Jul 03 - 11:46 PM

I think it would help you to take the pressure off if you can share some of those little annoyances with us when you can - even if the moment has passed - I see it as a bit like the Arkansaw Traveller - sometimes you have to mend the roof when it isn't raining, so to speak. Feel free to PM me too if you want.

BTW, I only give little 5ft 1 hugs, Brett, but here is a virtual one - you can have a real one when you come to Sydney -

{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{Brett}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}

Jenny

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Lana
Date: 28 Jul 03 - 09:43 AM

Hi Dad! I'm sorry you've been feeling blue! I got the package you sent today, the necklace is very pretty and will work quite well with my bard/sailor live roleplay costume.

Things here contine to be boring, but Kathy, my supervisor is gone all week, so I've got access to her computer at work, muhahaha. ;-)
Hope you feel better, don't sweat the small stuff. *hug*

Love
Kelli

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Lana
Date: 28 Jul 03 - 04:53 PM

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD! :-D

i hope you have a great one! :-D

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: GUEST,HisOtherDaughter
Date: 28 Jul 03 - 06:24 PM

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!!!!!!! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Tenjiro
Date: 28 Jul 03 - 06:29 PM

And lookie Dad...I joined the MudCat...can;t have my sis showing me up now can i? *winks at Lana*

~Amy~

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 29 Jul 03 - 01:42 AM

Oh Gawd! Both daughters have found my secret hideout! Now I really have to straighten out and fly right.

As "Lana" was so kind to point out and as seconded by her sister "Tenjiro", today is my birthday. I was a little depressed this morning but I went out on my bike and felt better. I rode out to the abandoned runway and made my way down to the firing range. I went down the length of the range marveling at the distance they shoot. I can hear them occasionally in the afternoon after work, their machine guns rattling and the pop of the M-16s. Down at the end I found a land hermit crab shuttling his green mossy shell across the tarmac. He must have been three inches long. On the way home I nearly wiped out on a pole sticking out into the trail.

At work the Chamorro women invited me to join them for lunch where they wished me a happy birthday. We ate too much and laughed and kidded each other. I had to make a run back to the room at that point but stopped at the office mailbox in the hopeless pursuit of mail, and there it was! Bundles of mail! I had three packages from home and three birthday cards! My windshield wiper relay is here as well as my father's jack knife and a map he drew of the area where he was stationed on Guam in 1947. There were a couple of books, and Charley Noble even sent me some more of the mail that has accumulated in my mailbox back in Maine. Mostly bills but welcome anyway.

Now the day is drawing to a close and I have to decide what else to do to round off my day. One of the women at lunch asked what I was going to do on my birthday. "Well," I said, "the list of things to do is endless." I could go back to my room to sit around or go back to my room to stand around." But I think I will go down to the marina and get the videotape to work on passing the test so I can rent one of the big Boston Whalers and go out on the water this weekend.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: AllisonA(Animaterra)
Date: 29 Jul 03 - 07:02 AM

I recognize those bursts of anger and helplessness, Brett- I bet they're all a part of the huge adjustment you're making. New job, new surroundings, add to that all the little cultural differences- of course you'll have moments! They nay build up for awhile, but they should dissapate as well. Keep writing, keep spending time with friendly folks at work, keep doing what appeals to you- and keep in touch!

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: annamill
Date: 29 Jul 03 - 09:21 AM

Feel better Brett and thank you so much for this wonderful thread. I'm starting to look forward to it. I hope that isn't too much responsiblility. I just wanted to let you know how much I'm enjoying your writings.

Thanks again,
Annamill

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Jeri
Date: 29 Jul 03 - 04:41 PM

Fact: we often don't realize we're stressed out until it stops, even when it makes us sick. We always think it's something other than stress...well, I do.

You have "one damned thing after another" (ODTAA) syndrome. All the changes from moves don't usually get sorted out until about 3 months after you're there. Trust me - I've moved enough. You just get so you plan on a period of psycho time. As to the ODTAA, start with the easy stuff or the important stuff and fix something. It's amazing how happy getting just one of the pains-in-the-ass behind me (pun? what pun?) can make me feel.

Welcome Lana & Tenjiro!

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 29 Jul 03 - 07:37 PM

Wow! Got this big package today from Brett and YOU didn't! Inside, miraculously unbroken, was this neatly carved wooden mermaid, and a story of transformation and survival. Thanks, Brett, and happy birthday!

You know, it's really the little things that sneak up on you overseas, and nail you! The big things you're pretty well armored against. When the ants got into my stash of chocolate in rural Ethiopia, back in the 1960's, it was not a good day! But the loss of the Easter fruitcake from mother at the custom's house was expected, and actually hugely amusing, as we tried to explain exactly what it was; by the time it arrived it was rather green and hairy, and we decided that it was better to abandon it than attempt a ransom.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble, back in Maine

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Jeri
Date: 29 Jul 03 - 08:26 PM

...and I got a green, hairy chocolate chip bundt cake from my mom for Christmas when I was in England. I ate the part that WASN'T green and hairy.

Forgot to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY! (or day after, since it's Wed in Guam.)

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 29 Jul 03 - 10:51 PM

Thanks all. Charley, I'm glad Serena arrived safely. I was hoping she'd survive in that envelope. She is rather solid looking.

For those who don't know, Guam claims to be the birthplace of the first mermaid. Guam legend has it that Serena was a daughter who'd rather swim than do her chores. One day her mother, exasperated to find her in the water rather than working, proclaimed she wished her daughter were a fish instead of a person. The child's godmother was nearby and immediately realized that the mother had cursed her child. She interfered declaring herself as much a relative of the child as the mother and tried to revoke the curse. Unfortunately it only half worked and Serena's lower half was turned into a fish.

There are lots of stories here about the old days on Guam. One is the story of a jealous chief who declared himself the strongest man on the island. His son, though, was growing strong and fast. One day he saw the son doing things that he himself couldn't do. He was so enraged that he chased affter the boy intent to kill him. The boy ran and when he got to the northern end of the island leaped from the cliff top all the way to Rota, 40 miles away and thus escaped from his father. The father was content for he was once more the strongets man on the island. The boy never returned to Guam.

There are books that compile these stories. I need to get hold of them.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 29 Jul 03 - 11:21 PM

I'd hate to get my hopes up but I just learned something exciting. I have to take a class in order to qualify for a warrant that will let me do my job. The next instance of that class will coincide with the Getaway. And the class is held at Fort Belvoir in Virginia.

So it looks like I MAY be able to go to the GETAWAY!!!!!!!!

Oh, I hope, I hope, I hope, I hope, I hope, I hope, I hope!

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Tenjiro
Date: 29 Jul 03 - 11:24 PM

Its ok dad...i'll just read this thread and stuff and be all good and ignore other threads so you don;t have to be all "good and nice" all the time! Hehehehe...Oh! I have given up on odering something for you and I'm just gonna get my lazy bum in the car and buy it and send it myself...much easier that way. Anything you NEED need or just want that I could send with it??


~Amy~

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 30 Jul 03 - 05:37 AM

Isn't that odd? I know I submitted a posting when I was at work today. However it isn't here.

Today at lunch we had pickled cuttlefish, salmon patties, and pickled papaya. They use a lot of vinegar and do a lot of pickling here. Plus the food is quite spicy, not as hellacious as, say, a Texican chili. The cuttlefish was made of a crosscut of the body of the animal instead of the tentacles. The result was a rubbery brown ring. Very tasty.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: JennyO
Date: 30 Jul 03 - 11:52 AM

Here's a little mermaid song. My friend Rhymin' Simon sings it. Enjoy:

MERMAID

(Shel Silverstein - Jim Friedman)

« © '65 Evil Eye Music »

When I was a lad in fishing town an old man said to me
You can spend your life your jolly life just sailing on the sea
You can search the world for pretty girls till your eyes're weak and dim
But don't go swimming with the mermaid son if you don't know how to
swim

Cause her hair is green as seaweed and her skin is blue and pale
And I tell you now before you start you can love that girl with all your heart
But you're just gonna love the upper part you're not gonna like the tail

So I signed onto a whaling ship and my very first day at sea
I seen a mermaid in the waves a reaching out to me
Come live with me in the sea said she and down on the ocean's floor
I'll show you a million wonderous things you never seen before

So over I jumped and she pulled me down down to her seaweed bed
And the pillow made of tortoise shell she placed beneath my head
She fed me shrimps and caviar upon the silver dish
From her head to her waist she was my taste but the rest of her was a fish

Her hair was green as seaweed and her skin was blue and pale
And her face it was a work of art and I loved that girl with all my heart
But I only loved the upper part I did not like the tail

Then one day she swam away and I sang to the clams and whales
I missed her face and her seaweed hair and the silvery shine of her
scales
Then her sister she swam by and set my heart awhirl
Cause her upper part was an ugly fish but the bottom part was a girl

Yeah her toes are pink and rosy and her knees are smooth and pale
And her legs they are a work of art and I love that girl with all my heart
I don't give a damn bout the upper part and that's how I end my tale

**********

Jenny

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Tenjiro
Date: 30 Jul 03 - 12:47 PM

That Rocks dad! I looked up the distance from Lynchburg to Fort Belvoir and it says 187.7 miles. ((It also says 4 and half hours but it looks lik eits near DC and DC is only three hours away from the school depending on the driver)) You could also see Adam as he'll be in DC.

~Amy~

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 30 Jul 03 - 07:12 PM

Jenny, I've heard that song before. Jerry Bryant in New England, USA, sings it. I never checked the album notes and thought he'd written it. Well, you live and learn.

Amy, the best thing in the world would be to see you and Adam when I get back east. I'll send you the link for the Getaway. I don't know what transportation I'll have available to me on this trip, assuming I get to go.

This morning, as I climbed the stairs to the second floor door Nando stopped me. He is one of the group that gathers for lunch. He told me they enjoyed my company at lunch and thanked me. I was very touched. I told him a lorge part of my opinion of Guam came from those lunches. I prized their willingness to take me in and make me part of the gang. And I thanked him in return. These are very special people.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: GUEST
Date: 31 Jul 03 - 01:07 PM

They are nice people. What I found was a sense of hospitality I wasn't accustomed to in the states. Many cultures have hospitality as one of their prime virtues, and the folks on Guam are like that. I inadvertenly started a few family squabbles as locals extended hospitality while being questioned by family members. But it seemed incumbent on the head of the family to go through the motions. I never abused the hospitality...only went through the minimum denial responses needed for form's sake...but family squabbles DID come up over the matter. As I got a reputation for not holding people to their overly-generous offers, word seemed to get around, and the arguments lessened. Or so it seemed.

Anyway, I wanted to mention the Japanese 'energy drinks'. Look for a shop that sells the little bottles and cans of vitamin drinks. I was in a tourist court one day and saw a couple of tables where the Japanese tourists were drinking from little thimble-sized cans and bottles. I found the shop where they'd bought them and spent nearly an hour looking around and talking to the shop owner. All kinds of supercharged fruit nectars and such. I talked to the owner for ten minutes and found out what this one and that one was (labels in Japanese), and just as she'd start to lose patience with me, I'd pick out a can of something and put it on the counter. Good for another ten minutes of questions. Really strange assortment I ended up with. Expensive, too.

And the Japanese seem to pickle everything. Everything. Pickled cuttlefish? I never ran across that, but it doesn't surprise me. I remember being in a grocery store and looking at a jar with a label in Japanese, and I asked a passing grocer what was in the jar. I didn't know the Fillipino for 'small onions?', and I was trying to make myself understood when he finally grabbed his crotch. Testicles. Some kind of pickled testicles. Made me wonder what kind of energy drinks I'd had at the tourist court.

Yes...the mystery that is Guam.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Barry Finn
Date: 31 Jul 03 - 08:14 PM

Hi Brett

Hope you can make the Getaway, it'd be nice to see you again. I believe Jerry does that song. I believe I had it from a old LP (back 30 yrs or so) of Jim Kweskin's. He's the 1st one I ever heard it from.
Brett if you're looking to und some of those excursions try suplementing your income with pearl diving. An old boat mate of mine from Lahina did a bit of research of the subject, packed his gear & went off to Micronesia, just don't know what Island he was headed for. That was 25 yrs ago, never heard of/from him since (maybe this isn't a good idea). Anyway, it sounds like you're doing well finding your home (even though it may not seem that way). Island living (espically in the Pacific) is a different mind set & mostly the Islands as you head farther south have a culture that varies Island to Island even within the same group. If you do make the Getaway we'll be expecting you to demonstrate some of the traditional dance, talking hands, swaying hips & all. Maybe even some of the Guam garb?
Take good care & best of luck & get yourself a small weekend sailing/cruiser.

Barry

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 01 Aug 03 - 07:08 AM

Barry, you'll be happy to know that I should be able to keep up with you at the Getaway. I'll be hopelessly jetlagged and midnight will seem like early afternoon to me. As for island life, it is different. But it isn't too far from the way I like to live. I was never one to hurry unduly and that seems to be the norm here.

As for buying a boat, I'd love to. But there is no market here. The last two typhoons have pretty much decimated the local fleet. There are wrecked boats all over the island.

Today was a bear. I went out at 9:30 AM to arrange for the utilities for my house. I started at the personal property department where they told me my household goods are now on the island! They can be delivered next week! I am almost there.

I then headed for the Guam Power Authority to get the electricity hooked up. I have heard that this day would be difficult, that the lines would be long, that the employees would be difficult and that I would rue the day I started down this road.

But I arrived and found a sign up sheet. I hadn't even finished signing in when the next service agent called me in.

That was the last good thing that happened to me all day…

To get utilities on Guam you need a written authority from the owner or realtor. So the agent called up the last occupant who was listed on my authorization sheet. However that occupant was listed in the computer as being at 152B Bishop Flores Drive. My house is 152B Felixberto Drive. The agent calmly announced that my authorization sheet had the wrong address. Well, I knew better and I "discussed" it with him for a while but he was adamant. Apparently his computer had imposed its own reality o the world and he could not be dissuaded. He told me I had to go to the realtor and get the address changed.

I left there and went over to the Micronesia Mall for lunch. I don't think I mentioned the indoor amusement park at the MM. It has a kid's roller coast and a loop the loop ride using a bicycle type seat instead of a car type seat.

After lunch I headed down to the Guam Telephone Authority. I got there and there was no sign to tell me where to go or what to do. Finally a woman pointed out a gadget where I could take a numbered ticket. I waited for about an hour and then they finally called my number. Unfortunately they only whispered the number so I almost missed my chance. We filled out more paperwork and made all the right decisions. And then I had to pay the bill. That sent me to a nice long line where I stood working my way through to where I could give up $110 so they can install my telephone at some point in the next two months.

I then headed down to the house. I had to get the number off of the electrical meter. Now I know I've mentioned before how long it takes to get from place to place on Guam. It's at least 15 miles from the MM to my house. So what do you think, 20 minutes? 25 Minutes? Well, it's more than 30 minutes. The traffic and the slow speed limits make the difference.

But it was worth it. When I got to the house the first thing I saw was the single biggest wild spider I've ever seen in the center of a web that ran from the balcony to the flower boxes on the ground. She was amazing. Her abdomen was bright yellow, her thorax was grey, and her legs were orange. The only spiders I've seen that were bigger were pet tarantulas. I'm so sorry I didn't have my camera with me.

But I got the number from the meter and headed back to the power authority. By then I was running out of time. It was getting late. Fortunately it turned out they are open until 6:00 PM. I signed in and started waiting again. When I finally got to see an agent he did the same thing the previous one did. So I handed over the meter number. That did the trick. However, when he was done the computer confirmed they'd be installing power at 152B Bishop Flores Drive. I hope they can find it. And I hope they send the bills to the wrong address.

With that it was time to hook up the less important utility. I headed for the cable company. When I located it, after quite a search, I found the lobby was packed with people. There was a seething mass of humanity standing in line and watching a TV monitor. That was the final straw. I couldn't take any more. I abandoned my quest and headed for the barn.

Today started the Micronesia Fair down by the Chamorro village. I stopped there to buy a present for a friend. She has qualified as a midwife, passing all her exams and fulfilling her internship. So I got her the videotape and book on the patteras of Guam. They are the traditional midwives. I'm sure she'll love it. Anyway, while there I got a glimpse of the celebration. I'm really looking forward to getting back there. Also, the Traditional Seafarer Society is going to be cutting wood for canoe repairs on a ranch up in Dededo. Should be a fun weekend.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 01 Aug 03 - 09:07 AM

Hmmmm? When did Brett find a house? Maybe that was one of his posts that disappeared in the black hole of the international internet. Sure sounds like the familar run-around one can encounter while dealing with untility authorities in a different country.

This wasn't really a major problem for me in Emdeber, Ethiopia, given the lack of such things delivered from any centralized authority. The running water was really walking water delivered by two students who went down to the river with buckets, boiled it up on the central fireplace, and poured the resulting chocolate liquid into the charcoal filter apparatus. Lighting was a Chinese kerosene pressure lantern, some of which had an unfortunate tendency to explode. The telephone was a mile away, but we all lusted after the operator, one Workabesh ("Goldflower"), so making a phone call was something one really looked forward to. Cable? I don't think so, although some folks had transistor radio's. Sewage facilities? Well, there was a nice little house out back, a miniture of the main house, round-shaped, encircled with bamboo, a center post with a thatched roof, a wooden throne inside and a bucket shower. The rent was relatively modest as well.

Hey, Brett, tell us some more about your house.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Tenjiro
Date: 01 Aug 03 - 01:38 PM

From what I have seen, the house is huge! I hope the spider wasn't lounging near the room you plan to house me in, Dad. No spiders for me, thank you. You should find out what sort of spider it was and then we can all look up pictures of it.

I haven't mentioned that I have recently realized why the Burnham Clan stay students forever, dad. Having a job sucks! I'd rather be typing up a 20 page reserch paper!

Glad you got everything installed in the house, or...almost everything. I'm sure it will work out eventually! Do you have a new address yet?

~Amy~

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 01 Aug 03 - 07:05 PM

For those of you who have no familiarity with my family (which is nearly all of you) my siblings have each spent an inordinate amount of time in college. I have three sisters and a brother and they all have upper level dgrees in various subjects. I was the only one who went to college, found a job and stuck to it. Amy's comments above made me laugh out loud.

Welcome to the real world, kid. Now maybe you'll go for a doctorate.

Charley, back in the 60s nobody had cable. And tell us more of Goldflower. I'm sure Judy won't mind you discussing your fond memories...

I did mention the house (Date: 15 Jul 03 - 02:38 AM) but I guess I never mentioned that I decided to take it. By this time next week I hope to be living in my own home. Of course, I won't have a telephone so I will only be able to post from work. Sigh, I guess I'll put up with the trials and tribulations of life in the boonies.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Barry Finn
Date: 01 Aug 03 - 08:54 PM

You don't need no stinking telephone, no one knows you yet so the only calls you'll get locally is to come into work during your off hrs, otherwise you can talk via the internet (for now). You can always sell spiders to the mainlanders good for keepin the house bug free (heh, heh). As for everything else you're on Island time = everything takes time & is slow going, take a nap. Bring some pictures to the getaway, finally some company for some all night singing. Brett, you younger guys (& some of you olders ones-Charley) are always passing out early after making those party promises (remember Mystic). We'll see. Hopefully you're gaining some experience as you get older (tease, tease). Barry

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: katlaughing
Date: 02 Aug 03 - 01:02 AM

They pickle a lot of things in Venezuela, according to Rog from his time spent down there. They do so mostly due to lack of refrigeration. His favourite was a batch of octupus, bell peppers, onions, cauliflower, etc. They also use crab and lobster.

That spider sounds psychedelic, man! Kewl!**bg**

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 02 Aug 03 - 09:55 AM

Actually, probably having a cellphone makes more sense anyway, and keeping it turned off unless you want to call out. Still, one wonders what kind of telemarketing might take place in Guam: "Hello, I'd like to speak to the master spider of the house! We have a special on flys with fries, and we do home delivery."

Well, it don't look good for the Roll & Go concert today in Wells at the Historical Society Meetinghouse. There's the Phish Concert up in Caribou and the Lobster Festival in Rockland. Between the two of them there's not going to be a living soul left in York County. Of course it's supposed to rain all day, which means we might catch a few malcontents who are tired of rooting the aisles of the "factory outlets."

And, Barry, I hope you can manage to drag yourself up to the China Sea/Roll & Go Party on 8/16 and croak out a few verses before we have to let you retire to one of the Lazyboy forebitts.

Surely, Brett, there's at least one cruising sloop for sale that survived the typhoons. If not, you can always count on someone showing up with a boat, fresh out of money and anxious to return to familar urban/suburban life.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 03 Aug 03 - 03:08 PM

Actually, Charley, there is a nice cutter for sale, about 39 feet long, all set up for cruising, only $39,000. It needs a lot of work though, as you would expect for something going for so little. It's a big project and may be more than I can afford. The owner thinks it would take another $40,000 to get her back in shape. Have to think about the some more.

As to the telephone, it's hard to connect to the internet without a phone connection. When you tell me not to bother with a phone you are also telling me to leave off with the Mudcat. Do you really mean that [grin].

Kat, I was thinking the other day that pickling the food must be a hold over from the days before refrigeration. Way back when I was new to the office I noticed a bowl sitting on a desk top all morning long. Later, at lunch, the first I was invited to join, they served me something out of that same bowl. At the time I wondered about the health prospects of eating out of a bowl that had not been refrigerated. Thinking back that may have been an unintended test. I ate, I suffered no ill effects and now I enjoy many meals with them.

And now for news from the weekend. It was a pretty good one so this post is rather long.

Yesterday I went up to the weekly meeting of the Traditional Seafarer's Society at the canoe. I had received an email saying the message had been moved but I decided against following the directions in the message. I went up to meet Larry to follow him out to the new meeting place, Frank's ranch. The intention was to cut wood for canoe repairs.

I had to drop out from following Larry because the rain began to fall. I haven't mentioned it before but the relay my parents sent to me failed to repair the wipers. I pulled into the parking lot of Chen's Furniture. I decided to go into the store to see what they offered for sale.

I was greeted by a middle-aged Chinese woman. I explained that I was just looking, I had passed the store many times and wanted to step inside. I also explained I was interested in looking at bookshelves. She showed me a beautiful bookcase built of rosewood. Tall, at least 7', with adjustable shelves and two small drawers in the bottom. It was available as an open front and with glass doors. The open style goes for $669.00.

I also saw a lovely queen size bed with drawers and a solid bottom and no slats. The woman explained I had no need for a box spring because of it. And then there was a rocking chair with a footrest extending out beyond the front leg. It looked pretty awkward.

I looked at all that furniture and finally was stopped by a set of rosewood book holders. They are two pieces with the back fitting into a pair of mortises in the back and a perfectly angled back for holding a book. There are three of them, small, medium and large. And I bought them.

I headed north to the ranch from there, made my left, missed the next left and had to turn around, got onto the single lane and made the turn on to the dirt road that wound into the bush. I bumped out into an open area. There was a tin roof on a frame in front of me and another one to my right. Under the roof to my right was a jumble of tools and projects. A band saw stood there next to a bench covered with tools. I stepped up gingerly, not sure if I was in the right place. There were people under the roof in front of me and as I stepped into their vision Frank turned and greeted me. Larry was there as well as the rest of the family.

The area under the roof was set up as a house or what we'd call, in Maine, a camp. On the end wall was a set of huge gas burners. Over them was a shelf with big cooking pots. They looked large enough to cook whole mess of food. They had to be 20 gallon pots at least. To the left of that and forming the wall were two refrigerators and a series of shelves from floor to ceiling. To the right of the gas burners and forming that wall was a series of three deep sinks, more shelving, and a freezer. In the center of the area was a long, heavy duty table. We sat in comfortable lawn chairs and talked while the rain came and went. There was to be no wood cutting that day. We were supposed to cut forks for yams (yahms) for the canoe. But the woods were too wet. Frank's brother-in-law talked of killing a wild boar with 4" tusks. Larry was deep in a scholarly discussion of some kind with another professor. Shortly after I arrived the women announced lunch was ready and everyone insisted that I sit down to eat with them. We had fried noodles, beef and broccoli, rice, and some kind of pickled seaweed. Later, as the women continued cooking, they dumped out a pot full of taro root they had cooked in coconut milk. As they worked we talked. Frank's wife told me of her business and how they grew their crops and sold them at the local fairs. She told me about the local names for plants.

I explained about Dad's map. Now, I have to take a minute to explain about this map. Dad was here during the winter of 1947-1948. He loved it here. He explored the jungle and swam in the river and the ocean. He has a vivid memory of what he did and where he went and he drew a very accurate map of his adventures. When it arrived I showed it to my co-workers and one of the women said she thought part of the map depicted an area that was land owned by her family. I told the local historian about it and he shuffled right over to my office to get a copy. He loved it. He says Dad got it all correct with only one exception. He showed Talofofo in the wrong direction. Otherwise it is perfect.

It shows the 12 hole outhouse where Corporal Jimmy Ayers blew up Lieutenant Harris and how he became Private Ayers and the hero of the camp. Dad tells me latrine duty included squirting a little gasoline into each hole and then a match would be thrown in to burn off flies and paper. Well, Corporal Ayers squirted in the gasoline and then realized he didn't have a match. He went off to find one. About that same time LT Harris settled on one of the seats. He lit a cigarette and dropped the match into the next hole. From that point forward LT Harris was known as "Hairless Harris" and Corporal Ayers became Private Ayers shortly thereafter.

Part of the map shows a stone statue he says he found near a waterfall. Jennings got very excited about that. The Chamorros are not known for carving statuary. If there is a statue sitting up there in the jungle it will be a major archaeological find. I personally believe it may be a latte stone.

Back to Frank's ranch. His wife laughed about the map. It turns out that her house sits on the foundation slab for one of the barracks my father lived in back in 1947. She is one of 19 children. When it rained the old barracks drains would fill up with water and she and her sibs would "surf" the drains on bits of plywood. She also knows where the latrine was. Small world, or at least, small island.

We worked some on the motongor for the canoe but most of the progress was made in sharpening tools. The rain came and went. The talk and the beer flowed, and we enjoyed an easy day at the ranch.

On the way home I stopped at the dive shop, Guam Tropical Dive Shop, to pick up a buckle to replace the lost buckle from the CD belt. While there I mentioned that I'd like to do some snorkeling. The guy at the shop, Jim, told me I could sign up to go out on the Scuba-Roo any afternoon at 1:30. So I did. I signed up to go out on the Scuba-Roo on Sunday afternoon.

I knew I had to finally do something about the "positive buoyancy". I had bought a weight belt but had not had the chance to adjust it to my needs. So this morning I headed down to Gab Gab Beach. I got into the water and once more entered a magical world. I haven't mentioned this before but I need glasses to see. Underwater has always been a blur to me, a beautiful blur but still a blur. Last week I bought corrective lenses for my mask and suddenly I could see. The fish were clear and the bottom had detail. I was surrounded by all the brightly colored fish I could imagine. Down on the bottom a school of bottom feeders worked the sand while near the surface a school of long thin fish with tiny snouts and blue tails followed me around. The weight belt made a big difference. I am still not at neutral buoyancy but at this stage I don't want to be there.

I swam for a while and then headed up to the Top O' The Mar for brunch. After getting cleaned up, of course. I made it to the Scuba-Roo in time and boarded with a gaggle of Japanese tourists and a few other divers. There were a few small children as well. We headed out after signing release waivers and hearing the dive brief. The crew of the boat consisted of a Chamorro captain and a Japanese and an Anglo crewmembers. The Japanese crew member briefed those tourists. He may have been a tour director. The Anglo crew member speaks Japanese and spent much of the trip joking with those tourists. At one point he used a plastic alligator to frighten the young women.

I had heard a weather report earlier that there was a tropical disturbance offshore that would affect our weekend weather. This morning when I went out I noticed the day was cooler than usual and the wind was stronger. When we got out on the water it was pretty rough within the harbor. The captain decided against going down to Rizal to look at dolphins. We couldn't take the tourists out into the rough water. So we made a slow tour of the harbor and went into the protected area near Finger Reef. There we let the Japanese tourists ride the banana boat, a long yellow inflated tube with smaller tubes on each side. This is towed behind the dive boat.

Finally we headed over to Finger Reef. There was a dive boat already there tied to the permanent buoy so we tied up to their stern. The shallow water over the reef was way out ahead of the other boat so I had to swim out quite a ways to get to the shallow water. But it was worth the swim. The reef was full of fish, all so brightly colored, the coral was quite drab but the shapes were amazing, great waves of layers with all those fish swimming in and out and around.

Unfortunately I have a basic problem with diving and I have to make a rather drastic decision. I wear a full beard and moustache. But the moustache lets water leak into the mask so I end up swimming with my nose in salt water. There is a continual feeling that I'm going to breathe in that water, even though it is impossible to breathe while wearing the mask. So my choices are to quit diving, shave the moustache or do something else about the leaks. I tried Vaseline in the hair and that helps but not enough. The next to last effort is to shave the area right under the nose so the mask can seal.

I haven't described the marina we left from. The boat was tied up to a little dock in a dead end channel surrounded by brush and other boats. There are no long docks and fancy yacht club buildings. This "marina" consists of channels cutting into the brush with boats nosed into the banks and tied to trees and huge concrete blocks. There are no docks or piers except for those used by the dive boats that work out of there. The entrance to the harbor comes after a mile of meandering through channels and working past wrecked and junked boats. All this sits under the smoke stacks of the Piti generator complex, the main supply of electricity for the island. On the eastern (landward) side of the marina are the fuel tanks for the generators. The water is that tropical green. The banks of the channels are lined with boats, mostly sailboats, that look as though they are in various stages of decay. Many are the homes of the people who live there and the banks of the channels are littered with their tools, chairs, grills and workshops as well as the cast off articles that they might need some day. The whole marina has a charming air of comfort, as though the people living there are quite happy with their lot in life and have made the best of it. I'm sure that isn't the case but I will have to go meet some of them to find out.

So ends another weekend. I am sore and sunburned and very tired. The problem with living so large on the weekends is that the time goes by so quickly. Then I go to work on Monday and the time slows down again. The long work week drags down to the weekend until finally I am back into the fun again. I need longer weekends and fewer workdays.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Tenjiro
Date: 04 Aug 03 - 10:14 AM

You should write a book dad, about Guam..i'd buy it and stuff and then I could make a movie out of it! How fun would that be? SOuns like a great weekend, sounds better then mine. I worked and then went to the Topsham Fair and watched the Horse Shows, which,m once again reafirmed the fact that I love horses and don't own one and that I miss my horses at school. I didn't want to leave but mom made me so when we got home I went to watch Seabiscuit at the movies. Still miss my horses :-(

~Amy~

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: GUEST,MMario
Date: 04 Aug 03 - 10:39 AM

I need longer weekends and fewer workdays. who doesn't?

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 05 Aug 03 - 06:13 AM

They have horses here on Guam, Amy. Want to go for a ride?

I guess I was really wiped out by my weekend. I am still worn out today (Tuesday evening). I left out a few details.

When we were out on the boat we saw an enormous sea turtle. It was the third one the crew had seen that day. I grabbed my digital camera but the turtle sounded before the damned thing had booted up. Note to self: Leave camera turned on and pay for the batteries.

While we were tied up for snorkeling one of the Japanese couples took their little son, he couldn't have been more than two years old, in his life jacket, and floated him out into the water while they swam with him. The poor little tyke screamed and cried while his parents laughed and swam alongside. The more he cried the more they laughed and spun him in the water. All I could think was that kid would grow up to hate his parents and hate swimming.

The day before, after I left Frank's ranch, I stopped at the Micronesia Fair. Larry had said it would be disappointing because the only delegations to come in were from the Marshall Islands and Pohnpei. I wasn't disappointed. It was essentially a craft fair with traditional and modern handicrafts from the islands.

It started to rain as I got out of my truck. By the time I got under the cover for the first booth it was raining pretty steady. The first booth featured work by a couple of master carvers and metal workers. There was a display of carved bone that included a hut on stilts with two outrigger canoes. There was a leg bone about 8" tall that was carved with bouquets of flowers up it's length. There was a bone pump drill and plenty of carved fish hooks and pendants.

Next to the case with the carved bone was a display of knives, some with the most amazing blades. These were whimsical knives with bone handles and curving blades. For some reason they weren't the kind of knife I've seen back home with vicious blades that looked like they'd been pumped up on steroids.

At other booths there were wonderful woven baskets and wood carvings. There was one booth that featured archaeological finds from Guam, bits of pottery, carved shells, and stone tools.

Over it all drifted the island music from the stage. A pair of women sang to the fine tropical rhythm. The instrumental accompaniment was pre-recorded

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Tenjiro
Date: 05 Aug 03 - 09:26 AM

of course I do dad! I wanna take a horse back tour of Guam! A sea Turtle huh? Did you rope it with hair from you back and lash it like a raft and use it to escape from the island you were stranded on? Then you could have been just like Captain Jack Sparrow...just without the leggings and stuff.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Lana
Date: 05 Aug 03 - 12:14 PM

or the gold teeth! ;-)

hey amy and dad, i got a letter from uncle Gary today, he sent me a picture that Great Nana had sent him in 1993 of us and Adam at a rendezvous....I was twelve and I look exactly the same as I do now. I showed it to people at work and they all guessed my age to be about 18. hehe, amy looked like a messy haired ragamuffin. ;-) :-P

love
lana

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 05 Aug 03 - 05:41 PM

Ah, how many fathers get compared to Johnny Depp by their children. Of course Johnny Depp would look just like me if he gained about 150 pounds and 30 years....

And, of course, we have now introduced sibling rivalry to the Mudcat [...amy looked like a messy haired ragamuffin. ;-) :-P].

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Lana
Date: 05 Aug 03 - 09:22 PM

*smiles innocently* she started it. ;-)

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Tenjiro
Date: 05 Aug 03 - 10:40 PM

I did not! Dad! kelli is lying!!

heheheh I DID look like a messey Haired ragamuffin..still do!

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: GUEST
Date: 05 Aug 03 - 11:18 PM

I remember the Piti power plant. I remember that marina, too. I was going to sail some guy's boat back when I returned to the states. Sail from Guam to California. Would have been a great trip, but he backed out when he learned I'd never sailed before. And he contended it would be too great a leap for me to make, from bass boating with a little trolling motor to solo sail crossing of the Pacific. I didn't see any problem with it, but people are SO PROTECTIVE of their THINGS, so he shipped the sailboat back in a container. I flew back.

Seriously, though, some folks sail to Hawaii and then on to Guam, but they're not up to the return leg, or they abandon their around the world idea and look for people to sail the boats back to the West Coast. If you're the nautical type, that would be THE way to make the return trip. But don't mention bass fishing if you really want the job.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 06 Aug 03 - 04:29 AM

LOL! Bass boats don't count? Ah nuts!

As for sibling rivalry, you see what I've had to put up with since the younger one was born?

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Lana
Date: 07 Aug 03 - 04:44 PM

yeah, see, it's all her fault! ;-)

love you amy. :-)

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 07 Aug 03 - 10:30 PM

Actually it started with the one who could talk and move first....

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 08 Aug 03 - 07:55 AM

Well, that was a day! And that was only Friday! There are two more days in the weekend.

This morning I went up to the house in Santa Rita to sign the lease and take delivery on the new refrigerator. I got there about 8:00 AM. I wandered around the house looking things over while I waited for the realtor. The spider was still in her web and I got a good picture of her underside. The other side would have been photographing into a bright light. I couldn't get a clear shot of her top side.

When the realtor got there we signed the lease and she turned over the key. I set out to explore my new abode.

The place is filthy to start with. Plus it's been closed up for quite a while in a hot humid climate so the wood is sticky and there is a lot of mold. But the air conditioners work and the place cooled down quickly. I pulled the typhoon shutters of the front window and set a canvas chair in the living room so I could wait for the delivery. And I wandered around cataloging the damage and needs of the place. The realtor had arranged to have the vegetation cut and the whole yard was open and clear. The back yard has a small area by the back door, a small retaining wall and then the rest of the yard at a lower level. I couldn't see it before because of the growth back there. But there's enough room to store a pretty good size boat….

The refrigerator arrived about 10:30. The crew unloaded it, unpacked it and set it in place. It just barely fits in the space allotted for it. But it is the first thing in my new place. Pretty exciting.

After that I went into work for a little while but the afternoon was set aside for a farewell fiesta for our Captain at Rizal Beach. There was a long table of food under the concrete canopy with chairs and lots of people. A deejay was spinning tunes and kids were running around. Today was the first day in a long week where the clouds finally cleared off and the sun shone. The trades kept the shade cool and the food was wonderful. There were three kinds of barbeque and lots of other goodies. My usual Chamorro guides weren't right there and I wasn't very hungry so I didn't have much more than the barbeque. Yummy!

Then, after the speeches, we had the entertainment and boy, was it good stuff. They had hired a cultural dance group to dance for us. They were children from what looked like 8 to 10 years old to mid teens. The first dance was a traditional Hawaiian dance. The kids were in white lace dresses. They danced to a drummer who chanted and played a traditional Hawaiian drum, essentially a pair of gourds, hollow on one end. He played it by slapping on the drum and bouncing the drum on a pad on the floor.

The kids followed that up with a modern dance to a recorded song in Chamorro. The song was "I Don't Want To Speak English". They wore a brightly colored flowered skirts and coconut shells for their tops. They danced with the sinuous movements of the island dancers, hips swaying and hands weaving a story in line with the music.

Now, I'd like to remind those who focused on "…coconut shells for their tops…" and remind you that these are just kids. Some of them were built like sticks and others were, uh, blessed with positive buoyancy. They were all certainly good dancers.

The next dance featured the whole troupe. The younger kids wore short white skirts and the older kids wore black ones. Essentially they wore only the skirts and the coconut tops. I realized how the old sailors arriving at the islands seeing the women dressed like this would have been amazed and overcome by their lust. I'm pretty sure the coconut tops were modern concessions to the uptight Europeans.

The kids ended up the performance with a long Tahitian dance. The drummers played on modern and traditional drums keeping up a driving rhythm that the kids matched with the movements of their hips, feet and hands. They formed intricate patterns by their movements, kneeling and crouching rising and shifting into circles and lines. Then they went into the watching crowd and returned with various young officers who they tried to teach to dance. They also picked on the guest of honor, the captain were saying farewell to. As with most of us Europeans the young men were pretty stiff in their dancing. We hooted and hollered as the men tried to imitate the movements the kids were going through. Finally we chose the captain as the "winner" of the "competition".

After the dancing I went back to talk with the leader of the group, Brian Terlaje. He explained how exciting it is to get the kids dancing the old dances. He showed me his drum and explained it's significance in the old days. The early Hawaiians made it using only one gourd. With modern glues they have added a second gourd to increase the resonant chamber. In drumming competitions the winner is awarded leis that he places in the drum. He talked about a drumming competition where he sat before a semi circle of drumming masters and performed on his drum. He was very nervous but he won a new drum.

After that I wandered out to the point. We were at Rizal Beach but it was high tide so there was little if any actual beach. The pavilion sits up above the beach. I walked out onto the point and watched the waves crashing on a small island as the sun sank into the Pacific. There is a typhoon churning it's way into Okinawa so the waves are pretty big coming ashore on the western side of the island. With the sun sinking and the spray shining white it was a pretty impressive sight. I was looking down the length of the shore with the mountains rising up from the sea. This is a beautiful place.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 08 Aug 03 - 10:04 AM

Sure sounds like you're settlng in!

Connections are shaping up nicely for our OZ foray. I'll e-mail you will details, and we soon should start a new and exciting vacation thread.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: katlaughing
Date: 08 Aug 03 - 12:10 PM

Beautiful, beautiful descriptions, Brett! Thanks, again, for sharing. It just sounds so truly lovely. Congrats on the house, too!

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: AllisonA(Animaterra)
Date: 08 Aug 03 - 02:13 PM

How I would love to have seen the children dancing! It sounds like a wonderful day!

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 08 Aug 03 - 07:36 PM

Those kids danced with lovely smailes on their faces. Now, I've seen dancers with smiles and those smiles seemed to be just part of the dancer's costume. These kids were truly having fun. Their smiles were for each other as well as for the audience.

Let me know your plans as soon as possible, Charley. The first quote I got for getting down there is around $600 but I have other possible alternatives.

Now, I am going to pay some bills and then go shopping for house stuff.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Alba
Date: 08 Aug 03 - 09:09 PM

Happy new House Brett. That's great now you have your "own" space.
The Dancers and the Sea...it all sounds wonderful.
I love reading your adventures. It is funny to think you were in Maine and now.....wow!
You sound much more in tune with your surroundings now. That will get even better now that you have your Home too.
The Micronesia Fair sounds great! Interesting finds for sure.
It has been overcast, humid and warm here in Vacationland this whole week. So at least on that point we were in a similiar situation LOL.
No lovely children dancing or whitesanded beaches though and it is staying overcast through to Wednesday next week...yuk!
Still when the need for sunshine arises Ill just pop in a read your thread for this coming weekend.
Glad to see your settling right in now.
Way to go!
Best Wishes
a soggy JD!:>)

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 08 Aug 03 - 09:32 PM

Your mention of white sand beaches reminds me of something I don't think I've mentioned yet. Guam is an old volcanic island surrounded by coral reefs. The northern part of the island is mostly limestone, the south is the volcanic part.

This results in some beaches having lovely white sand and others having black sand.

Also, people who are at home with the red clay in Georgia would feel at home for the southern soil has a distinct red color that gets into your clothes and cannot be washed out.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 09 Aug 03 - 06:05 AM

I should have known better. I implied that Friday was so good and the weekend could only get better. So what happened? I started my day by paying bills. Not auspicious. Then, as I licked the last flap and pasted on the last stamp I heard the thunder rolling. Looking out I saw the rain falling, pouring in sheets, filling up the parking lot to the curb's edge, gushing out the drains. I could see toads happily hopping across the grass and swimming in the flood.

The rain kept up all day. Without wipers I was stuck at home. I played my guitar and listened to the radio. And I watched the rain.

In the early afternoon it let up enough that I chanced going to the store. I got a few house things and some groceries. I wanted to get some bug bombs for the house. I wanted to bomb the place before the cleaners get in there on Monday. But the rain began again and I scuttled for home.

Later that afternoon the rain let up again and I headed for the house. While there I assembled the refrigerator and set the bombs to spraying their contents all over the place. Six bombs should do the job.

The house sits up in the hills. As you drive down out of the hills the wide Pacific sprawls our before you with the shore and bays, jungles and lesser hills rolling between.

And over it all the sun was setting.

It rolled down into a lake of golden fire. There was a finger of cloud that split the center of the brightest light as it filtered through the thinner clouds beyond. Farther out from that point the clouds reflect pink and gold with pools of blue and green where the sky showed through. I nearly drove off the road looking at it. I straightened out and glanced to my right.

And nearly lost control again!

To the east a cloud bank behind the mountain reflected the pinks of the sunset and reaching up from the top, almost straight up, was a rainbow of color, launching into the sky. There was just a hint of curve to it.

I tell you, this place can do sunsets!

By the way, I was going to mention my address. All my life I have wanted a simple address. My previous addresses have never been overly complicated but when you have to write them out on a form or as a return address you want them to be simple and straight forward. So where will I be living for at least the next two years? Bishop Felixberto Flores Drive. I don't think you could make it longer if you worked at it. C'est la vie.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: bbc
Date: 09 Aug 03 - 09:08 AM

Good to hear your news, Brett. I empathize w/ filthy house, but I think I've got you beat on address. I'm at 4 Fairview & the view *is* fair--mountains & fields!

love,

Barbara

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 10 Aug 03 - 06:34 AM

They say that barking dogs don't bite. My experience this afternoon sure carries that out. Fortunately Whitey growled just before impact and I was able to dodge, kinda.

I guess I should start at the beginning. Today wasn't one of those days you want to repeat. It started out bad and went downhill from there. I should have stayed in bed.

I decided that I needed to get the windshield wipers fixed. I knew the Autoport at our base was pretty much useles but everyone said the Car Care Center at Andersen AFB was pretty good. So I made the trek up to AAFB and hour away. I got there a little after they opened at 10:00 only to find out that since Supertyphoon Pongsana they had been relegated to doing oil changes and minor maintenance.

I came back to Big Navy to get some stuff together to go up to the house. I had some lunch.

I went up to the house intending to reverse the hinge on the refrigerator door. That proved to be a more stubborn job than I expected. I finally finished it up and left the house.

Now, I am generally pretty paranoid about keeping track of my keys. I rarely go through a door without checking to make sure my key is in my pocket. So I was somewhat at a loss when I realized I had just locked the keys in the house.

So there I was, in the middle of unfamiliar territory, no keys, and no way into the house. The only windows large enough to break and get through we covered by typhoon shutters and were too high to reach.

One of my co-workers, when I described the location of my house, commented that it was across the street from her cousins house. With that tenuous connection I went looking for a ladder. You see, I knew that one of the back bedroom sliders wasn't locked. The latch was broken. If I could get on to the balcony I was set.

The driveway to the neighbor's house runs almost straight uphill. There are plenty of places here that would never fly back home. Places that would be deadly if Guam ever experienced ice and snow. But that isn't a problem here.

As I approached the house a low yellow and white dog rose from its spot in the front yard and barked at me. I spoke reassuring words and explained I needed to knock on the door. As I approached he quit barking and worked around behind me. I knew what that meant and turned to face him still working my way to the front door. I was almost there when I heard a voice from one of the windows. And I turned to look.

Later, I learned the dog's name is Whitey. He charged and just before he grabbed me he growled and I jumped. He missed his hold but a paw raked my calf. I turned to face him again and the owner yelled at him. He began his circling and I returned to my maneuvering to face him. The owner came to the door, put on her flipflops and finally collared the dog. She tried to get him into the house but he wouldn't budge. Finally she went to get the ladder and left me facing down the dog. I kept up a conversation with him, explaining how important it is to get along with your neighbors and how much my daughter likes dogs. I was just getting into the deeper meaning of life for a dog (if you can't eat it or f**k it, piss on it) when the owner returned with a 5' stepladder. This was not working out at all. There was no way a stepladder was going to get me up on that balcony. I thanked her and returned the ladder.

I wandered down the street to a little fiesta. I asked for a ladder there and they showed me… another 5' stepladder. I thanked them and headed back to the house. I tried punching the front door for a while and then headed around to look at the back door. They are both wooden doors but the back door seems to be falling apart. The finish is coming off and the wood seems weaker. I studied it for a while and decided it was an interior door. It is installed with the hinges on the wrong side, the outside, and opens out. I went back to the truck for the big screwdriver and started to try to jimmy to door.

I worked and I pried and I sweated and I cursed and then I sat down to rest and then ran through all those actions again. FINALLY the door popped open. The door latch was in pretty sad shape but the door was open. I got my keys, tied the door shut, and came home.

What a crumby day.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 10 Aug 03 - 08:58 AM

tomorrow can't be worse, but surely it will have a fantastic sunset.

sandra

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: bbc
Date: 10 Aug 03 - 10:04 AM

Bummer, some days are like that, even in Australia!

bbc

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 10 Aug 03 - 05:06 PM

Another day in paradise!

Maybe you should pack a scaling laddar in the pick-up.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 10 Aug 03 - 06:10 PM

What's funny is that just the day before I had almost bought a ladder that would have done the job. But I decided I'd never have a use for it...

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: SINSULL
Date: 10 Aug 03 - 06:16 PM

Locked your keys in the house??????

Is there a place to have multiple sets made? You can wear it around your neck or keep a spare in your pocket. Time to get a set to the neighbor for just such an emergency. But next time have a bag of dog biscuits in tow.

If it is any consolation, Maine is HOT and HUMID. Has been for over a week and will be at least until Wednesday. I have showered twice today and once again feel like a baby in a wet diaper.

Air conditioning??? WOW!

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 10 Aug 03 - 07:58 PM

That's the nice thing about life in a hot climate. So many places are air conditioned.

And before someone from the northern climes comments about the high price of such luxury I would offer that s/he could try going through a winter without turning their heat up over 50 degrees. It is the same thing, survivable but not comfortable.

As I understand it I should be prepared for a monthly electricicle bill of $200 to $300 a month. I am budgeting $300. We'll see how it all works out in the end. The gigger air conditioners have timers on them so they will shut off during the day or at night. Plus each room has its own A/C so I can close off doors and run the A/C in there at a higher temperature, such as in the extra bedroom. I don't dare turn it off because the humidity will do damage.

By the way, if anyone is tempted to come visit give me enough time to furnish the extra bedroom. I have neither couch or extra bed. Of course, if you ladies don't mind sharing...

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Tenjiro
Date: 11 Aug 03 - 11:31 PM

see dad, what did I tell you...*points to your last sentence* you are such a player! heheheheh kidding!

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 12 Aug 03 - 12:21 AM

Sigh... I HAVE to keep in mind that both of my daughters are reading this thread...

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 12 Aug 03 - 05:34 AM

Such a deal I have for you. This deal is open to anyone and everyone with the one exception of Tenjiro. She may NOT participate!

GovGuam (as the local government is called) is trying to work a deal with the U. S. Navy to help them get rid of a problem up at the magazine (ammo storage area). It seems that a herd of carabao have multiplied to the extent that they are damaging the facility. Navy sharpshooters have been killing them at a rate of 10 to 15 a week and now the island is up in arms. Yesterday the newspaper had an article where GovGuam wanted to work a deal with the Navy for people to adopt the carabao to get them off the facility. It would only cost them $150.

I wanted to post a link to that story but couldn't find it. However I found this article in the Pacific Daily News about the protest that will be happening tomorrow afternoon.

As I say, Tenjiro can NOT participate in this offer. NO! You cannot have a carabao.

The house is clean and ready for the furniture and junk to go in. The great day is tomorrow. The moving van pulls up to the front door and all the stuff has to be jammed into the house. By this time tomorrow I will be exhausted, dirty, and in a lot of pain. But I will have a home.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 12 Aug 03 - 08:11 AM

"All the stuff"? Wow, in addition to the boxes of books and records, I'm sure you'll really be pleased to see the box of Maine fieldstones that I added to your locker in the midst of your final packing. What you're supposed to do with them, Brett, is plant them in a row at the edge of your freshly mowed lawn. In a few short years you'll have a robust stone wall.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: GUEST,MMario
Date: 12 Aug 03 - 10:11 AM

you only forbade ONE daughter! Silly man.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Tenjiro
Date: 12 Aug 03 - 02:01 PM

awwww...but they are sooo cute!!!!

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 12 Aug 03 - 05:11 PM

The other daughter is level headed enough to not burden herself with undersized water buffaloes.

Cute? They are cattle. They are dark brown and black with curved horns and wet noses.

And I guess they are kinda neat looking...

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Tenjiro
Date: 12 Aug 03 - 10:45 PM

i like cows...they moo.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Amos
Date: 12 Aug 03 - 11:23 PM

Here is a picture of a Guamian carabao, but one horn a bit short.

A

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: MMario
Date: 13 Aug 03 - 11:06 AM

If I got a carabao I think I'd want one of the racing carabao.    You would think they would start that back up - get a bit of income in from the betting etc...carabao races!

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 13 Aug 03 - 04:53 PM

Well, if I hadn't seen the picture I wouldn't have believed it. Racing carabao caroming around the course!

Got home last night and wrote this up. Slept well, the sleep of the exhausted. Now I am headed back into it and this may be my last post from this "hotel" room. From now on I'll only be able to post from work.

8/13/2003 9:11 PM (Local Time)
Well, the Mudcat is down and I need to update the diary. So I'll do it offline and copy it into the system later.

Today was a banner day. My household goods arrived. The truck pulled up around 9:30 with three guys in the cab and four large crates and one smaller crate on the back. The load was covered with a large yellow tarp. Once the truck was in place and the crates were opened they pulled the tarp back over and tied it off to make a shaded workspace.

The crew was made up of one crew chief and two younger guys. The crew chief, Harry, explained that the helpers were new and worked hard. He was right about that. Those kids worked hard all day long. They were a pleasant group. We tuned our two boom boxes to the same station and they went to work. The boxes came off the truck and flowed into the house.

And the house slowly but surely filled up. It was like Christmas day! All my goodies were there like old friends. The first thing that came off the truck was my 12 foot Viking spear. That must have set the theme as far as they were concerned. Then the boxes of books came off in an endless stream. And the crummy furniture. And the tools, and the boxes of LPs and the boxes of music books, and the racks of CDs, and the cassettes, and video cassettes, and all that other stuff.

And then off came the crate with my guitars. I quit everything else and turned to opening the crate and tuning up the 12-string. Ah, the sweet sound of that wonderful little lady. I didn't take too long but I enjoyed every minute.

At lunch time I ran down to Taco Bell for lunch and ran into the carabao protest outside the main gate of the base. There were a lot of people there, waving signs and standing under colorful umbrellas. They even had a couple of carabao there, stolid in the sun, chewing and completely unaware of what was happening around them.

In the afternoon they finished the unloading and headed out leaving me with a real mess to straighten up. Boxes and paper litter the rooms. Sigh, it's going to be a long couple of weeks till I get it all under control.

Coming back to the hotel room for one last night I saw something interesting. A person standing on the deck of a ship can see about a mile and a half to the horizon. Coming down off the mountain in the dark I could see a lot farther than that and what I saw was very impressive. I saw a thunderstorm out at sea. I could see the whole thing from top to bottom, sporadically lit by silent lightning. I have never seen anything like it. The storm was too far away to be heard but I could see it clearly. Quite amazing.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 13 Aug 03 - 05:59 PM

Hurray! Hurray! HURRAY!

It's so nice to hear that all that stuff is where it belongs. I had this nagging suspicion that it might all end up back here in Maine because someone couldn't read or understand the Guam address.

Good thing you got your stuff out of our basement in June. It's been so humid the last two weeks that the basement walls and some of the stuff down there is covered in black mold. We just scraped and blasted walls of the stuff.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: GUEST
Date: 13 Aug 03 - 07:13 PM

Do they still have the dog track on Guam? Greyhounds? If so, I bet they still have some of the same mutts running that ate my money years ago. And go to one of the hotel penthouse bar/piano lounges overlooking Tumon bay for some interesting views of the storm cells. It really is amazing.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: SINSULL
Date: 13 Aug 03 - 10:11 PM

You triggered a memory, Brett. When hurricane Andrew hit Florida, I was on a cruise ship which gingerly picked its way around the huge storm. At night on deck I could see it off in the distance swirling and black occasionally lit up by lightening. It looked alive.

Did your LPs survive the heat? Last weekend I almost bought an LP which had warped itself into an ashtray shape when left in the sun. Almost but not quite. I advised the owner to put it up for sale on Ebay. Bet he makes a killing.

Silly question: what do you do about trash removal? Do you recycle? I had a heck of a time getting my cardboard into acceptable trash pick up shape.

Enjoy your new home.
Mary

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: katlaughing
Date: 14 Aug 03 - 09:40 PM

Brett, my dawg is still pondering the finer points of philosophy which you brought to light for him! **BG**

So glad to hear that your stuff has made it there, okay. Take your time and enjoy unwrapping your treasures!

luvyakat

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 18 Aug 03 - 02:51 AM

Hmm, I sent a short post earlier today and it isn't here now. What is cyberspace doig with my words?

So, Charley, did you miss any of your stuff after I left? I noticed I wound up with one of your wooden folding chairs that was stored in that basement locker. I am NOT sending it back to you by mail. You'll have to wait till I move back to Maine.

Mary, trash is picked up by GovGuam. There is no recycling program that I can see. It was a big wrench the first few times I had to throw away a soda can. But the moving company will take away the empty boxes and loose paper. I will have a lot more room in my place after tomorrow.

I'm going to submit this and hope it goes through. I can't see writing a longer message if cyberspace is just going to eat it up.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 18 Aug 03 - 08:35 AM

Hey, I WANT that chair! You could always bring it to Sydney as "carry-on." You could explain to the flight attendants that you are the ex-chairman of Roll & Go, Inc.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 19 Aug 03 - 09:46 PM

Since I have the chair I cannot be considered an EX-chairman.

Have I mentioned the gekkos? I'm not sure how that is supposed to be spelled. I remember mentioning one in my hotel room but there is so much more to them. They are small, fast, and can run up the walls. I haven't seen one on the ceiling yet. When you walk through the grass you can see them running away, long low shapes scurrying across the lawn. This morning I had to help one out of the kitchen sink before I could wash the dishes. He had lost his tail so it had been a hard day already. They run with a wonderful wiggling motion so it almost seems as though they were snaking along instead of running.

They are brown but they have some limited chameleon ability. On a light color they lighten up to a pale tan and on dark colors they darken down to a deep brown. Last night I noticed one on the living room window racing up and down the typhoon shutters chasing some flying insect.

My neighbor, the big spider outside the front door, I've named Charlotte (what else?). Last night I noticed her moving around, possibly repairing the web, possibly trying to grab something that blundered into her trap. I wonder how long spiders live around here?

I hear laughter from the other room. People are gathering for lunch. I guess I'll go get some lunch and join in the fun.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Amos
Date: 19 Aug 03 - 09:54 PM

Well, Brett, one thing about moving to such a remove is that there is a strong incentive to enjoy being there, because moving away again is a major piece o' work! This was very clever of you. And it sounds like there is more than enough there to make life quite enjoyable.

This thread has been a source of constant pleasure to me, Thanks for keeping it up!


A

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 19 Aug 03 - 11:43 PM

Lunch was a hoot. There is one woman, small with quick movements and an infectious laugh. She had us cracking up. That is a fun group.

One thing I haven't talked about much is the office. I arrived on June 12. Since then the entire management team has changed. That may not be too unusual in the corporate world but I got used to stability in my last job. Now there is a whole bunch of us with no "corporate knowledge" to rely on. It's very strange and makes the job that much more of a challenge.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 21 Aug 03 - 03:51 AM

As I have said before I now have all my stuff. Yesterday I brought my little stereo into work and a box of CDs. It's been difficult in the office without music. For some reason the Public Radio station cannot penetrate this building.

So, anyay, I have been working my way through this box of CDs, remembering the great music I have picked up. Then the changer rotated around a few moments ago to Castlebay's Down To The Shore. Julia and Fred are singing as I type and I feel so homesick. I was doing fine but this has got to me.

On the home front the gas company was supposed to deliver gas today so I should be able to cook tonight. I think I'll make spaghetti. It's been a long time since I had any. Thinkiing of that made me look at the clock and I just realized it's almost 6:00 PM! I need to get out of this office now and again.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 23 Aug 03 - 09:09 PM

Well, that was a bust. The gas company didn't deliver. They showed up to change out the bottle and found there was no bottle to take away. And my check wasn't large enough to cover the deposit for a bottle and regulator.

On Saturday the cable company was supposed to hook up the TV. They didn't show at all.

However, I did get through a lot of boxes and found a bunch of stuff I've been looking for. I even found some stuff I didn't know I had including a box left behind by my girlfriend in 2000 when she left me for another man. Interesting lack of emotion when I found that.

I guess my adventure in taking a break into mundane things. I haven't been doing much of anything lately. By the time I get home from work I am too tired to go back out into the world. At 10:00 I go off to bed so I can relax and listen to the neighbor's dog bark without any of the distractions of the radio or TV. That dog seems to think it has a lot to say. We've all known people like that, those who seem to think the world has to hear their voice. This dog must think the world is vastly improved by the sound of a barking dog.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: curmudgeon
Date: 23 Aug 03 - 09:39 PM

Perchance, the dog is namd Guest -- Tom

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Tenjiro
Date: 23 Aug 03 - 09:56 PM

I found a present for you dad! It fits perfectly into everything you say about Kelli and I and you can pin it to your hat or bag hehehehhehe i'll send it when i get to school with a nice long letter detailing my trip on amtrack. Oh, I have a question for all you people who have ever taken Amtrack. If you have a connecting train, lets say I have a lay over in DC and then have to get on another train to get to school, do I move my own bags from one train to the other or is that done for me like on a plane???

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 23 Aug 03 - 10:03 PM

Amy, you should make that a separate thread. Put it into the BS threads and ask your question.

Now, it's after 10:00 PM where you are so turn out the lights and go to bed. (Dads have to say things like that.)

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Bill D
Date: 23 Aug 03 - 10:54 PM

..but the answer is, I think, YOU take care of your bags on a train, unless you have specifically arranged for them to be shipped. Then they travel in a baggage car ...if you have too many to carry, keep what you need and ship the others.

(Hi, Brett...fancy meeting YOU in this thread! You were just over in the FSGW thread!)

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: GUEST,Trainman
Date: 23 Aug 03 - 11:59 PM

just like on a plane: you check your baggage in at your point of departure and it is waiting for you there at your destination--if you carry it on, you must carry it with you--

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 24 Aug 03 - 08:32 AM

Brett - loved the description of the dog - so true. And waiting for deliveries/tradespersons - it's the same everywhere.

sandra

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 24 Aug 03 - 08:58 AM

A ballad of unending domestic upheaval by Michael Flanders and Donald Swann ©1959. Performed in the musical revue At the Drop of a Hat

The Gas Man Cometh


'Twas on a Monday morning the Gas man came to call
The gas tap wouldn't turn, I wasn't getting gas at all
He tore out all the skirting board to try to find the main
And I had to call a carpenter to put it back again
Oh, it all makes work for the working man to do

'Twas on a Tuesday morning the carpenter came round
He hammered and he chiseled and he said: 'Look what I've found
Your joists are full of dry rot but I'll put it all to rights'
Then nailed right through a cable and out want all the lights
Oh, it all makes work for the working man to do

'Twas on a Wednesday morning the electrician came
He called me 'Mr. Sanderson', which isn't quite my name
He couldn't reach the fuse box without standing on the bin
And his foot went through a window so I called a glazier in
Oh, it all makes work for the working man to do

'Twas on a Thursday morning the glazier came along
With his blow-torch and his putty and his merry Glazier's song
He put another pane in, it took no time at all
But I had to get a painter in to come and paint the wall
Oh, it all makes work for the working man to do

'Twas on a Friday morning the painter made a start
With undercoats and overcoats he painted every part
Every nook and every cranny but I found when he was gone
He'd painted over the gas tap and I couldn't turn it on
Oh, it all makes work for the working man to do

On Saturday and Sunday they do no work at all,
So 'Twas on a Monday morning the Gas man came to call!

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 26 Aug 03 - 03:55 AM

The mundane has caught up with me. For those hardy souls still following this thread I am immersed in overwork, unpacking, house cleaning, and other mundane tasks that leave me no time for exploring this tropical paradise. How could this happen?

Sigh, here it is 6:00 PM and I am still at work. I started at 7:30 this morning. In a little while I will leave here and go forth to do laundry and some grocery shopping. Supper tonight will be an exotic Subway sandwich while sitting outside the laundromat.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 28 Aug 03 - 10:32 PM

Not much news to report. I heard from the Traditional Seafaring Society that they have located a log big enough to build a canoe. This weekend they will be dragging it out of the woods so I hope to get up there to join them. Otherwise I need to keep on unloading the boxes in my house. Plus I need to get my wood shop set up. I want to get into production soon and start churning out bookshelves. Once I have two or three of them built then I can start building the boat.

Back to work...

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: bbc
Date: 28 Aug 03 - 11:09 PM

I know just how you feel, Brett. Here I am, supposedly in a lake community. Not only haven't I seen the lakes, I've hardly stuck my nose out the door. I've been trying so hard to get the unpacking & work on the house done before school starts. Well, the good news is that I'm about out of time. School starts Tuesday, bright & early. Frankly, I think it will be good to be back to a routine. If it ain't done now, to heck w/ it!

love,

Barbara

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 29 Aug 03 - 03:28 AM

Amen, sister!

But I am going to play a bit this weekend. That is, when I'm not in here at the office. If anyone tries to tell you that civil servants are lazy leeches on the public treasury you can tell them that may have been so in the old days but we earn our daily bread now and then some. Like private industry we've been "right sized" to the point that there are too few people for way too much work. The taxpayers are getting a deal.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 29 Aug 03 - 08:48 AM

Our office is cutting at the moment - we don't have the money! BS - they do, they just think it won't last all year, then towards the end of the financial year (June 30 here) they will say, ooops, we've got money left, we'd better spend it.

In the mean time, voluntary reduncies are being offered, vacancies are not being filled & my poor interstate colleague was told by his bosses to work 25% harder. He sounded exhausted the day I called him - what with lack of staff & stuffed technology life is hard.

Since the office changed to Windows XP his system takes 14 minutes to search for a record & as you could imagine they have a huge backlog. The IT folks say it will get better. If you manage to survive, I said.

sandra

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 29 Aug 03 - 09:25 AM

Say, Brett, isn't September the end of your fiscal year? You do have to spend all them millions left in your accounts. How about earmarking a few thousand for quality musical entetainment? Roll & Go's probably overbooked but there might be a few Mudcatters of interest. Just a suggestion from a taxpayer.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: bbc
Date: 29 Aug 03 - 05:41 PM

Yes, Brett, regardless of what I *should* be doing, I plan to play a little, too. It has pretty much been an all work summer--no good for teachers! Saturday is committed to the college move-in, but, Sunday evening, a friend is coming over &, on Monday, we're going to the local county fair. Should be a nice breather before the whirlwind of opening day at school!

best to us all,

Barbara

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Tenjiro
Date: 01 Sep 03 - 10:08 PM

Um, dad? Did you know i've been trying to get in touch with you for like a week and all that ever happens is that I get Steve Collins' voice mail. I even e-mailed you and you didn't answer so, like, how do I find you???

~Amy~

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 01 Sep 03 - 11:00 PM

Hi Kid!

I've been wondering where you were. I will email you the correct phon number. My home phone is not hooked up yet and the only email addresses that work are the Yahoo address and my work address. I will email all of those to you too. Look for the message.

Dad

As for the rest of you...

Yes, Charley, the end of the fiscal year is upon us. It is a time of high stress, unhappy people demanding too much from too few, with too little to compensate them for the reduced life style and time off. Life's a bitch in September. I can't wait to retire so I can finally enjoy what used to be my favorite month of the year.

As you enjoy that fair, Barb, please take a few moments to think of me here in a land without country fairs. I love them, wandering the grounds every year looking at the animals and displays of farm produce. There is an excited bustle in the fairway while the horse and tractor pulls add their own sound and smell.

Sandra, they are now downsizing again, leaving us with even fewer people. Only four years till retirement....

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 01 Sep 03 - 11:08 PM

;-D

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 02 Sep 03 - 09:39 AM

Brett - they're not going to downsize you back to Maine are they? You've barely unpacked!

I can also retire in 4 years as I'll get a bit more money if I retire at 55 rather than 60, but as my accountant neighbour says it'll be 10% of nothing as I'm not on a high salary. I can remember starting work & it doesn't seem like 33 years ago ...

What else ya up to, apart from doing the work of 3 or 4 people?

sandra

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 02 Sep 03 - 07:01 PM

That's the problem. I haven't been doing anything at all. My adventure has been sunk by the torpedo of the mundane. It's amazing how much of our day is eaten up by such a simple thing as life in a house. When I was living in a hotel room with few possessions and no kitchen (and maid service) I had all kinds of time to get out and see the island. Actually I NEEDED to get out of that room. Now, with a house full of possessions and a kitchen and cooking and cleaning and a job that eats up 8 to 10 hours a day I am back in the same rut I tried to escape.

Note to self: There's no need to escape the country to escape the rut. Just ditch all your possessions and move into a hotel.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 02 Sep 03 - 09:29 PM

And, no, I will not be downsized, rightsized, or any size other than triple extra large. I am in a career field that the Government cannot do without. They are stuck with me for the duration.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: bbc
Date: 02 Sep 03 - 10:12 PM

Hey, Brett,

I saw my 1st tractor pull at the fair. At 1st, it seemed kind of dull, but then I started to get into it. This was a smallish fair, but we had a good time. If I want to smell manure, though, I can do that from my new home (fertilizing all those corn fields!)!

love,

Barbara

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 02 Sep 03 - 10:53 PM

Ah yes, the sweet smell of manure, liberally spread behind the tractor. I remember driving the tractor and spreading the manure when I was a kid. What a job. We had to do it that way to keep the manure pile from getting large enough to spontaneously combust and burn down the barn. I have vivid memories of standing on a large pile, in the winter, forking the manure out to find the hot spot. My hands and head were cold but my feet were hot from the fire burning in the heart of the pile.

I really understood being in hot sh*t that day.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: katlaughing
Date: 02 Sep 03 - 11:27 PM

Brett, sounds like you've got the moving-in-honeymoon's-over kind of blues, but the good news is, once you've settled in, it smooths out and you can pick up the adventuring again, maybe not as intensely, but still getting out.

I often get after Rog because we've been here over a year, still have things to "go through" and haven't done half of the things we've meant to, but...we do let the dust, dirty dishes, and other housework wait to get out and have some fun on the weekends. I know what you mean about not wanting to do anything after work, though. He's the same way, by the time he gets home and has dinner he just wants to rest and relax.

Have you heard of any more music events to plan for? And, just think...your trip to Oz isn't really that far away!

luvyakat

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 03 Sep 03 - 12:36 AM

True, Kat, Oz is just 'round the corner. AND there is the FSGW Getaway to plan for as well. That coincides with my daughter's fall break from college (in Virginia) and a class I have to take in Maryland. Coincidences are great! Sometimes the Goddess Of Time comes down on your side.

I'll be better once I can access the web from home.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 05 Sep 03 - 02:55 AM

Too cool! I just talked to Larry and heard confirmation of something I heard elsewhere. There are a whole bunch of chants used by the Chamorros for moving the canoes into the water, for blessing the canoe, for calling the wind, etc. Tomorrow I am headed up to meet with the Seafarers. I hope to collar Manny and get him to teach me a chant or two. Maybe I can assimilate it in time to bring it to the Getaway.

So there! Music at last.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 05 Sep 03 - 09:03 AM

Brett-

Whatever happened to your truck,or are the windshield wipers still misfiring?

You're lucky that you didn't pick Bermuda. There's one Hell of a hurricane baring down on that island now.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: katlaughing
Date: 05 Sep 03 - 10:20 AM

That's very kewl about the chants, Brett! I didn't know you were going to make it to the Getaway. That's wonderful!

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 07 Sep 03 - 02:55 AM

Charley, Bermuda can have its hurricanes. We've been missed by three typhoons and enjoyed two tropical storms. We are always within 72 hours of having a typhoon come ashore. We don't get all the warning that youguys get for the Atalntic hurricanes. Typhoons form in the ocean just to the east of us.

Yesterday I went to a meeting of the Traditional Seafarer's Society. We met at Manny's house in Dededo where we sat under the carport and drank sodas and beer while we talked out some of the issues the club is facing. It appears I've been drafted as a member. Not only that I have been appointed chair of the Lines Committee. My task is to mobilize my committee to take the lines of the Mailea, an outrigger canoe that is slowly rotting in the sun down by one of the hotels. For those who don't know "taking the lines" is the method whereby you record the shape of a boat. And no, I don't know how to do it but I do have two articles from WoodenBoat magazine on doing it.

Anyway, after the meeting Frank brought out some box lunches so I had tapioca and barbecue pork for my lunch. That wasn't tapioca pudding either. The tapioca had the texture of potato and I would have mistaken it for a spud except that it was yellow and had a different flavor.

While we were eating I talked with Manny and explained that I wanted to learn some Chamorro chants, especially those used while working, getting the canoe into the water, and such activities. He is interested in the project and agreed to work with me. Now I have to find my tape recorder.

Today I finally got to do some construction for the first time in a long time. I had to build a mailbox post. It went together very nicely and is now waiting for the concrete to dry before I put it in place.

Good weekend!

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 07 Sep 03 - 10:01 AM

Brett-

Maybe you can speed up the process of "taking the lines down" with a digital camera. At least that should give you an accurate profile of the canoe's overall dimensions. Then you could saw the canoe into cross-sections and photograph each one...

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 09 Sep 03 - 06:25 PM

Hmm, sawing a famous watercraft into sections doesn't seem to be the best idea, Charley. The Mailei is considered the fastest of the sailing canoes. She regularly made the 45 mile passage between Guam and Rota in only 4 hours.

I learned something interesting today. Last Monday there was a notice that soup and sandwiches would be avaiable on Wednesday. I ordered an egg salad sandwich and a cup of soup figuring that would make a nice lunch.

Today the food arrived. I was at my desk this morning when they called me down. I was surprised to say the least. It was 8:00 AM and I had my soup. I asked about this and they explained it was for breakfast. I explained I had already eaten cereal, toast, and orange juice for breakfast. the woman made a face and told me that was no breakfast. Here on Guam soup and sandwiches are for breakfast. She laughed at the idea of having them for lunch.

I love the differences between places and peoples.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 09 Sep 03 - 09:12 PM

This reminds me of the tale of the retired Colonel, who being offered a great assortment of eggs, rashers, sausages,kedgeree, toast, etc., was wont to exclaim:

"You call this a breakfast? Bring me a plate of underdone roast beef and a tankard of ale!"

Personally, I could be quite contet with either -- Tom

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Amos
Date: 09 Sep 03 - 09:49 PM

Ground breaking stuff on both fronts, Brett!! Hooray on ya!


A

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 09 Sep 03 - 11:06 PM

We just had another fun lunch around the big table. I had fried chicken and rice with fine dene sauce from the little cafeteria downstairs. They put more hot peppers in their fine dene so my rice was spicier than usual. Plus there was a jar of some condiment that took off the roof of my mouth when I tried it. I passed it to one of my companions who calmly spooned a bunch of it on to her tuna fish sandwich.

They got to talking about various foods they had eaten and described one of Guam's favorite dishes, fruit bat. Apparently these bats, which are endangered now, are stewed whole, wings, fur and all. One woman described her mother eating the wings. And the young man at the end of the table, a Philipino, told of seeing someone preparing dog for dinner. He described how they bashed it on the head and were burning off the fur when the dog woke up. Not a good topic for the dinner table.

We topped off the meal with betel nut. I managed to chew mine up but felt no rush or other effect except that my mouth dried out and my saliva began to run fast. I had to rinse my mouth several times to get it out. I don't know what they see in that stuff.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Tenjiro
Date: 11 Sep 03 - 04:45 PM

Whats a betel nut? Oh, guess what dad? I get to play D&D again...fun huh? I found a group here in lynchburg at Lynchburg College that has invited me to join. *wicked grin*

~Amy~

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 11 Sep 03 - 06:26 PM

Oh, daughter dear, I forgot you were reading this. Please forgive your father for trying the local lifestyle including the DRUGS! *grin*

Actually betel nut is something the island peoples have used for generations. There are special cutters, they look a little like scissors, for cutting the nut and rousing the kernal from the husk. Then they cut the kernal up into pieces and pass them around. Apparently it gives you a mild rush. It didn't seem to affect me.

The more dedicated (or addicted) of the betel nut chewers add lime and tobacco and wrap the whole thing in some kind of leaf. Yesterday at lunch Nando mentioned that the people of Palau chew the nut when it is green because they believe it is stronger. Nando says it is only more bitter and harder to chew.

I can only say it must be a learned taste. And I don't think I have what it takes to learn that taste.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 15 Sep 03 - 06:26 PM

What a fun weekend. Saturday I headed up to Dededo to join the Seafarers for wood cutting. Unfortunately it started to rain and being as how I have not yet managed to get the wipers fixed I had to pull off into a convenient parking lot, which just happened to be in front of American Music.

American Music is a good size music store with plenty of acoustic guitars and small sampling of electric guitars and bases, a bunch of keyboards and the miscellaneous extras that every decent music shop should include. Since I was stuck there for an indeterminate time I wandered in to look at the guitars. They have Taylor, Gretsch, Yamaha, and a few others. There is also a selection of ukeleles. I asked and they agreed to let me play around with a few of the guitars. The Gretsch had a nice lively sound. I've never been a fan of Taylors but that's because they are so ubiquitous.

I arrived at Manny's house just as the heavens opened up again. There were several people already gathered under the carport. Obviously we weren't going to get any wood cut that day. We conducted a business meeting instead, talking over the rain, thunder, and the military jets flying circles overhead.

The best news at the meeting was that the Solo had turned up with her crew safe and sound. Solo is another large ocean canoe. She set out with a crew of five for Pikelot to hunt turtles. No one had seen her since and she was five days overdue for her return. As it turns out she met a long liner (fishing boat) who offered them a tow. They accepted but there was a misunderstanding of destination. There are two islands with very different names on the charts but the Chamorro names are very similar. The crew asked for Pikalot but were taken to West Felial which is called Pikel on the charts. They had a tough time getting back to where they belonged.

The rain kept on all afternoon. I persuaded my wipers to work finally and made my way home.

Sunday was pretty so I headed out. I needed cleaning supplies and a set of shelves for my towels so I headed for the Exchange. I stopped at the furniture store on the base and bought a table for $119.00 so I can now eat my meals like a human being. Then I headed home.

Along the way I realized that I hadn't really had any adventures lately so instead of taking my left for Cross Island Road I took the long way home, around the southern tip of the island. I drove down through Agat, Umatac, Malesso, Inarajan, Talafofo, Ipan, and Yona. All along the way I saw crowds of cars at houses as families gathered to barbecue and talk.

Before I got to the village center of Umatac I saw a turn out labeled "Mountain Overlook". I pulled off to take a look.

I haven't adequately described the mountains of Guam. They are pretty spectacular. Sure, they don't hold a candle to the really dramatic ranges in the world but they can hold their own in any comparisons you'd like to make. Where I stood I was in a semicircle of rough high peaks and deep gorges and valleys. The higher and steeper ground was covered by grass and looked from a distance like a covered of green velour. The lower ground was covered by jungle and looked for all the world like green woolly sheepskin. There is very little open rocky ground. Where the rocks show through they are black patches grinning out through the green covering. Where erosion has scoured away the green the dirt shows bright brick red. Trust me, we are talking one beautiful sight.

On the hills overlooking Umatac I saw another turn out. I pulled in to find I had discovered Guam's Viet Nam Memorial. It wasn't much to look at but the view is very nice. There is a covered cabana and there were a couple of young men playing guitars and singing while they sat on the stone wall looking down on Umatac Bay. I listened, while pretending to look at the view, until they started to drop notes and I realized I was cramping their style so I moved on.

In Umatac I saw a family fiesta going on and stopped to watch fishermen working their nets in Umatac bay. Just before the old Spanish bridge (which is neither old or Spanish) I saw three carabao lazily pulling at grass from tethers. I guess I have to agree with my daughter. They are kind of cute. They aren't really black, or maybe they are but they must also be really dirty. They are a kind of dusty brown black color.

I wanted to stop at the Inarajan Pools but they were crowded with another fiesta going on in the cabanas so I cruised on by. I was getting pretty hungry and every once in a while I would float through the smoke of another barbecue. I started to have visions of a plate full of barbecued pork, beef and chicken. I determined to stop at Jeff's Pirates Cove for lunch.

At Malesso I saw a substantial road running off to the left (inland) and a sign saying "Hilltop Store Pugua 6/$1.00". I turned left. I drove uphill for what seemed like an hour. In Guam when you drive uphill you are really driving uphill. The roads can be so steep you feel yourself pressing back into your seat. This was like that. At the top I came out into what had once been a promising housing development. There were roads curving here and there and the view was staggering. If not for the utility poles it would have been worthy of a postcard. Spread out below was Cocos Lagoon with the great Pacific Ocean out to the distant horizon. Unfortunately no one had bothered to finish building the neighborhood. There were a few houses and one under construction but mostly the area was open grass land.

I followed the roads around until one dead ended in a field. I parked the truck and got out. Off in the distance I could see a knoll that looked as though it promised a view. There was something that looked like a blue-green couch balanced on the top.

There was a car track running through muddy ground in the right direction so I walked out, slipping in the mud and avoiding the puddles as best I could. Closer to the knoll the ground was drier. The grass is not your standard lawn variety. This grass is tough, wide bladed, and grows to knee and waist height. I could feel is cutting at my bare legs and was glad I'd worn my sneakers instead of my sandals. Note to self, shorts are not the right outfit for wading through the grass.

At the top of the knoll I found the remains of at least two bonfires and many empty beer cans. The blue-green object was indeed a couch hauled there, I suspect, as the ultimate make out spot for the view is superlative. At my feet was the village of Malesso while the Cocos Lagoon lay with its blue and green water out to Cocos Island and surrounded by the surf pounding on the reef. There were sailboats moored and a jet ski made silent curves across the surface. In the distance I could hear roosters crowing, you are never far from chickens on Guam, and the rattle of the grass in the breeze. From somewhere below came the tiny roar of a weed whacker. The breeze was warm and the sun was hot and the day was gorgeous.

The rest of the trip was nice but had been overshadowed by that view. I blew by Jeff's and headed home to put my new furniture together.

Today at lunch we talked about Malesso and how that village was named after the esso, the juvenile rabbit fish. I learned that the Chamorro have many names for fish. They apparently have names for the different stages of development. I looked in a Chamorro-English dictionary the other day and noticed that the entry for fish runs on for at least a page and a half. It's like Eskimos and their fifty words for snow.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: katlaughing
Date: 16 Sep 03 - 01:20 AM

Brett, wonderful descriptions, again!! And, so glad you're going to learn some chants, too! Thanks so much for sharing!

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 17 Sep 03 - 04:00 AM

By the way, I just learned at lunch today that the record cold temperature on Guam was about 55 degree F. I'm glad I brought the winter coat. Where's my ice scraper?

Actually my ice scraper is next to my front door. Every once in a while I touch it and say, "Not today, buddy."

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 17 Sep 03 - 09:27 AM

Did you pack your snow shovel! Here in Maine we're gearing up for our first frost.

Have a nice downpour...

Charley Noble

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 17 Sep 03 - 10:41 PM

We had some soursap at lunch today. It is a sweet fruit that tastes a little like lemon flavored watermelon. The texture is soft and mushy. The outside is green with raised points. Very good!

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 21 Sep 03 - 03:42 AM

I have a telephone! I am sitting at home checking in on the Mudcat. How lovely.

Yesterday morning, Saturday, I went to the regular meeting of the Traditional Seafarers. We were to meet at the canoe and work on carving new yahms for the outrigger float. Many was also going to teach us a chant for keeping away squalls while at sea. Larry had suggested that we include a lunch. When I got there at 10:00 one of the guys was cooking steaks on a wood fire while two others were busy at a work table.

Now, I want you to understand and picture the scene. We were gathered under a carport though the area under the roof was much larger than a regular carport. Built into the back wall was a BBQ grill for a wood fire, a set of propane burners, a work counter, shelves for cooking pots and utensils, and a sink made out of a bathtub. The bathtub is raised up to a working level and cemented into the wall. There is a working table, an old free standing bar, and an eating table knocked together with 2X4s and plywood. The trade winds find there way into one side of the shelter and out the other. Unfortunately they are not strong enough to blow away the house flies that swarm everywhere.

Pots of food began to fill up the eating table. I noticed the green fruit. They look like green orange no bigger than a pingpong ball. I asked and they told me the name but it was a Chomorro word and I cannot remember it. They gave me half on one to taste and it was similar to lemon. They were using it to make fine dene.

And that brings me to the differences in foods. Up till that morning I knew and liked fine dene. And I knew it was a brown sauce that included vinegar and soy sauce. This version of the sauce included neither of those items! This version was a golden color and tasted of the lemony green fruit and the peppers and spices that make fine dene so tasty. But it looks and tastes nothing like the fine dene I had gotten used to.

Then someone handed me a plastic container full of cut up raw mackeral, including the heads and fins. Others reached in and grabbed chunks and started to eat. I reached in and took a small piece. To my amazement it didn't taste like fish at all, but then it did. This was a form of fish kelaguen. As I have said elsewhere in this diary I don't like kelaguen. But this was excellent. Once more, a difference in recipe. Another plastic container came around with cut up chunks of raw octopus (octopus kelaguen), bright red and rubbery but delicious. There was another bucket full of taro and manioc. More familiar dishes included rice and the BBQ steaks. There was also some BBQ fish, skipjack they said. It was an awesome meal.

After I had eaten I was told to throw the food waste into the compost heap. I stepped down on to the wet concrete step. There was a slick coating of algae and I slipped. I put my other foot down on to the ground and hit the mud which gave me no traction at all. The next thing I knew I was rolling into the compost heap. The rest of the gang came running but the only ting injured was my dignity. Once we ascertained my lack of injury we all had a laugh at the dangers of composting. I had to rinse the mud off my leg and sneakers. When I drove home I had to remove my shirt because it was crusted with grime from the heap.

Unfortunately Manny was late and I had to leave. It is September and that means I cannot have my own weekends. I hate September. Some day I will retire and/or change jobs and I will learn to like September again. I used to love that month.

I went home to shower and change the headed to work. There I found the gang hard at it. When the locals heard I'd had octopus kelaguen they were jealous and impressed.

So that was my weekend. The only other thing to report was the little earthquake I noticed a few minutes ago. Like a big truck rumbling by.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 21 Sep 03 - 03:50 AM

I can't believe I forgot to mention the Pago Bay Reefers! Last Thursday I went down to Le Tasi Bistro for dinner and to listen to the band. I'd heard there was "wierd music" at Tasi Bistro. I'd also heard that the restaurant was expensive. And it is medium expensive. I had a German beer and a shrimp pasta dish and paid $25.00. Desert was included in the price and I chose a cappucino cheesecake.

The band was not bad. They played old folk music and Beatles tunes in a kind of bluegrass/tropical blend of styles. The played Big Rock Candy Mountain, Rocky Top, as well as the Beatles tunes. They have a guitar, bass, steel guitar, banjo, fiddle, accordion, and mandolin. They sure seemed to enjoy themselves.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 21 Sep 03 - 11:33 AM

Sure sounds like fun, Brett, but watch out for the slide toward the compost heap. I mean if that's the end to your story at your young age, we're all going to have a hard time keeping a straight face while telling the story to the rest of your friends and family at the memorial gathering.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Amos
Date: 21 Sep 03 - 11:39 AM

Oi, ya, too bad about Brett -- he's been recycled, ya know, ya....it was an accident, sure, but too bad, ya know...

A

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 21 Sep 03 - 05:34 PM

Another thing I learned at the meeting on Saturday is that Charlotte Shelob is a banana spider. There were several like her in the rafters of the carport but none as large. Mine host reached up with his finger and tickled one our of the center of her web. They are harmless.

Apparently there is a wolf spider here on Guam that gets very large. One of the guys indicated a circle about two inces in diameter to indicate size, legs and all. They talked about how Guam supposedly hass the highest population of spiders in the world because the snakes have eaten all the birds that eat all the spiders. There aren't that many different species just lots of spiders.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 23 Sep 03 - 11:06 PM

Bad news! My class has been disapproved so I will not be going home in October! Bah! Humbug!

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Bill D
Date: 23 Sep 03 - 11:18 PM

Oh, POOH! To set you up that way and almost assure you that it was on! Not fair...(who ever said the govt. was fair)

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Lana
Date: 24 Sep 03 - 04:55 AM

I'm sorry Dad, that really sucks. :-(

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: GUEST,bbc at work
Date: 24 Sep 03 - 11:57 AM

Oh, Brett, I'm so sorry! You will be missed!

Barbara

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: MMario
Date: 24 Sep 03 - 12:01 PM

I get confirmation on Mystic and you move to Guam...I get confirmation on Getaway and you class gets canceled. I think you are avoiding meeting me. *grin*

gotta find the humour somewhere, yes?

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: SINSULL
Date: 24 Sep 03 - 12:02 PM

Damn it, Brett! I was looking forward to seeing you. We'll be sure you get pictures and a toast will be made in your honor.
M.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: curmudgeon
Date: 24 Sep 03 - 01:42 PM

Sad news indeed, Brett; you must be too smart to need any silly classes. But, no fear, we will drink a round to your health at the Festival this weekend, and sing a shanty in your honor. Just let me know what you'ld like belted out.

be well -- Tom

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 24 Sep 03 - 04:35 PM

Well, that's a bummer! But we'll see you in Sydney in November. Maybe we can smuggle in an appropriate gift from the folks at the Press Room.

"Yes, Mr. Customsman, this stuffed toy is a gift for an old friend. Yes, it does have a lot of legs, and, yes, those eye stalks are rather unusual. No, I'm not quite sure what to call it...but if you pull that string, maybe it will tell you!"

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 24 Sep 03 - 06:06 PM

Thanks, gang, it helps to hear from you at this time. Right now I am so tired that I cannot process the bad news. We are working long hours but it feels like we are running in sand.

After that class was disapproved my boss told me to put in for the same class whereverr it is offerred. The system only allows 3 applications at a time so I put in for 3 more places and dates. This morning there were messages from all three disapproving the application. I don't know why they couldn't be so efficient with my first application.

What's really funny is that I need the class to be certified to do my job at the full performance level. My boss was complaining about it and suggested they might want to send me home under some kind of warranty clause. He was kidding of course.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: SINSULL
Date: 24 Sep 03 - 09:04 PM

Brett,
Do they give you a reason for disapproving it? Spell your name wrong, maybe? Classes are full? Or the processor just doesn't like you? I know it's the US military but they should still give you a reason. Or maybe your boss should handle it if it is important to your job performance. For all you know, they may have a rule that you can't fly back to the States before completing six months in Guam.

Maybe if you explain to them about the Getaway, they will make an exception. Maybe we can help and start a chain letter on your behalf.
Maybe...
SINS

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 25 Sep 03 - 12:41 AM

Good one, Sins. But in today's political climate such a letter might be construed by Asscroft (as Kendall calls him) as a terrorist act and we'd all end up in Guantanamo Bay.

The reason given is that the billets assigned to the Navy are all full. There is a continuous learning program that we have to work with. We have to earn 40 continuous learning points every year. I have met my requirements and that means I get bumped from classes if I have to compete with someone who hasn't met their requirement even if the class is necessary to performance in my position.

Sigh, I have 18 months to meet the requirement. I'm not sure what they'll do if I can't.

Last night I went over to hear the Pago Bay Reefers rehearse. We had a big feed of spaghetti, eggplant lasagna, and brown rice and eggplant, and then the band settled down to work. It brought to mind all the Roll & Go rehearsals I've been to where the confusion was the preeminent condition. They talked set lists and the attributes of various songs and compatibility of placing one sang next to another, and how long it's been since they played this one or that and who was the lead on that song and what key it was in, etc., etc.

After the band finished I was invited to do a few songs for them. I trotted out a few favorites and we sang them together though I know very few songs that anyone else knows. They invited me to play during the 15 minute break during their regular Gig at Le Tasi Bistro. Also I was invited to play a live set at the local Public Radio show during Jay MacDonald's folk show on Tuesdays. So I guess I am up and coming, so to speak.

Early in the evening, when I was the first to arrive, I noticed the hostess had some unusual tattoos on her hands. I asked about them and she explained she is a Chamorro Master Craftsman in tattoo. It turns out she did the tattoos on our navigator's legs. She and he are spirit siblings. This is after all a small island. I think I'm going to talk to her about getting a traditional Chamorro tattoo.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 25 Sep 03 - 12:58 PM

You know, Brett, most people from away who settle in places like Guam never reach the level of contact that you've been able to achieve in 4 short months. Not bad! Now you've got a place to try out some of your own music, and recycle some of our songs as well!

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 26 Sep 03 - 04:21 AM

I'm going to have to learn to play Dead Dog Cider for sure.

I was thinking about that "level of contact" the other day. I've been so absorbed in my job since about the middle of August that I have been able to do very little beyond going to and from work. I even had to leave work early yesterday so I could get some groceries into the house.

But as I drove home one evening I reflected on those on the base who do nothing else but stay at the base and surround themselves with other military. They never see the real Guam. They don't meet people like Nando, Anita, June, Norma, Ellie, Manny, Frank, Maria, Vince, Jerome, and the other Chamorros I meet. They enjoy themselves, don't get me wrong, but they don't really get a sense of what it means to be on Guam. It's just another temporary place for them.

Then there are the people (ha'olies (sp?)) who live here and don't mix in with the community. One guy I know has been here 8 years and I don't believe he has any Chamorro friends at all. I could be wrong, I don't know him all that well, but it would be a sad commentary if it were true.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 26 Sep 03 - 10:27 PM

It's been rainy and cloudy for the last several days. Now, with the weekend the sun is shining and the trades are gently blowing in the trees. And here I am at work. It is the end of the fiscal year and the whole office is gathered for the last push to the end of the month. This weather is just the last insult.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 28 Sep 03 - 08:12 AM

I was reading the Sunday paper this evening and saw the latest statistic from the roads. So far this year there have been 15 fatal car accidents. On an island only 9 miles wide and 30 miles long with 150,000 residents that is an incredible number. Then you have to consider that the speed limit here is only 35 mph.

But you also have to consider that this is a mountainous country with winding 2 lane roads. And the coral rock paving is mostly limestone and get very slippery in the rain. And a lot of people drink too much. The drinking age here is 18.

It all adds up to 15 dead on the roads so far this year.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 28 Sep 03 - 08:31 AM

The drinking age is 18 here, too but that doesn't stop lots of under-age drinkers getting into cars & killing themselves or their equally young passengers. Binge drinking is the No. 1 activity of young teenagers (or is under-age sex, tho they only have to be over 16 for that activity to be legal)

sandra

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 01 Oct 03 - 08:05 PM

Thank God it's October! No more 12 hour days. No more lying in bed worrying about the workload. No more arguments with the contractor... well, we still have to fight with him but at least the deadline pressure is gone.

Yesterday, October 1, I came into work late and left early! I went over to Gab Gab Beach to do some snorkeling but the surf was up and the water was murky so I just went swimming instead. I wore my dive mask anyway and swam in the confines of the swimming area. That's an area that looks like a swimming pool, blue green paint and three concrete walls, ladders in and out, etc. The fourth side is open to the ocean and is only marked off with a line of floats.

Just outside the floats are a set of concrete stairs leading down into the water. It's a handy place to get in from because you can sit on the steps, put on your fins, wash out the mask and do a liesurely push off into the water.

As I was leaving the water I paused about half way up the stairs and sat down to watch the day. It's been cloudy and rainy for the last week or so and it was pleasant to sit in the sun. Suddenly a large wave rolled in and washed me off the steps. I swam away from the rocks and waited for the larger waves to subside. Then I crawled out again. My mask was gone, washed off with me never to be seen again. I looked for it but the water was too murky to see it. Damn!

So, this afternoon I have to go find another. I think the dive shp on the base is having a sale. That would be handy.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Tenjiro
Date: 02 Oct 03 - 12:03 AM

Drinking age is 18, dad? WOOO!!! hehehe

~Amy~

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 02 Oct 03 - 03:30 AM

Yep! For everyone but you!

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Tenjiro
Date: 02 Oct 03 - 11:26 AM

hey! *pout* but we could go to bars together and I could have a REAL pina colada!

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Amos
Date: 02 Oct 03 - 11:39 AM

Tenjiro,

Not my place, but believe me, you aren't missing anything. Stick to spring water as long as you can hold out; don't let the barbarians take over without a fight!

A

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: katlaughing
Date: 02 Oct 03 - 12:43 PM

Thank you, Brett!! Wonderful and you are amazing!!

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 02 Oct 03 - 09:35 PM

That's OK Amos, this is a continuing comic debate between the two of us. She knows she can drink if she wants to. The only restriction I place on that activity is that she is not to drink and drive or ride with anyone who's been drinking. It seems to work as a strategy. She isn't getting away with anything so she doesn't find it as thrilling as if she were sneaking the booze.

Oh, and I've threatened to wake her early after her drunken night and speak in a loud voice and clatter lots of pots and pans while she deals with her hangover...

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.

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: 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 - 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: 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 - 11:55 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: Amos
Date: 06 Oct 03 - 07:25 PM

I'm still reading it, Brett!


A

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: 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: 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: 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 - 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: 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 - 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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 - 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: bbc
Date: 11 Oct 03 - 01:41 AM

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

bbc

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: 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: GUEST,Peter Woodruff
Date: 12 Oct 03 - 03:53 PM

Why have a been relegated to guest status?

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
Date: 12 Oct 03 - 04:42 PM

Thank you Jeri.

Peter

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 - 05:08 PM

I can't wait!

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 - 05:12 PM

Go for the throat Big Fella!

Woody

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: 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: 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 - 08:45 PM

Here are the actual site addresses:

Invited Countries and Territories to participate in the 9th Festival of Pacific Arts Reference websites on government, culture and tourism.

Countries and Website(s)

American Samoa
www.asg-gov.com

Australia
www.ozco.gov.au/atsia/index.htm

Australia
www.ozco.gov.au/atsia/links.html

Cook Islands
www.ck/govt.htm

Cook Islands
www.cook-islands.com

Federated States of Micronesia
www.fsmgov.org

Federated States of Micronesia
www.visit-fsm.org

Fiji
www.fiji.gov.fj

Fiji
www.bulafiji.com

Polynesia-franc·ise
www.presidence.pf

Polynesia-franc·ise
www.culture.gov.fp

Guam
www.gov.gu

Guam
www.visitguam.org

Hawaii
www.ehawaiigov.org

Kiribati
www.users.bigpond.com/kiribati_newstar

Marshall Islands
www.rmiembassyus.org

Marshall Islands
www.yokwe.net

Nauru
www.earth.nwu.edu/people/emile/nauru.html

Aotearoa-New Zealand
www.govt.nz

Aotearoa-New Zealand
www.creativenz.govt.nz

Niue
www.gov.nu

Niue
www.niueisland.com

Norfolk Island
www.norfolk.gov.nf

Northern Mariana Islands
www.saipan.com/gov

Northern Mariana Islands
www.mymarianas.com

Nouvelle-CalÈdonia
www.etat.nc

Nouvelle-CalÈdonia
www.gouv.nc

Belau-Palau The host for the 2004 Festival of Pacific Arts
http://www.visit-palau.com/index.cfm

Papua New Guinea
www.pngonline.gov.pg

Pitcairn Island
www.government.pn

Rapa Nui
www.rapanui.cl/eng

Samoa
www.samoa.ws

Solomon Islands
www.solomons.com

Tokelau
www.dfat.gov.au/geo/tokelau/tokelau_brief.html

Tonga
www.pmo.gov.to

Tonga
www.sfconsulate.gov.to

Tuvalu
www.tuvaluislands.com

Vanuatu
www.vanuatugovernment.gov.vu

Vanuatu
www.vanuatu.net.vu

Wallis et Futuna
www.wallis.co.nc

Wallis et Futuna
www.wallis-and-futuna.com

Note: These are not all official government websites, such as those for Kiribati, Nauru and Tokelau

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Jeri
Date: 13 Oct 03 - 09:34 PM

Brett, it would have been easier to ask for help in the Help Forum. I fixed the links above, but the thread's too long for me to easily delete the subsequent "links don't work" messages. Maybe someone else with a faster connection can get them. (And maybe this one.)

You left out "http://" - that's why they appeared to be on Mudcat.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 13 Oct 03 - 11:52 PM

Thanks, Jeri. I was trying to do things too quickly I guess.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 14 Oct 03 - 07:45 PM

Yesterday I got home, started putting away the groceries and then noticed my computer was missing. Apparently someone had gotten into the house during the day and stolen it. Nothing else seems to be missing. The cop who took the report commented that he had arrested the woman living in the other side of the house a couple of months ago but he didn't specify the charge.

So today I will take the day off to do some security things to the house. No posting from home for a while.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: SINSULL
Date: 14 Oct 03 - 10:45 PM

Any chance you will get it back, Brett? It can't have gone far. Meantime, enjoy the use of your worksite computer.
SINS

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: GUEST,Charley Noble
Date: 15 Oct 03 - 10:22 AM

Bummer, Brett!

Say, we've been without power here in Maine this morning for a couple of hours due to a rather wild rain storm. I'm using Judy's laptop which has a nice battery.

Guess we've seen the last of those beautiful fall leaves, except for the racking.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: GUEST,bbc at work
Date: 15 Oct 03 - 11:50 AM

Oh, no, Brett! I'm so sorry. I know that my computer feels like a lifeline to me. I'm hoping for a happy ending to this story!

love,

Barbara

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Lana
Date: 15 Oct 03 - 12:34 PM

sorry about the computer dad. :-( i'm rather paranoid about mine getting stolen.
kelli

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Tenjiro
Date: 15 Oct 03 - 03:42 PM

Stolen? Who would do that! Thats totally uncalled for. I hate people! *grrrrr* Just so everyone knows, I'll be having a mental breakdown after work tonight based on all the stuff I have that is due for tomorrow.

I'm sorry about your computer dad. Hey...how would you sugest me going about flirting with an Existentialist? I've never liked one before.

~Amy~

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 15 Oct 03 - 05:13 PM

Come to think of it, Brett, your computer may be in the same place as your digital camera. Any teenagers in the neighborhood?

Charley Noble

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Tenjiro
Date: 15 Oct 03 - 07:07 PM

You are giving us teenagers a bad name there, Charley!

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 16 Oct 03 - 02:41 AM

Actually Charlie, I think the camera probably went the same way. The computer may be the second burglary.

My Dad offered to send me a shotgun and some string so I could install a set gun. That reminded me of the story of the guy who put a sign on his door that said, "Burglary is illegal. So are set guns. I made my choice, now you make yours."

The real bummer is that I have a lot of financial information and my passwords in the computer so now I have to change all the accounts around.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Roger the Skiffler
Date: 16 Oct 03 - 03:35 AM

Bummer, Brett. From your stories I had thought Guam was like the Cook Islands where there is hardly any crime,(apart from the odd "domestic") most thefts are either by kids (who soon get turned in by their parents) or other off-island visitors. I hope the local police soon get your gear back, especially if they have an idea who's likely to be responsible.

Roger

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Ebbie
Date: 16 Oct 03 - 11:05 PM

Refresh, please.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 16 Oct 03 - 11:19 PM

It's an annoyance at best. I was aware of a crime problem but it had not touched me. But they only took things and things are not worth crying over. My poor sister is now inconsolable because her favorite cat, Diego, died. She'd had that cat for over 10 years and is still distraught over the loss. That is a loss.

The annoyance comes from what I lost. I had my plans for my Australia trip in there, my financial information, all of my digital pictures, my Guam diary, and a number of other things as well.

C'est la vie.

(For those who haven't met me I deliberately mispronounce that as Sest, lah vye. I don't know why I do that but it is immensely satisfying to display American ignorance of foreign languages.)

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 18 Oct 03 - 12:52 AM

Well, I'm connected from home again. I dug out my old desktop and hooked it up. I had planned on donating it to a school or church. I guess I'll hold off on that for a little while.

It's a gray crumby day here. The sky is leaden gray and the wind is blowing the rain around. The trees are dancing in the breeze and the flowers are dipping and swaying in response.

Good day to stay home.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Tenjiro
Date: 18 Oct 03 - 01:07 AM

Welcome back Dad!

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Ebbie
Date: 20 Oct 03 - 09:17 PM

When we last heard from our protagonist, he had had a spot of trauma but was dealing well with it. Stay with us as we join him for our next installment...

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 20 Oct 03 - 11:06 PM

Spot of trauma:

Computer stolen
Broke little toe on left foot
Three days of wind and rain (remember the windshield wipers?)
Date fell through
and to top it all off, I woke today with a migraine.

On the bright side, yesterday I bought my plane tickets to Australia.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 21 Oct 03 - 09:10 AM

too much - it looks like you are getting someone else's share of traumas too.

Do we get a lyrical description of the rainstorms (after the migraine has gone) - was that where you broke your toe? Painful. I once walked about on a broken sessemoid??, a little oval-shaped bone under the ball of the foot, which was so badly broken it looked like a capital B, and that hurt & like a looney I walked around on it for months.

sandra

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: GUEST,bbc at work
Date: 21 Oct 03 - 12:06 PM

No luck on getting the computer back, I take it? Hang in, Brett. After so many bad things happening, there must be good ones around the corner!

love,

Barbara

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Tenjiro
Date: 21 Oct 03 - 09:17 PM

Hey dad, I was just listening to Stan Rogers and I realized that sometimes you sound like him when you sing! Isn't that cool?

~Amy~

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 22 Oct 03 - 08:03 AM

Amy, I'm pleased to know that as I'm a fan of Stan Rogers.

Hurry up November

sandra

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 22 Oct 03 - 08:47 PM

Well, Sandra, it's been a long time since she heard me sing. I doubt that I sound that much like him. But I do enjoy his music and I have a number of his songs in my head. Is there anything you'd like me to do while I'm there?

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 22 Oct 03 - 08:52 PM

No luck on the computer. I have my old one set up but it's slow as molasses. I've never known if the speed of the computer affects the speed of communication with the internet but this thing takes forever to work with.

As for the toe, I stubbed it on a box in the back bedroom. Fortunately I have some nerve damage in my feet so I only feel severe pain. I feel nothing on the surface. The end result is that I can acknowledge the impact of a stubbed toe but I don't know if any real damage has occurred until the inner workings start to hurt.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 23 Oct 03 - 09:16 AM

Brett - the Dog audience is famous for it's singing & it's been a long time since we sang Mary Ellen Carter - and of course we wouldn't object to Barrett's Privateers, either!

isn't it amazng how technolog ages - 2 years in any other "whitegoods" is a young pup, in a computer it's prehistoric

sandra (using a prehistoric laptop)

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: JennyO
Date: 23 Oct 03 - 10:27 AM

How about "Northwest Passage"?

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 23 Oct 03 - 10:37 AM

Sandra and JennyO-

We may add a part of "Mary Ellen Carter" to one of our songs, with the assistance of some Roaring Forties members. Guess which one, Brett!

;~)
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 24 Oct 03 - 12:58 AM

I know which one you are talking about. I've been trying to play that song on the guitar but you put too many chords with too many short changes in it. Sigh, I guess I'll never be able to play it.

Tomorrow the Traditional Seafarers Society will be helping out at the Every Husbands Nightmare Arts and Crafts Fair. We will be helping people get set up and helping out at the door as well. In exchange for that we can set up a booth of our own explaining what we do and offering raffle prizes and a silent auction. The following list are the raffle prizes:

Live Pig about 50 Pounds (for cooking or as a pet)
$50.00 gift certificate for the Hyatt
$50.00 gift certificate for Sam Choys
Framed Judy Flores Print
Framed Castro Print
TSS Polowat Guam Poster
TSS Pagan Poster
L. Joseph fish carving

The silent auction has the following items:

Water Filtration System (over $200 in value)
Framed Judy Flores Print
Framed Castro Print
TSS Polowat Guam Poster
Ifet (Ifil) clock
L. Joseph carving ifet
L. Joseph kamyu

This should be lots of fun. I have committed to the whole day. I plan to take a guitar and sit back and play and watch the people.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 24 Oct 03 - 10:17 AM

Brett-

Seems like there ought to be a theme song for the "Every Husbands Nightmare Arts and Crafts Fair." Has anyone composed one? If so, I'd like to see a few verses. Maybe you could adapt the "Wild West Show." You know, "Over on this table, ladies and gentlemen, is the 'ifet.' Isn't it won-der-ful! Just the thing for spicing up your patio or headboard! Place your bid now on the dotted line. And don't be embarrassed to bid high!"

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: GUEST,MMario
Date: 24 Oct 03 - 10:34 AM

Every Husbands Nightmare Arts and Crafts Fair

I have to say that if this is REALLY the name of the event that they have FAR better senses of Humour on Guam then in any place I've ever lived!

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: curmudgeon
Date: 24 Oct 03 - 10:43 AM

Brett, how do Guamians define "Every Husbands Nightmare?"

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Tenjiro
Date: 24 Oct 03 - 01:46 PM

Dad! Lets get the live pig and keep it as a pet! I know how much you want a pet to keep you company in Guam! hehehe

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 24 Oct 03 - 04:48 PM

Never own anything you have to feed or paint! - U. Utah Philips

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Tenjiro
Date: 24 Oct 03 - 07:08 PM

I guess you can't own a boat. :-)

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 24 Oct 03 - 11:15 PM

Well, there may be at least one exception to the rule.

Besides, you can have a pet if you give up your ambitions and stay home to take care of it. Just tell your room mates and friends that you are leaving school to flip burgers in the excessive heat and humidity of Guam.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 25 Oct 03 - 07:16 AM

I left the house ythis morning to help out with the crafts show. I didn't know what to expect so I took a cooler with soda, a comfortable folding canvas chair, and my guitar. I got there a lttle early and helped Doc Cunningham set up our booth with the prizes, the display boards, and the signs. Then the crafters began to arrive and we turned to helping them. There were some very interesting crafts. There was the usual run of scrap book artists, stampers, and hand made stuffed toys. There was one booth dedicated to selling... tupperware. One was the Mary Kay booth with women dressed to the nines, wearing heels, and all made up. They made for a startling contrast to the people in jeans and T-shirts. There was one booth that specialized in grass skirts and traditional jewelry. One guy had a combination of handmade wood toys, coconut fiber batik hangings, and products woven from palm fronds.

The people were surprised and grateful when we came forward to help them load into the building. I guess they'd been told about it but hadn't expected such a crew to actually show up. We got them into place in record time and the show opened well but we worked up quite a sweat doing the job.

Once we were done I headed out to the post office and to get my visa for my Australia trip. Then I drove up to the Air Force Exchange to look around and finally headed home. I went south along the eastern side of the island, not a usual route, and noticed some fun things. There is an old gray lifeboat in a neighbors yard up on Cross Island Road. I noticed an odd bridge back off the main road. It doesn't seem to have any purpose. The local costume shop was crowded. Apparently the island really gets into the celebration of Halloween.

I think tomorrow is All Souls' Day. From what I've heard it is roughly analogous to Decoration Day back in the southern USA. The people go out to the cemetaries to clean the graves of their loved ones, picnic, and pray for their souls. I was told to go out and drive by a few cemetaries.

This seems like a good point to mention some of the death customs here. The newspaper doesn't just print obituaries. What you see in the paper is a large block with a picture of the deceased and the announcement of the death. But it doesn't just give the particulars. Instead it will say something like, "Joe Smith has joined his grandmother, Sally Smith and grandfather, George Smith, his former wife mary Smith, his brother, Allen Smith....." It then goes on to give the funeral details. On certain anniversaries of the death the survivors will hold a rosary where they will pray for the deceased person. The rosary, I hardly need tell you, is a gathering of friends and family and features food and music as well as the prayers. These are Chamorros after all.

Later in the afternoon I returned to the craft show to help the crafters pack out. Once again they were surprised and grateful. I learned that the Seafarers had made upwards of $500 on the silent auction and raffle. The live pig went to Frank, one of our group, so I hope to be invited to a pig roast soon. I never did need to stuff I took with me.

And that finished off my day. I had a lovely time except that my broken toe and arthritic knee threw a bit of a crimp into my activities. Such is life!

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 25 Oct 03 - 08:14 AM

By the way, I was driving home tonight and a bug hit my windshield. Now, that might not seem odd to most of you but there are no bugs here that are attracted to light. You can leave a light burning outside and there will be no flock of moths flying around it. The reason I noticed the bug on my windshield was that it was the first one since I got here.

Seagulls. I live on an island. You would think I would see plenty of seabirds. There are none. I haven't seen a gull since I left the east coast.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Tenjiro
Date: 25 Oct 03 - 11:32 AM

No bugs? Thats it! I'm moving to Guam! hehehe...

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 25 Oct 03 - 05:47 PM

I didn't say there were no bugs. There seem to be no bugs that are attracted by light. There are plenty of bugs. I have a very persistent ant colony somewhere that seems fascinated by my kitchen counter. I am always finding scouts running around looking for my leftovers. This morning I went downstairs to find a huge cockroach dead on the floor. But then, it should be OK for you, dear. Wasn't Joe's Apartment one of your favorite movies?

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 25 Oct 03 - 05:49 PM

By the way, JennyO, Northwest Passage is one of my specialties...

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 25 Oct 03 - 06:40 PM

OK, I have worked out an itinerary to get me to Sydney. Still working on the Sydney to ?? travel plans.

Depart Guam        13-Nov-03        7:55 PM        
Arrive Cairns        14-Nov-03        12:25 AM        
Depart Cairns        18-Nov-03        8:35 AM        
Arrive Brisbane        19-Nov-03        3:55 PM        
Depart Brisbane        19-Nov-03        7:00 PM        Coach (bus)
Arrive Murwillumbah        19-Nov-03        8:45 PM        
Depart Murwillumbah        19-Nov-03        9:50 PM        XTP
Arrive Sydney        20-Nov-03        11:38 AM

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Tenjiro
Date: 25 Oct 03 - 08:45 PM

Yea..and Bad Mojo was one of my fave. computer games. Cockroaches arn't bad as long as they let me know they are around. Mayhaps we can pretend we are on Survivor and eat a couple of them. Or how about you eat a couple of them and I'll take amusing pictures of it.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 25 Oct 03 - 11:57 PM

You know, sweetheart, we are in a public forum here and you should remember all those lessons in respect your mother and I tried to instill in you. You wouldn't want anyone to think you were a disrespectful punk would you?

Really guys, she is sweet and kind and loving and... Well, she's USUALLY a good kid.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: JennyO
Date: 26 Oct 03 - 09:13 AM

Well Brett, you simply MUST do Northwest Passage at the Loaded Dog then.

We had a singer called Dave Alexander who died a few years ago. It was one of the songs he was well known for leading, and always gets a huge response whenever it is sung.

The Dog is well known for its singing audiences - when in full flight they are a wonder to behold - and they should raise the roof with this one!

Jenny

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 26 Oct 03 - 06:36 PM

OK, I'll see if Charley will let me do Northwest Passage.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 27 Oct 03 - 07:57 AM

The famous singing Dog audience will be augmented by the Shiny BUms, who also sing up a storm.

sandra

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 27 Oct 03 - 11:29 PM

Daughter dear, you should see the young Chamorro men. Dark skinned with dancing dark eyes, muscular bodies, and long black hair usually pulled back into a pony tail. There's one kid in particular, 19 years old, going to college here on the island. Nice kid. You'll like him. *grin*

Fruit cake! These people like fruit cake! Not only do they like it but it is the preferred cake for wedding cakes! Today at lunch one of the group brought in some left over cake from a retirement party and it was frosted fruit cake. They got to talking about what they preferred and what they each had at their respective weddings. Imagine a four layer frosted wedding cake made out of fruit cake. They must have needed a fork lift to carry it in to the hall!

By the way, I love fruit cake.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 28 Oct 03 - 06:20 AM

Brett, if you like fruit cake, you'll find a lot of it here - christmas cakes are always fruit cake. Many years ago the females in my family made a beauty - it was supposed to have one portion of brandy but Mum, Nan & Aunty all put some in. It was rich!!

Australian wedding cakes are generaly fruit cake too, with lotsa' very decorative icing usually over a thick layer of almond?? paste. But folks only eat very small slices! And they are often several distinct layers, one of which can be kept for an anniversary or christening.

Decorative = flowers & other things made of the same icing, very fancy, very rich. Somewhere in my old photos I have pictures of prize winning cakes at the Royal (Agricultural Show) - so much work, then someone EATS it!

sandra

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Lana
Date: 28 Oct 03 - 06:38 AM

Hi Dad!
I'm glad you've got your Austrailia trip set. Make sure you take lots of pictures! :-)

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Tenjiro
Date: 28 Oct 03 - 09:03 AM

Yay for hot men! Are you sure you want me there for the summer? *grin* Don't worry, I'll be good. I'm shy when I meet guys. Yes, can believe it? I said I am shy!

I don't like fruit cake! Ah! I'm gonna be living on an island of fruit cake for 3 months? I'll make sure never to get married on Guam then. Atleast it isn't carrot cake!

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 28 Oct 03 - 07:47 PM

Interesting on the fruit cake. I wonder why? I can understand it in Oz with the early British influence but the influences on Guam are Spanish! I never heard of Spanish fruit cake.

Lana, dear, I am set for Australia and I don't want you abusing any more English police while I'm out of the country. Why don't you carry your swords in a duffle bag? And my camera was one of the things that was stolen. I may go ahead and buy a film camera and give up on digital photography. I prefer to have actual photographs I can handle and look at without a computer (which was also stolen).

Tenjiro, sweetheart, I know how shy you get. I personally think that's why you chose a woman's college. Now make sure you get some exercise and work on your swimming. Remember you will be wearing swimsuits and shorts a lot of the time here on Guam.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Lana
Date: 29 Oct 03 - 10:07 AM

The English police started it, i was just walking along minding my own business like the sweet innocent child that I am. :-) no, really!!

And I don't carry my swords in a duffle bag because i've yet to find a duffle bag that is long enough to hold them. I'm planning to start wrapping them in cloth though. Of course then people might just think i'm carrying a gun and call the police anyway. ah well. such is the life of a live roleplayer.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: curmudgeon
Date: 29 Oct 03 - 10:29 AM

Lana -- An old golf bag would probably be perfect for your swords, unless of course you're using the two-handed type -- Tom

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 29 Oct 03 - 06:54 PM

Maybe a little golf cart, the kind with the two wheels that you drag around behind you. I can see it now, walking down the street pulling the little cart, golf bag bristling with sword hilts and axe blades. In the USA the cops would shoot on sight. Maybe it's better you are in England.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 30 Oct 03 - 05:41 PM

Happy Halloween! We are pulling out all the stops here. A lot of my co-workers are in costume. I brought one in but it's too hot to wear all day. We have a costume party at lunch time with prizes for the best costume. I knew it was going to be a fun day when one of the young (and beautiful) women showed up in a tight fitting leopard skin outfit from The Flintstones.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 30 Oct 03 - 08:08 PM

Brett-

What are you folks doing for punkins? We've got a big one that we are planning to carve for the front entry. We have to decide how many noses and eyes we're going to carve this year. An extra set always seems to elicit a reaction.

But, of course, Halloween doesn't happen til tomorrow night.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 30 Oct 03 - 08:18 PM

We have punkins, just no frost on the punkin. My neighbor has two carved punkins sitting out in front of the house. For some reason Charlotte Shelob has disappeared so I have no spooky spider web over my door.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 30 Oct 03 - 10:15 PM

Well, that was fun! Since my last post we've had a costume contest and roving potluck lunch. I wish I had a nickel for each time someone has said to me, "C'mon Brett, eat!"

The costume prizes were awarded in 3 categories, Most Original, Funniest, and Scariest. The most original went to the woman who dressed as a shower, complete with curtain, soap, shampoo, and other bathroom odds and ends. The funniest went to the woman who dressed as a baby in a diaper, little shirt, bottle, and bib. I won scariest with my long gray robe, walking stick, and skeleton mask.

Other costumes included the woman who dressed as a pirate. She wore leggings that represent the high top boots but she's wore little open toe high heel shoes. One man dressed as a pregnant nun with "her" first baby in a sling carrier. Then, in the middle of the party we heard a groaning noise coming down the hall and here came a chain gang in striped jump suits and chains, escorted by a warden and an executioner. They were from the Commanding Officer's area and the middle convict was the commanding officer. One of the junior officers came in T-shirt and shorts and a wig of long red hair. Another showed up as a Rasta man with dreadlocks and rainbow colored cap.

As I say, lots of fun. I suppose I should do some work now...

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 02 Nov 03 - 06:15 PM

Not too much happening this weekend. The Seafarers meeting was at Shirley's Coffeeshop. It was an organizational meeting. Not too many people showed up but then there are several key people off-island right now. One of the items we discussed was the T-shirts. We are having some T-shirts made up. They will be quite dramatic with a picture of the Quest under sail on one side and the utt (canoe house) on the other. There will be a graphic of the navigator's tattoos on the sleeves. I think we're selling them for $15.00 if anyone wants one.

One of the members in a college kid. Actually several of the members are college kids. However this kid plays the ukelele and wants to buy a decent tenor uke. I have asked Mark Cohen in Hawaii to do some looking around for me and I may be able to help the kid get a decent uke.

I am looking forward to hearing proper ukelele music. Back home the uke is a comic instrument with little good to be said for it. Here there is apparently a strong contingent of uke players. My friend tells me there is an open mike for uke players somewhere on the island.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Tenjiro
Date: 03 Nov 03 - 06:31 PM

Lots of college kids huh? Oh! I declare my major tomorrow at 3!

~Amy~

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 03 Nov 03 - 07:23 PM

Drum roll please! What will her major be? How will she spend the rest of her college career? Tune in tomorrow, same time, same place!

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Lana
Date: 04 Nov 03 - 02:48 AM

a major in bartending and a minor in prostitution? or maybe the other way around. the pay is good. ;-)

just kidding amy, you know I love you. :-) how bout a major in procrastination? I always thought that sounded like fun, but the classes were always full.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 04 Nov 03 - 05:13 AM

Obviously the students in those classes were under achievers. A true procrastinator would never get in because s/he'd never get around to registering.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Tenjiro
Date: 04 Nov 03 - 03:22 PM

YAY! It's offcial! I am a Theatre major here at grand ole RMWC. I've even switched my work study from Catering to a full time Theatre Assistant! The theatre shall eat my soul! Muahahahaha.

~Amy~

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: GUEST,MMario
Date: 04 Nov 03 - 03:44 PM

Caterer's make better money . (Not that I would ever willingly work in Food Trades again )

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Tenjiro
Date: 04 Nov 03 - 04:30 PM

yes they do, but they don't when the school pays you minium wage for all the jobs on campus. Working for the theatre will help my major. :-)

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: GUEST,MMario
Date: 04 Nov 03 - 04:33 PM

it was tongue in cheek - As I said - I would never willingly go back to food trades - have a niece who is a free lance director - and I am involved in a number of theatrical things -

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 04 Nov 03 - 07:36 PM

Test

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 04 Nov 03 - 07:37 PM

Good for you, Sweetheart. I am so very proud of you.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Tenjiro
Date: 04 Nov 03 - 08:48 PM

Yay! I've made my father proud! Woot!

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 06 Nov 03 - 03:28 PM

Last Monday was All Soul's Day. I was supposed to be on Sunday but the priests were all busy with their regular services. Apparently the Catholic Church has decreed that if November First falls on a Sunday then the celebration gets shifted to the following Monday. I guess they don't want to pay overtime to the priests.

Anyway, on Saturday and Sunday the cemetaries were full of people decorating the graves of their loved ones. Sunday night many people stayed by the graves all night. Monday was devoted to prayer and masses. Unfortunately they didn't get good weather for the celebration. One of my co-workers was supposed to go out to the cemetary at lunch time but it was pouring buckets so she stayed in the office.

Wednesday night I went out for rehearsal and noticed there are colored lights still shining all through the cemetaries. It's very pretty.

Last night was my second performance here in Guam. After the rehearsal on Wednesday a couple of the Pago Bay Reefers prevailed upon me to come to Le Tasi Bistro on Thursday to perform when the band stepped down for a break. Jay introduced me and I stepped up to the mike. I started with Henry The Eighth after explaining that we were going to be doing something a little different. The whole audience joined in. They remembered Herman's Hermits and all knew the words. It was great fun. I followed that with a chanty, South Australia, and finished with Mary Mac. Thy were very kind and we all had a lot of fun.

Oops, it's almost 6:30. Time to get ready for work.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 08 Nov 03 - 04:07 AM

You know it's funny about the past. I served on board the USS Mount Whitney (picture here) from 1973 to 1975. I hated it. I hated the ship, I hated the Navy, and I hated the town we were stationed in. Today I made a point about going down the the dock to see her sister ship, The Blue Ridge. And I felt nostalgia creep over me like a coating of honey drooling out of a barrel on to my head. What gives? I don't understand it myself. If there are any armchair shrinks out there who can explain it I'm all ears.

But I walked the length of that ship and studied her looking for differences and changes from the old ship that I served in. I looked at the sailors walking the docks and they look so young! Was I ever that young? I can't believe it. I wanted to ask them if their mother knew they were away from home.

And there are women on board now! What an improvement that would have been in the old days. I remember six months away from home and how wonderful it was to see women again when we came ashore.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: curmudgeon
Date: 08 Nov 03 - 09:10 AM

Brett, Check your links. this is what i got:

Forbidden
You don't have permission to access /ussmtwhitney/LCC/gallery/LCC03.gif on this server.

Will try to pack up a couple shanties for you this afternoon so Charly can bring them along -- Tom

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 08 Nov 03 - 03:23 PM

Grumble. grumble, gripe, gripe!

Well, if you do a google search for the Mount Whitney you will find a picture of her. She's a pretty ungainly looking vessel.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Bill D
Date: 08 Nov 03 - 04:58 PM

that link worked here...must be a local thing..

Nice ship! from a distance, anyway...ungainly? Guess I don't know what sleek is supposed to be...

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 08 Nov 03 - 07:58 PM

Well, up close she looks pretty ungainly.

I forgot to mention the rehearsal last Wednesday, or actually, I only mentioned it in passing. There was a little girl there and her mother and the other two women were busy decorating her birthday cake. She was turning 4 years old. Her name is Tara.

She is typical of almost-4-year-old children. She is a bundle of energy and cute as a button. It's been years since I was able to play with a little kid and it brought back memories of how easy it is to fool them and make them laugh.

Here's a trick for all parents and grandparents of little kids. It's a game I invented and we call it Waterhole (Actually in kidspeak it's "waddyhole"). You place the child on your knees seated sideways so her legs dangle down beside your left or right leg. Then you tell her the story of the waterhole and all the animals who come to drink there. And when you use the word waterhole you open your knees and drop her into the waterhole. Of course, you make sure you don't do that EVERY time you use the word and the anticipation and the story will reward you with gales of laughter. Warning: Be prepared to do this for hours on end once you start it.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Amos
Date: 08 Nov 03 - 08:16 PM

Here ya go....


A

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 10 Nov 03 - 06:28 PM

Thanks, Amos.

The weather here has been a little weird lately. We had occasional strong winds and heavy clouds on Sunday and Monday. Last night the rain arrived and though it was light rain it blew sideways in the wind. It was only showers and now everything has calmed down again.

I heard a report from Guam this morning on All Things Considered from NPR. We get ATC in the morning here so the news is fresher than if we waited till the evening.

Anyway, there is apparently a brain disease that kills Chomorros. The report is of the solution to the mystery. The bats they eat feed on the accacia seeds which contain a neurotoxin. The toxin accumulates in the bats and then accumulates in the Chamorros who eat the bats. I'm looking forward to talking about it at the lunch table tomorrow. No bats please, pass the salad.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Barbara
Date: 10 Nov 03 - 10:07 PM

Yes, Brett, I heard that on NPR this evening and came here intending to tell you to stay away from roast flying fox when you sample Chamorro cuisine. Of course, since the introduction of rifles to Guam, they're an endangered species (says NPR), so probably not the centerpiece of the feast these days.
Stay well,
Blessings,
Barbara, and say hi to Judy and Charlie for me when you see 'em.
I went to college (MSU) with Charlie.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 11 Nov 03 - 02:00 AM

Ah, but Barbara, it's worse than that. They don't roast them. The boil them intact and eat the whole thing! One of my work friends recounted how her mother likes to eat the wings right down to the bone. I have eaten some strange things since I got here but there is no way I could keep my supper down if someone brought boiled fruit bat to the table.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 11 Nov 03 - 02:09 AM

The other thing I'm trying to wrap my mind around is this ideea of being frantic before a vacation. You still have plenty of time, almost a day and a half, to get ready. I fly out on Thursday afternoon. Today I put up the typhoon shutters so the house will be protected while I'm away. On Thursday morning I will do my laundry, fold it and pack it and haul the duffle bag up to the airport for checkin by 1:00. Nothing to it.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 11 Nov 03 - 02:20 AM

Charley! I just read in the thread on the November Shanty Sing that everyone is coming down with colds. If you are carrying any of those germs you can stay right the hell away from this hemisphere! If I get sick after our trip I wll never forgive you and never let you live it down! So call up the airline and tell them you've been banned from travel and have to stay in the frozen north!

Where's my surgical mask...

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: JennyO
Date: 11 Nov 03 - 04:27 AM

Same here, Charlie. We've just thrown off the dreaded lurgy. Just leave it there.

BTW Brett, when the Chamorros eat the bats, does the brain disease send them "batty"? I guess that comment is in rather poor "taste".

The idea of boiled fruit bat is pretty revolting! I promise the dead animals we have on the BBQ will not be bats. I can't make any other promises though :-)

Jenny

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: JennyO
Date: 11 Nov 03 - 04:36 AM

The smile on my smiley went on the next line - grrrrr. Little buggers won't behave :-(    :-o    :-)    ;-D

(Note to self - always preview)

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: JennyO
Date: 11 Nov 03 - 09:36 PM

Brett, let's see how calm you are by this time tomorrow. I can't believe anyone can stay that casual about packing for a trip. By the way, how does the time zone in Guam compare with our daylight saving time here? Right now it's about 1.30pm on the 12th.

Jenny

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Bob Bolton
Date: 11 Nov 03 - 09:53 PM

G'day JennyO,

I don't know if Brett has skived off already, but Guam should be only 2 hours behind Sydney/East Coast Australia (or maybe 3, since they probably don't have daylight saving at their latitude).

Regards,

Bob Bolton

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: JennyO
Date: 11 Nov 03 - 10:50 PM

Hi Bob,

By my calculations he won't be leaving till tomorrow night. Yes I thought it would only be a small difference, something like what you said. Thanks for that.

Jenny

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 12 Nov 03 - 12:01 AM

I haven't "skived off" yet. I leave tomorrow evening. According to my handy dandy little pocket gadget (Palm Pilot) we are 1 hour behind you.

As for being casual about traveling, I spent too many years married to someone who couldn't do anything without worrying it to death. I enjoy having a casual outlook on life. If I forget anything, well, I probably didn't need it anyway. Who cares if I can't brush my teeth fot 17 days...

I'm saving my excitement for the trip and that is building. I seem to be having a little trouble concentrating on the work today. I'm not sleeping well either. Hmmm, could I be worried and not acknowledging it? I think not. I think I'm excited about going to the Land Down Under.

Plus I'll be crossing the Equator for the first time in my life. All my life's experiences have been in the northern half of the globe, mostly in one half of one hemisphere. Now I will venture into austral incognito.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Bob Bolton
Date: 12 Nov 03 - 06:39 AM

G'day Brett,

You would indeed be only an hour behind us ... and that's because you won't be on Daylight Saving in Guam - which doesn't work in the tropics! I did not realise that Guam was that far east of the Philipines ... you are almost due north of Port Douglas (well ... ~ 1' 30" west).

We'll see you soon(ish) ... free of jet lag!

Regards,

Bob

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 12 Nov 03 - 07:02 AM

Brett - if you leave your toothbrush behind you can buy one here - our shops sell lotsa' good stuff! Not that I think you are one of those insular Americans who don't know anything about other countries. We have only been adding to your existing knowledge by telling you about the drop bears & the bitey things that abound in Oz. Did anyone mention the stinging jellyfish & other creatures found in northern seas?

While I was still working in the call centre of our Federal Govt agency I received an email from a researcher in an American organisation who had obviously confused Australia with Austria! I politely replied saying we can't help you with what you need. She responded that if we ever needed any information from them to please ask. No thankyou, I thought to myself.

sandra

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 12 Nov 03 - 05:47 PM

LOL! As I brushed my teeth last night I got to thinking about third world countries and hard living. I could imagine my host's indignation if I got to Australia and innocently asked if the tap water was pure enough to drink. I figure I'd be ridden out of the country on a rail.

But many of my fellow US citizens figure they are the only developed country on Earth. We can be so ignorant.

Yes, I have heard of the bitey and stinging creatures in your oceans. If you haven't read Bill Bryson's book, In A Sunburned Country, he goes on at length about how many ways there are to die, or at least suffer horribly, in Australia.

Ho-hum, it must be time to do my laundry and pack. Australia, here I come!

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 13 Nov 03 - 07:52 AM

this week's New Scientist has a very interesting article about box jellyfish (familiarly known as "box jellies" - how cute!). Seems like they & similar fatal & near-fatal stingers wander around the northern seas all year around, not just in summer & autumn as formerly thought.

bye for now
sandra

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: JennyO
Date: 13 Nov 03 - 08:07 AM

Too late to frighten him any more, Sandra. He would have left by now. Has he heard about the deadly blue-ringed octopus? (just in case he checks in while he is in Port Douglas, mwuhhahahahahahahaha ;-))

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: GUEST
Date: 13 Nov 03 - 09:24 PM

I'm here. And what did I see when I bought the local paper. Large picture, front page, a man holding two large box jellyfish, stingers as they're known locally. What have I done?

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Ebbie
Date: 13 Nov 03 - 11:25 PM

Brett - and others- have you read Edward Kanze's 'Kangaroo Dreaming'? He and his wife, both naturalists, systematically roamed all the states and both territories in search of Australia's unique wildlife. They logged hundreds of critters they had never seen before. It's a great read.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: GUEST,Brett
Date: 14 Nov 03 - 08:50 PM

I'll check it out, Ebbie.

Yesterday was quite a trip. I wandered downtown looking for a newspaper and some brekky. I wandered into several likely looking estyablishments before I found a "news agent" who had the Cairns Post. Then I headed over for breakfast. I was hungry and ordered the big breakfast. I won't do that again. It included sausages, bacon, steak, eggs, some kind of fried potato cake and toast. Good thing I was in no hurry!

While I sat there little birds kept flying in through the open door to peck at crumbs on the floor. They were very funny. Then two women came in with a video camera. One of them kept filming the other. They were having a good time. At one point the camera panned around the room and I looked up in time to see it settle on me. After she put it down I waggled my toast at her as if to say, "Naughty girl!" We shared a smile and went back to our own lives.

After brekky I headed down to the waterfront park. I stopped to talk to shop owners and tour operaters. People are very friendly here. Down at the waterfront I examined St. Mary's Church and walked out on to the town dock to photograph the harbor and mountains. Then I found a picnic table in the shade of a banyan tree and lay down to rest my feet and listen to the birds.

There are birds here! The town is alive with the sound of birdsong from the screech of the lorikeets to the warble of the magpie larks (lark magpies?). Guam's bird population has been decimated by the tree snakes and the countryside is largely silent. I am surprised at how much I have missed simple birdsong.

A I lay there I heard sirens and a fire truck halted in front of the Court House Bar. I photographed that too.

Then I wandered back to the hotel and took a swim in the pool which was cool and refreshing. I went back to the room, played my guitar, read for a bit, and took a nap. What luxury, or is it decadence?

When I woke from my nap I found a gale going on outside. I went out to enjoy the rough weather. There was no rain but the wind was very strong. I headed for the beach but was sidetracked by a walkway that climbed a hill. I headed uphill and arrived at a very lovely overlook that gave me a dramatic view of the whole of the Four Mile Beach. With the wind and the waves it was wonderful. The trail ended in a rough road so I followed that back into town. It was my first introduction to undeveloped land n Australia.

I found a grocery store where I bought some water and fruit drinks. Then with my backpack weighty with my purchases I headed for the hotel again.

I kicked back for a while then headed out for some supper. There is a seafood restaurant near here called Coconutz. It was closest and I was tired so that is where I went. I order Morton Bay Bugs and a mango daiquarie (sp?). The drink arrived, dark yellow with a crown of fruit, a cherry, slices of lime, lemon, and pinapple, and tall palm fronds sticking out the top. I couldn't help but laugh at it. The other diners grinned and laughed too when I aksed the waitress where to start on the drink.

I ended up in a conversation with the couple at the next table who were very interesting in their own right. He works as an engineer at one resort and she manages another. They have 6 acres up in the hills where they keep horses. Eventually they joined me at my table while we aited out the rain. Did I mention that showers eventually arrived with the gale?

The bugs were good but not good enough that I would pay that kind of money for them again. They were expensive. The drink was not that good. I guess I'm not a fa of daiquaries.

Now I am in the internet cafe and ready to explore some more. I tried to get on a tour but that one was not going anywhere until later and I want to be here when Charley and Judy arrive.

Back into the fun!

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 16 Nov 03 - 05:52 AM

Charley and Judy arrived while I was seated on my balcony playing my guitar and enjoying a beer. It was a lovely reunion. I haven't seen them since I left Maine in June. We had a nice dinner and this morning shared the experiences at The Habitat, a walk through jungle aviary and zoo. Charley had great fun feeding the wallabies and kangaroos. We got up close and personal with a small freshwater croc, and met the cassowary.

Then we went to the Port Douglas market. Unfortunately my feet were done in and I still had to walk up through the town. But I wandered around. At one booth with glasswares the proprietor sat with a guitar in his lap. He plays with another man and their current interest is bluegrass. He said his partner was at another booth up the line. As I wandered up there I heard banjo music and then a familiar voice. Charlie had found the banjo player and they were swapping songs.

I visited a few more booths and then staggered off to the hotel and the swimming pool. Then a nap revitalized me.

By the by, I have discovered a book called The Salmon Of Doubt. It is a collection of Douglas Adams smaller works, newspaper columns, articles, speeches, etc. It is very good. It also includes the ten chapters of the latest Dirk Gently novel he was working on when he died.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: GUEST,james bryant
Date: 16 Nov 03 - 10:34 PM

dear naemanson, i stumbled across youre site while surfing the web... and it warmed my heart,in 1985,i spent 6 weeks in/on Guam,playing there with a rock/metal cover band called WWIII..., i fell in love with the island and have never forgotten it...,your site brought back alot of beautiful memories!...i remember cocos island, and a place called talofofo falls, we played at a big club called ''the pescador'',it was behind a place where they had legal cock-fighting..., i ate alot of oriental food there and learned to love japanese food9is the 'flamingo inn''still there? unfortunately whenever i hear about guam in the news here in texas, its bad,typhoons, snake infestations,a bad plane crash there several years ago,but your site was good...,i hope you get this message..my e-mail site is '[e-mail], God bless you and ''thanks for the memories'' james.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Lana
Date: 19 Nov 03 - 11:38 AM

Hi Dad!
It sounds like you're having a blast! :-) I'm very glad to hear you're having such a good time. Tell Charly and Judy hello from me. :-)

I'm doing fine, my friend Sara from Gettysburg just visited and we had a great time, shared gossip and got caught up on each others lives, i hadn't seen her in about a year and a half!

Talk to you soon,
Love
Kelli

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 19 Nov 03 - 08:47 PM

By now Charley and Judy are on the bus headed for Cairns Airport and Sydney. I head out in another hour and a half.

Port Douglas has been a wonderful experience for someone who has never really had a vacation before. It wasn't until I read Bill Bryson's book that I realized why people vacation. It isn't necessarily supposed to be time you take to visit family or build a new stable or workshop. Apparently it's OK just to go somewhere to enjoy yourself and see places you've never seen before.

I got my pictures developed yesterday and washed my laundry. I'll be arriving in Sydney with clean clothes and fairly rested. I figure I'll provide a detailed report on this vacation on the NEws From Guam thread.

As for the Sydney folk, I'll see a bunch of you this evening at the Harp!

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 19 Nov 03 - 08:49 PM

LOL!

Maybe I'm not as rested as I thought. I THOUGHT I was posting to the Oz Foray thread!

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Ebbie
Date: 21 Nov 03 - 02:29 PM

Freshen up.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 26 Nov 03 - 05:38 PM

My vacation is winding down. Only two more nights and then I head for Guam. I don't know how I will manage to get back into the working mode. Sigh, now I know why I wanted to be independently wealthy.

Once I get home I will post my adventures in Australia. After all, by then it WILL be "News From Guam".

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Jeri
Date: 26 Nov 03 - 06:23 PM

Just wait until you see your "in bin" - you'll get back into working mode! Hope your desk hasn't collapsed under the weight.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Ebbie
Date: 01 Dec 03 - 12:53 AM

Refresh?

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 01 Dec 03 - 03:57 AM

Brett has returned safely to Guam.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 01 Dec 03 - 08:21 AM

I am indeed here. And still tired. Why is it we take vacations to relax and then return from them exhausted and needing to rest?

This may be the end of my travels for this year. I was supposed to go to headquarters next week (in Hawaii, for those who need to sympathize (sp?)) but that may have been canceled. I should find out tomorrow.

And I need to write up my excellant Australian adventure too. I may even buy a scanner so I can out some of my pictures up somewhere. I have one of Charley that he offered me money NOT to share. How much ya got there, Charley?

Today I got a copy of Alison Freeman's new album, Chanteyman. It made me laugh with pleasure to see it. Then listening to her pure voice and those old songs we all shared got to me. I had to pull off the road to let the tears come. This wasn't homesickness, I think. But I did have something that needed to come out and her CD triggered it.

By the way, she's done a lovely job on the CD and I recommend those of you in New England to go out and buy a copy.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 02 Dec 03 - 08:16 PM

It's December in Guam. Christmas looms on the horizon. The decorations brighten the roadsides, little lights swaying in palm trees. Somehow I can't get it through my head that I have to go Christmas shopping. The weather is warm and sleepy and the landscape is green. There just is no sense of urgency even though the holiday is only 22 days away.

But this weekend I must get out to the Chamorro Village and maybe down to Gef Pago to find presnts for the family. This year my presents will be unique assuming I can decide who needs what.

When I got back to the office I had over 390 emails waiting for me. I have it trimmed to about 200 now and am still working my way through the system.

Ah well, back into the pit!

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 04 Dec 03 - 01:59 AM

I have once again fallen victim to the criminals on Guam. When my laptop was stolen I had to cancel my bank account and open a new one. Since then I've been waiting for my ShareChek Card and my new checks.

This morning before work I went into the website for my bank account to check on balances and start the process for paying my bills this payday. I noticed there were purchases over the last few days using my ShareChek Card, the one I never got.

Sigh. This morning I canceled the card and ordered a new one. This one will be mailed to my office. Apparently they took the card from my mailbox. I wonder what else they've been lifting. If only they'd take the bills and pay them...

I get to talk to the police again this evening. When I called this morning the cop on dispatch remembered me! This is getting old and I am finally getting beyond annoyed.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 04 Dec 03 - 08:47 AM

bugger - & even more rude words if your bank holds you liable.

I was planning to ask you for your address cos I have a great chrissy card for you, but the card is not for them, so could you email me your work address. I've had a Post Office box for years (decade?) cos of potential burglars. They are welcome to take the occasional junk mail that comes to my street address!

sandra

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 04 Dec 03 - 09:27 PM

Well, the dry season has definitely arrived. The skies are clearer than a month ago. Those clouds that are up there are small puffy things that give definition to the blue bowl of the sky. Yesterday afternoon I realized why the hills looked funny. The humidity has dropped and I am seeing them clearly for the first time. The days are cooler and the nights are very pleasant.

I'm having a tough time getting into the holiday season. There is no climate trigger to get me thinking of Christmas. The scene outside my window is green and blue and lovely but it doesn't conjure up images of Santa and his reindeer. Some places have strung bright colored lights but lights in a palm tree just don't carry the same connotation.

But I do have to get out to the stores this weekend. I want to get some local crafts for my family. My little nieces will get grass skirts and the little coconut halter tops that go with them. I need to send T-shirts from the Traditional Seafarers Society to some family members as well as other bits and pieces. My college daughters want the universal present, money. And I need to look around for other things to box up and send home.

Merry Christmas/Happy Chanukka/Happy Kwanza/G'day

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: JennieG
Date: 05 Dec 03 - 02:07 AM

Brett - we always have a sunny hot Christmas - doesn't everybody? Although today Sydney is cold, windy and rainy, just like the weather on the day of the BBQ and Jenny and John's place. Except today is colder and windier I reckon. And there was I walking home from the station in just a t-shirt and skirt, bare arms freezing, 15 minutes is a long walk sometimes!
Cheers
JennieG

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: JennyO
Date: 05 Dec 03 - 04:26 AM

Hi Brett. It sounds like you are having lovely weather there at the moment. I thought the weather was starting to settle down here, but it seems we are at the mercy of a series of storm cells at the moment.

The cycle of hot days followed by thunderstorms is not unusual here at this time of the year - our summers are not hot and dry, but hot and humid - more of a monsoon season. What I am finding unusual, though, is the cold. There have been spectacular thunderstorms for the last two days, yesterday starting out sunny and hot, but today has been cold, raining, windy and miserable all day. I think it is definitely colder than the day of our BBQ.

Here's how the Daily Telegraph saw it:

click on 'view today's front page'

There was also this story and this explanation

Much as I dislike extreme heat and humidity, right now it's a little too cold for my liking.

Jenny

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 05 Dec 03 - 07:29 AM

JennyO - I was making rude comments about you reading the Daily Telecrap when the link crashed me out. Pleeeze stick to better papers in future.

Today we has lunch at Doyles on the Wharf - yummy food & good company but drizzle everywhere. We travelled there in the ferry & saw lots of drizzle & greyness. At least the ferry ride back was clearer & we could see some scenery. We had a window table & they all praised me as if I had arranged the table, all I did was make the booking. I watched a feeding cormorant, swallows flitting around, seagulls in their proper environment (they do not belong in the Cross or the CBD) & several pigeons out of theirs.

I am listening to my new & borrowed CDs - very pleasant (tho not as pleasant as a singing session).

sandra

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: JennyO
Date: 05 Dec 03 - 09:08 AM

Sandra, the Telecrap had a very dramatic picture of yesterday's storm building up. First one I've bought in ages.

I'm more interested in what you said about the link crashing you out. Something very strange happened to my computer about the same time. I'll send you an email.

Jenny

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 05 Dec 03 - 07:44 PM

Geeze, Brett-

You should have flown back to Maine with us. You'd really be in the Christmas spirit right now with the temperature below zero Centrigrade and the weather people screaming about the one to two feet of snow we're expected to get this weekend. But I digress...

Nice to be home with our own kitties and the pet mouse.

Hope Judy makes it back on Sunday from her organizational meeting in Oklahoma.

Hug a coconut tree for me, would you? And give it a good shake.

Charley Noble

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 06 Dec 03 - 07:31 PM

Charley, this time of year the only thing that might fall out of a coconut tree is Christmas lights.

Now let me get this straight. Australia and New England are having crummy weather?

The snow storm in the northeastern US is all over the news (National Public Radio). I listened to the reports and decided it was a good day to go to the beach. I spent most of yesterday shopping and now I have to find the last of the presents and some boxes big enough to carry them. Do you know how much room a grass skirt takes up?

Last night my neighbors (the ones I think have been robbing me) had a birthday party for their two year old daughter. They invited me. I was of two minds on that score. It is custom to invite neighbors to a fiesta. It is an insult to refuse to go. Yet I don't trust or like them. Sigh, this must be what it's like to be an adult. But I went along, leaving my wallet behind. I sat in the living room and talked to the old man, Mr. Cruz. It was interesting to see how he was treated. He was the patriarch of the family. Every newcomer went straight to him first and greeted him. Apparently he lives in Saipan now but was down to visit on the occasion of the birthday party. As I watched they placed the birthday girl in her high chair and set the whole cake on the tray before her. Then they took pictures while she scooped frosting into her mouth. Then they lit the candles and did the same thing! We sang Happy Birthday. They had a second verse that everyone else knew and sang along.

The Lord has blessed you,
The Lord has blessed you,
The Lord has blessed Mary,
Happy birthday to you.

Then they filled the pinata and took it outside for the kids to break. The house and dooryard were full of screaming excited children. It's been a while since I have been through that and I took my leave shortly thereafter.

I have also encountered another interesting facet of life on Guam. Do-it-yourself criminal investigation. The police department cannot enter the Navy base to interview credit union employees and gather evidence on my stolen check card so I have to do it myself. Tomorrow I'll go over to the bank and get them to run a detailed list of the purchases and the dates and times they were made. Fun!

All this talk of snow has made me cold... no, wait! I just have the air conditioning set too low. I guess I'll go off to the beach to warm up.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: SINSULL
Date: 06 Dec 03 - 10:41 PM

Hey Brett! No 30'Christmas trees? No removing doors to get it into the house? No placing six blue ornaments on one branch?

Just a thought - is there a local organization to whom you can pay a fee for protection? You are off limits? You know, where Nunzio lets everyone know that you are off limits? Just a thought.

I am being held hostage in Chicago. Training.Home to Maine next Friday.

Wonder if lobsters ship well...
SINS

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

Well, for all my talk of good weather and going to the beach I didn't go. Not too long after my last post the clouds moved in and the skiesopened up. It didn't rain all day but it was cloudy and threatening. sigh.

Sins, are you trapped in Chicago because of the snow or are you there for a while? You used the word "training" so I assume you are getting an all expenses paid tour of the mid range hotels in Chi-town.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: SINSULL
Date: 07 Dec 03 - 10:00 AM

I FEEL HAPPY! i FEEL HEALTHY! I FEEL TERRIFIC!!!!!
Sorry about that, Brett. Part of the training.

You guessed it. Up at crack of dawn, buffet breakfast, lunch break plus two 15 minute breaks, and endless studying. How is anyone suooosed to feel happy and healthy on four hours sleep in a room with a stranger?

I followed your Australian trek even though I didn't post much. I was there back in the 70s and thought the place heaven. Someday, I may go back. Right now I can't get past aching to see Portland Head Lighthouse and my own little spot of heaven.

Your theft problem is really upsetting. Just a thought - Nanny Cams can be hidden to pick up wide angles. At least you will be able to identify the thief. It would be a shame if you kept your neighbors at a distance only to discover they aren't involved.

Time for a PO Box, I think.Or a really mean dog.

More later.
SINS

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: bbc
Date: 07 Dec 03 - 12:14 PM

Yup, Brett, the weather is headed up to my sister in Maine--16-24 inches, maybe. Perhaps you're better off w/ a little rain?

hugs,

barbara

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 09 Dec 03 - 12:34 AM

Well, Sins, the neighbors have the market on mean dogs. And I'd hate to use a post office box but I will if I have to.

Barbara, did you get clobbered down where you are? Did you mean you got 16" to 24"?

We have rain showers sweeping in over us today. The sky will be bright, then get dimmer. I look up to see the mountains fading behind a curtain of gray. And then the rain pours down hard for a few minutes, moves on and the sun comes out.

This morning, coming down off the mountain, I noticed that the horizon was gone. The gray sea ran on to find the gray sky and there was no distinguishing the difference. I remember seeing something similar on a clear morning. The colors then were blue and no apparent horizon. And floating out there, either in the sea or in the sky, was a ship with a red hull and pale yellow superstucture. The colors were vivid.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: GUEST,bbc at work
Date: 09 Dec 03 - 12:07 PM

Brett,

I just got about a foot of snow & it was Sat. & Sun.--easy to clean up & no place I had to be. That's the way do do snow, as far as I'm concerned!

Barbara

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 11 Dec 03 - 07:06 PM

Well, there is no snow here and none in the forecast. The problem with that is the difficulty in finding some Christmas spirit. I went over to NEX II the other day to visit the dive shop. As I walked through the parking lot I caught the lovely scent of pine and spruce on the breeze. I was downwind from the lot where they sell the real trees. I stood there a moment bathed in the sweetness of a northern forest, remembering the feel of pine needles underfoot and the brush of boughs as I walked between the trees. It was a homesick moment.

I have not finished my Christmas shopping yet. My gifts will be very late, I'm afraid. I could make up all kinds of excuses but that won't get the boxes home any earlier.

Tomorrow the Traditional Seafarers are going into the woods near Pagat to check on a breadfruit log that may be big enough to allow us to build another canoe. It's been lying on the ground for some time now and may be infested with termites but we need to go check. We'll saw off the ends and see what it looks like.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 11 Dec 03 - 08:03 PM

Well. if the breadfruit log doesn't work as a canoe, you can always use it as a Yule log.

It's raining here today in Maine. Goodby snow, hello hockey rink!

Judy is busy editing her digital images of us at the Loaded Dog as I post this.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 11 Dec 03 - 09:57 PM

So, when do we get to see some of those images?

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 13 Dec 03 - 08:04 PM

Well, that was a productive day. I joined the Seafarers at 10:00 Saturday morning. After an organizational meeting we split into two groups. One bunch stayed to work on the canoe and the rest of us headed up to Pagat to look at a breadfruit log that had been blown down in Typhoon Pongsana last year. I expected it to be in the jungle.

We needed to determine if the wood was still good. A year on its side made it likely to be full of termites or other wood destroying pests or rot. We need a large log to build another canoe. I'd heard this one was large enough.

I have to describe my mental picture of what I expected. I figured we'd park off the road and trek in through the woods to the site. There we'd see a tree resting on its side and ready to be cut up. Nothing could be further from the reality of the situation.

To start with the tree was unidentifiable. It rested in a pile of culch, rocks, dirt, and other stuff piled haphazardly at one edge of an agricultural field. Vegetation had overgrown the whole thing. What we saw when we arrived was a ridge of vegetation at least 150 feet long and between 4 and 8 feet high. Somewhere in there was our log.

We started with climbing carefully into the vegetation and feeling for the thing with sweeping chops of a machete blade. Then Gordon climbed up on top and started to clear off the vegetation. He and his son finally figured out where the main trunk ended and they cut it off there with the chain saw. Then they worked back to the root ball.

The bark was a thin fragile skin with composted material under it. It was full of worms, beetles, centipedes and other tiny wildlife. At one point Gordon lifted off a piece of bark and found a worm ball, a seething mass of earthworms all wrapped up in a tangle of writhing bodies. We cleared a lot of it off and then started in on the buttresses that make up the bottom of the tree.

Unlike most trees in my experience this one grows wedges of trunk like buttresses to support the main body. These are narrow and we had to cut them away so we could saw through the trunk just above the root ball. It was awkward cutting. I could see that from where I stood, hands in pockets, doing my part as supervisor. I know, it's a dirty job but someone has to do it.

Once we had it cut through we attached a rope I'd brought to a protruding branch and tried to roll it out of there. With seven men hauling in time to a regular chant of "Pull!, Pull!, Pull!" we managed to make it move just the tiniest bit. It was time for some heavy duty action.

The farmer brought over his little tractor. We tied on to it and he took a strain. Now, the rope was a good piece of 5/8 inch braided nylon. Good solid stuff. I bought it a year or two ago figuring I could use it with Roll & Go to demonstrate pulling to a chanty but I never worked out how to do it. Now it was seeing some real work.

The tractor pulled the log over on its side and raised another big branch into the air. We tied on to that one and cut off the first one. The tractor took the strain and once more pulled the log over on its side. And that was as far as that log was going to move. We tried different angles but it was no go. The tractor just dug itself into the red clay.

We gave up on moving the log any further and were engaged in cutting out some smaller pieces from the big branches in the pile when a friend of Frank's showed up in his big 6 wheel Chevy 2500 pickup truck. He hooked on to that log and yanked it out of the pile and out into level ground like there was nothing there.

And there we were. We now have a log about 25 feet long, all solid wood. It isn't large enough to build an ocean canoe but we can build a small canoe from it. Everyone is excited.

And now I am home, sunburned and tired. It has been a good day. When I got home I was dirty, sweaty, sore, and ready for a shower. Now I am clean and feeling good about the day.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Amos
Date: 13 Dec 03 - 09:35 PM

All I can say, man, is you are having a helluva a lot more fun than the average Guvvy!! :>)

A

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 14 Dec 03 - 04:33 AM

Oh! I forgot to mention something. My friend Anthony was shopping for a ukelele. Now, I have always had the idea that the uke was little more than a toy. I remember Tiny Tim strumming his and I've know one or two people who play them as little more than for comic effect.

Well, Anthony bought his new uke. He paid $225 for a used uke with a plastic back. Man! Does it sound nice! I have had to rewrite some of my head software on instruments since I took up folk music but this is a major rewrite. He was playing it and I picked out a few notes on it. It has such a sweet happy sound. he told me of some guys who flat pick their ukes, other have different fingerpicking styles and others strum with a variety of styles. I guess I have some learning to do.

Anthony's goal is to be good enough to be able to justify buying a uke for $1,000! I wonder what the equivalent is in guitar dollars?

Amos, you'd be interested to note that I went to a "Holiday Drop-In" today. That is a military thing. You open your house for co-workers to drop in for some food and conversation and to share in the spirit of the season. It is as informal as they can get. So there we were, a bunch of people, the women sitting together talking woman things (babies, clothes, jewelry, etc.) and the guys sitting together talking shop and me in the middle bored out of my mind. But that is life inside the bubble.

All I could think is that these people needed to get out of the bubble and get a life. Don't get me wrong. They are, each and every one of them, good people. But they are in a corporate mind set that keeps them in a single track. They cannot break free and go out on their own. They cannnot rebel beyond a certain set of criteria. And they expect the white civilian employees to join in the game! Not me, buddy!

I am happy with my lot in life. I can go out with my Chamorro friends and harvest fallen trees and learn to carve with an adze and eat BBQ and drink cheap beer and tell dirty jokes and generally enjoy life. Next July, when I go to FesPac I will have an in with the festival because I will be there in connection with one of the island representative organizations. One of the guys owns a cruising sailboat and has suggested we take her out on a cruise with Manny as our navigator to teach us about the stars and how he gets around on the water. That will be a fun trip.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 14 Dec 03 - 11:53 AM

Brett, here's to "beyond the bubble!"

We're getting close to sending a set of digital images from our Oz Foray to be posted on Mudcat. You are prominately featured in several!

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Amos
Date: 14 Dec 03 - 01:34 PM

Cheers. man!! I second the toast -- to beyond the )(&^ bubble!!! LOL

A

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 14 Dec 03 - 07:04 PM

After I left Manny went up to look at the log. He is concerned about an internal crack between the rings that may make it unusable for a larger canoe. We will be cutting a few feet off to see how far the crack goes. If we are lucky we'll have enough left to make a one man canoe and plenty of wood to make models.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: SINSULL
Date: 14 Dec 03 - 08:10 PM

It's snowing, Brett. The snow that was supposed to start at midnight is snowing down.
Thank you for my black opal. I am so much more pleased with it than I would have been with a piece of asphalt. And now you don't have to dread the wrath of Mary.
Stay free, Brett. Sing, Sail, Carve canoes. Do whatever you have to do but stay free.
SINS.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 14 Dec 03 - 10:32 PM

Hmmm, Charley, what did we actually give her? Is this like that episode of MASH where Frank bought real pearls for his wife and fakes for Hotlips? Where Hotlips made such a big deal over the fakes being real that Frank swapped them and she got the real ones? What is Mary trying to pull?

Conversely, what do I owe you for my share of the opal?

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: freda underhill
Date: 15 Dec 03 - 04:11 AM

Hi Charley (and Judy!)

some of us here in Sydney are keen for those pictures too (even if we only got in on the tail end of the trip!)...

Fred from Erskineville

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 15 Dec 03 - 11:53 AM

Brett-

Yes, we've gotten another foot of beautiful snow, thought you'd like to know.

The black opal we delivered to Sinsull? Judy actually bought it. It was for an engagment that fell through and was on deep discount. We even passed along the original card! We will convey the very modest price by PM. Not to worry.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 16 Dec 03 - 02:01 AM

I called my parents this morning. They told me they expect 20" to 30" out of this storm. I couldn't keep from giggling while we talked.

Today is Dad's birthday. He's 76. And he'll spend part of it out in the truck, if he can get it started, plowing snow. It's a pain when you get this much snow this early in the year. If it keeps snowing you run out of places to put it. The dooryard just keeps getting smaller and smaller.

I don't have any checks because of the earlier thefts I experienced. I have no check card. So I am on a strict cash economy. If I want to pay my bills I have to find another source of checks, I'll have to use cashier's checks or something. I had to go up to Tamuning to pay for a delivery of LP gas and pay my rent. Tomorrow I'll get out to pay the other local bills.

I hope my new checks come in soon. And I hope no one steals them.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 16 Dec 03 - 06:30 PM

Now it gets scary! I just heard yesterday that I have been tapped to be the team leader for the BOS contract.

The Base Operating Support Contract (BOSC) provides all the required services that keep the base operating. This include maintenance of facilities and provision of utilities. All the little things that makes a big facility like a military base work is handled through the BOSC from trash disposal to line handlers for ships, maintenance and disposition of housing units to psychological counseling for sailors and their families. It's all bound up in one contract and now I have to run it with a team of experts. It's worth about $68,000,000 a year. As I say, scary.

Before you congratulate me you should know two things. One, there is no promotion, no more money and no additional perks. Two, I was not the first choice. The first choice refused the job.

But it will be mine and I will need to set things up to handle the new workload. I only hope I'm up to it.

On the plus side, Return Of The King opened here last night at 12:01 AM. If I had wanted to stay up for it I could have been among the first Americans to see it. As it is I may take the afternoon off to go see it. I will still be seeing it before my daughters and my nephew and that's good enough for me. So here's a raspberry at Tenjiro.

And, in the ancient tradition of our family here is a Christmas message to both of my daughters: Nyaah, Nyaah, Nyaah, Nyaah, Nyaah, Nyaah! I know something you don't know!

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 17 Dec 03 - 06:58 AM

Brett - I like that tradition!

Big job & so much money! I assume you work with others & they can do some of it?

And don't forget Cairns is only hours away, keep an eye on the Festivals link, you might need some musical weekends. Any chance of coming over for the National at Easter? Its our biggest Festival, & held in Canberra where the days are usually warm & the nights can get frosty.

sandra

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 17 Dec 03 - 09:38 AM

Brett-

You may want to check out Mudcat thread "are folk clubs shite?" which has some ungracious references to the folk club coordinators we recently met in Sydney.

So does your new responsibility as BOSC Team Leader mean that you can now fly in all your musical friends for entertaining the Base staff, general music parties, sailing, BBQ's, snorkeling, and beachcombing? Unlikely, I'm sure, but I just thought I'd ask...

Cheerily,
Charley Noble, preparing to "tidy up' the remainingg snow in the driveway before it forms its winter ice pack, not to be thawed out until June.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: GUEST
Date: 17 Dec 03 - 02:07 PM

Brett, perhaps it will improve your outlook and understanding of your new job responsibility if you know that BOS also stands for Book of Spells, every Wiccan's basic operating manual. Perhaps you could slip a few in and no one would be the wiser, like perhaps a spell for cleanliness and order? Or appreciation?
Blessings,
Barbara

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 17 Dec 03 - 05:50 PM

Barbara, it's funny you bring up Wiccan and spells. I have come to the understanding that the military is made up of mostly very conservative, Christian, staid, straightlaced people. So imagine my surprise when saw a whole row of books on spells and Wiccan philosophy in the base bookstore the other day. I have had to reorganize my little mental picture. There is obviously enough of a demand to get those books on the shelf. I was impressed.

As to the contract, my job will be team leader. There are plenty of people who will be doing the grunt work. They are good people and will make the job a lot easier to take. For perspective currently there are TWO team leaders doing that job. I shudder to think what will happen when they settle that cloak of responsibility on my shoulders.

Charley, I have some bad news for you. What we do for music would not be considered entertainment by the modern TV generation kids who make up the military. They would think it a waste of time and money. So it is unlikely we will be flying Roll & Go in for a winter concert series on the island. That's even if I had the power and money to make it happen.

When you mention snow removal I am reminded of something one of our Mudcat brethren or sistren said about house cleaning. It was something to the effect of; why bother, it only silts up again. Of course I know why you bother. You need to make room for more snow. And more and more and more. Charley, you are only half way through December and you already have a lot of snow. What are you going to do with the storms of January and February, not to mention March? I remember last winter when we were running out of room in the dooryard.

As for the "shite" threads, I generally ignore all those opinion threads. I don't care to read other people's opinions of stuff. I make my own opinion and keep it to myself unless asked. If someone has something negative to say I generally turn off anyway. It comes from being married for 17 years to someone with her own perpetual black raincloud, a glass-is-half-empty-and-could-spring-a-leak-any-moment kind of person. I've heard enough negativity to last me a lifetime.

Cairns is only four hours away but Sydney is a lot farther off. Still, I'll keep the festivals in mind. We'll see how the money and leave situation looks when we get closer to the date. I am planning to take a week off in March. I have to go to San Diego for a two week class and may take an extra week to fly home and surprise my parents. "Oh I was in this hemisphere and thought I'd drop in."

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Ebbie
Date: 17 Dec 03 - 09:36 PM

Naemanson, do you remember not so long ago when you were wondering if you actually wanted to go to Guam? How do you feel about it now?

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 18 Dec 03 - 02:01 AM

I like Guam. It has a nice small town feel. The people are very friendly and the weather can't be beat. The only ice I see around here is in a tall glass of iced tea.

It has its drawbacks but any place does. I am tired of my encounters with Guam's criminal class. My pickup has ants in it. And there is little folk music to be found here, only one band plays it and they work in a very expensive restaurant.

And I miss my kids. And my friends. And a few other points about Maine.

But I am enjoying myself overall and I am glad I made the move.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 18 Dec 03 - 09:05 PM

Brett-

We're preparing you a care package. Did you pick up a copy of Port Douglas by Peter Lik, with lots of beautiful photographs of the area? We apparently picked up a copy the first time we were out there and now we have two! You're welcome to it if you're interested. We'll also enclose a snowball...

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: JennyO
Date: 18 Dec 03 - 09:43 PM

Quick, send us some snowballs, Charlie! The hot weather we should have had while you were here, has now arrived, and then some! Currently, according to my favourite weather website, it is 36c (or 97f).

And to make matters worse, on Monday we are going to Woodford Folk Festival in sunny Queensland, where it is always outrageously hot and humid, and quite often rainy and muddy too. The Roaring Forties are playing there, and we're also involved in the running of singing sessions in the singing shed. Should be fun, anyway.

Come to think of it, the snowballs wouldn't stand a "snowball's chance in hell" here :-)

Jenny

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 19 Dec 03 - 06:40 AM

ya wouldn't catch me in a sub-tropical climate in the west season. It's also cyclone season (Nov-March) - hurricanes they call 'em in the northern hemisphere! No wonder it gets wet. Don't forget your gumboots, Jenny. Sydney will be much more pleasant & I will be sitting here with my electric fan moving cool air around.

cool sandra

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: freda underhill
Date: 19 Dec 03 - 07:15 AM

..ants in the pickup. I have a great cure for ants, cockroaches & other crawling things .

I have put lavender oils ( the cheap stuff from the chemist or supermarket, not any expensive stuff) over my front & back steps, and rubbed it into most shelves of my kitchen.

Brett, you've seen my place and all the others that are part of it here. We have been here for 8 years now, & my place is the only completely cockroach free one. All the others spray toxic chemicals. But most insects (including mossies) don't like the smell of lavendar oil, & just go somewhere else. The other advantage is that it is a relaxant and is also good on wounds (they used it on the soldiers in the trenches in france).

fred

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: JennyO
Date: 19 Dec 03 - 07:50 AM

Aw I dunno, Freda. I'm a great believer in lavender! I sprayed the cupboards with lavender and water in a spray bottle when I first moved into East Ryde, and in the three years I was there, I never needed to use anything else on the cockies. I've seen the odd large one here but I think they are isolated ones that have flown in from outside.

Speaking of spray bottles...............

Note to self on survival gear for Woodford

1. gumboots
2. spray bottles of water or rosewater or whatever (to keep cool)
3. Good hat
4. blockout
4. "Rid" for the mozzies
5. little mattock for digging trences around the tent when it rains
6. rain poncho
7. lots of cool clothes

etc, etc, etc.

Oh this is going to be such FUN!!!!!!!!!

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: freda underhill
Date: 19 Dec 03 - 07:58 AM

note to self for Gulgong..

hat

water

good book

new songs

comfy sandals

peace and quiet..       part of me is considering a last minute dash up to Woodford..    fred

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 20 Dec 03 - 09:13 PM

Charley, I did not pick up his book and I keep wondering why not. It's just as well. Once I had my big red duffle packed with all the snorkel gear and all it was 4 kilos over the allowable weight and I haad to repack it to rearrange the load. I had to do this while standing at the ticket counter at 11:00 PM with a long line of irritable and tired travelers standing behind me. Not a favorite part of the trip but almost the only black mark on the whole experience. The Peter Lik book would be welcome. You might want to forget about the snowball. I can get my own ½ cup of undrinkable water from the kitchen tap.

I'm glad to know the Aussies think they can convince me that their country gets hot and muggy. All I experienced was cold and rainy. *Grin*

Speaking of undrinkable water, I happened to mention drinking water from the tap the other day and two of the lunch table people were incredulous that we can get drinking water from the tap back home in the States. I thought that odd but I mentioned it to the women at the counter in Tuan's (a restaurant where I buy take out food sometimes) and they couldn't believe it either.

I saw a terribly sad sight the other day. First it was flashing red lights followed by a hearse and then two cars, only two cars. I would hope that when I die I have a bit more of a funeral escort than only the people it would take to fit into two sedans.

A friend and I went up to see the Spanish Steps on Friday. They are hard to reach because the road passes through the high security are around the ammo pier. Consequently the road is usually closed. However, the pier is being repaired this month so we can get up there. We drove out a former two lane road that has been narrowed by the creeping grass growing up from both sides. I had a general idea where the steps were. We followed the road all the way out to Orote Point where we found an antenna installation and some navigation markers for shipping. At the edge of the cliff we could look down on the beaches that surround the Spanish Steps but we were definitely in the wrong place. However, the view was breathtaking. We were perhaps two hundred feet up overlooking the entrance to Apra Harbor. It was a sunny day and the water was deep blue farther out but a lovely tropical green in close. And directly below us was a shallow bay with crystal clear water. Every detail of the ocean floor stood out in sharp relief, all tinged that same shade of lovely green, dark hummocks of coral and paler green sandy areas.

We went back along the way we came and found, in a clearing, the entrance to the trail down to the Spanish Steps. The steps were supposedly built by the Spanish (or more likely their Chamorro slaves) to provide water to the forts on top of the cliffs. Apparently there is a well at the bottom of the cliff line.

We walked into the woods a short way and found the entrance to the trail down the cliffs. We stood there, dismayed at what we saw. It was little more than a hole in the brush running straight down the cliff. Someone have run a 2" rope down the trail for people to hold on to for the descent and ascent. The cliff face was rough enough that there were plenty of footholds. It really would not be a difficult climb for someone with two hands free and able to take their time. And perhaps in better shape that we are. But we decided not to chance it at that time. I had my camera in my hands and didn't want to risk it dangling from my neck and my friend was totally daunted by the prospect of the climb.

We drove back, headed for Gab Gab but took a detour to explore the location of one of the old Spanish forts. The trail was well cleared for a ways but then devolved into a mere straggle of open space in thick brush, We did well along this until I took a photo of a particularly nice spider web. When my friend heard the word spider she headed back for the car and nothing I could say would turn her around.

So we went down to the beach an wetted our feet in the salt water and sand and talked and looked at the harbor.

I guess I'll have to go back to explore those areas without her.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 21 Dec 03 - 05:55 PM

One point I forgot to mention a while ago is that the toads have disappeared. From the day I got here they have been a very active part of the wildlife here. Every evening, or very rainy days, they would gather in the grass and on the pavements. Their corpses littered the roads. Now, I never see them. They must do something else during the dry season.

Also there are big white egrets here that were not here before. This seems to be their wintering ground or perhaps they are passing through on their annual migration.

By the way, dry season is a relevant term. Yesterday was a day of grey clouds and showers. Then last night the skies poured rain all night.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: SINSULL
Date: 21 Dec 03 - 06:57 PM

Well Brett. I know of one sure way to get a crowd at your funeral. Offer food and drink and a lot of it. Skimp on the casket and the flowers but not on the food and drink. Cheery thought.
SINS

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 21 Dec 03 - 08:06 PM

That's how they showed their respect for Brett Burnham,
That's how they showed their honour and their pride;
They said it was a sin and a shame, and they winked at one another,
How everything in the wake-house went the night Brett Burnham died!

Charley Ignoble

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 22 Dec 03 - 02:16 AM

That's pretty ignoble of you Charley. You got the easy part, the chorus. Now let's see what you do with the verses.

Well, I'm out of here. Christmas party tomorrow and I have to go wrap gifts and prepare my edible offerings. I'll be making Cuban Black Beans & Rice and Maine Corn Chowder.

The woman whose name I drew in the gift exchange listed Dove dark chocolate and a jigsaw puzzle in the wishlist that went around. I couldn't find any Dove chocolate but bought some dark chocolate treats from a local candy store and picked up two 750 piece puzzles at KMart. I plan to mix the puzzle pieces together in a shirt box and put the chocolate in with them. If the challenge of putting the puzzle is too much for her I will give her the boxes so she can see the pictures. I did this to my older daughter once upon a time. In less than an hour she had figured out that she had two puzzles and was already assembling the edges.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 22 Dec 03 - 06:16 AM

muddling jigsaws - that's cruel. If someone did that to my jigsaws I would get very cross, to put it mildly!

Brett, I love reading your dispatches from Guam, it's like being there.

sandra

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 22 Dec 03 - 08:45 AM

Aw, who wants a jigsaw puzzle to be easy.

Now that I think about it I believe I did that twice to my daughter. The second time I took out all the edge pieces.

I haven't mentioned the Walking Dude. There is a guy I see quite frequently as he walks along Marine Drive in Hagatna. He appears to live in one of the cabanas in front of the GovGuam Offices in the old governor's palace. He carries all his stuiff in a backpack that rides high on his back. His hair is thin, blonde, and straggles down to his shoulders. He has a long blonde beard. Some day I am going to have to stop and talk to him and hear his story.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 22 Dec 03 - 08:55 AM

Remind me never to let you near my jigsaws.

Worse jigsaw I ever owned was one showing the earth from the moon surrounded by BLACK. Earth was a small circular bit in the middle, black was more than 3/4 of the pic. All the black pieces were the same shape & size.

Maybe you can meet the Dude over the festive season & report back to us when you have info.

sandra

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 22 Dec 03 - 12:44 PM

Brett-

Your Port Douglas book is in the mail, going somewhere!

A sampling of our digital images from the OZ Foray should be on my personal website between Xmas and New years:Charley Noble Website

Enjoy your holiday festivities.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 22 Dec 03 - 04:23 PM

Thanks Charley, I really appreciate that.

I am taking some time this morning, some would say wasting it, to check in with my email and the Cat. I have been constructing the gag gift for the office. It's a Do-It-Yourself Chinese Acupuncture Kit. I made up a flashy sheet advertising the benefits which iwll be on top of the box. Inside will be a small bottle full of sewing needles with instructions to jab yourself with needles until you no longer care if you have the affliction.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 24 Dec 03 - 09:03 AM

While surfing for boats in Guam I found this web site belonging to NOAA. As a word of warning it is a large page with lots of pictures so it will take a while to download. I have seen many of them in my explorations of the island. What is really interesting is to compare the list for Guam with the lists for other places. We do seem to have a lot of wrecks here.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Dahlin
Date: 24 Dec 03 - 09:50 AM

Well Brett we are getting ready for Christmas Eve here in the State O'Maine. Forecast is for two days of rain. I mention that so you won't mis the snow! Hah! Have a cooconut milk eggnog and enjoy.

Dick D

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: JennieG
Date: 24 Dec 03 - 08:34 PM

I have a jigsaw that my son gave me a few Christmases ago - had no edge pieces at all, AND has 5 extra pieces. I'm saving it up until we don't have a curious young cat in the house!
And Merry Christmas Brett, it's 12.30 pm on Christmas Day already in Sydney! My sons here for lunch so I had better check up on the chook in the oven.
Cheer and Cheery Mistmas
JennieG in hot sunny Sydney

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 24 Dec 03 - 08:42 PM

Merry Christmas! I was up late last night, just for kicks, and slept in this morning. I was luxuriating in bed, listening to the radio, when my younger daughter called to wake me up on Christmas morning! Rotten kids, you just don't get away from them!

Then I called my family for a long visit by phone. Many of them have gathered at the farm for a traditional Maine Christmas with snow, a tree, too much food, lots of presents, dogs, cats, and one excited kid (my niece).

Today I will take my camera for a long drive around the southern part of the island. I want to stop at the Inarajan Pools and get pictures of Bear Rock and the Guam Shaped hole in another rock. Then I will find a nice white sand beach to enjoy my own version of a White Christmas. After all that I will head up to the theater to see LOTR.

I wish you all a very merry Christmas. May you enjoy it in whatever way makes you happiest.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 25 Dec 03 - 09:57 AM

JennieG-

I'll bite. What's a "chook in the oven"?

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: SINSULL
Date: 25 Dec 03 - 11:05 AM

Merry Christmas Brett.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 25 Dec 03 - 06:31 PM

Charlie, two trips to Australia and you don't know that a chook is a chicken?

Yesterday I took my camera for a drive around the southern part of the island. I started out with my first big decision being which way to go. This may not seem like a big deal for those of you who do not live on an island but it is here (at least for me). Previous trips have been south along the west side of the island. This time I chose to go south along the east side of the island. It was a good decision. By doing that I saw sights that were previously behind me when they became visible along the coast.

I headed east along the Cross Island Road and then, on a whim, took 4A south to Talafofo. I made a few miles that way before I casually check my dashboard. I was almost out of gas… on Christmas Day… many miles from a gas station. I had some important decisions to make.

I turned around to head for Agat. Then I decided there must be a gas station in Talafofo. There wasn't. I headed for Yona. Mile followed mile with the gas gauge showing no fuel. I took comfort when going up hill that the needle moved up a bit. There was still something in there. I drove through Yona, my heart sinking, as I saw no station anywhere. I had just decided to keep on for Hagatna when a Mobil station hove in view and I pulled in. Saved! At $2.07 per gallon!

I finally turned south and drove back through Yona, Talafofo, Inarajan, Merizo, Umatak, and back up into Agat. I took pictures along the way. It was a bright, partly cloudy day. We've had rain and clouds for the last three days or so. The sun was welcome. The temperature was in the low 80s but the humidity was high so it felt hotter. Nonetheless I drove with my windows open and the A/C off.

It was a beautiful day. I stopped to inspect the archaeological dig at Ylig Bay and checked out the surf farther south where the reef lies in close to the shore. I almost stopped at Jeff's Pirates Cove for lunch but the presence of a tourist bus kept me away. I saw the Guam shaped hole in the rock out in a bay next to Bear Rock, a bear shaped rock about fifty feet high. I stopped at Merizo's boat ramp and talked to a guy, a hoalie, sitting next to his camper van. He'd been tossed out by his wife and was already three sheets to the wind. He offered me a beer but I refused by lying that I did not drink.

As I passed into Umatak the clouds gathered and then the Rain Gods blessed Umatak and Agat. My trip was at an end. The scenic overlooks for the southern mountains were lovely, damp and austere, but I was out of film and they had to be observed without recording them. My last picture was of a wild rooster and his hen.

I headed north to the Micronesia Mall to go see LOTR:ROTK. The movie was sold out for the next two shows so I headed to the GPO and got into the 4:00 show. What a movie! The scale is staggering. Fine work and the end of four or five years of waiting. It was a little sad to see it end because the anticipation has been a part of my life for a long time. But it has been only a tiny part of my life and I was also glad to finally see the end.

After the movie I realized I had not eaten since breakfast and I went to King's for supper. Kings is similar to Friendly's in the States, Friendly's without ice cream. I had steak and tempura shrimp. Then I was off for home listening to Ken Nordeen's Christmas Wordjazz broadcast.

And that was my Christmas day. I hope yours are as fine or finer.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: bbc
Date: 25 Dec 03 - 09:25 PM

Merry Christmas, Brett! We're just having a quiet one here, my 2 sons & I. David is on the verge of taking a job offer in CA & leaving me. I'm happy for him, but sad for me.

hugs from rainy, warm NY,

Barbara

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: open mike
Date: 25 Dec 03 - 10:55 PM

thanks for that little island trip!
my son-in-law , whose family is Chimorro,
was here and read your post--now he wants
to see thos pictures! I understand much of
the sounth part of the island is air force
and not accessible to locals, as it the
northern part, where the navy has it's
base.
What's a Holie? (howlie??)

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 26 Dec 03 - 06:20 AM

& what's this bear-shaped rock?

sandra (Mz Bear to someone I know thru work)

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: freda underhill
Date: 26 Dec 03 - 06:39 AM

could it be Theodore's rock, found in the centre of Guam, large, bear shaped and a sacred site (like our Uluru?) does it light up red at sunset?

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 26 Dec 03 - 07:40 AM

I haven't heard of Theodore's Rock. Bear Rock is a large rock sitting on the shore. It looks like a bear sitting on its haunches looking out to sea. It's a dark stone formation, possibly limestone, possibly volcanic rock.

Open Mike – Your son-in-law is going to have to wait until I get a computer that can handle a scanner. This one can barely haul itself into an awake mode so I can work. I use a film camera so there will be no downloaded images right away.

Haolie = white person on Guam and a few other islands.

The south has very few military installations. Anderson AFB is on the northern tip of the island. I work on Orote Point which is on the west coast at the midpoint of the island and forms the southern side of Apra Harbor. The south is very rural and the people like it that way. I do too.

Barbara – Good luck to David and to you in your new life without him at home. Happy New Year.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 28 Dec 03 - 06:20 AM

I haven't been able to get on the web since yesterday. Here is my report for Saturday. It was a good one. I went up to Nimitz Hill to the Seafarer's meeting. Larry was supposed to get a tattoo and there was a long lost son of the island revisiting for the holidays. As it turned out Maria was sick with the flu so no tattooing occurred. We had an interesting discussion about building sprayed concrete dome houses and then we got into a discussion on building the new utt (canoe house). Gordon wants to use pieces of concrete telephone poles. There are plenty of pieces lying around after the last supertyphoon. He has a plan and we discussed it at length. then we had to try to figure out how to ship an outrigger canoe down to Palau for FesPac next July. Some of the guys want to sail it down but that would require leaving in June and no one can get that much time off, much less our navigator. So we have to ship it which may require taking it apart and that is not the easiest thing to do.

All the while that was gong on we read abstracts about the canoes of Oceana written in the 18th and 18th century by such notables as William Dampier, Commodore Anson, and Woods Rogers. We are trying to figure out how the Marianas canoes differed from the canoes of the Carolina Islands and the rest of Oceana. Apparently one early name for the Marianas Islands was Islas De La Velas, which apprently refered to the many sails that plied north and south along this island chain.

We stood around the canoe discussing various aspects of its construction while Manny worked on the yahms with his adze. Then he started talking with one of the other guys about the Christmas Drops. The military on Guam collects necessities and some luxuries and airlifts them to the outer islands for Christmas. Most of those islands don't have airstrips so the stuff is dropped by parachute. Manny reminisced about being a boy and getting a pencil with an eraser and a pencil sharpener and a toothbrush. I could tell from his voice he was still excited about that grand gift.

And behind us two of the company were hard at work cooking in the outdoors kitchen. I was told they were preparing for an event in the afternoon so I gave it little thought. After a while one of them came out to the canoe and announced it was time to eat. We headed in under the carport and ate barbecued steaks and pork chops with taro root and tatillas. We ate with our fingers, no plates or cutlery. There was also some steak kelaguen that was pretty good. I must be getting used to it.

There were stories being told all around. They told of one man who was killed by a turtle. You see, to catch a turtle you swim down and grab it in a half nelson and then swim it to the surface. This guy apparently didn't notice that he had grabbed a female turtle that was being courted by a male. And the male didn't notice the human hanging on behind his love interest. And a male turtle's, uh, equipment, is as long as your arm and barbed… Let's just say love can kill you if you are not prepared for it… Charley, do you see a song in this?

They also got to talking about live ordnance left over from the war. They told of people who find old shells and bombs and remove the explosive to use for fishing. Manny told of a friend who built a fire for cooking while he (Manny) went fishing for lunch. Suddenly there was an explosion. Apparently they'd built their fire on a live grenade or something. His friend's neck was nicked by the shrapnel. Gordon told of using a metal detector to find a property marker. He had a strong signal and dug down a ways but found nothing. Later he decided to dig deeper to see what was there Almost right away his pick hit something hard. He brushed away the dirt to find an unexploded shell with a fresh scar where his pick had hit the detonator. Manny told of using old shells to support a big cooking pot over a fire. Some neighbors saw his rig and asked him to bring them some shells next time he went out so they could copy it. He brought them the shells and reminded them that they had to remove the explosive. Apparently they didn't. The last time anyone saw that cooking pot it was headed skyward. Manny says there were some injuries but he didn't elaborate. He also described some villagers trying to break open a bomb they'd found. They used a block and pulley to raise it up on end and then let it fall on some rocks. He never heard an explosion so he assumes they were either successful or they gave up. He didn't stick around to see for himself. He says the bomb was at least 8 feet long. He also described the military EOD team and how they came in and marked a whole bunch of unexploded ordnance with little flags for later defusing. They carefully explained to the people they had to avoid that area. When the team came back they found that all the shells were empty. The people had gone in and taken all the explosives out of them. It's all pretty hairy stuff.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 28 Dec 03 - 10:54 AM

Brett-

"They told of one man who was killed by a turtle."

This may have to be your new song. I'm burnt out from my "Barbie Lobster" collaboration, which I've just put to music.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 30 Dec 03 - 01:34 AM

I came to work this morning in a driving rain. Usually the clouds and rain clear off during the day and we end with a nice day. I was sure enough of this that I loaded my swimming gear into the truck. Now it's quitting time and for most of the day the rain has poured out of the sky. We had a glimpse of sun and blue sky but now the clouds are gathering again. Sigh.

They say this weather is supposed to last until Friday. Ordinarily Guam gets a little over 5" of rain in December. So far we've had over 10". This is SUPPOSED to be the dry season.

Tomorrow night I am headed for a New Year's Eve party. I have been asked to bring my guitar. I'm hoping to meet the other sea music fan on the island.

My Christmas packages just arrived from my family. I have a nice little pile of loot. I got a book on the samurai, an atlas of Middle-Earth, and a book on the making of Master & Commander. I also got a calendar with old photographs of New England and a shirt. Plus a CD of Mexican Waltzes. Interesting. My niece created a workof art for my refrigerator and wove a God's Eye for my Christmas tree. I also got my brother's annual Christmas letter with a picture of stockings hung with care... from the rigging of the sailboat they used to explore the coast of Belize!

And now it's quitting time and here comes some more rain... Sigh.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 30 Dec 03 - 02:52 AM

Have a very good New Year, Brett. You've certainly come a long way since this time last year! I'm really impressed!

SRS

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 30 Dec 03 - 07:06 PM

It's funny you should mention that. I was thinking of the last year this morning and how things have changed in my life. My niece wrote, "to my most adventurous uncle" on the artwork she sent me. I am slowly getting over my last heartbreak and I find I am feeling better about myself. As long as I can keep on that track I will be fine. It can only get screwed up if I let someone into my life who isn't already in here with me.

To all of my friends who have helped me through the heartbreak and the move to Guam, thanks you and have a very happy new year.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Amos
Date: 30 Dec 03 - 07:36 PM

Brett:

May your coming year be full of rich surprises and warm rewards.

A

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: SINSULL
Date: 30 Dec 03 - 09:47 PM

Any sign of snakes, Brett? Happy New Year!
Portland is warm and a bit cloudy. The last snow is almost gone. Bracing for January.
SINS

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 31 Dec 03 - 05:34 AM

new year greetings from Sydney's entertainment capital at 9.30pm on New Year's Eve.

The noise generated by the 9pm fireworks has subsided - firework THUMPS & human screeching over for a few hours. Fortunately none of my neighbours appear to be having noisy parties, but there is the rumble of voices from nearby, and it is a bit early yet. I hope to be asleep before the real midnight noise starts.

I have a very tiny, almost unmeasurable, hearing difficulty & just for one moment wished I was the proud possessor of 2 hearing aids so I could remove them & miss all the noise.

bah humbug, I'm sure all the noise makers will have sore throats tomorrow & maybe hangovers!!

Of course if I was at a singing session with close friends I would feel differently, but most of my friends are away at festivals celebrating the change of years in a more civlized fashion than is being done around here.

sandra

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: freda underhill
Date: 31 Dec 03 - 09:09 AM

happy new year - sydney 1.05 am!

I have just come back from Woolloomoolloo, by the harbour, on top of the roof of a 4 story building watching the midnight fireworks over the harbour!

fantastic - happy new year Brett, Sandra, Charlie, Judy and everyone else who reads this thread!

best wishes

amalina

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 31 Dec 03 - 03:56 PM

Amalina-

Happy New Year to you and all our friends in Sydney as well. We've still got 8 hours of 2003 to run but not to hurry, it's been a pretty fine year. And here's one to every one adjacent to Woolloomoolloo Harbour!

Cheerily,
Charley Noble, gearing up for a quiet evening with Judy, 3 cats and one mouse at home

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 31 Dec 03 - 07:04 PM

Charley, did I mention that a better name for that mouse would be NotEven as in "...all through the house not a creature was stirring, NotEven a mouse..."?

Happy new year to all and to those on the other side of the International Date Line, hello from 2004.

Sins, actually there was a sign of snakes last night. I went over to Gordon's house to celebrate the evening. Gordon makes jewelry from various polished semiprecious stones. One of the styles he makes uses vertebra from snakes. He explained how he finds the snakes dead on the road and cuts off the head and tail and runs a wire up the spinal column. Then he sets it in water until the flesh dissolves away and he has a whole wire of jewelry accessories.

It was a nice gathering. I met members and friends of the family. Just before midnight we climbed ladders to the neighbor's roof to watch the fireworks disply at Rizol Beach. All around us was noise. A party at the end of the street had a sound system that broadcast all over the neighborhood. We were a block away and could barely hear each other. Guns and fireworks were blasting the night around us before, during, and after the official display. At one point I heard a fully automatic weapon going off somewhere close by. At midnight we toasted in the new year with sparkling cider and applauded the display.

And now, it's New Year's Day in Guam. The sun is shining and I am going to find some breakfast. I have to throw out most of the food in my kitchen as I plan to start the Atkins diet today and most of it is not compatable with that diet. Sigh. Throwing out food goes very deeply against the grain.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: SINSULL
Date: 31 Dec 03 - 07:53 PM

Better the grain than the groin...did I really say that?
M.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 31 Dec 03 - 10:41 PM

Groan!

Still an hour and a half to go!

Charlie

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 01 Jan 04 - 12:26 AM

I still get a kick out of living on this side of the date line. By my calculations Charley and Sins are now 1/2 hour into the new year. While I slept away the wee hours of the day you were all attending to business, moving through the day I had just finished. Call me naive but I love it and it always surprises me.

Last night the crew got to talking about the green flash. For those who don't know about it this is a phenomenon that occurs just at sunset. Just as the sun disappears below the horizon there will be a brief, very vivid, green flash in the sky. According to the crew this takes place when you have a clear flat horizon, with no clouds obscuring the horizon. They've each been here over 30 years and each has only seen little more than a dozen of them. I have been looking forward to seeing it since I got here with no luck yet. According to these guys it can also happen at sunrise. It has been reported in Kansas and one Maine person has reported seeing it at sunrise. So, Charley and Sinsull, get up before the sun and get out there to check it out.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: bbc
Date: 01 Jan 04 - 12:52 AM

Happy New Year from New York! Thinking of you.

love,

barbara

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: CarolC
Date: 01 Jan 04 - 01:09 AM

I was without internet at home for several months, Brett, so I haven't been able to follow this thread very much. But I don't think I'll let that stop me from whishing you a very Happy New Year!!

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: SINSULL
Date: 01 Jan 04 - 11:29 AM

Me??? Get up before sunrise to look for green flashes? Has the heat and humidity gone to your head? It is not going to happen, Brett. Happy New Year, officially.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Ebbie
Date: 01 Jan 04 - 12:24 PM

Happy New Year, everybody! No fireworks here last night and the midnight noise consisted of, I think, 3 firecrackers, and a couple of dogs barking. Pretty tame.

Naemanson, I hope you have a great day and a wonderful year. Thank you for this window into your world.

Eb

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 04 Jan 04 - 07:11 AM

I went up to Gordon's "ranch" today. I put it in quotes because he doesn't grow anything up there, it is not a productive farm. However, I'm beginning to think that "ranch" is a generic term and doesn't necessarily mean "farm". Back home many people have a house situated on a lake. Some of these are rather rustic, others are full scale houses. But they are all called camps. I think "ranch" is the Guam term for the same thing. But none of the ranches are on the water. Instead they are in the boonies, the bush, the outback, the boondocks, the jungle, etc.

I have been thinking more and more of staying here until I retire. I keep thinking of buying a house and settling here. Gordon wants to build monolithic domes. You can see what he wants to do if you look here. I am kind of taken with the idea.

Saturday I was just heading out the door to go to the weekly meeting of the Seafarers when the plumber arrived to replce the broken bathroom sink. He also had to repair the leak on the toilet upstairs. It took them a while and when they were done the toilet still leaked because he had only replaced the angle valve and had not brought a replacement water pipe. And there is no hot water in the sink because he had not brought, wait for it, a replacement water pipe. So he'll probably be back next weekend to finish the job. Sigh, I'd complain but it isn't me paying for it.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: freda underhill
Date: 04 Jan 04 - 07:45 AM

it looks like a big hobbit hole, naemanson!

could be a good investment..

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 06 Jan 04 - 05:51 PM

It occurs to me whenever I drive around here that I haven't mentioned the names of the many convenience stores around the island. I sometimes wonder at the difference in culture that leads to naming conventions. Back home we either have chains of stores like 7-11 or Cumberland Farms or we have the little mom and pop stores like Tyler's Market. Stores back home are named for the owners or the location.

Here they seem to pick out words that bring a positive connotation. Thus you get the Joy Market, Happy Computers, and Luck Store. Most of the stores I've been into seem to be run by Korean families. Maybe that is the method they use back home. It's interesting to see these differences.

I am also still looking forward to... the Christmas specials. For some reason our TV runs two weeks behind mainland USA. So this Thursday we will have the Christmas day specials on some of the channels we watch. ACM will have Christmas cowboy movies and SciFi will be running Twilight Zone all day (I think). We still have Christmas commercials too. If I see that Santa riding the electric shaver one more time I'm gonna barf.

Merry Christmas!

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: SINSULL
Date: 06 Jan 04 - 06:34 PM

Koreans often give their businesses names like "Lucky" and "Happy". I always thought it as an attempt to attract good fortune.

This week I saw a History Channel program on Hawaii which mentioned that the natives called whites "howlies" (sp?). Odd coincidence? Wonder how the term made it to Guam.

What are the acoustics like in one of those domes, Brett?

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 07 Jan 04 - 12:49 AM

I think haolie is a generic term used around the Pacific just as a--hole is used in many parts of the USA. *Grin*

I'll have to check on the acoustics. That will be a stumper of a question for Gordon.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 07 Jan 04 - 01:59 AM

Well, it's official. The rainfall for 2003 came to 100.35 inches or just over 8 feet. The average annual rainfall is about 83 inches. The rainfall for December alone was 20.33 inches and October was 21.74. No wonder this place is humid.

Looking at a graph of the numbers the increased rainfall seems to coordinate with my arrival on the island. But that couldn't be, could it?

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 07 Jan 04 - 09:02 AM

the Rain Gods welcomed you to Gaum, Brett

sandra

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: freda underhill
Date: 07 Jan 04 - 09:31 AM

hmm

hmm rainfall is a consideration if you're buying property - is Guam one of those shallow islands that are worried about going under? I work with several Pacific Island communities and a couple of them have genuine fears about water levels, given global warming.

(better keep those gumboots handy!)

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 07 Jan 04 - 06:40 PM

I believe most of this island is safe even if the Antarctic ice sheets melt. As I remember the estimate is that world sea levels would go up 20 to 30 feet if that happened. Most of this island is higher than that. The land slopes gently up from the water for a way and then runs up into a cliff line that varies from 50 to 200 feet high. We'd probably end up as two islands with the center swamped at high tide but I can easily find a house lot that is out of reach of the water. Right now I live at quite a high elevation up in the hills. Of course the office would be gone but who cares about that!

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 07 Jan 04 - 08:54 PM

Glacial melt brings eary retirement for Naimanson! I can see the Mudcat headlines now. In fact, I've just written them.

Brett, we're freezing here now in Maine and I thought you'd like to know. It was 7 F this morning and it's supposed to be colder for the rest of the week. Send us a coconut.

Cheerrrrrrily,
Charrrrrrley Noble

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: SINSULL
Date: 07 Jan 04 - 09:53 PM

It's really not that cold, Brett. I still haven't dug out my winter coat.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 08 Jan 04 - 12:01 AM

7 degrees. Should I send you my ice scraper? It has been unemployed since last April. It sits by the door hoping for cold weather and every day I have to tell it, "Not today, buddy!"

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: freda underhill
Date: 08 Jan 04 - 08:41 AM

it's been stinking hot here in sydney. i had to go and sit by the harbour and have cool drinks to recover!

fred

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: The Barden of England
Date: 08 Jan 04 - 08:47 AM

It's raining heavily here in Kent, S.E. England, but it's not cold - about 13 degrees Celsius. Not bad for early January in England. We need the rain as we have a drought would you believe.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: JudyB
Date: 08 Jan 04 - 02:41 PM

It's a bit after noon and it just got up to zero (F) (that's about 18 below for you Celsius folks). Of course, with the wind chill it feels about 19 below (or -28C). Are you sure you don't want to come and visit, Brett?

Hmm - I wonder where I can find rainfall charts for Maine - I have a feeling we've had a lot less rain than average since last spring....

JudyB

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 08 Jan 04 - 06:40 PM

For the last several weeks my family has been on pins and needles because my dad needed an operation to repair an aneurism on his aorta. On Thursday morning he went under the knife. They had to lift out a lung and move his diaphragm to get in to work on the problem. It was close to the spinal cord and there was some danger of paralysis. I just spoke to Mom and she says he came out of surgery OK and has even moved his legs. He will be in intensive care for the next 72 hours and in the hospital for about a week before he can go home. That will be the hardest on him. He is too active to be able to lie around for a week.

One of the problems they had in preparing for the surgery is that his heart beats too slowly. Apparently his resting heart rate is 38. Even with exercise they couldn't get it up over 60. They had to put a pacemaker in to speed it up for the surgery for some reason. My sister was laughing about the anesthesiologist watching the pulse and sweating as he waited for the next beat. At a heartbeat every 1 1/2 seconds he could be dead a long time before they realized it.

But he's a tough old coot. I imagine he'll be back out in his shop before the end of the month.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 08 Jan 04 - 07:35 PM

Best wishes for your father, Brett. I can easily imagine him in his hospital bed, chomping on the bit to get home.

Charley Noble

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: freda underhill
Date: 08 Jan 04 - 11:47 PM

I'm pleased to hear that it went okay Brett,

best wishes - freda

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Ebbie
Date: 09 Jan 04 - 12:09 AM

Naemanson, my father also had a very slow pulse and low blood pressure. As he got old, it became a problem on occasion- if he stood up too quickly, he swooned. Two months before he died- in good health and at age 93- the doctor prescribed pills to speed the rate but it finally got him.

There are very much worse ailments. The best of luck to your dad, and to your family.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 09 Jan 04 - 06:28 AM

Brett - best wishes to the tough old coot!


welcome, new member JudyB - I hope you enjoy your stay at Mudcat, we're all mad - some a bit more than others! but we are a lovely lot of people.

sandra

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 09 Jan 04 - 08:03 AM

I object to that, being called mad. there are three sane people on the 'Cat - Me, Myself, and I. The only time things get lively around here is when we get into an argument.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 09 Jan 04 - 08:12 AM

surely you are not different to the rest of us? Good thing you have your 2 friends, otherwise you'd be lonely (so don't argue with them!)

sandra

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: GUEST,bbc at work
Date: 09 Jan 04 - 11:17 AM

We are having truly impressive low temps in the NE USA at the moment. My new little car told me this morning that the outside temp was -1 degree F.! Wind chill is taking it much lower. I understand Maine is even cooler.. Don't you wish you were here, Brett?

love,

Barbara

P.S.--Best to your dad!

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 09 Jan 04 - 06:44 PM

Gee, Barbara, let me think about that. Do I wish I were in sub zero temperatures? Yesterday I took my team to Gab Gab Beach for a staff meeting. We sat at a picnic table and carried on business as the trade winds tossed the casuarina pines and with whitecaps danced on the bay. The wind was pretty strong and a solitary windsurfer raced across the bay. As we talked the Atlantis surfaced not far from where we sat. The Atlantis is a tourist submarine, taking people on a tour of the reefs and showing off the beauty of the underwater wildlife. After the meeting I drove back to the office taking a side trip to San Louis Beach ostensibly to check that the lifeguards were posted there as well.

If I were in Maine I would have been huddled over a space heater in a cold office and would end the day trudging through ice and snow to my truck and racing for the warnth of my apartment...

Sorry Barb, but I have to prefer this place.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 10 Jan 04 - 07:54 AM

At the Seafarer's meeting today we got to talking about building a traditional canoe with modern materials. The hull would be strip molded and the wooden members would be laminated beams. The hull would replicate the Quest, our current canoe and the rig would be the same. The idea is not to improve on the tradition. The intent is to build a canoe that the rest of us can train in and learn to sail. If we can we might even be able to raise enough interest that we could start having canoe races in the bay. That would be a sight to see.

We also talked about going to Manny's home island. As it turns out he isn't from Puluwat after all but from Hoak. Gordon wants to go down there and I want to go too. It's a rather complicated trip. First we'd have to fly from Guam to Chuk (the correct name for Truk Lagoon). That runs three times a week. We'd catch the Sunday flight. Then we'd catch the flight from Chuk to Puluwat. That runs on Tuesdays. Then we'd find someone to take us the 20 miles out to Hoak on a powerboat. Gordon figures the round trip would take two weeks with a week and a half on the island. Total distance traveled? Round trip about 1,000 miles.

This is a whole different way to travel as compared to grabbing a flight to the other coast.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: bbc
Date: 10 Jan 04 - 09:42 AM

Good decision, Brett. Today, it's even colder. Just wanted to help you feel happy in your new home. I'll be updating my "bbc has moved" thread after a couple more developments here.

love,

Barbara

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 11 Jan 04 - 07:01 PM

Sunday was a beautiful day. Bright blues skies held a few puffy clouds and a brilliant sun. Early on a heard from Gordon that he and his wife would take me up on my offer to take them out to the Spanish Steps. They can't get on the base because they don't work there. Gordon's been here 30 years and his wife was born here. Neither had ever seen the steps.

Now, the myth is that the Spanish built the steps so they could get water from the well at the bottom of the cliff for the fort at the top. That myth has been passed around so often the edges are worn off. It has a nice comfortable feel. However, it is a lie. Larry has done the research and knows they were built by the U. S. Marines around 1900. He mentions it every time someone mentions the Spanish Steps. His objections are starting to feel worn too.

We started out at the cliff top ninety feet above the jungle. There is a nearly vertical drop with a length of 2 inch nylon braided hawser running down the cliff. There are plenty hand and foot holds but climbing backwards down a cliff is not the most secure feeling in the world. That only runs about 15 feet or so and then there is an old iron ladder for another 10 feet. After that you are on a steep path that works its way down the slope. Here and there are the remnants of the "Spanish Steps". They are concrete and coral structures built into the cliff face. They certainly don't look Spanish to me. The rope runs on with additional ropes to help out as needed. They are very useful. There is loose gravel underfoot and a dizzying drop to your right. The jungle is thick and quiet. We aren't anywhere near the water yet.

After a few more short vertical drops we reach the jungle floor and the well. It is a square stone structure jutting up from the ground. It's about 6 feet deep. There is no water. It has been filled with dirt over the centuries if that's how old it is. While Larry claims the Marines made the steps he has no knowledge of the age of the well.

Now we have to walk in single file along a path recently cut into the jungle. It winds through the stands of Frederica, Fadang, Papaya, Daok, Myrtle, and the various vines that hang from the trees. Spider webs surround us and huge hermit crabs trundle along under foot. The jungle is quiet. There are almost no forest birds left on the island thanks to the tree snake. We see old lures for attracting the coconut crab hanging from the steep cliff walls. I hear an occasional whine of the Guam mosquito. There are old rotting coconuts underfoot with holes cut in them by the crabs. At one point we see a broken coconut swarmed by hermit crabs.

After a relatively long walk we emerge into the sunshine. We have found a tropical paradise. Before us in a long wide ribbon of brilliant blue-green is a flowing tide of water surrounded on all sides by jungle and cliff walls. A ridge of rock make a 10 foot high island topped with green plant life. Through the space between that rock and the main land is a mushroom shaped rock, worn at the bottom by the continuous wave action and topped with more green plant life. The water would be crystal clear if it weren't for the current flowing through. It is one of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen.

The beach is not sand but coral fragments and limestone. The jungle is thick at our backs. The sun is bright and reflects off the white rocks. We take pictures of each other and the surroundings knowing the camera will never to justice to the sight.

It's hot. We are sweaty and we didn't come prepared to swim. We sit in the shade and drink the water we brought. If you freeze a bottle of water and carry it with you then you will have cold water to drink along the trail. It helps. There is very little trash on the beach. Gordon picks up an ancient Coca Cola bottle and a twisted hunk of metal that may be bronze or copper and stuffs them into his pack.

After we leave that beach we head in to find the other beach and the cave that is supposed to be down there. Larry had said the cave was off to the left of the trail. We figure we will have to cut through the jungle to find it and are discussing our options when the cave appears in front of us. It's deep and tall with walls rippling with curves. There is light at the other end from the back entrance. This was supposedly used in the pre-latte time frame around 3500 BCE. Archeologists have excavated artifacts that place humans there at that time.

We wander now back to the well and take the other path. After scrambling up and down through some rough ground we come out on a big sand beach looking at the harbor entrance. There are some people here sitting on towels in swimsuits. We wander down the beach to where the cliff meets the water. There is a bit of surf and the waves are noisy. There by the cliff face the waves bounce off and form reflection waves the meet the new surf at and angle and make for a wild spray of water. The colors are bright blue and white and the sand is soft under foot. There is a lot of flotsam on this beach, trash that has washed ashore and will be exchanged for different trash in the next storm. There are ingle shoes and flipflops, foam buoys, a huge rubber ship's fender, bottles and cans and a tangle of two fishing reels and monofilament. Gordon tells of watching the surf from the Glass Breakwater there across the harbor mouth and how two waves collided and sent enough water into the air that it swept three of them off their feet. One of them dislocated her shoulder and two of them lost their glasses but they stayed out of the bay.

We finally head back up to the cliff. I dread the climb but we take it easy, resting along the way. The mosquitoes are thicker up here but they are nothing compared to Maine's mosquitoes. Finally we are at the top and back at the car. It's almost 4:00 and we are hungry. As we drive out Gordon talks of the fossil crabs he used to collect at Dadi Beach. We head over there and walk the beach studying the sand. He starts to find them almost at once. He has a good eye but the sun is low now and the shadows are lengthening. He says this is the hardest time to find them. In less than an hour he's picked up about a pound of crabs. None are complete but they are all distinctly crabs.

All in all it was pretty nearly a perfect day.

Sorry about the present tense of this post. It seemed to flow that way.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 11 Jan 04 - 08:33 PM

Nice work, Punchenelo!

Charley Noble, another day of subzero weather in Maine

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: JudyB
Date: 11 Jan 04 - 09:12 PM

Wow - what a wonderful day!

Our day was also nice, though a bit different. Here's a little reminder of what December is like in Maine - thought you might like it as wallpaper for your computer!

Thanks again for sharing your adventures - it does sound wonderful and magical.

   JudyB

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 12 Jan 04 - 12:26 AM

Judy, I forwarded your picture to some friends here in the office. They decided that thermometer must be broken. I tried to assure them that it really gets that cold in Maine but they are skeptical.

I have made my airplane reservations for coming home! I fly into Manchester, NH, on March 6, rent a car, and drive up to my sister's house in Monmouth. Then I'll head up to Houlton for a week. I am not telling my mother of this. I plan to walk into the kitchen and calmly announce, "I was in the hemisphere and thought I'd drop in." Dad knows and was chortling to himself about it before his operation. It will be a big surprise. I only hope the class doesn't get cancelled or I will be out my money.

I will be in San Diego from February 23 to March 5 attending the class and pestering Amos and anyone else I can pester. Stand by SD, I am on my way.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Bob Bolton
Date: 12 Jan 04 - 12:40 AM

G'day Brett,

"... as the trade winds tossed the casuarina pines ..."

That's a species you share with us Aussies - various casuarinas are found all over Australia - usually called "she oaks" (she-oaks, sheokes, &c). My 1898 Morris's Dictionary of Austral English says that the timber was fancied to resemble oak ... and the term "she" used adjectivally, in the sense of "weak" or "inferior"...

More recent dictionaries tend not to say that!

Regard(les)s,

Bob Bolton

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 12 Jan 04 - 06:20 AM

Brett - you have a way with words - you carry us with you. It's such a beautiful place.

sandra

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: JennyO
Date: 12 Jan 04 - 08:35 AM

Brett, your use of the present tense was perfect for painting word pictures. It made me feel that I was right there with you.

Keep these stories coming!

Jenny

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: SINSULL
Date: 12 Jan 04 - 09:27 AM

Brett,
Did you ask the people sunbathing on towels whether they took a different route to the beach? I have visions of a parking lot just beyond the sand dunes. And a hotdog stand.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 12 Jan 04 - 06:24 PM

Bob, casuarinas are a tropical tree found all around the world. There are species in the Bahamas too.

Sins, there are only two routes to the Spanish Steps. Down the cliff or through the surf in a kayak. And the kayaks they use here are not the sea kayaks we're used to back in the northeast. These are formed plastic boats that you sit on instead of in. They apparently quite unstable. Gordon has three and we may get them out at some point.

Thanks for the kind words. I am being urged once again in PMs to put this together as a book. I'll have to give that some serious thought.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Bob Bolton
Date: 13 Jan 04 - 12:15 AM

G'day again Brett,

Dunno about the Bahamas examples ... the usual distribution that comes to my mind is Australasia/SE Asia - and that's what my Oxford includes in its definition ... deriving the name from "Late Latin casuaris = cassowary (that's a large flightless bird of our north and Indonesia / Papua/New Guinea).

The Macquarie Dictionary definition seems even tighter: "Any member of the genus Casuarina, a group of trees and scrubs with few species outside Australia ... ". The genus name is derived by Macquarie as from Malay kesuari, their name for the bird and the tree. Given modern transport and commercial plant culture, I'm inclined to suspect that the Bahamas examples are introduced ... unless they are a different genus of somewhat similar appearance!

Either way, like most Australian trees, they don't give you any more shade than they have to! (unlike your trees back in Maine that need to wave big, opaque green leaves in the sun ... when there is sunlight ... to make enough chlorophyll!)

Regards,

Bob Bolton

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 18 Jan 04 - 05:29 AM

To all the women following this thread, at least those who have had to deal with sick husbands or significant others, WARNING. Do not read this post.

I have the flu and I have no one to bath my forehead with damp cloths, to soothe away the night sweats, and to bring me the medicine when I need it. I have no one to whine about being ill and generally reinforce the idea that sick men are just like babies.

Whine, whine, whine, whine, whine, whine, whine.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 18 Jan 04 - 07:06 AM

poor Brett, consider yourself patted on the shoulder & the recipient of several sympthetic oohs. Feel better now?

sandra

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: freda underhill
Date: 18 Jan 04 - 07:15 AM

poor baby, I'm coming right over..


sincerely

Nurse Ratched

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: bbc
Date: 18 Jan 04 - 09:20 AM

Oh, Brett, I'm so sorry! My sweetie here has been down & out w/ the flu for the past 2 weeks; it's a tough one! I was w/ him when he came down w/ it, but I had had a flu shot & managed to avoid getting it. Since then, I haven't seen him, but we've been in touch by phone every day. It stinks to live alone. Rick had days of fever & chills, lots of ache & general weakness, & still has no taste for food. Nasty cough, too. I've had flu twice & it ain't no fun. Keep an eye on your symptoms & contact the doctor as needed. This article seemed to contain some pretty good info:

http://www.emedicinehealth.com/articles/17267-1.asp

I hope you will feel better soon. If you have what Rick has had, though, you'll need to pace yourself. If you try to get back on normal schedule too soon, you may very well relapse. Be kind to yourself & keep in touch w/ us!

love & sympathy,

Barbara

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Amos
Date: 18 Jan 04 - 10:35 AM

JudyB:

Pictures like that are dangerous!! They might make everyone wanna move to Southern California! :>)

A

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 18 Jan 04 - 06:04 PM

Or Guam!

Barbara, what you describe is what I got. This morning my temp was almost down to normal but now I have a deep chest cough. Bah, Humbug! This is a three day weekend. There ought to be a law against getting sick on a weekend.

Thanks for all your support.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: bbc
Date: 18 Jan 04 - 10:27 PM

Just take it easy, Brett. Rick went out food shopping today for the 1st time since he got sick & ended up leaning on the cart for support. He's sounding pretty normal, but, boy, he hasn't got his strength back yet!

Thinking of you,

Barbara

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 18 Jan 04 - 11:19 PM

I worked up enough gumption to take a shower and make up my bed with fresh sheets. I was getting to the point where I couldn't stand top be in the same room with myself and if there is noone you can walk out on it is yourself.

And I'm finally hungry. Wish I had some food in the house.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: wysiwyg
Date: 18 Jan 04 - 11:58 PM

Guam's cool!

http://ns.gov.gu/culture.html

http://jessica.web.gu/guamsong/

http://guam.org.gu/hemplo/index.html

http://ns.gov.gu/language.html

http://jessica.web.gu/

~Susan

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 19 Jan 04 - 09:50 AM

Brett-

Thinking in terms of brighter coming days and your visit to Maine in March, how about staying at our house the Friday before the Press Room Song Party; we could do another song party here in Richmond and invite some friends who might not make it down to Portsmouth? Singing all night should prepare you for the Press Room. According to my calendar that would be March 12th.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: bbc
Date: 19 Jan 04 - 03:09 PM

Ooooh, Maine in March? Too bad it's a busy month for me. It would be nice to see you!

Barbara

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 19 Jan 04 - 09:46 PM

Yeah, Barbara, I can think of better times to visit Maine but one takes what one can get.

Charley, that sounds like a good idea. The way I figure it I will officially be staying at my sister's house but will be spending occasional nights elswhere so I can stay up till the wee hours catching up with old friends.

I'll check out those sites. I probably have seen them at some point, I did a lot of internet searches before deciding to come here, but you may have found a few I missed. This is a pretty neat place. It gets a pass by so many because it is so far away.

Still feeling crumby but I may be on the uphill climb out of this flu thing.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: bbc
Date: 19 Jan 04 - 10:16 PM

Rick's doctor offhandedly mentioned to him today that he'd had a touch of pneumonia. Maybe that's why he was down & out so long?

Barbara

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: wysiwyg
Date: 20 Jan 04 - 07:41 AM

Brett,

I could not get the sound files to play, but one or more of those links have Chamorro songs, I believe. I thought others might like to hear them.

~S~

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 21 Jan 04 - 02:32 AM

I just got back from an overnight stay at the hospital. I will write more soon but I am having trouble staying at the keyboard.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 21 Jan 04 - 08:14 AM

Should alarms be sounding here? Brett, how's your local support system in terms of transport to medical support, testing, whatever it takes to shake what you've got? Should I be sending PM's to Amy and Kelly?

Concerned,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: GUEST,bbc at work
Date: 21 Jan 04 - 12:01 PM

Brett,

Give us a progress report as soon as you feel up to it. We worry.

Barbara

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: GUEST,MMario
Date: 21 Jan 04 - 12:14 PM

DAMNATION! it is times like this the internet can be a *DIS*advantage...

face it, in the old days you'd get a letter after everything was over - and while it might make you sweat - you'd know everything was okay again and life was hunky-dorey.

These days? you get a message - then sweat bullets until the person is well enough to think coherently and post the whole story.

and you can't help but worry - even though you know that while recovering the last thing the person wants to do is sit at the computer - and that they are better off recuperating.


Be well Brett!

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: JennyO
Date: 21 Jan 04 - 12:18 PM

Lets not get too worried yet, folks. Over there it is the wee small hours of the morning. He is probably asleep right now, unaware that we are concerned.

All the same, it would be good to know......

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 21 Jan 04 - 06:50 PM

I just realized that, for you guys, the hospital visit is a complete surprise. My last entry was that I was feeling crumby.

My flu symptoms turned out to be pneumonia. I will get the full story up soon but for now I am more or less well. They wouldn't let me out of the hospital if I weren't well enough to go. They gave me a big paper bag full of drugs and careful instructions on what to do with them. I still have a low grade fever and I cough a lot but I now have an inhaler and plenty of pills to take every morning.

I am feeling much better today. I actually found enough energy to get some of my dishes washed. Now I am tired out again. It's unlikely I'll get to work this week especially since I have to do laundry before I can show up in the quasi professional environment of our office.

Thanks for your concern. Please don't worry. I am just keeping my Guam news up to date.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: SINSULL
Date: 21 Jan 04 - 06:55 PM

Plenty of rest, Brett. That's about all you can do. And watch for any worsening of the cough. Sorry. Hope you have someone nearby to check on you.
SINS

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 21 Jan 04 - 08:06 PM

OK, Brett, we'll call off the first responder Mudcat team. I'm sure the Blackbird hasn't gone more than 6000 miles since you last posted. We really need the more up-to-date Transporter, so send your donations to Richmond, Maine..

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: bbc
Date: 21 Jan 04 - 08:29 PM

Whew! Thanks for posting. I'm feeling a sense of deja vue. Rick's going to another doctor tomorrow. He's worked a partial day, the past 2 days, after 2 weeks mostly in bed, but he's feeling tightness in his chest & still tires very easily, in addition to his temperature being subnormal. Brett, please take care of yourself. Wish we could be there to help!

love,

barbara

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: freda underhill
Date: 21 Jan 04 - 09:46 PM

damn! i was going to come over with my hammer and saw..

nurse ratched

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 22 Jan 04 - 07:04 AM

in the words of my favourite Get Well card "Get well soon, you'll feel better"

Build up your strength, take all your pills & potions, & definitely keep away from Nurse Ratched.

sandra

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 22 Jan 04 - 07:48 AM

I had a restful day. I called my boss this morning and he made the usual noise about anything he could do to help. So I thought about it and explained I was out of groceries and would he like to do up my dishes. He laughed off the dishes (as he was supposed to do) and took my grocery list. Around 1:00 his wife showed up at my door with two sacks of groceries.

We chatted for a while, talking of my Australia trip and her intentions to go there. It was nice to have a civilized conversation, face to face, with an interesting person. Today is her birthday. She's 64.

During our conversation I mentioned that I was now two weeks late getting my laundry done. She insisted on taking it to do herself. My boss will drop it off tomorrow afternoon.

Did I mention that they are very nice people?

But my dishes are still dirty.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 22 Jan 04 - 08:02 AM

dishes? who needs dishes - have a read of the non-cooking thread for ideas on easy feeding.

sandra

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: wysiwyg
Date: 22 Jan 04 - 08:56 AM

Jaclyn can do the dishes as a thank-you for looking out for her! LOL. (My incipient-dau-in-law is headed there to see a certain sailor.)

~S~

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Lana
Date: 22 Jan 04 - 10:11 AM

Hi Dad! feel better soon!!
*hug*
love
kelli

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 22 Jan 04 - 11:33 AM

Ah yes, my careless ne'r-do-well daughter flits in and flits out again.

(Of course, like all of us she's got her own cares. And she has not failed to do well at anything she turns her hands and head to.)

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: SINSULL
Date: 22 Jan 04 - 04:12 PM

Sounds like that apple didn't fall far from the tree. 'SINS

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Lana
Date: 23 Jan 04 - 05:18 AM

I'm only "flitting" because I don't have a whole lot of internet access from my own computer right now and that's where all my favorites are saved.

Sorry. :-(

Feel better soon Dad, I'll try to call you again next week and hopefully the connection will be better with the phone card.
Talk to you soon!
love
Kelli

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 23 Jan 04 - 03:06 PM

Yes, poor girl, she is a lot like her father. Sigh. Fortunately she has some of her mother's drive and energy.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 24 Jan 04 - 08:05 AM

[Here, at last is my description of the visit to the hospital. while you read this please remember this is a military hospital. Most of the caregivers were either enlisted men and women (corpsmen) or junior officers (nurses). These are the facilities provided to our soldiers and sailors.]

Last weekend, a three day weekend, mind, I got sick. It had to be flu. I had aches and pains, fever, chest congestion, etc. I dosed myself with Nyquil, the good green stuff, and aspirin. By Tuesday my temperature reached 103 so I headed for the emergency room at the Navy Hospital to get some stronger medicine. They weren't busy and took me right in. They asked me a mess of questions, took vital signs, hooked me up to a monitor, ran an EKG, listened to my lungs, sent me upstairs for a chest x-ray, grabbed the pictures when I got back and then said they needed some blood.

The young corpsman who came to take the blood sat down next to the gurney with his basket of supplies and tried to make conversation. He was manipulating my hand. and commented that he was going to insert an IV connection. On my other side another corpsman was manipulating my other hand. He said he needed some blood for a culture. I asked why he didn't take it from the left hand and he mumbled something about not needing much. I think he was taking advantage of the opportunity to stick someone with needles.

On my left the insertion of the IV connection became very painful but the corpsman finished quickly. Then I felt a seizure coming on. I squirmed in pain, feeling sick all over, and told them what was going to happen next. I don't think they believed me. I got the usual BS about taking deep breaths. Then I slipped into the floating dream state, oblivious to the world.

When I came out of it again I was halfway down the hall, wheeling fast as a crowd of medical people shouted things at each other. Someone was trying to ask me questions that amounted to, "Are you confused?" What did he expect me to say, "Oh no, I usually find myself on a gurney while medical people shout things at each other. This is a normal state for me."?

They got me into a bright room where they cut my Roll & Go T-shirt off. I tried to stop them but it was like Officer Obie in Alice's Restaurant. They had all this medical gear lying around and this was their chance to use it. They hooked me up to oxygen too.

I waited in that room for a long time. Finally a doctor came in to tell me they thought I had pneumonia and that I would be kept at the hospital for a couple of days. After another interminable wait and many more forms (Did I mention the forms?) they dragged me upstairs to my "room".

They had trouble maneuvering the gurney down the hall, through the doors, and into and out of the elevator. When we got to the ward the Nurse in charge, a young Navy Officer, pointed to a door next to the nurses station. They had to negotiate a difficult u-turn to get into the door. My impression on entering the room was that it was entered through the nurses' bathroom. I may have been confused. When they finally released me I saw it was a hallway with a sink for washing hands.

The room itself was everything I would have expected an upscale hospital room would be… if I was in a third world country. The walls were dingy, there was a hole in one of the walls at point, a tangle of bedside tables occupied one corner, and the TV did not work. They slid a battered night stand over next to my bed and moved the phone close enough to reach. The telephone was designed to hang on the wall so the hand piece kept sliding out of it's cradle because it sat at an odd angle.

The TV was not hooked up to cable but did have a VCR built into it. It was mounted high on the wall but the curtain tracks for the privacy curtains were in the way and made it impossible to turn the screen so I could see it from where I lay. Next day when they brought me some video tapes I found that the tapes and the boxes they were in did not match.

So, there I lay, no shirt, the johnny did not fit and they had no other size. They said they'd bring me some pajama bottoms but later reported they didn't have any. I complained that my feet were cold and asked for some socks or booties. They came back an hour later to report they didn't have any of those either.

I suffered further indignities but next day they allowed me to go home. They explained my blood gas index was up to 95% and that I had come in at 89%. They sold me a big brown paper bag full of medicine and gave me the johnny to wear home as a shirt. When I got back to my truck I noticed my swim gear and remembered there was a clean t-shirt in there. I was glad to get out of that stupid johnny.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 24 Jan 04 - 08:57 AM

don't get sick again! It's not good for you. I hope Charlie can get you another shirt.

Another great description of life on Guam & this time I wouldn't have liked to be there. Pity the poor defence personnel who normally use the facilities.

sandra

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 24 Jan 04 - 09:41 AM

And I was hoping that you had enough sense left to get to the hospital. Maybe a home visit from Nurse Ratched would have been better, even if she did bring her Sawzall.

Damn! Now we have to special order another XXXX Roll & Go T-shirt. You want a special color this time? We could print it on a burlap gunny sack and cut off two corners.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: freda underhill
Date: 24 Jan 04 - 10:13 AM

i've got the handcuffs, too..

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: SINSULL
Date: 24 Jan 04 - 10:43 AM

Sounds like you have yet another reason to take better care of yourself - to stay the hell out of the local hospital.

Deep breaths must be the hospital cure-all for everything. I felt nauseous and warned the nurse. She, with great irritaion, said take deep breaths. I was just out of surgery and groggy, no glasses so I couldn't see a thing. Well, two minutes later the deep breaths stopped working and there I was needing a clean gown, clean sheets, etc. Boy were they pissed! Seems I was supposed to use a basin...I couldn't see it so I didn't know it was there. And between the pain of the incision and the grogginess, I couldn't have reached it anyway. Now that I think of it, despite their nastiness, I won that battle. hee hee.

Sounds like you did too.

SINS

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: bbc
Date: 24 Jan 04 - 05:55 PM

Ah, Brett, sorry about that hospital experience. I think you're better off at home! Hope you're feeling better each day.

Thinking of you,

barbara

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 24 Jan 04 - 09:42 PM

I am feeling better. Last night I went to dinner at my boss's house. I left there at 9:00 and stayed up another couple of hours. Finally went to bed around 11:30 or so and slept the clock round, 12 hours! I rarely do that. It indicates how sick I must be. The problem is that I feel fine except for some tightness in my chest, a persistent cough, and the fact that I get winded very easily.

For those of you who smoke, this is your future!

Sorry to inject an antismoking message...

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 25 Jan 04 - 06:10 AM

Sins - years ago one of my friends had a similar experience with a no-nonsense nurse. She told the dental nurse she was going to be sick & she was - all over the woman's shoes!!

Brett - keep resting.

sandra

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 25 Jan 04 - 10:10 AM

Here's something to meditate while you're recovering, my original contribution to the "Hamster of Time Thread":

So as the pawls of the capstan of time click away, the mudhook of fate is slowly raised to the surface of tranquility.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 25 Jan 04 - 02:43 PM

Good imagery, Charlie.

I am going to try to go back to work today. Wish me luck.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: JennieG
Date: 25 Jan 04 - 08:06 PM

I couldn't resist it - post 600!!   How are you today Brett? It's Australia Day here, not a bad day, warmish but overcast, possible storms later (again). I have missed your news, I've been away for 3 weeks.
Hope you are feeling much more betterer
Cheers
JennieG

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Amos
Date: 25 Jan 04 - 09:11 PM

...freeing the rusted hulk of Personal Identity to be swept up in the currents of Sublimated Intentionality, out from the receding shoreline of Lost Hair toward the distant, shadowy Promontory of Salacious Aspirations...

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 26 Jan 04 - 01:14 AM

Amos, I think you are in the wrong thread with that last one. This thread scintilates with the sparkling wit of... uh, it shines with the brilliance of... uh, well, at least it isn't always dull brown and smelly.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: freda underhill
Date: 26 Jan 04 - 01:36 AM

i was most impressed with your post Amos, sounds like an interesting thread somewhere..

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 26 Jan 04 - 01:10 PM

Freda and others-

"The Hamster of Time" thread is rapidly sinking to the bottom of the BS Realm. If you're interested in raising it back to the surface and attempting to navigate the dire straits of imagery:Click Here!

There are guidelines provided and a link to a wonderful list of examples (Humph's as they're refered to).

Work hardly, Brett!

Charley Noble, where it's still well below 0 F

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 27 Jan 04 - 01:43 AM

You would think by now I would be over getting the giggles every time someone tells me the temperature back home...

I just came back from the doctor's office for my follow up visit. I drove with the windows down and the wind blowing in my hair. The bay was blue-green in close. Farther out the rollers broke on the reef, brilliant white against the dark blue of the deep water. The rental jet skis were roaring around the track laid out for them in Tumon Bay. Farther down there were crowds of tourists at the Piti Bomb Holes. Some were walking out to Fish Eye, the stairs that run down to the reef so people can look at the fish without getting wet. Scuba divers and snorkelers were wading out to swim around the holes.

Cold enough for you?

Yep!

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 27 Jan 04 - 07:26 AM

fancy folks complaining about cold when it's mid-summer!

Tomorrow night we're off to the James Craig for another shanty sing. I might take a shawl with me - it can get breezy at the harbour side (but the thin silk one, not a woolly one).

Yesterday the James Craig & the other Tall Ships were out on the harbour to celebrate Oz day - what a sight that would have been. But I can't tell you about it cos I wasn't there!

Summer in Sydney - beaches, blue skies, colourful clothing, boats & ships on the beautiful blue harbour ...

sandra

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 27 Jan 04 - 08:24 AM

Sigh!

Maybe I'll take up ice-sailing. Folks used to do that around here quite regularly, not the light 3-point suspension models that flit about the lakes but real hulls with built in runners. They say that a well rigged ice boat could tear along at 40 or 50 mph. Of course, anyone still aboard would be frozen solid.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble, all alone on the frozen ground

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 27 Jan 04 - 08:43 AM

Charley, leave the frozen ground & find a nice warm fire & lots of warm woolly things!!

Cats are warm & woolly, aren't they?

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 27 Jan 04 - 06:19 PM

Poor Charlie. Didn't I warn you that I would be laughing when winter returned and I was not there?

Still, I'll get a taste of it in March when I return. I hope I remember to bring my sweaters, jackets, gloves, and warm hat.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: GUEST
Date: 27 Jan 04 - 10:59 PM

Check out the "Festival of the August Moon" at Kuranda about a half hour from Cairns. I cant remember the exact date, but obviously it's in August and goes from Fri.night to Monday afternoon.
A small intimate festival held in a natural amphitheatre which has been minimally landscaped. It features mainly traditional type folk music and also has an array of bush crafts on show.
In addition, there is also a world renowned Aboriginal Dance Troupe who usually have a guest artist or two, such as Gulpilil.
You can get there from Cairns by train or via the "Skyrail,"
The best way is one way by train and the other by "Skyrail,"
both an experience in themselves.
There is a local caravan and campsite about fifteen minutes walk from the venue, bookings advisable.
Reply to [e-mail]

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 28 Jan 04 - 05:05 AM

I took the skyrail/train combo when I was in Australia last November. Very nice trip. I met a lovely lass there....

Kuranda didn't do much for me but the trip up and back was spectacular.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: bbc
Date: 28 Jan 04 - 06:34 AM

I've got about a foot of snow for you to miss this morning, Brett. At least, school is closed! Wish you were here. :)

love,

Barbara

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 28 Jan 04 - 07:45 AM

Tonight, whle leafing through the latest L. L. Bean winter catalog I realized I do miss cold weather. But not too much.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: bbc
Date: 28 Jan 04 - 04:34 PM

Little dry flakes have continued to feather down all day, Brett. My snowblower is great, my front walk short, & I've gotten lots of schoolwork done. In this case, hurrah for snow!

best always,

Barbara

P.S.--How's your flu, etc. doin'?

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 28 Jan 04 - 06:30 PM

The flu is gone leaving in its wake the pneumonia that has settled into my left lung. This leaves me feeling listless and tired all the time. My blood gas (percentage of oxygen in the blood) was only 93% at my last meeting with a doctor. I'm working 1/2 days and essentially getting nothing done.

Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how did you enjoy the play?

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: GUEST,bbc at work
Date: 29 Jan 04 - 12:02 PM

I believe there's hope, Brett. My friend, who was a couple days ahead of you in symptoms, has been feeling almost normal for just the past couple of days. This flu takes patience, but I believe you will get your strength back soon. If not, get back to the doctor!

love,

Barbara

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 29 Jan 04 - 03:39 PM

Yesterday I worked a full day and then went grocery shopping! Of course, I was exhausted by the time I got the groceries put away. Still, things are looking up. I feel like I may be able to enjoy the weekend after all.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 29 Jan 04 - 05:58 PM

Hey, Brett, looks like the temperature is going to hit 30 F this Sunday. What a heat wave! I can hardly wait to go out in my shirtsleeves again and catch some rays.

Glad you're feeling a little more chipper.

Charley Noble

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 31 Jan 04 - 06:42 AM

Strange weather today. This morning I met Peggy at San Luis Beach to gove her the first snorkeling lesson. The sky was mostly cloudy, the water was cool, and the day was warm. When we'd finished and she'd washed her puppy (more about the puppy later) it clouded up and started to drizzle. By the time I got to the canoe the drizzle was rain. We waited for it to stop but there was no sign of that.

As we waited one of the rarest weather phenomena in Guam occurred. It got foggy. Thick walls of fog closed in on us and left the locals gaping at the grey sheets. Joe commented that he'd seen small patches of fog in the swamp but he'd never seen this weather in Guam. Of course, he's young. But Larry, who's been here 35 years, has never seen this on Guam either.

Cool!

Peggy's puppy is named Rosie. She's a young (mostly) black lab. She got the puppy from the local animal shelter where she does volunteer work. Someone had shot the dog and her back legs are paralyzed. She drags those legs behind her as she makes her way across the sand. The odd thing is that she has feeling in those legs and she can stand on them for very short periods but she can't seem to move them. They have sores from being dragged on the ground. The poor thing looks very happy and seems not to notice her disability. We took her into the water and she can swim after a fashion. She didn't seem to mind being in the water.

Peggy says she will give Rosie a month and if she isn't making any progress she'll put her down. I doubt if Peggy will have the heart to do it after a month but that is her choice.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: breezy
Date: 31 Jan 04 - 10:06 AM

This is an amazing read.
God bless you Brett.
Happy new year.
And to all his Friends.
God bless you too.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 01 Feb 04 - 08:04 AM

It's been a busy day. Yesterday I mentioned to Gordon that I felt up to walking in to Fort Santiago if he and his wife were still interested. This morning he called to say they were and that Larry wanted to go along.

So there we were in the early afternoon fitting all four of us into my pickup. I have an extended cab Ranger with two little jump seats in the back. I was the only one who could drive because I was the only one who could get us on to the base. With the exception of Gordon's wife none of us are under 6' tall. It made for crowded conditions.

Fort Santiago was one of the original four Spanish forts that guarded the harbor. After the USA took the island from Spain the fort was torn down and a gun platform was erected on the spot. After WWII the platform was only used for saluting guns and now even those are gone.

The path in to the old fort starts out as a nice wide track but ends in a wall of jungle. There is a tiny trail that winds up hill between the trees. After a while we found a clearing but not a clearing such as I am used to in the Northern Woods. Here was an open area but the edge of the jungle was a solid mass of green with small pink flowers. Those who have seen kudzu in the southern states of the USA know what a wall of vegetation looks like. The clearing looked as though someone had draped a sheet of green and pink over it. The green underfoot was the same as the green on the sides that grew up and over the edge above us and out of sight beyond.

The path led through this and plunged into the green wall. The heat was stifling and the air was still. We climbed, accumulating sticky seeds and cobwebs. Finally we came to the edge of the cliff but there was no platform and no ruins. We worked our way back down the trail and spotted another trail running n to the left. At the end of that one we found what we were looking for. It was overgrown and surrounded by jungle but there was an old safety rail and once you stepped up to the rail a fresh breeeze hit your face and cooled the sweat on your head.

We had a terrific view of the harbor. Below us a sport boat was coming in trailing a white wake behind. A grey Navy security boat rolled out to meet it but didn't interfere. There was a container ship moored out there and the whole coast of the island ran off to the north beyond it. The sun was bright and the sea was that lovely darkest of blues.

As we walked back to the truck we strolled more slowly and the other three discussed the different trees and plants that surrounded us. We saw plenty of papaya, males and females. There was pseudo rattan, nonos, and even some ifit trees. Larry and Vickie discussed the medicinal quality of some of the plants we saw and when we reached the truck I noticed Larry was munching on a piece of fruit he'd picked off one of the trees.

Once we'd all scrunched back into the truck we drove up on to the abandoned runway. Larry was sure he remembered where there was an old wrecked airplane from WWII so we went looking for it. We finally found tthe sign at the head of the trail in to where the plane was. There was a warning that the trail was rough and long and that walkers should consider their experience and fitness before trying it. Since Gordon was only wearing sandals and Larry said the trail was rough limestone we decided to leave that adventure for another day.

This has been a good day.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: SINSULL
Date: 10 Feb 04 - 10:43 PM

Refresh
Nothing new????
How about your plans for visiting Maine?

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 11 Feb 04 - 06:33 AM

Well, last week, on a Wednesday morning, I went into work as I usually do, with a jaunty step and a song in my heart, i.e., drag in late and grumpy, to be greeted with the words, "The cost plus mod was signed at 2:00 this morning."

This was not good news.

Cost plus contracting is a method where the contractor gets paid his costs in performance and then is given an award fee asumiing he's done a good enough job. The award fee is his profit. The costs covered are his actual expenses and his overhead expenses.

Sorry about the lecture.

What our illustrious leaders had done was to take half our contrat and convert it from fixed price to cost plus. The only drawback to that scheme is that none of us (read zero percent) have any experience with that kind of contracting. So, we've been doing a lot of learning in a very short time. Plus we have to figure out the intricate details of how to make this animal run. It ain't fun but that's what I get paid for.

The end result is that I drag home in the early evening and the last thing I want to do is settle down in front of a computer screen again. Sorry.

Plus the weather has been crumby for the last 5 days and it's supposed to continue crumby through the upcoming weekend. This is supposed to be the dry season (D-R-Y!!!). The sun is supposed to shine in an impossibly blue sky while puffy clouds skim from east to west on the trade winds.

What we actually have is a dark grey ceiling and wet drizzle broken by intermittent downpours. The wind tosses the palm trees and tries to snatch the hat from your head while it drives the rain into your face. One of these days I'm going to HAVE to fix those windshield wipers.

And, as though that weren't enough, there is a tropical depression forming to the southeast of us that looks like it has a good chance of building into a typhoon.

Is that enough? I hope so.

On to pleasanter things. As Mary said I am going home. I will be in San Diego from February 21 to March 5. Amos, you listening? Then on March 6 I head for Manchester, NH, where I will rent a car and head for Houlton. That week coincides with my daughter's (Mudcatter Tenjiro) spring break so she will join me in New Hampster and go with me. I will be back in southern Maine on March 12 to visit my old office and start a weekend of getting in touch with old friends. Then on March 15 I fly out from Manchester to San Diego and on to Guam.

I am really looking forward to this. I will stay with Charley Noble and my sister at various times while in the south. It will still be cold and I will have to remember not to wear my shorts and sandals.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: bbc
Date: 11 Feb 04 - 09:56 AM

Sounds great, Brett; keep us informed. BTW, my son's job offer in CA fell through (management put a freeze on all new hiring), so he will not be joining you there. Sigh, more NY winter for him!

Barbara

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 14 Feb 04 - 08:19 AM

I guess it's time to make another entry. I'm sorry I've been so lax in adding to this but work intrudes. For those in a romantic frame of mind who might think I was distracted by a lady you can guess again.

I had a few things I wanted to do today. I had a package to pick up at the Post Office in Barrigada. I wanted to buy the wood for my new sawhorses. I needed to look for some epoxy putty for sealing holes in the bottom of fancy flower pots. And I wanted to go to the cultural fair at Gef Pago. I decided to skip the Seafarer's meeting.

On the way up to Barrigada I finally found Hafa Books. It is the ONLY used book shop on Guam. I've been looking for it for 8 months now. Actually I gave up the search because I assumed the typhoon had blown it away. And for those who think I should have called, I did. There was no answer. Hafa Books is cleverly hidden behind Green Video (or VIDEO Green as the banner proclaims). It is in the same shop as Creations In Wood. It's in the basement of the building but there is a little sign that says Hafa Books and Creations In Wood.

It's a lovely shop with a good selection of used books and artifacts from Asia. There is a glass case with a variety of items such as a copper Chinese warrior about a foot high, a carved wooden skull from the Philippines, Inuit scrimshaw on mammoth tusk, an ingot of Chinese silver labeled "not pure", and a tray of carved stone Buddhas. There are also a number of baskets and glass and pottery items. I found Pills To Purge Melancholy. That book seems to turn up everywhere. I also found a compilation of NPR interviews from 1996. And I paid $10.00 for a DVD, Space Truckers, a Dennis Hopper Godawful science fiction farce that I have always enjoyed.

It was raining when I left Hafa Books. Someday I'll have to get the windshield wipers fixed. I had decided to do so when we get to the next rainy season but I may not be able to wait that long if the dry season stays this wet. I figured the cultural fair would be rained out so I headed home.

My neighbor is planning a huge fiesta for tomorrow. The festivities start at 1:00 with hula dancing at 3:00. Our dooryard is a 60' paved parking lot and he has covered the whole thing with a set of canopies. He has power washed the pavement and is working hard to clean up his side of the property.

This morning on my way out I met a friend of his who came by to help. We talked for the longest time. He told me of Sumay, the old village when the Navy base now stands. He remembers playing in the area called the Spanish Steps before the Navy built the ammunition pier and closed it. He described the fish and how they would stretch their nets. Then they lay back and waited for the tide to change. When they hauled the nets they were always full of fat large fish. He talked of hunting the coconut crabs and when he described the crab he hunched his body and held his arms out to portray the crab's pincers. He described the work of his sister who dabbles in taxidermy and how she has mounted a coconut crab and a monitor lizard. He is a very interesting person.

Yesterday evening I went up to South Finegayan to help the junior officers build a cardboard boat. The senior officers in the wardroom had decided the wardroom had to have a boat in next weekend's cardboard regatta and had tasked the junior officers to do it. I got drafted when I convulsed with laughter at their "design" which included the phrase "pointy front end".

We went to one member's house to do the work. when I got there they had cut out a twelve foot polyhedron. We broke down the boxes and got to work. I think I gave them pretty good design but they haven't got a chance. When I left they we gluing it together with white glue. I hope the paddler can swim.

Something happened that evening that still rubs me the wrong way. Our host made the comment that he wanted his wife to meet the other wives so they could get together and do woman things while we worked in the garage. The whole implication was so bigoted and tossed off so lightly that I just stared at him. Consider, if he had said, "Let the black guys get together and do black things." he'd have been strung up for not being sensitive to racial pride. But here the women seem to agree and see it as the natural way of the world. Men do men things and women do women things and if there is a need for some crossing over they wait for the other gender to come along and take care of it. When I went into the house for a trash bag our hostess and one of the other wives were crouched in front of a China cabinet looking at antiques cups and saucers. Our hostess leaped to her feet to make sure I, the man, had what I needed. There was something almost apologetic in her attitude.

I finally did get down to Gef Pago. I drove down the east side of the island after a shortcut through Talafofo. What a disappointment. The "cultural fair" was little more than a set of carnival booths without the carnival. They were selling plastic toys and cheap CDs, games of ball tossing abounded. Everyone a winner! Pitiful. The only craftsman there was Taitano the wood carver.

But across the street a woman had a booth selling fruit and tuba. I bought a bottle of tuba and a papaya. Now, some of you may wonder how you get a huge brass instrument into a bottle. The simple answer is you get the orchestra drunk and they lead the tuba player into the bottle. The real answer is that tuba is fermented coconut sap. It is sweet and very surprising in it's power. If you drink it for a while your legs forget how to hold you up according to my friends at work. They say it's even better if you add a little beer to it.

I guess I'll have a drink and go to bed.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 15 Feb 04 - 10:39 AM

Brett-

Could you start a thread on your revisit to Maine and New Hamshire in March so we can better coordinate what could be happening?

At this point it looks like a song party at my house in Richmond on Friday, March 12th, and a special session at the Press Room on Saturday, March 13th.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Amos
Date: 15 Feb 04 - 10:49 AM

I hear ya, Brett!! Can't wait to see you again!

A

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: JennyO
Date: 15 Feb 04 - 11:11 AM

Wish I could be there!

Jenny (sitting next to my biggest fan - he keeps me cool)

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 15 Feb 04 - 08:41 PM

Well, Nick and Carmela's party was a big success. Lots of people, lots of food, laughter and beer. They were celebrating five birthdays. The festivities started at 1:00 and there were hula dancers to entertain at 3:00. When I came out of my half of the duplex I found my front yard full of people. I filled a plate and joined in the fun. I sat with the old men, the patriarchs, and talked of Guam and the world, solving all the problems, as I watched the rest of the people. there were little kids and their parents and grandparents. There was an inflated jumping pad out in the field next to the house. A few of the older kids were tossing a football in the street.

At 3:00 the hula entertainment began. It is a dance company located here on the island. Their instructor is from Hawaii but they do dances from all over the Pacific. It was odd seeing those little girls, the oldest couldn't have been more that 14, doing the sensual dances from Tahiti. It just didn't seem to fit. But they were graceful and beautiful and very good. There were some movements I didn't think possible for a human body.

After the entertainment I retreated into my house and left the party to the locals. It isn't good for me to be in the company of women these days. I start to think about the benefits of a relationship and I don't want to go there again.

I forgot to mention something funny that happened the other night when we were working on the cardboard canoe. we had stopped for supper and I was talking to the host's two kids, 7 and 9. I was obviously the oldest person in the room so I decided to have fun with them. I told them I was the oldest person on earth and had them try to guess my age. We got up to 100 and I was still saying "Nope, older!" Finally they began to ask for the anser so I told them I was older than their dad. That was easy to see. So I told them I was so old that when I was young I had only black and white TV. That didn't impress them. So I told them that I was so old that there were no computers when I was born. The older boy's eye got big and he said, "That's even before the pilgrims!"

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 16 Feb 04 - 06:33 AM

Brett - maybe you can impress the lads a bit more.

sandra


      When I Was A Boy
      Copyright 1997 by Frank Hayes, Firebird Arts & Music (BMI)

      When I was a boy our Nintendo
      Was carved from an old Apple tree
      And we used garden hose to connect it
      To our steam-powered color tv.
      But it still beat that ancient Atari
      'Cuz I almost went blind, don'tcha know,
      Playing Breakout and Pong on a video game
      Hooked up to our radio.

      And we walked twenty miles to the schoolhouse
      Barefoot, uphill both ways,
      Through blizzards in summer and winter
      Back in the good old days.
      Back when Fortran was not even Three-tran
      And the PC was only a toy
      And we did our computing by gaslight
      When I was a boy.

      When I was a boy all our networks
      Were for hauling in fish from the sea--
      Our bawd rate was eight bits an hour (and she was worth it!),
      And our IP address was just 3.
      And you kids who complain that the World Wide Web
      Is too slow oughtta cut out your bitchin',
      'Cuz when I was a boy every packet
      Was delivered by carrier pigeon

      And we walked twenty miles to the schoolhouse
      Barefoot, uphill both ways,
      Through blizzards in summer and winter
      Back in the good old days.
      Back when Fortran was not even Two-tran
      And the mainframe was only a toy
      And we did our computing by torchlight
      When I was a boy.

      When I was a boy our IS shop
      Built relational tables from wood,
      And we wrappered our data in oilcloth
      To preserve it the best that we could.
      And we carried our bits in a bucket,
      And our mainframe weighed 900 tons,
      And we programmed in ones and in zeros
      And sometimes we ran out of ones.

      And we walked twenty miles to the schoolhouse
      Barefoot, uphill both ways,
      Through blizzards in summer and winter
      Back in the good old days.
      Back when Fortran was not even One-tran
      And the abacus? Only a toy!
      And we did our computing in primordial darkness
      When I was a boy.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 16 Feb 04 - 07:30 AM

That's excellant. I wish I had the tune and the chords.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 19 Mar 04 - 11:49 PM

I'm back! I had a friend try to cure my computer's senility while I was off island. He did but in the process wiped the hard drive clean. I don't miss many of the files. No big deal.

I am supremely jet lagged. The last two days have ended with me dragging myself around trying desperately to stay awake until the real bed time. It ain't easy. And it's going to be a while before I want to fit myself into an airplane seat again. It's a long way from New Hampshire to Guam.

Today I went by the canoe to see who showed for the regular Saturday meeting. There was quite a crowd but as I approached I could see it was only a buch of kids. There was a strange van parked there. It was a group of troubled kids on an outing. Some of them were very interested in what we were doing and asked good questions. Manny had a model of a Chamorro canoe he'd made and he showed them how the thing sailed. Then we went over to the real canoe and showed them what we are doing. We fielded questions ranging from "How many people can sail in the canoe?" (4), to "Where is the bathroom?" (Men forward of the outrigger, women through the hole in the bottom of the deckhouse.)

I also heard the whole story of the Quest, our canoe. she was built by Manny's father for fishing off the island of Hoak. After we bought her they sailed her from Puluwat to Pikelot, an uninhabited island where the islanders harvest turtles. It took two days to make that part of the trip. It was 118 miles. They rested on Pikelot for a day and then sailed for Guam. They made that leg (382 miles) in 4 days. Later that day they sailed her to Saipan. After that they made short trips around the island until the typhoon damaged her. She hasn't been in the water since.

I also heard the story of how Malapi lost his left hand. If you remember Malapi was the old man who helped out with the canoe for a while. Back in 1972 he was spearfishing at night from the reef off Puluwat. He had a fish and was headed back to his friends on the reef. He swam with the fish on the spear in his right hand, pulling with his left. Suddenly something grabbed the left hand. He pulled and got free but then realized he couldn't make any progress swimming with his left hand anymore. It was gone. His friends rescued him and took him to the Peace Corps volunteers on the island who arranged to transport him to a hospital.

This morning my friend Peggy and I went out to look at houses. she is curious about what houses are going for. I think she is also trying to persuade me to buy a house. She had one listing of a place in Umatak that they wanted $22,000 for. The other was in Agat and they want $63,000 for that one. The Agat house needs lots of work. It seems structurally sound but it could use paint, a new kitchen, utilities upgrade, new bathroom fixtures, some new windows, air conditioning, reconstruction of the side steps, and extensive demolition in the back yard. There is a 4" cast iron sewer line running across the back yard that is broken in places. It looks as though a previous occupant was building a concrete covered patio back there, maybe an outdoor kitchen. There was water leaking from a pipe in the middle of the yard and another leaking pipe at the outdoor laundry fixture.

The other house was worse! It had no roof, no windows, and no doors. There were pipes in the house but no wires and no apparent utilities in the place. We found the remains of the roof in the back yard. Great view though, mountains all around.

It's great to be back home. The weather has been wet and gray but also warm and friendly.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Amos
Date: 20 Mar 04 - 12:54 AM

Brett:

I don't mean to be obsessive or anything, but.....did you find your passport???


A

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

Amos, waiting is. You cannot grok a person or event until waiting fills. You should wait, praising and cherishing this event until you grok it in its fullness.

In other words, I will tell you when I find it. **grin**

I forgot to mention that I found out how the canoe sailors deal with a storm at sea. When the seas build up too rough to sail in they take down the sail and lash it to the deck. they then lash themselves and anything loose to the canoe, let it fill up with water and ride out the storm, either inside the canoe or hanging on to the outrigger. Once the storm passes they bail out the canoe and raise the sail.

Also, I found out that the canoe ships water continuously while sailing. A loaded canoe has almost no freeboard so every wave adds to the load. There is one person who bails continuously while at sea. There is even a special seat built into the bottom of the canoe for him/her to sit in while working.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 22 Mar 04 - 07:45 PM

Our cardboard boat performed well in the regatta. They used a double paddle and won the race with the boat still intact and way ahead of the other 11 boats. The boat is now enshrined in the area of the building where they keep the trophies and photos of the management heads. Maybe I have a future as a boat designer after all.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Amos
Date: 22 Mar 04 - 08:03 PM

Well -- did you get the packages you mailed yourself in which you believed it would be found? Or is it still to be found somewhere alse?

A

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 23 Mar 04 - 01:41 AM

No packages yet. Maybe the slow boat got delayed.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 23 Mar 04 - 01:53 AM

I didn't mention my new project. When I was home Dad gave me a his photo album from his days in the Marine Corps. He also told me the whole story of how he ended up in the Corps and what he did while enlisted.

I now have his photo album and I bought a scanner. I plan to scan all his pictures into digital format, have him write down what he remembers of those places and people, and put it all together in an electronic album or a hard document. Once that's done I think I will start with other family photos.

He joined the Marines in Connecticut, went to basic training at Paris Island, and ended up and an engineering battalion working in Peking. His unit was one of the last to be pulled out of China when the USA realized it couldn't influence the outcome between the communists and the Kuomintang.

Time to go. I have a date with a beach and some warm salty water.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 23 Mar 04 - 06:56 AM

Brett - I really missed this thread with it's descriptions of life on Guam. I hope you realise that it's your real job, telling us about life on this wonderful tropical island.

Check out the Oz Catters meet @ Easter @ the National thread - there's info on the Top Half Folk Festival in Darwin in June. I dunno if you could do it in a weekend, tho, Darwin is half a continent away from Cairns.

sandra

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 23 Mar 04 - 08:56 PM

But Sandra, didn't you know I make it all up? Just kidding. I will keep up the thread for as long as I think anyone is enjoying it.

We started out the day with a power outage. The computers quit and the lights dimmed until they went out. We were two hours without power. Apparently it was island wide. I'll have to check the paper tonight to see what happened.

I never did get to the water last night. I left the office later than I intended and then had to come back to retrieve my ID card. Tonight I have to do my laundry but I should be able to get to the beach before that.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Amos
Date: 23 Mar 04 - 10:20 PM

Brett:

About losing identies: You made it very clear to me when you were here that you have a really world-class personality. Personable, accomodating, warm and funny and smart as a whip.

Don't make me come over there!!

:>))

Stay well, pal,


A

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 23 Mar 04 - 10:47 PM

So, what is it that I have to do to make you come over here? Besides sending you two plane tickets that is...

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: GUEST,freda underhill
Date: 23 Mar 04 - 11:21 PM

yes, Naemanson, lots of us enjoy your made up stories from Guam. keep well & best wishes

fred

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 31 Mar 04 - 06:44 AM

Wow! This place continues to amaze me. Last Saturday I met two amazing and interesting people. One is a racing sailboat captain. He works for a very rich man who has a deep and abiding interest in racing sailboats. His employer owns 5 boats, 40', 50', 75', 90', and a 115'. Al's job is to coordinate the 9 permanent crew members and keep them trained to a fine point for winning races. They are based in Hong Kong but he doesn't like living in Hong Kong so he lives in Guam and does most of his work by remote link. He is currently rebuilding a damaged catamaran and building a power trimaran to use to explore the Pacific islands and to carry mail and cargo between them.

The other person is a Japanese woman who is attending language classes (English) at UOG. She is a carpenter in Japan with a shop and all her own tools. Those of you familiar with the chauvinist society in Japan should realize how unusual this is. She was extremely interested in the carving on the canoe parts working her way in close to help as best she could. Unfortunately she had to leave before she could get her hands on an adze and do some cutting.

One funny thing happened. When I saw my middle sister two weeks ago she gave me a T-shirt she had decorated with Japanese characters. She told me it meant "wisdom". At the canoe Wakana saw the characters and asked me if it was the name of my girlfriend. While one reading of the kanji is "wisdom", or "smart head" as Wakana put it, the other interpretation is "pretty girl" and is used as a girl's name in Japan. My sister got quite a laugh out of that.

You know, adventures come in all shapes and sizes. Since I left Maine I have been determined to enjoy whatever adventure comes my way. Now I doubt if I will ever get involved in the grand adventures like climbing Mount Everest of canoeing down a class 5 rapid but the little adventures are much more fun. One jumped out at me (literally) last night.

I had just eaten dinner at the only Indian restaurant on Guam. It was very good. I had Tandoori Chicken and Paratha bread. I was getting into my car when a lovely young woman engaged me in conversation. She is Egyptian and very talkative. She kept the talk flowing while standing inside my private space and making a point to touch my arm whenever she could. I was immediately suspicious. My first impulse was to cut and run but then I decided to ride the train. She was VERY friendly and it has been a long time since I had any female contact after all. And she was quite sexy.

Now, I would like to remind everyone that one of the common themes in sea songs in the harlot who invites Jack Tar to drink with her after which he wakes alone and naked. This came to mind repeatedly as she talked and pranced and then finally asked me to come into the bar where she worked to by her a drink.

What the hell, I thought, and I took the plunge. What followed was an hour of shameless teenage cuddling while we drank overpriced drinks. At one point while she was away from our corner I stole a sip of her rum & coke. I couldn't taste any booze in that drink. Finally I begged poverty and left. It was true. I had spent my last forty eight dollars on the four drinks we shared. She gave me her phone number and told me I had to call her but I will not. I can't afford her tastes. Still it was a very amusing incident and has given me more of an idea of what the world is like.

The bar, by the way, is a karaoke bar. I had never been into one before. There were TV monitors in every corner showing insipid scenery and scrolling the words to the songs. Some were in English but later an Asian man started singing and the words scrolling up the screens looked to be in Vietnamese or Thai. It was really very lonely. He sat at the bar, alone, with the microphone, while he sang the song. He looked very sad.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 31 Mar 04 - 08:19 AM

Brett-

She took me aloft and her tops'ls she lowered,
In a snug little harbor she soon had me moored;
She laid in her fores'ls, her stays'ls, and all,
With her lily white hand on me reef-tackle fall...

Here's luck to the gal with the black curly locks,
Here's luck to the gal who run Jack on the rocks;
Here's luck to the doctor who eased all his pain,
He's squared his main yards, he's a-cruisin' again...

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 31 Mar 04 - 06:16 PM

You know, we sing the songs but who ever really expects to live the life reflected in those songs. But then, there has to be a reason those songs grip us and lodge in our hearts and minds.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Amos
Date: 31 Mar 04 - 06:29 PM

Jeeze, Brett, your story reminds me of a lovely lass in Gran Canaria de Las Palmas, who earned her living in a sailor's bar some thirty-odd years ago.   She had an address, but fortunately, she was not at home, so the adventure went no further and I was blessed with a lucky escape. Not the first nor the last, but certainly the last of that kind.

:>))

A-roving! A-roving! Since roving's been my roooo-eye-innnn....


A

(Find that passport yet???)

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 31 Mar 04 - 10:37 PM

On my way home I drive by a Navy housing area. There is a contractor replacing the huge concrete fence around the area. It had been damaged in either an earthquake or typhoon. The old fence is coming out in 2'X4' pieces of precast concrete blocks. My friend Gordon has been making off with these blocks by the pickup truck load. He's been using them as walkways and patio blocks at his house and at a rental house he has in Agat. I saw him there when driving in to work the other day, sweat streaming down his face as he carefully tipped another block into his truck. He estimates he's moved about two tons of them by now. He's quite the scrounger and pack rat. And he is yet another example of the good people I have met here.

Today at lunch one of our officers had a list of places we can easily reach from Guam. The list showed terrorist and criminal threat levels. Some areas, like North Korea, are strictly off limits. Others, like China are low level threats. One amusing point. Each country is listed as having a certain threat level for criminal activity. That would denote a certain familiarity with the police reports in those countries. The indication for Guam, a United States possession, is "undetermined". Ain't that odd?

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 01 Apr 04 - 10:22 AM

what does it say about Oz? We might be a low crime spot, except for a few pockets!

Over the past couple of years criminals in Melbourne have been shooting each other all over the place (24 dead at last count?) Latest was the father of 2 previous victims. The papers are full of the supposed next victim! And naturally nobody's talking, including the next target. After all the latest victim wouldn't talk, either.

Of course Sydney & Brisbane are a different world.

Do we have a good (safe) rating as a potential terrorist target?

sandra

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 02 Apr 04 - 06:17 PM

I don't remember what the list said about Australia. I will check on it and report back. It seems ludicrous to have one line for a place as big as Oz but then they may only be refering to the Cairns area because that is the easiest are for us to reach.

Thursday night I went down to Le Tasi Bistro to listen to the folk band and deliver a couple of CDs a friend wants to get some air play in Guam. (He likes the idea of being able to say his music is heard on the radio as far awa as Guam.) Anyway when I took my seat some women at a table called me over and invited me to sit with them. They had heard me sing there the one time I filled in for the band during their break. One of the women invited me to come to a party, a BBQ she was having at her house. When I agreed she passed me her card for the address. She is "Diane M. Strong, Ed.D, Diver, Adventurer, Writer..." She also gave me a postcard with the cover of her latest book about one of the tour divers in Chuk (Truk Lagoon). Her web site is http://www.strongdiver.com. I haven't had time to check it out yet but will after I finish this post. The admission to the party is one musical instrument. I believe she is trying to set up a music party.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: freda underhill
Date: 02 Apr 04 - 06:33 PM

that sounds fantastic Brett - enjoy your party, wish i could be there to hear you sing again.

best wishes

freda

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 02 Apr 04 - 07:22 PM

Brett-

Sounds like a better offer than the one from the Egyptian lady. She might have plans to roll you, wrapping you up like a mummy! If we read about that happening to you, don't expect us to keep a straight face as we share the sad news.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 03 Apr 04 - 11:38 PM

That was a good evening. We had a good time though the evening was slow to get off the ground. It started when one of the party goers opened a bottle of very fine tequila and persuaded us to do a few shots with him. It was smooth stuff with a capital smoo. Dinner consisted of Mahi-Mahi, Wahoo, and Yellow Fine Tuna, all fresh caught that day and grilled. There was also sashimi, fresh baked bread, salad, cut up vegetables with dip, local corn on the cob, rice (of course), and barbequed ribs. There was a wasabi based sauce for the fish. The party was BYOB so I had a six pack of beer and some soda. Dinner was eaten on the lawn with the full moon shining down on us. There were about 8 or 9 of us there.

After dinner the Pago Bay Reefers started playing their music, a mix of blues and folk. They really are very good. There were only 3 band members there, Dave on guitar, Steve on banjo, guitar and mandolin, and RR on national steel guitar and dobro. He also plays base but didn't bring it along. I learned that RR is the owner of American Music, the best music shop on the island and that his instrument collection is worth more than most houses here. They played for quite a while and I had begun to think I wasn't going to get an opportunity but I did play along with the bones. At one point we were interrupted by a brief shower but it passed and the moon came back out. Then the dessert came out, lemon meringue pie, chocolate cake and some kind of almond flavored bread rolled up with a frosting inside. Decaf coffee was available but no dairy. Instead she added Bailey's Irish Cream. Very Yummy.

I finally was asked to perform and I started with Henery the Eighth. I wanted people to sing along and that one is sure to get them thanks to Herman's Hermits. I followed up with a number of songs including Sally Free & Easy (at reduced volume, Charley), I'd Like To Have A Mistress, Eat Bertha's Mussels, Dramamine, Long Time Ago, Pump Shanty, Mary Mac, and Northwest Passage. We had a good time and they did their best to sing along. One guy, the tequila guy, just sat their with a smile and listened. Later while cleaning the kitchen I gave them Derelict and I caught him singing along with the "yo ho ho and a bottle of rum" refrain.

The Reefers sat there amazed as I reeled the songs off because they generally work from paper. RR kept making comments about the memory storage in computer terms. I guess they've never had to free themselves from the paper crutch. My thanks to Roll & Go for the repertoire and the need to work from the head instead of the page.

The hostess has two yellow Labrador retrievers. The female had puppies about six weeks ago. At one point I walked through the living room and it seemed as if everyone held a squirming furry little body with a cute fuzzy face. Nothing like a puppy to put you in a good mood.

I finally headed home and dropped into bed around 11:30, very tired but happy with the evening. It was indeed a good time.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: GUEST
Date: 04 Apr 04 - 09:59 AM

Hey Dad,
About your picture project for Papa...I still have the interview on tape that I did with him three or four years ago, he talked about Guam quite a bit on it...I've got the tapes somewhere, I never had time to type it up because I ended up not being able to use it for the school project I orginially taped it for.

Do you want it? I'll see if I can find the tapes and send them to you.

love
Kelli

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 04 Apr 04 - 09:42 PM

By all means, Kelli, send them along.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 04 Apr 04 - 11:28 PM

Latest News: Tropical Storm 03W has formed and stands a good chance of developing into a typhoon. Curent forecast shows it running off to the south of Guam, just skimming past. Could make a turn more northerly at some point and hit us but no one knows yet.

Those of you who wake up groaning on Monday morning should not read the rest of this post.

One of the men at the party is named John. John arrived at Guam many years ago on a catamaran on which he and his wife were cruising around the world. They had just spent a year in New Guinea. They arrived intending to spend a few days in Guam and stayed for 13 years. John now works for a charter boat firm in Hawaii. He repairs the charter boats after the tourists beat them up. His work day runs from 8:00 AM to noon after which he spends the rest of the day wind surfing. He looks like a very happy soul. I don't think he finished his trip around the world and I get the impression that he doesn't care.

It's raining again.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 05 Apr 04 - 06:39 PM

Typhoon Sudal is not yet expected to hit Guam. The predicted Closest Point Of Approach is 178 nautical miles. We are expecting winds of up to 65 knots on Thursday. Everyone is battening down the hatches and preparing for the worst. I went to the commissary last night to get some water, I was low anyway, and found the shelves stripped bare. The line of full grocery carts stretched a long way. There was no water. I stood in line waiting and talking with the others. then I noticed a pallet on the other side of the registers. It had been loaded with water. I walked over and grabbed 10 gallons. It will have to do.

The sky outside my window is gray with clouds moving north to south instead of the usual east to west. The breeze is picking up.

If you want to see the projected path of the typhoon click HERE.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 05 Apr 04 - 07:07 PM

C---------------------------------F
In this wind-y old weath-er! Storm-y old weath-er!
G7----------------------------------------C
When the wind blows, we'll all go to-geth-er!

Bottled water is all very fine but how about the fixings for a rusty nail or two?

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 05 Apr 04 - 09:24 PM

Now Charley, you know I don't drink... much. And I've never had a rusty nail in my life. Maybe in my foot once or twice but not to drink.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Amos
Date: 05 Apr 04 - 09:51 PM

Brett:

PM me yer addie over there, mate. I may have a CD to send you when mail service is restored!!
A

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 06 Apr 04 - 09:17 AM

I'm off to Canberra in about 12 hours so will have to await a week(!!) to find out what happens. ratz.

And ratz for being on holiday - I forgot a singing session tonight! But at least my bag is packed!

sandra

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: JennyO
Date: 06 Apr 04 - 10:51 AM

Hello Sandra. I noticed you forgot the singing session tonight. I hope you have a note from your mother. I'll be looking for it when I see you on Thursday night.

About 36 hours to go now - 2 more sleeps and then - YAY - Canberra here we come!

Jenny

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 06 Apr 04 - 06:52 PM

The typhoon has kept to its westerly course and skipped off south of us. We have a grey blustery day but nothing more than that. All is well.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Amos
Date: 06 Apr 04 - 07:06 PM

BRett:

PM me your addy anyway.

A

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 07 Apr 04 - 05:14 AM

Latest prediction is that Sudal will turn more northerly and move up between us and the Philipines. It is not unknown for them to pull a u-turn and come back at us from the west. It ain't over till the fat guy sings.

Will do, Amos.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: freda underhill
Date: 07 Apr 04 - 08:15 AM

hi Brett

sandra, jennyo and i will be going to our national folk festival tomorrow. I hope Guam hasnt blown away when we get back!

have a great Easter, we'll spend all weekend sampling musical delights!

best wishes

freda

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Roger the Skiffler
Date: 07 Apr 04 - 09:44 AM

Great threads, Brett, keep 'em comin'.

RtS
(just had to be post 667- the next door neighbour of the Beast!)

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 08 Apr 04 - 11:34 PM

Well, Freda, Sandy, and Jenny, you all have a good time. Watch out for...

Never mind, if you start watching out for things you may not have a good time!

Thanks for the encouragement, Roger. Every once in a while I start to wonder if I am reaching anyone with this.

Happy Easter to the Christians. Happy spring equinox to the others.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Ebbie
Date: 09 Apr 04 - 01:48 AM

Never fear, Naemanson. Your thread is a bright spot.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 10 Apr 04 - 08:17 PM

Yesterday my friend Gordon invited me to a party for this afternoon. He expects there to be at least a hundred people there so it could prove interesting.

Easter is taken very seriously here on the island. A majority of the people are Catholics. The office was empty on Friday and we've had to schedule meetings around Holy Thursday and Holy Friday, putting them off to Monday. Friday was designated a liberal leave day which means that supervisors cannot interfere with requests for leave.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 11 Apr 04 - 07:48 PM

As I said, Easter is taken very seriously. Therefore there was no one hundred people at the party. It was a birthday celebration for his daughter and another family member. His daughter is in her teens and the other kid is in her stroller.

It was quite a spread, as island parties tend to be. There was more food than anyone could eat. Even taking the smallest portions no one could have left the food table having tried it all. There was BBQ ribs and chicken, two kinds of lumpia, shrimp kelaguen, cold but spicy, spaghetti, potato salad, papaya cole slaw, and many more. The deserts were all over the board including some of the best watermelon I've had in a long time.

It was a very nice time. I met another friend of theirs who came to the island for two years and has been here 38 years now. This is a very different group from the bunch I knew in Maine who told me all the horror stories about life in Guam.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Peter Woodruff
Date: 11 Apr 04 - 09:06 PM

Hi Brett,
It is Sring here in Maine, at least for Easter. I don't know if we'll have another snowstorm. My tomatoes are doing well in the window.

Peter

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 11 Apr 04 - 09:48 PM

Hi Woody,

You mention your tomatoes and it brings up a reminds of your lovely home in the woods. I hope you and your wife are still very happy and enjoying your life together. I trust you are all well. Life in Guam, as you can see in the thread, is varied and interesting. I am having lots of fun and working out plenty of personal issues though I don't go into that very deeply in this public forum. I am still avoiding women except for passing friendships. I find that is the best route to my own happiness.

Brett

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 13 Apr 04 - 04:34 AM

Brett - we had a great time & even met a few Mudcatters, incl. Bob Zentz whose CD I bought because of its cover - anything that looks like sea songs & shanties has to be added to my collection.

We had a great shanty sing with Danny Spooner. The room rocked! It did too in Hrothgar's Hymns session, esp. when John W, Margaret & Danny led a few hymns. Margaret moved to get away from John's enormous voice, then covered both ears as she had Danny's equally loud voice in her other ear!!

more on the Ozcatters thread.

sandra

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 15 Apr 04 - 03:07 AM

Bob's a great guy. I visited with him when in Virginia once and he gave me a copies of two of his CDs. We had been in an ersatz Irish pub, singing and drinking all evening. It was magical.

Once when helping Gordon Bok lug his equipment out to his car after a wonderful coffeehouse evening he turned to me and said, "That's the kind of evening that'll put a goofy grin on your face for a week." Sounds like you are still grinning.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: JennyO
Date: 15 Apr 04 - 04:01 AM

Hi Brett.

Bob was also performing with Rick Lee as well as by himself. Have you met Rick? They are both great guys and we loved their music. John did some CD swaps with them and we bought a couple of Rick's CD's. So we ended up with one of Bob's, a CD of instrumental versions of shanties by both of them, called Scuttlebutt, and 2 of Rick's. I also bought a live CD of Bob Brozman. I've not seen him before and he is amazing. So we have hours of good listening in front of us.

BTW, John is a mudcatter now too. Look for postings by jack halyard. He hasn't posted often yet - not as addicted as Amalina and I are (not yet anyway ;-))

Jenny

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: freda underhill
Date: 15 Apr 04 - 04:29 AM

not tooo addicted, jennyo!

i had a secular easter at the folk fest, didnt attend any hymns OR hers.

Enda Kenny (irish folkie now living in Oz) said this was the best festival he had ever attended.

Brett, Charlie and Judy, are you thinking of coming out again? if so, time it around the National for next year (always on at Easter) -you wont regret it!

still goofy grinning

freda

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 15 Apr 04 - 08:44 AM

freda, you missed a great singing session, hymn singing is secular. I think Tom put on a session at a festival year ago, called something like You don't have to be a christian to sing hymns.

Coupla years back my Jewish friend knew more hymns than I did & I used to go to Sunday School, & he didn't have that excuse!!

As you say, Brett, I'm still grinning. So many great singing sessions & conversations & concerts.

sandra (what's going on in Guam?)

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 16 Apr 04 - 06:45 AM

I don't know Rick Lee. I'd like to hear his music some day, especially if it fits well with Bob Zentz.

Congratulations to John. Welcome to the 'Cat.

Not much happening in Guam this week. We have some headquarters people visiting us and I've been in so many meetings I am developing calluses on my butt. But every afternoon I leave the office and go down to the sea where I float around communing with the fishes. They attend no meetings and their schools are more enjoyable than any I've ever been in. It's a nice way to unwind.

They moved the canoe down to the park behind the Chamorro Village. Last week we worked on it under the blue sky and next to the shining water. Boats plied in and out of the marina while we worked. People would drive by and stare at the red and black hull with what seemed to be wonder in their eyes. They were looking back into their own history.

This Saturday we will have a BBQ while we work. It promises to be a good day. I will take my guitar to practice for Tuesday.

Tuesday I will be on the local NPR radio station performing songs both accompanied and unaccompanied. That should be fun. The DJ, Jay McDonald, invited me some time ago but I only recently agreed.

There is another tropical depression forming down around Chuk. This one promises to develop into a typhoon and the models predict it coming this way. Cross your fingers. The last one, Sudal, hit Yap very hard, wiping out homes and businesses. There is a great need for aid in all forms down there.

I would say that there is a good chance of getting to Australia next Easter for the National. Keep me apprised.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 16 Apr 04 - 06:59 AM

By the way, I finished my taxes and reconsidered my plan to maintain my residence in Maine. I figure I will have to pay upwards of $3,000 to the state just for the chance to vote against the idiot in the White House. There is NO "state" tax here in Guam. And the federal taxes go to the Federal Government and then are turned around and sent back to GovGuam to maintain the island. So I have finally achieved what I've alsways wanted. I can honestly say my taxes are NOT going to the Department Of Defense to buy bullets and bombs.

I apologize to my friends in the USA. You're gonna have to get rid of the idiot yourself.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 16 Apr 04 - 10:03 AM

lucky you - your taxes are just doing good stuff.

looking forward to seeing & hearing you @ the 2005 National - maybe I'll have to change the title of my annual "Ozcatters meet @ the National @ Easter" thread to "Oz & other Catters ..."

sandra

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 16 Apr 04 - 06:42 PM

Hmmm, maybe I'll change my name to Guamcat.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 17 Apr 04 - 09:01 PM

Nice time at the canoe yesterday. We had a BBQ with odds and ends people brought by. Down at Paseo we have more people showing up to help with the repairs and we are really making progress. I took my guitar and played a little when the group work was done.

We had steak and fish, some rice with fine dene, fruit salad, and brownies. There were three kinds of fish, unicorn, tuna, and something they called by its Chomorro name.

It was a beautiful day. There were puffy clouds in a deep blue sky. the water varied in shade from tropical green to deep blue. Fishermen tried their skill against the fish while we cooked and worked, scraping wood, applying linseed oil, and carving on the big support for the offside platform.

Have I mentioned that I love it here? I've been trying to figure out why. I think it is a range of things. I could get warm weather anywhere in the southern states (of the USA). But I would still have to deal with people who measure their time as if it was the most important commodity they own, grouchy, hurrying people who can't stand still and enjoy their surroundings. I could get a rural life style pretty much anywhere in the states but there you tend to get a homogenous population, largely concerned with maintaining the homogenous nature of their lives. "Different people" are accepted and even welcomed as somebody unique but an influx of "different people" scares them.

Here, I am in the minority and unlike the minorities in the States I feel welcome despite my differences. I treat people with respect and honor and they treat me the same way. Back home if you meet a man with a dark skin dressed in "homie" style you wouldn't even meet his eyes. Here I feel comfortable looking him in the eye and greeting him with a cheerful "Hi!" Back home women with dark skins stare at you, if they look at you at all, with a smoldering anger in their eyes. Here they are bolder and happy. There is little anger to be seen here. It is not nonexistant. It is just not directed.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 18 Apr 04 - 08:26 AM

Of course the peace and serenity will only hold for as long as I can keep myself from falling in love. To do that I have been avoiding the other gender. Now I have slipped. I asked Wakana out to dinner. She suggested lunch next Sunday. We will also join a walk to Fifi Beach to look at some latte stones. And the weekend after that she and I and a friend of hers from Japan will go snorkeling together.

What am I doing?

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: freda underhill
Date: 18 Apr 04 - 08:40 AM

you're starting to have a normal life again, Naemanson, and good thing too - enjoy it!

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 18 Apr 04 - 10:10 AM

Brett-

Your social life sounds better to me.

When's your next vacation coming up? Are you still planning to attend the South Pacific islands festival, whatever it's called?

You'll be pleased to hear that the last of the snow was washed away around here by torrential rains last week. Of course, we still have major ice jams and flooding in Northern Maine. Monday, it's supposed to be in the balmy 70's (F) along the coast. Time to break out the BBQ.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 18 Apr 04 - 10:19 AM

weather - Oz is still enjoying Summer! Last week in Canberra we had some very hot days & coolish nights (false advertising to say it was Autumn) & in Sydney we have had temperatures in the mid-late 20's C. (or 80's for those who use F.)

sandra

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Amos
Date: 18 Apr 04 - 11:51 AM

Steady on, bwah. You're doing fine.


A

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 19 Apr 04 - 03:25 AM

It better not take me any deeper than friendship. If it does I would have to clean my house and that might be a project above and beyond my abilities.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: bbc
Date: 19 Apr 04 - 07:14 AM

Maybe it's time, Brett. I've been in a nice, stable friendship for about 8 months now. I find that my expectations have changed, somewhat, since/because of my last relationship. You're a warm, loving man. Figure it out as you go along & just keeping talking. I'm really glad you like Guam. I still have some mixed feelings about my move.

love,

Barbara

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 21 Apr 04 - 03:54 AM

I had a great gift in my mailbox. When I was in San Diego Amos took me around to some used bookstores and used music shops. He was egging me on to make more and more purchases while he cleverly avoided spending any money.

In one of the shops I bought an old LP titled An Exaltation Of Dulcimers. It features Lorraine Lee and Roger Nicholson. Of course I couldn't carry it home without breaking it so Amos recorded it for me. I expected a cassette from him but he managed to put it on a CD and then sent me two copies! What a nice guy. Thanks Amos!

I performed on the radio last night. It was on WPRG, the local college run NPR station. I expected to only do a half hour set but we stretched it out to almost an hour with me singing and talking to the DJ. It was great fun. I've heard from three people who heard the show and they all seem to have liked it.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 21 Apr 04 - 07:27 AM

NOW I'm in trouble! I went to the Chamorro Village for dinner. As I've said before they have a huge flea market/craft fair/open air dining celebration there on Saturday nights. I only went to get some BBQ and visit with Gordon and Vickie at their booth. (He makes and sells jewelry.)

Well, I had just finished my dinner (BBQ chicken on skewers, pancit, red rice, and macaroni salad) and was walking up to Gordon's booth when my eye fell on two brand new fiddles in cases with a price of $99.00 each! I asked the guy at the booth and he told me he'd had a real deal on E-Bay and had bought 5. These were the last two.

Long story short, I bought one.

NOW I have to figure out if I can play it or not!

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 21 Apr 04 - 10:30 PM

Astounding!

Sometimes I'm glad that you live 10,000 miles from here...

;~)
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Amos
Date: 21 Apr 04 - 11:10 PM

So glad they arrived, Brett!!

Your remarks about egging you on are quite unfair, I am sure; but the delightful discovery is that this late 60's recording featured vocals from none other than our own Jean Ritchie!! An unexpected treat (well, sure we should have read the liner notes but....).

Bret about the fiddle, now: see if you can get some coaching from Sorcha or someone before you start practicing in public places, ok? :>))

Love you, man!


A

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 22 Apr 04 - 01:59 AM

I've always wondered how the old timers managed to find time to learn how to play an instrument. And where they went to do all the atonal scratching they had to do before they could run out a tune. Now I get to find out.

I was on my way back to the office from my class this afternoon and stopped in at American Music to pick up a book on how to play this thing. They didn't have any. I had stopped at Hafa Books at lunch time but they didn't have any. So I made a stop at Bestsellers and my third swing was a miss. No luck. I know they have a book, CD, videocassette combination at the base book store. I'll stop in there after work.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: GUEST
Date: 22 Apr 04 - 02:43 AM

good luck with the fiddle dad. :-)

we've got our first live roleplay event of the year this weekend! I can't wait!

talk to you soon!
love
kelli

sorry about the lack of capital letters...one of my shift keys is broken.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 22 Apr 04 - 05:53 AM

My poor daughter, can't even afford to fix her shift key. That's what you get for using the keyboard as a shield.

Just so everyone knows what a fine instrument I bought, I paid a whole $99 for it. I had to borrow $40 from Gordon. But it came with a case and two bows. There's no label inside so I don't know anything more about it. It must be a lost Stradivarious, don't you think?

There is one point I realized I need to make. if it isn't obvious in my posts I need to tell you that I have reached a plane of happiness that I have not experienced in a long time. Even my down days are brighter than I ever experienced while going through the days of the depression. Make no mistake, I have found happiness in being alone.

Of course, the house is a mess....

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 22 Apr 04 - 09:00 AM

I had a badge once that said 'Enjoy life, this is not a dress rehearsal'. Sounds like you're having a great life.

Some years back I knew a bloke who played guitar & banjo & started learning fiddle. He did his practicing on the wharf road in the early morning (got any wharves or similarly isolated places near you?)

sandra

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: el ted
Date: 22 Apr 04 - 09:07 AM

699

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: el ted
Date: 22 Apr 04 - 09:08 AM

post n0 700. I thank you! carry on everybody

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: freda underhill
Date: 22 Apr 04 - 09:10 AM

this is excellent news, Naemanson. interesting that happiness can creep up on you quietly.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Ebbie
Date: 22 Apr 04 - 12:39 PM

Naemanson, I got my fiddle from a man was working as a horse wrangler for touristy wilderness treks in interior Alaska. He had decided that it would be a good chance to learn the fiddle in addition to his already playing guitar.

His cabinmates forced him to practice it out on the tundra. He gave it up.

In my case, my left hand can play the fiddle quite well. My right hand hasn't a clue. Bowing is an art in itself.

Good luck.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 23 Apr 04 - 06:13 AM

I'm having trouble tuning it. I think it needs to get used to tight strings.

I've been downloading instructions from folkofthewood.com. It's a start.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: freda underhill
Date: 23 Apr 04 - 06:50 AM

my father played the violin for the silent movies when he was a boy in Coleraine, Victoria. We gave him a violin for his 70th birthday, he picked it up and "played "the Springtime it brings on the shearing" for us, just beautifully as if he had still been playing it all those years...

enjoy it!

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: GUEST,winterbright
Date: 23 Apr 04 - 03:10 PM

Hey, tell your elder offspring to email me her mailing address at my new e address; I can't get through to her email for beans!

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: GUEST,winterbright
Date: 23 Apr 04 - 03:17 PM

Hit 'send' before I could say, enjoy the fiddle! Sorry, I can't offer to supply any catgut; would spun Persian hair work instead? I have a quantity!

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 23 Apr 04 - 10:00 PM

I dunno, Winterbright, that cat is large enough to supply a whole orchestra with catgut. I should think you could spare some. *Grin*

I will tell Kelli to email you.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Susan A-R
Date: 23 Apr 04 - 11:16 PM

Brett, if you can't find anything for beginning fiddle, let me know and I'll check in with the good folks at Vermont Violins and see what can come your way. Just keep the bow nice and paralel to the bridge, adjust the angle so that it sounds reasonable,let the bow's own weight do the work and just play open strings rhythmically for a while to get a tone you like.   Then try string crossings to get used to the angle change, then start working in fingering. (the advice of someone who learned all of this stuff some 30 mumble mumble years ago.)

Is the fiddle not holding its tune, or does it seem to dislike humidity?    I wonder if they make fiddle case dehumidifiers?

Have fun on all counts.

Susan A-R

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 24 Apr 04 - 02:22 AM

Thanks Susan. the difficulty with tuning is that the strings seem to be new and they seem not to hold on to the tuning when you tuine the next string. I'll get the E string tuned than move on to the next and when I'm done with that one the E string is out of tune again. I'll figure it out. When I do get a string tuned the tone of the instrument seems pretty good, at least to my poor ear. I should take a picture of it and send it along to the Mudcat fiddle masters and let them judge it at least for looks.

Here are some observations from around the island.

Driving up to the Post Office the other day I was slowed by an accident. A pickup and a car had collided. the pickup had been loaded with fresh fish which were strewn all over the road. Oncoming traffic was detoured through a parking lot. Fish don't stay fresh in this weather very long.

There are people along the roads selling watermelons. The price is 2 for $5.00. The melons are so cute. They are about the size of large honeydew melons but the flavor is great.

My neighbor has a little flock of young black chickens running around the place. They are still in the peeping stage of life. It's funny that the stray dogs don't bother the chickens running loose all over the island.

Names for convenience stores here include Happy Mart, KNS Store, and my favorite, Cheapest Mart. There is a computer company here called Lucky Computer.

Vandals broke into one of the local schools and stole parts for the air conditioning system. The kids have had no AC for a couple of weeks now while they wait for replacement parts. Parents are up in arms.

The last survivor of the Tinta Massacre died last week. In the days before the American invasion the Japanese soldiers rounded up a group of people and massacred them at Tinta with machine guns and swords. There were 14 survivors. The last one, Jesus Anderson, died last week. He was 84 years old.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: GUEST,winterbright
Date: 24 Apr 04 - 11:09 AM

Sorry... he says that catgut is an integral part of his well-being and none is available at the present time. However, if you would like to submit paperwork we would be happy to keep your request on file.
He also says that a roadful of fish sounds like died and gone to heaven and is wondering what are the shipping rates for Persian gentlemen? The stray dogs, however, are a discouragement.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 24 Apr 04 - 08:27 PM

Last night I finally got the fiddle in tune and played my first notes on the E string! I need to contact Jay MacDonald, the DJ at the Radio Station, to see if I have the fiddle properly tuned. For some reason the E styring doesn't sound high enough.

As for the Persian gentleman and his request for fish he will have to make his own arrangements. If he would like to try snorkeling he would truly think he was in heaven. He would be surrounded by fish in their natural habitat.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Susan A-R
Date: 25 Apr 04 - 11:53 AM

I believe that Persian Gentlemen object to snorkling. Something about the water, but boy the fish may make it worth while. . .

Now he may want to consider shipping to the Cinque Terre in Italy where they view such gentlemen with great revrence. I walked around a corner to see a very happy cat eating its way down a neat line of fresh sardines.   What a life!

If the D is a fifth above the G, the A a fifth above the D and the E a fifth above the A you're doin' fine.

Susan

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 25 Apr 04 - 11:45 PM

Maybe I'll get an underwater camera and take a picture to send to the Persian gentleman. That should get him drooling.

Thanks for the tip, Susan. I'm pretty sure I've got it right but my ear doesn't agree. It tells me that the E string is too low. I know a local fiddler and I'll get with him to discuss it. But I sure like my cheap fiddle. The fingerboard looks like real ebony. Looking at the underside you can see the grain easier. The finish work under threr isn't as nice as the surface. There is no real fancy work on it. The scroll work on the head is simple and straightforward but the pegs seem to be ebony also. The tailpiece has fine tuners on all the strings but the knobs are small and difficult for my big fingers to turn. The back is two pieces, book matched. The overall finish is OK but a little crude. The tone is nice according to my poor ear.

It came in a case with two bows and a recess with a spring hinge for the rosin. The rosin was included, new and unblemished, still in its paper in a green plastic case. The violin case is blue with shoulder straps. There is a pocket on the outside for extras toys or music.

I mentioned it to my daughter, Mudcatter Tenjiro, and she got excited. It turns out that she really likes fiddle music and would like to play. I guess I'll go back next Wednesday and see if the other one is there. If it is I'll have to ship it off to Virginia.

Who'd a thunk it? She never mentioned any special attraction to the fiddle before she left for college but then Wee Johnny of the Battlefield Band was one of her heroes so I guess it was for more than his shaved head and leather jacket.

Yesterday I had a very nice 3 hour lunch with Wakana. We talked of many things and planned adventures together. I think she will be a fun friend to pal around with. We seem to have a lot in common.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: GUEST,winterbright
Date: 26 Apr 04 - 10:09 AM

Persian Gentlemen do not drool!

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 28 Apr 04 - 08:40 PM

Last night was fun. I met Wakana and Akiko, her friend from Japan, in front of the Jamaica Grill in the Chamorro Village. Wednesday nights at the village are a lot of fun. The place becomes a carnival with live music, booths selling eveything from cheap toys, t-shirts, seashells, tuba, used videotapes, and jewelry to machetes dresses, chidren's clothes and carabao rides.

We went to Gordon's booth. Gordon makes jewery from semiprecious stones and bits that he buys. A lot of it is bead work. Wakana bought a nice silver pendant.

We also went to supper at the booth that sells barbequed squid. We all intended to get squid but they were out of bodies and only had legs available. I tried a sample. It was good but too spicy for me. I couldn't identify a flavor that I could call "squid" but it certainly was chewy.

We wandered around the place for a while to let Akiko shop then bought a funnel cake to share. Lastly we went back to Gordon's booth where his wife gave us some betel nut to chew. It was Akiko's first experience with betel nut and the second for Wakana and me. None of us are interested in pursuing the experiment further. I am not interested in acquiring a taste for that stuff. It dries your mouth out so thoroughly that you can't even spit it out. Ugh!

This afternoon after work the three of us will go snorkeling at the Piti Bomb Holes. I've never been out there. These are natural formations, round deep holes in the coral that look like bombs blew up there. In the middle of one of them is the Fisheye. It is a tower built down to the deepest part. Tourists can pay to walk out along a bridge to the tower and then down the stairs to look at the fish in their natural habitat as well as the scuba divers who frequent the area.

Should be fun.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 28 Apr 04 - 10:18 PM

Brett-

"Squid legs"? Whose leg are you trying to pull?

By the way you may want to check in on Curmudgeon's thread. He's well on the way to recovery after major heart surgery.

Charley Noble

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 29 Apr 04 - 12:10 AM

What's this? Heart surgery? What's the thread. I'll go look for it.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 29 Apr 04 - 11:05 PM

Well, the question of the passport is settled. The box that Amos and I mailed on March 5 from San Diego arrived yesterday. With no passport in it. So now I know the passport is officially lost. What a shame. This could impact my plans for the summer.

Last night Wakana, Akiko, and I went snorkeling out at the Piti Bomb Holes. There is a long walk through shallow water. Then there is a precipitous drop into deeper water, maybe 30' or so. The bomb holes are round openings in the reef that look as though bombs carved them out. Actually they are natural formations caused by an old upwelling of fresh water. In the middle of the deepest is the Fisheye. This is a tower with an observation lounge at the bottom of the sea. We swam out to take a look at it. I dove down and grabbed the window sill so I could look into the lounge. No one was home.

The whole area around the Fisheye is surrounded by schools of fish. It was like swimming through a National Geographic movie. Simply amazing. This afternoon we'll go over to Gab Gab to look at that area.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Amos
Date: 30 Apr 04 - 12:10 AM

Dear Gawd!!

Get yer butt down to the consul's office right now, sir, and start remediating the sittyation post-haste, wouldja? Please?

It takes an idjit like you or me to lose a passport (been there, done that) but it takes a DOUBLE idjit not to deal with the situation once detected!!

Next time we meet I will tell you the story about my 2d-grade school principal and my passport on the Copenhagen- Paris overnight train.

Regards,

A

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 30 Apr 04 - 06:09 AM

With Akiko and Wakana I went farther from the shore at Gab Gab than I would have done alone. And boy, was it worthwhile! The water was so clear and there were so many fish that it was like flying when you went down to have a closer look. And all around you were schools of brightly colored fish flying with you. The women were thrilled by the last two expeditions and sorry to have to get out of the water.

It was interesting to take them on to the base. We hadn't been there but ten minutes when Wakana commented on the different feel of the atmosphere there. She said she felt it the minute we came through the gate. They were very interested in seeing what lay there beyond the gate they could not otherwise have crossed. They loved to see the Japanese two man sub down at the museum.

Akiko has to go home on sunday morning but she is talking wistfully of moving to Guam. Wakana gets excited when I talk of doing this kind of thing every weekend and even during the week. Then we discussed borrowing Gordon's kayaks and doing some exploring with those. And we haven't even started looking into hiking in to see the waterfalls.

Today they went on the Talafofo River Jungle Cruise. They say it was fun and interesting. I guess I will have to try it out. They also went up to see Yokoi's Cave. That is a tourist trap where the Korean proprietors convince the Japanese toruists that they are looking at the cave Shoichi Yokoi hid in for 27 years after WWII. He actually had two caves and that one is not one of them.

Tomorrow is Saturday at last. I don't HAVE to do anything if I don't want to. I will go over to the canoe at 10:00 to see the progress on the ep-ep. I understand we have a new mast and boom. I think we are close to getting her back into the water.

And so endeth another day.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 01 May 04 - 05:22 AM

Work on the canoe is coming along very well. All we need to do now is finish the decking on the outrigger, mount the tam, set up the ep-ep, and smooth out the damage to the bottom and we will be finished. Today they tied the new motongor into place and reattached the gunnel at that end. There is a chance that they will use a picture of the Quest in the new Max Havoc movie they are now shooting on the island.

Gordon and I went up to Latte canopies to get the new canopy to put over the canoe. Our old canopy is too small and the ends of the canoe hang out in the weather. The new one is 30' by 30'. We'll be able to get the canoe and a visitor canoe in there. Later on we'll build a new canoe house but for now it has to be the canopy.

I don't think I've mentioned the canopies on Guam. They are everywhere. If you need additional space you put up a canopy. They are simple metal frames with silver colored plastic canvas over the top. They rarely have sides. Need a garage? Party space? Shade for a big job? Place to sleep after the typhoon takes out the power? Put up a canopy.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 01 May 04 - 07:31 AM

Sorry, Brett -- I figured you hadn't heard or noticed the thread, but I didn't have a moment free to let you know. I was out straight doing all the things that need to be done AND on painfully slow dial-up (rectified mid-day Thursday) so that my on-line time took waaaay too much time at a time when I had NO time for anything other than the essential updates to various list administrators and Mudcat.

For the first time in over two weeks, I'm stealing a little time after the cats were fed and Mort insulated, to just sit in bed and read a bit before calling Tom. (Well, I've also washed my hair cuz I was too tired when I got home yesterday and have cleaned various surfaces in the bedroom and bathroom prior to finding time to vacuum before, maybe, going to bring Tom home from the hospital.)

Well, I'm taking a cup of tea up, so maybe I'll stay put for a coupla minutes!

Maybe sometime in the next week or so I'll be able to catch up on THIS thread!

Linn

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 02 May 04 - 07:46 PM

My truck is back in the shop today. FINALLY getting the windshield wipers fixed. While driving up to the dealership I stopped for coffee. Ever since I got here I have gone by the Dunkin Donuts sign and thought about stopping in for some good old DD coffee. But every other time I have been by there too latein the day to drink coffee or I have not been in the mood for coffee. Today was perfect. I stopped in to experience my first heartbreak of the day.

That big sign was only to advertise a cabinet full of donuts. There was no DD coffee! Sigh. Such is life.

In 40 days I will have been here for one full year! Amazing! The time has flown by and I have not done as much as I had hoped to do. Still, things are well and life is still fun. I walk around in the warm weather looking at the exotic plant life under blue skies and marvel at the idea of living in this paradise.

Sunday Wakana and I took a drive after going to the scuba swapmeet. There was little of interest there. We went down into a small jungle marina near the power plant. On our way out there was a monitor lizard in the road. At first I thought it was alive but it had been killed by a car. It was a small one, only about a foot and a half long. Wakana wanted to move it into the brush so its body wouldn't be savaged by any more tires. Then we went up to Gordon's house to show her the fossils he collects and talk about rocks. He has a very nice piece of rainbow basalt carved into the likeness of a face. Under a light you can see swirls and patterns of color swimmng under the black surface of the rock. It's beautiful. Then we went to dinner at Tuan's and she headed home.

I have no water at my house. Saturday morning the pressure was low and my shower was little more than a trickle. When I got home in the afternoon there was no water and there was still no water this morning. Fortunately there is a shower here in our office building. I bought two 5 gallon containers to use for basic water, washing and flushing. I have about 15 gallons of drinking water. I am OK for a while but it is inconvenient.

This morning on the way to work from the shop I saw a car in the outside lane with a step ladder on the roof. As I watched the ladder seemed to slip sideways and down to the side of the car. It was then that I realized the ladder was not tied down. Instead the man in the passenger seat was trying to hold on to it as they drove down the road. We passed them so I don't know how that experiment turned out but I can make a guess.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 02 May 04 - 09:28 PM

Hi, Brett ---

A monitor lizard -- that's what Curmudgeon needs! Something he could take for a walk on a nice elegant chain. He should be able to walk our hills in a couple weeks. Are they shippable? Do they need a litter box? Stable? The guest room? A gypsy caravan in the vale?

What is rainbow basalt? All the basalt I've seen is basically one color. Sounds fascinating.

Linn

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Amos
Date: 02 May 04 - 11:23 PM

I've seen a lot of ladder experiments in Mexico similar to the one you describe, Brett. Wonder how the meme gets across the Pacific...

A

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 03 May 04 - 10:39 AM

Brett-

I don't know about monitor lizards but Judy and I almost ran across (came to screeching halt) a large turtle on the short cut to Wiscasset the other day. It was about a foot and a half in diameter and weighed about 25 pounds. I got out and carefully picked it up, not being sure how far his neck might stretch, and dropped it off on the other side of the road where it appeared to be heading, perhaps to feast on the choir of peeping frogs in the pond there. It seemed rounder in general shape than the snapping turtles we sometimes see. I'll have to look up some pictures in a reference book but I bet it was even more ancient than you or me!

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 03 May 04 - 11:09 PM

Still no water. They say it will be back on by Thursday. I hope so. The shower here at work doesn't have any hot water and I am getting tired of cold showers.

This weekend the Spanish Steps will be open again and Gordon, Vickie, Wakana, and I will go down to do some snorkeling down there. The steps won't open again until late June or early July.

Amos, I don't think the ladder experiment is the result of genetic connection. I think it is a case of parallel evolution. It is a case of someone with a lack of common sense and/or intelligence solving a problem the best s/he can. Anyone who would try the ladder experiment would not be able to cross an ocean by himself.

Linn, to maintain a monitor lizard you would have to heat your home to a higher temperature than you normally keep it in the winter. Also, I have no idea how the lizard would interact with the cats. Since they grow quite large it is possible they eat smaller animals so the cats may find they have their work cut out keeping away from the lizard. Perhaps you need a lizard made of some inanimate material. There are some lovely carved wooden lizards in the local market.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 04 May 04 - 08:20 PM

According to the paper the water outage was caused by a burned out pump out by the Windward Hills area. Water will be back on by Thursday afternoon.

They are filming a movie on the island. Max Havoc - Curse Of The Dragon. Watch for it in a cinema near you. However, from the name and that of the "star", Micky Hardt, don't expect to see it mentioned on Oscar night. Apparently it will feature lots of martial arts and jet-skis.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 05 May 04 - 05:10 PM

I had a big surprise when I got home last night. I had water! What joy! This morning I took a hot shower for the first time in almost a week. Sigh, what a pleasure.

Tomorrow evening I am going to an office party. Parties on the base fall into two broad categories. One category consists of those parties planned and executed by the civilian locals. Those are fun, the food is great and there are interesting people to talk to with interesting stories to tell. The other category are the parties in the bubble. These are very scripted affairs with loud Americans glad handing and talking about work and the Navy. Generally the groups split into men on one side and women on the other. The men talk shop and promotion and assignments. The women talk children, clothes, and jewelry. But I am going to this party for two reasons. One is the view. The host lives in a house with a dynamite view and we should have a great sight of the sunset. Two, the food. The hostess is a hell of a cook. I guess there is a third reason. I'd like Wakana to see what I have to put up with and for my co-workers to meet her.

As for tonight, it is time to really clean house!

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 07 May 04 - 08:42 AM

Well, Hell, you could'a knocked me down with a feather. The party was actually fun! And Wakana had a good time too. She met a number of the people I work with and learned that many have a smattering of Japanese. And when the captain came around doing his glad hand routine he had a long conversation with her in Japanese.

The food was good. We had a Mongolian barbeque. The food was in the house and the BBQ pits were outside. There was a long line waiting for the food to cook so we got to talk to our neighbors and pass the time. Wakana was amazed to hear the stories of the people I work with. One officer from New York is a Haitian born immigrant. He worked with our current captain back in 1995 on an assignment in Haiti. Another just came back from 6 months in the horn of Africa building schools, roads and hospitals for the Ethiopians. Apparently the Government believes that helping out poorer nations may reduce the number of people that hate us. I think it's a good plan. I hope they continue to expand it. There were Chamorros there too, including some from the canoe.

Speaking of the canoe, apparently someone has stolen our canopy. I don't know why they would want that ratty old thing but it is gone. We have a new larger canopy but we don't know if we want to put it up now. We'll talk about it tomorrow.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Amos
Date: 07 May 04 - 10:01 AM

Keep on truckin', amigo. Tell Wanana I said she had to take good care of you. ;>)

A

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 08 May 04 - 07:29 PM

We put up the new canopy over the canoe yesterday. After the old one this was like a new larger house. Work continues on the outrigger. There were four people tying it together with heavy line. They would thread it through, make their loop, wrap the line around a piece of wood and then lean their weight on it. The end result was a solid knot that could not be budged.

Last week I went in for a physical. Since we've had so many of our Mudcat brothers and sisters turn up sick I thought I would report that I appear to be in good shape for the condition I'm in.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Amos
Date: 08 May 04 - 07:50 PM

Yeah, I know the routine: "I am SO in good shape -- pear is a good shape!!" Glad to hear you're healthy, pal!!

A

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 09 May 04 - 05:32 AM

The last few times I went snorkeling I have had trouble with my mask leaking. Today I tried shaving my cheeks down to line up with my mustache and I put on a really thick glop of vaseline. Still no luck. After 15 minutes I gave up in frustration. I went to the dive shop. Just before I went in I tried the mask in the usual mask test and noticed bubbles in the residual water in the bottom of the mask. It wasn't leaking at the skin but through the bottom of the lens!

So, now I need a mask that will fit my prescription lenses and there aren't any on the lisland right now...

Sigh, life is good, life is good, life is good....

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 09 May 04 - 01:52 PM

Brett-

How about caulk? Or duct tape? Or red tape?

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 09 May 04 - 08:26 PM

Hmm, that reminds me. I need some duct tape for my reef boots. The zipper won't stay up and the boot gets loose when I swim.

The wait is not important. Wakana called her mother and asked her to mail out her snorkel gear. It will be a while before it gets here so I have no one to swim with until then.

Next weekend we are going to borrow a couple of kayaks and go up the Talafofo River. She and Akiko went up that river on the tourist jungle cruise but we can go farther on kayaks. That will be fun.

Not feeling well today. Funny I should feel unwell right after a physical. Woke at 3:00 this morning unable to breathe through my nose. The only thing in the house to clear it up was Nyquil. It did the job but then I couldn't wake up three hours later to go to work. Still feel crummy.

I forgot to mention I am once again without water. It came back on Wednesday. I managed to get a few days with hot showers but it was gone again on Saturday morning. Still not there today. Ironic that they were celebrating National Drinking Water Week last week, especially since you should not drink the water from the taps anyway.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 09 May 04 - 08:29 PM

By the way, the Pago Bay Reefers are cutting a CD. If anyone is interested in the folk music I hear on the island please let me know and I'll help you buy a copy. This is not great folk music. It's kind of like the Kingston Trio singing folk standards (Big Rock Candy Mountain, Tim Finnegan, etc.), the Beatles and various other fun light rock standards. But they are a fun group and you can tell they are having fun. That's what counts to me.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 10 May 04 - 06:45 AM

I got home with refilled water jugs only to find I have water again! Only a trickle but it runs.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Amos
Date: 10 May 04 - 10:16 AM

Hang in there, buddy. This too shall pass.

A

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 10 May 04 - 11:51 PM

Woke up this morning to no water. Another cold shower in the men's bathroom downstairs. I was dressing myself when one of the downstairs people came in and I groused to him about cold water. He assured me that there was hot water hooked up to that shower. You could have fooled me! I'd just gotten out of it and it was pretty cold.

The water problem finally hit the front page of the newspaper. They say they are replacing a pump and will have water back on again "soon".

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Amos
Date: 10 May 04 - 11:59 PM

Make literature out of it, dude!!! Or a "No water Blues".


A

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 11 May 04 - 06:23 PM

I actually got to shower at home this morning! What a luxury. And with hot water too! Of course the pressure is nothing to write home to mother about. I could pee harder than that. Still, I shouldn't complain. At least I left the house clean for the first time in a while.

Now, will there still be water tomorrow? Tune in, ladies and gentlemen, to this station to find out the answer to this burning question!

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 11 May 04 - 08:28 PM

A water, a water, anywheres,
Nor any a drops for drinks.

Verse from Ethiopia student in 1966, or maybe just wistful thinking on the part of his teacher.

We used a bucket shower in Emdeber, in Ethiopia in the 1960's. You know, you had to heat up on the fireplace two buckets of water, one for soaping, and the other for rinsing. We had an empty bucket with a shower head attached to the bottom hanging from the center post in our shinta-bet, which was used as a shower room. It was a small round hut, encased in bamboo like the main house, with a concrete floor, a throne for other functions, but also served nicely for showers. Never had any problem with water pressure.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 11 May 04 - 09:12 PM

Today is a boondoggle day. The boss and I are cutting out early to go see a movie. Plus there is a history lecture at the local club at lunch time.

Tonight after the movie Wakana and I will be meeting for supper at the Chamorro Village. I called her and mustered up all my Japanese to say good morning and then screwed up her name (Konichiwa Wanaka-san). Sigh. She says my Japanese lessons start tonight.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: bbc
Date: 12 May 04 - 07:02 AM

chuckle. keep trying! I remember trying to communicate in Korean.

love,

Barbara

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 13 May 04 - 10:59 PM

At last it's Friday! I know you don't hear things like that from me very often but this has been a difficult week and there is so much to look forward to on the weekend. We will be at the canoe all day Saturday and most of Sunday. We'll camp out at the site on Saturday night and Manny will give us star lessons. This is when our FesPac contingent will get their first experience of living with the canoe. That is where they will stay during their time in Palau.

My efforts to go to Palau have not panned out at all. I still have one or two avenues to follow but at this time I have no place to stay while down there. I am planning to buy a hammock and I will sleep in the trees by the beach at night. In the morning I will bathe in the ocean and find a freshwater hose to rinse off in. I can stash my stuff at the canoe while I wander the grounds. There may also be a chance that someone has a dome tent and I can stay at the canoe. Either way it promises to be an adventure like I used to read about when I was a kid. Beachcomber's paradise.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 14 May 04 - 08:19 AM

definitely simple living! I suppose the water shortages you have been enduring will be good practice for beach life.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 16 May 04 - 07:01 AM

Last night I got my first taste of tropical camping. It wasn't much, not much more than sleeping out in the back yard. We spent the day with the canoe. She's really shaping up. We hope to get her in the water very soon. The guys are talking about getting the local dancers to help us with a launching ceremony. Manny is looking for a piece of pumice to make a cnaoe totem to keep the crew safe while at sea.

So, at about 6:00 we started the BBQ and ate and drank and talked into the evening. The wives went home at about 10:00, the hammocks were strung and we were preparing for bed when Bruce showed up at midnight. He settled on a chair, broke out the tequila, and they stayed up till 4:00 AM talking and drinking. It was one of those special moments between friends. I could tell from my hammock where I lay slipping in and out of sleep.

I had a rope hammock that I'd bought earlier that day. My weight is just over its design limit but it was comfortable. I set it up with a tarp overhead for rain protection. I had a sleeping bag but I didn't need it in the warm evening. There were no mosquitoes. Let me repeat that. There were no mosquitoes! Just let that sink in. This place gets no snow and "There were no mosquitoes". I like it here.

I slept quite peacefully and didn't even notice the little rain shower Gordon reported next morning. I woke after dawn and wandered off in search of a place to empty my bladder. The park restrooms were locked and there were too many joggers and walkers to think of kicking a bush. I finally found a secluded spot and headed back to camp. On the way I met Wakana out on the same errand. We jumped in my truck and headed out for bathroom, coffee and breakfast. When we got back we brought tea for the other survivors but they were too tired to drag themselves out of their hammocks. Eventually they rose like the living dead and stared balefully at the tea while they struggled to remember what they were supposed to do with it.

About noon I headed home to get some housework done. I started with a shower. Then I realized how comfortable the bed looked. Two hours later I awoke from my nap and lay there listening to the Prairie Home Companion.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 16 May 04 - 08:02 AM

what a life. Sounds like you've found your ideal retirement climate & lifestyle.

sandra

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: JudyB
Date: 16 May 04 - 11:16 AM

No mosquitoes? No way! I maybe sort of believe you've found a place where it hardly ever snows - but no mosquitoes? You've stretched your tall tale just a little bit too tall, my friend!

Seriously, it sounds like a great adventure!

Keep us posted!
JudyB

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 16 May 04 - 01:23 PM

Brett-

Just so you knows, the black flies and ticks are finally out here in Maine. What joy!

Charley Noble

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 16 May 04 - 07:50 PM

Well, Judy, I have to confess that I did find something that looked suspiciously like a mosquito bite on my arm as I was showering this morning. Maybe there was one mosquito flying around down there. And Wakana woke with many small red marks on her that we could not identify. She's the only one who did not sleep in a hammock. She used an air mattress and slept on the outrigger of the canoe.

Wakana found the whole experience fascinating. Apparently in Japan men do not form friendships outside of their corporations and when they gather they only talk about work. That night she saw men who were long time friends from different walks of life talking of many things but not of their jobs. It was another illustration of how different our cultures are.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 17 May 04 - 06:45 PM

I have been engaged in a seemingly endless round of house cleaning. I can't believe how grungy a house can get with only one occupant. I would try to hire a maid but then she/he'd have to work around the clutter and really wouldn't know what to clean anyway. I thought I had reduced the number of possessions to a minimum but I still have too much.

If my emotional bitterness wasn't enough to keep me out of a relationship I am surprised the need to clean doesn't do it for me. Ah well, life mistreats you now and again and if you look carefully enough you will see it is really self abuse.

This morning the skies were gray and overcast. As I topped the hill on my way to work I could see the horizon which has been rare lately with the hazy conditions. It made a straight line where the lighter shade of gray that was the sky abruptly became a dark shade that was the water. Shades of gray can be beautiful too.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 17 May 04 - 09:03 PM

Brett-

Yes, one can live with shades of gray.

Why didn't you rent a clean house?

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 17 May 04 - 11:21 PM

It was clean when I moved in but there must be a burglar who breaks into houses and makes them dirty. A friend used to talk about kitchen fairies who did the dishes while she was asleep. Maybe this is the antithesis, a dirty dog of a burglar.

The other day I cooked my PDA. I left it on the front seat of the truck in the direct sunlight. The thing still works but the screen is totally screwed. Now I have to live without my electronic brain. I'm already suffering from withdrawal symptoms.

I called home this morning. Dad has taken delivery of next winter's firewood and has started to stack it. He says he's still pretty weak so he can only stack a few wagon loads at a time. The wagon is a child's wagon with sideboards. He also went out to mow the lawn yesterday (riding mower). He reports the blackflies are numerous and hungry. He offered to send me a box full. I declined.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 18 May 04 - 11:31 PM

There is a new lecture series at one of the restaurants on base. The subject is the history and culture of Micronesia. The first one was an overview of the history and culture of Guam. Today we got lectures on the liberation of Saipan and Tinian. For once I saw a presentation on Tinian that did NOT feature a picture of a mushroom shaped cloud over Hiroshima or Nagasaki.

My attitude towards Pacific WWII history has changed since I met Wakana. The Japanese in WWII were always pretty much faceless and homogenous to me. But Wakana lost relatives in that war. Three people from her family "disappeared" in the Pacific islands. The written genealogy of her family was destroyed in the bombing of Tokyo. Now when I see war pictures of Japanese dead I actually have a reaction to the pictures I did not have before. Those have become people for me, not just a faceless enemy from a long time ago.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Amos
Date: 18 May 04 - 11:45 PM

There's a certain kind of profile that is always attracting the attention of the Grime Goblins and the Dirt Fairies; can't say what sort exactly, but it sounds like you qualify!! Sheer endeavor is the only way to break the pattern of it. :>))

A

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 19 May 04 - 09:27 PM

Sheer endeavor? Hmm, don't know the meaning of the phrase. Could you define it a little more clearly? Taking its meaning from context I would guess it means you have to, choke, work, ugh, at it.:( My God man! Do you realize what you are saying?

But then, Wakana was pleasantly surprised at how nice the house looked. Maybe I should keep at it just as a change of pace.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Amos
Date: 19 May 04 - 09:53 PM

There ya go!! The spell is melting away already!! All it takes is a little well-aimed female principle and zapppp!!

A

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 19 May 04 - 10:44 PM

Brett-

I was reading C. Fox Smith today and she was musing about how when less than scrupulous captains were shipping contraband cargos they would typically state they were shipping out to Guam and then go somewhere else, Guam apparently was so far out that no one ever questioned what might be sent there. I thought you'd like to know.

Happy housecleaning! Whistle while you work!!
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: GUEST
Date: 20 May 04 - 04:38 PM

Refresh

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 20 May 04 - 06:29 PM

Last night we had a meeting of the Traditional Seafarers at Frank's Father's house. We went there to view a couple of videotapes on the Hawaiian canoe programs and the traditional lifestyle of the people of Lamotrek. Larry has a book called The Song Of Saterwall (sp?) about the island of Saterwall and the people who live there. It is near the island of Puluwat and it mentions our navigator, Manny Sekau, and his grandfather. The book tells the history of the island and explains how the people were pirates and raiders until Germany claimed (or bought) the island and installed a legal code. That brought the piracy to a halt.

Apparently there has always been a strong rivalry among the islands here. The art of navigation had fallen into disuse until the legendary Hepower navigated his way to Guam from Puluwat in a modern sailboat. That spurred another island to determine that they would do it using a canoe. Then the Puluwatese had to build their own ancoe and make a legendary voyage. Young men became interested once more in the old ways and the old men were still there to teach them.

One canoe made the voyage to Saipan from Palau or maybe farther away (I apologise for not having the details). On arrival they could not leave the canoe because there was no chief to greet them in friendship. So they bought provisions and went home again.

The video on Lamotrek talked about the skills of "rong". These are the necessary skills needed by the people to survive and thrive on the island. One of those skills was weather forecasting. They showed Manny's uncle using chants, dance and consulted sacred objects to determine the oncoming weather. He is gone now and his skills have gone with him. The islanders depend on the radio for weather forecasts. I met the man who runs that radio system recently. Quite a character. He was the one with the very smooth tequila at Diane Strong's party.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Roger the Skiffler
Date: 21 May 04 - 03:54 AM

Brett, when I went to the Cook Islands 10 years ago there were a couple of traditional vakas rotting away under a tarpaulin in the bush that had been built for a recent Pacific Islands festival where many of the delegations arrived under sail. When we went back 2 years later they had built a new one for a forthcoming event and we saw it being prepared for its trial voyage and chatted to the father of one of the crew. The navigation skills of the Polynesians were amazing and apparently relied as much on recognising wave patterns as knowing their stars. There is a large stone marking the spot where the 12 or so vakas left to colonise what became New Zealand, around the time William the Conqueror was landing in England. Former Prime Minister, author and Doctor Tom Davis, who I think is still alive as a Cook Islands rep. in NZ, was the patron of the traditional sailing society formed to keep these boat building and navigating skills alive. If you look at the Cook Islands website there's a good book list (though many others are out of print):http://www.ck/index.html and http://www.cookislandsnews.com/

RtS
( still wearing the T-shirt - and "Hawaiian" shirts!)

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 21 May 04 - 06:16 AM

Thanks, Roger, I'll check it out.

We are close to getting our plans together for going to the festival. We will fly down on July 24 and share a room with another of the Seafarers for four days. We only need a place to sleep and get cleaned up so the room can be pretty basic. I am curious about how that will turn out. I have great expectations about this festival.

Wakana has sequestered herself for the next few days. Her professor asked her to rewrite her Master's Thesis, consolidating it so he can get it published in one of the Japanese sociology journals. The due date is June 1 and she is hard at work. No more snorkeling until she gets that job done.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 22 May 04 - 09:21 PM

Is it right for a supervisor to be envious of a subordinate's house? Yesterday we went to a housewarming at a coworker's house. What a place! It sits up on a ledge on the side of a hill and overlooks the whole neighborhood. There is a very steep driveway and not much of a yard but the kitchen is large and the other rooms are huge. Sigh, One thing I would like to have eventually is just the right house with just the right rooms.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 23 May 04 - 02:32 PM

And the house should have a self-cleaning cycle!

Steep driveways are hell in the winter, Brett. Do you have a winch on your pick-up?

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 23 May 04 - 06:45 PM

LOL Charley! I often think about how these roads would be in winter. There are so many roads that are steep, tightly curved, or both. Just leaving my road and moving into the main road is a difficult proposition in the rain. I have seen people wait at the bottom of the rise before gunning up to the intersection.

The only problem here is the coral and limestone roads. In the rain they become very slick. There are several theories for this. One is that there is an algae that exists in powder form. When it gets wet it opens up into a jelly like mass. I have seen it in parking lots so I know it really exists. That stuff is as bad as black ice. Then there is the theory that it is the oil that contaminates the road surfaces. In the rain that forms a slick as well. And my own special theory is that the limestone itself gets slick when it rains. And remember, it rains a lot here in the wet season.

Add to all that the fact that my pickup no longer is carrying weight for traction and the rear wheels have a tendency to dance a bit on the wet roads. The (corrupt and unstable) government of Guam is making improvements. Many tight curves have been coated with asphalt which gives better traction. I guess the asphalt doesn't have the cracks and spaces the limestone does so the algae cannot collect on the roads in those places.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 24 May 04 - 01:09 AM

Oh frabjous joy! I just bought the tickets for Wakana and me to go to Palau for the big festival! I hope she is prompt about paying me back for her ticket. I'll need the difference for pocket money while at the festival. I plan to make some wonderful purchases.

So we are scheduled for three and a half days at the festival. We'll split a hotel room with another member of the Seafarers and have all the days and most of of the nights to enjoy the activities. There may not be time to enjoy the rest of the country but I figure we can always go back.

I'm excited!

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 24 May 04 - 06:25 PM

Driving into work this morning I drove through the outskirts of a rain shower. The sky was bright behind me with the rising sun. A rainbow, faded with a bright sky behind it, shimmered before me. As I came down the mountain it seemed to draw nearer. There is a long straight stretch at one point and the end of the ranbow seemed to touch the road in front of me. As I approached it drew away, slipping silently into the parking lot of the school. I was within 50 yards of it when it leaped the trees and fled down through the housing development on the other side. The road curved away then and I lost sight of my lovely companion. Then I turned to enter the base and it was there in front of me, in the distance still fleeing with the rainshower.

What a nice way to start the day.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Amos
Date: 24 May 04 - 07:53 PM

You can still catch what you're chasing, Brett -- it just looks a little different when you do. But that is no reason not to pursue it!

A

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: JennyO
Date: 24 May 04 - 11:41 PM

Hi Brett.

Rainbows have had a special significance for me for some years now. To me they are a sign that good times are coming. No need to chase them - they will find you.

I hope your good times continue to come (I get the feeling they have already started). You sound pretty content where you are.

Jenny (on a bleak winter day in Earlwood)

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 25 May 04 - 07:52 AM

Thanks Jenny. I have been enjoying life more this year than I have ever enjoyed it in the past. I have found the right combination of therapist, antidepressants, and living conditions. Each day is as good or better than the next. There is real adventure in the air and in the future. The trip to Palau is a big one but just seeing the canoe finally slide into the water will be a great adventure also.

Tonight I sat with Manny down by the canoe. While the rest of the gang talked about the latest Seafarers venture he and I talked about what was left to do and when we could get together to do it. His son came up with a small octopus he'd caught down by the sea. manny told him to throw it back and then started remembering octopi he'd caught at various times. He said that he would kill the smaller ones by biting them between the eyes. They are smart aniumals and do not stay still for that treatment. Instead they try to climb up and on to his back. Larger octopi are too dangerous to bite because they latch on to the head and face and could cause a drowning so he uses his knife on them.

He also told me of two cousins who went to Alaska to work on the big fishing boats catching the king crabs. He says they told him they could tell when they had an octopus on a trap because it was much harder to pull up, the winch made a deeper sound. He said those were big octopi and were difficult to get off the traps.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Amos
Date: 25 May 04 - 08:15 AM

Now there's an image worthy of a song -- the groaning of the winch and the fighting spirit of the big Octo, and the old men on the freezing deck telling his mood by the sound of the equipment trying to wrassle him!

A

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 25 May 04 - 09:49 AM

And then dragging the crab boat beneath the waves and feasting on its crew! Chalk up another for the giant squigly.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: freda underhill
Date: 25 May 04 - 09:56 AM

It's so good to hear how well things are going for you Brett, and great to read all the interesting details. You have chosen a very beautiful life there.

I have a very special memory of a full double rainbow over the Pacific Ocean, one day, which happened to coincide with a very special and happy event, after a period of tension and concern.

enjoy your rainbows, crabs, sand and snorkling! (we catters are!)

best wishes

freda

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: SINSULL
Date: 25 May 04 - 10:25 AM

There is a semi-sad old song called "I'm Always Chasing Rainbows" with a line "Maybe I'll find a little bluebird. Maybe you've found one, Brett. Still don't miss Maine and snow and black flies?

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Ebbie
Date: 25 May 04 - 11:43 AM

A troller fisherman friend of mine says that on some days on the ocean he can see as many as six rainbows resting on the water.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 26 May 04 - 12:15 AM

Snow? Blackflies? Let me give that a little thought, a very little thought. You left out the mosquitoes, the mud, the cold rain, and a lots of other little details.

But then you also left out the special warmth of a room heated by a wood fire. The smell of a wet wool coat and the special earthy smell of early spring with snow piled by the road and the fields showing brown. The comfort of sitting by a window drinking tea while the wind blows the rain around the corner of the house. That special deep blue of a spring sky and the awe of the first warm day in May, the first robin and the first crocus, the peepers filling the evening with their calls, and the fun of the late spring snow shower trying to extend winter just a few days longer.

Yeah, there are times when I miss all that.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 27 May 04 - 12:09 AM

Well, I just filled out a form that could have a deep impact on the rest of my life. The Navy is offering early retirement with and incentive bonus in order to trim the rolls. I signed up. That means that they might make an offer to allow me to retire early. I am not committed until I accept or refuse that offer.

Kind of scary.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 27 May 04 - 09:22 AM

gulp!

I'll be retiring in 3 years as I get a bigger superannuation payout & pension if I leave at 55 than I would if I stayed on. The thougth of retirement is very scary as I'm very good at isolating & my place is not the easiest for anyone to just drop in. I will need a part-time job to keep sane.

We were offered retrenchments recently & I never even considered one, but several colleagues of a similar age jumped at the chance of getting out. Coupla young colleagues also grabbed the money & jumped.

Brett, it's a big decision.

sandra

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 28 May 04 - 08:51 AM

It's not a decision I have to make soon. I have to wait for them to gather all the surveys and tally them and then decide who will get an offer to retire or separate. Then they will send out packages to those they select and they will have some length of time to decide whether or not to go. The ironic thing is that the departure date will be prior to the next fiscal year which means those who are going will have to survive one more year end push.

Wakana called tonight. Her project is complete! What a job. She had to cut her master's thesis down by 2/3. But she sounded quite happy with the end result.

The annual Micronesian Fair is going on this weekend. I've been hearing about it for some time but didn't know what to expect. The Seafarers are helping out by staffing one of the beer tents. This afternoon we put the beer booths together and started selling. Very slow. Tomorrow we will meet at the canoe and spend the next two days at the fair selling beer.

The fair is nothing like what I expected. It is in Skinner Plaza which is a park acros Marine Drive from the Chamorro Village. There are two rows of canopies with people selling out of both sides. At one end of the rows is a small covered stage. At the other end of the plaza is Plaza del Espanol and the Pivoting Pope.

The booths at first glance seemed to be just another row of carnival type games and cheap junk for sale. But down at the far end I found Mr. Lujan, Master Blacksmith. He is a little old man with a cane seated behind a table covered with items he has made: machetes, adzes, coconut scrapers, fish spears, and swords. They are very expensive and very beutiful in their simplicity.

Around the back side was a pair of booths featuring shell carvers. They make lovely jewelry from large pieces of shell. The giant clam is found in these waters tand the shell is very thick. One guy showed me a sling stone made from the hinge piece of a giant clam. It was about 4 inches long and two inches wide curving to a point on each end and smooth as a baby's... uh, cheek.

Farther down is a master weaver. His assistant is a heavily tattooed young man. Unlike modern kids though these are traditional Chamorro tattoos. Each one has meaning and power.

So that's where I'll be this weekend. I hope you all have a safe and happy Memorial Day Weekend.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 29 May 04 - 02:25 AM

I know many of you have some kind of experience with the sea. That being the case you would never want to go to sea with the spars I saw being assembled today. The canoe has one mast, short and of one piece. It has two spars that run along two edges of the sail like the jaws of a crab's claw. One of those spars is seated in a socket on the bow and tied down almost forming a second mast. The other flies free, controlled by the halyard. Those last two spars are not made of a single piece. Rather the seated spar is made of two pieces, on long and one short. It has a distinct curve to it. The other is made up of three pieces and has a shallow S-shape. The pieces in these spars are tied together making them less than solid. I know I shouldn't but I am beginning to have my doubts.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 31 May 04 - 08:12 AM

What a weekend! I am so tired you will get no details now but the weekend included the Micronesian Fair, a fiesta, and... we launched the canoe and sailed it out of the bay!!!!

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 31 May 04 - 08:57 AM

you mean we have to wait another day to read about it?

cruelty to tempt us with a brief description

sandra

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 31 May 04 - 06:14 PM

Geez-

We get back in town after a weekend opening the cottage and we have to wait another day or two to hear how she sails.

Not only that but I get a message on my answering machine "from the far side of the world" while we're away and he says "Oh, never mind!"

Charley Noble

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 31 May 04 - 07:09 PM

Oh, he sails! I learned this weekend that, in the islands, canoes are male. That is a difficult transition.

I guess I'll tell the tale in reverse. Yesterday I went down to the canoe at 1:00. When I got there you could feel the celebration in the air. There were several Micronesians there that I had not met before, talking and laughing among themselves. We were introduced. The Micronesians were Mark, Santos, Ken, Laurenti, Mike, Brandon, as well as Diego and Manny, the two that had done the lion share of the work on the boat. Santos was wearing a number of palm frond decorations and appeared to be some sort of shaman. He sang some songs that were taken respectfully by the others and some that made everyone laugh. Mark was conscious of our inability to understand their speech and made efforts to explain, in general terms, what was going on. He wanted us to know they were not talking about the haolies.

On the ground in the middle of the group was a circle of stones representing the guide stars. Manny had been giving a navigation lesson when I arrived. He explained some of the process to me. The navigator memorizes the names and locations of the guide stars. Each island has its own guide star. Thus, when the stars first come out he takes a position and steers the canoe toward the proper star. as the star rises higher in the sky he watches for the opposite guide star to move down into a position to allow for him to continue on his course. He sits in the boat at right angles to the boat's direction so he can keep an eye out for both stars. If clouds obscure part of the sky then he can do the same using other stars and maintaining the correct angles in relation to the boat.

The north star is easy to work with because it never changes locations. The other guide stars have names modified by where they are in the sky, generally two names, one when it rises and one when it is too high to be used any more. The Southern Cross, or the Triggerfish as they call it, has several names as it moves through it's circle depending on where it is in the sky.

During the day the navigator uses the sun, carefully keeping track in his head where it rose and the angles as it swings through the sky.

As they sail the navigator will watch the sea for changes, looking for familiar shoals or wave pattern changes that marks the location of an island. He is constantly aware of the "feel" of the boat. If it changes then he knows they have crossed into another area and may be near their destination.

When Manny talked the others kept respectful silence. You could tell he was an important person. He was the focus of the Micronesian group. I sat there amazed and marveling at what I was seeing.

The time came to move the boat into the water. They laid out palm fronds to slide the boat over. The fronds were cut so that the thick base of the frond was placed at right angles to the boat length and the leafy parts were placed in line with the direction of travel. The boat was heavy! We had at least 10 people pulling and pushing. Mark sang a work song to keep everyone going and the rest had a response for his pauses. I HAVE to record that song!!! I don't know what he was saying but I know it was effective.

We had to move the boat, his name is Quest by the way, about 50 yards down to the ramp. We pulled, and heaved and pushed and finally, he was afloat! Shell horns and clappers were sounding, people applauded, the guys splashed water on Quest and shook hands. Ken was splashing and making a booming sound as he moved his hand through the water. He showed me how to do it.

Once he was in the water we checked for leaks. Sure enough there were a few but they were minor. Manny, Santos and Ken began to rig the mast and then they carried the sail down and began to rig that as well. As they worked I stood thigh deep in the water holding on to Quest as the wake from passing powerboats tried to push him ashore. Finally they were ready. Manny, Santos, Brandon, Paul, and Mark took up paddles and began to head out beyond the reef.

Once more the shell horn and clappers sounded as we followed them down the shore and out to the end of the breakwater. They paddled mightily working slowly out the mouth of the harbor. The waves were running about three feet high and the Quest bobbed over them causing some of the paddlers to miss their stroke. Farther our they accepted a tow from a small outboard. Once the were out a ways they dropped the tow and began to work on getting the sail up. It took them a while. We thought they were having trouble. I was down to my last picture and my extra roll of film was back at the launch site. Finally the sail went up. They still were having some kind of trouble but shortly they took off heading north up the coast, the crab claw sail drawing well and the Quest moving quickly.

We went back to the launch site, happy and excited, to wait for their return. We talked, ate, drank, and generally glowed with happiness and pride at the success. It was a great day.

Quest returned after a couple of hours and Mark took over. Manny came ashore. Mark loaded some passengers, Sandy and Wakana, and another crew and they headed out. This time they tacked out, sailing up near the rocks and then changing the sail rig and sailing off to the other breakwater. It was slow and it took some time but it was a skillful operation. They too were gone for a while and we sat and talked and ate and drank. The fishermen were coming home after a day at sea and Frank knew quite a few of them. One boat slowed and circled calling out to us. Frank and Larry and Manny ran over to see what was about. Earlier in the day Gordon and Larry had met these guys in the grocery store and invited them to join us but they were headed out for some fishing. Larry had laughed and asked them to bring some fish. Now they were delivering. Manny waded out and they threw him a plastic bag with two large sweetlips in it. One went right on the fire and the other went into a cooler.

Once more the Quest returned. The Ohana canoe club was finishing up a practice run. They race 30 foot paddle driven fiberglass outrigger canoes with half a dozen paddlers in each one. They were bringing their boats in so we had to wait. Finally we dragged the Quest up out of the water and settled him in his old canoe hut, or rather between the post that are all that's left of the hut. We cleaned up our site and I went home, exhausted, sore, sunburned, and very, very, happy.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 05 Jun 04 - 08:35 AM

We sailed Quest again today! What a day! Today being the first Saturday of the month we had to have an organizational meeting but once that was over we dragged the heavy old quest down to the water and out they went. The rest of the gang had to go out to run errands so Wakana and I stayed at the site to watch the gear and work on language lessons. She is doing very well and I have only just begun my Japanese lessons.

Once everyone returned it was time to go back out. This time Wakana, Larry and I joined the Puluwatan crew. There were 7 of us on the boat. They had brought a snack of fresh fish, sashimi at its rawest, and a cooler of beer. I had a bottle of water. We paddled out of the harbor and then set the sail. Once we got moving we shot along bailing all the while. It wasn't that Quest was leaking. With 7 of us aboard we were too much of a load. And with the sweep of the water and the slop coming over the gunnels we needed to keep up with the bailing. Sailing an outrigger is very much a balancing act. The pressure of the wind on the sails wants to lift the tam (pontoon) out of the water. The position of the crew and correct handling of the main sheet keeps the boat on an even keel.

As we left the harbor Laurenti was at the rudder. This is a long flat oar with a natural crook at the steering end. It is tied to the boat only by its upper end and then is braced forward against a stop built into the gunnel. The steersman keeps his foot on it to hold it in place but it is only used as needed. These boats tend to steer themselves and the steersman only needs to push him around if a stray wave pushes him off course.

Laurenti is a very quiet man but once we got moving he opened up. Life at the helm was a laugh a minute for him and he chattered away in Puluwatese as he steered and drank.

And they all drank, very heavily. The dead soldiers piled up in the bottom of the boat as they laughed and chatted and enjoyed a day on the ocean. Ken, Brandon, and Mark talked about trips they'd made to Pikelot to hunt turtles. They tried to pick out the various hotels they worked for. I tried to get someone to sing a Puluwatese song and Mark explained that they usually sang one to ask permission of the water spirits to enter the water. He said they hadn't done that today. We stared at him in mock horror. "You mean we are out here without permission?" Everyone laughed.

Sailing in an outrigger is an intense experience. On a European/Western style sailboat everything makes sense to me. I understand the forces working on the boat and I can sail her fairly well as long as I don't have to perform any actual feat of seamanship. But here we needed to watch the tam to make sure it didn't sink or fly. We had to feel the movement of the canoe and control the sheet. We had to watch our own movements because that might upset a delicate balance. Wakana was on the ep-ep, a platform that extended out the opposite side of the boat from the outrigger. It is not actually fastened to the boat. It is just jammed in place. I sat on the other end of the ep-ep, over the center of the hull. Gordon rode on the outrigger. And the rest of the guys were fore and aft, running the boat and passing fresh beers around as they drained the cooler.

I haven't accurately described the rig of the Quest. There is a mast set up in the center of the boat. It rests in a socket carved in a piece just outside of the gunnel over the outrigger. It sits in a socket because it needs to move fore and aft. The sail is rigged along two spars in the form of a Vee with lovely curves along both arms of the Vee. One of the arms of the Vee is hoisted to the head of the mast and the point of the Vee is lashed to the bow. The other arm of the Vee flies free and is controlled by the main sheet.

We were out for about 2 hours, running north along hotel row. We got most of the way to Two Lovers Point when we decided to turn around. This is accomplished by untying the point of the Vee from the bow, raking the mast in the other direction, and passing the point of the Vee aft and tying it down at the other end which is now the bow. The rudder is passed to the other end and the man in that end becomes the steersman.

After we returned to the harbor we unrigged the boat and straining mightily, we got her back in place. We covered her up and called it a day. And it was a day, exciting, warm, happy, and fun.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 05 Jun 04 - 08:54 AM

that's an amazing description, Brett.

It's not something I could do as I prefer to look at oceans & rivers, rather than ride upon them & you're so close to the water, too. Maybe one day I might go out on the James Craig, tho after John's epic description of the severe storm they met on the recent trip to Newcastle (100 miles north of Sydney), maybe not. They had to leave the ship in Newcastle for almost a week until the sea quietened. Tho John found that a good shanty & work on ropes held back sea-sickness.

sandra (speaking of sea-sickness, I must send you & Charley Bruce Watson's Landlubbers' Shanty.)

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 05 Jun 04 - 02:02 PM

Wow! The cruise of the Quest sounds like great fun, as long as someone competent remains sober.

I particularly like the idea of how to reverse course by shifting the rudder from one end of the boat to the other, and shifting the masts. Could you put that together in a song for us? It might be a fitting ballad for you as well, on a personal level.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 05 Jun 04 - 05:47 PM

Sandra, please do send me the landlubber's shanty. I'd love to read it. Include your phone number and I'll call you to get the tune.

Charley, what if I use the tune from that song that describes tacking a full rigged ship? Not only does that give me the tune but it is a nice counterpoint to the complexity of the ship as compared to the proa.

Got to get back to cleaning. Wakana's coming over this afternoon for more language lessons and a movie.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: JennyO
Date: 06 Jun 04 - 03:31 AM

I just went looking for Bruce's Landlubber Shanty, and although I didn't find the words, I managed to find a short MP3 of part of it here - just a small taste really.

Do you have the words Sandra? I wouldn't mind them myself.

Jenny

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 06 Jun 04 - 09:40 AM

when I type up the words everyone will have them!

But not tonight, I don't have the time - I'll do it at work tomorrow.

sandra

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Lana
Date: 15 Jun 04 - 02:05 PM

Dad, where have you gone? you haven't posted in ages!
love
kelli

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Amos
Date: 15 Jun 04 - 02:57 PM

Yeah!! Last we heard Wakana was coming over for language lessons -- what happened??


A

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 15 Jun 04 - 08:48 PM

Well, Amos, I'd like to think that our hero is too happy to waste time posting to us. But he's probably just too busy.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: ADD: Landlubbers Shanty (C. Bruce Watson)
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 16 Jun 04 - 09:35 AM

funny, I got a reply to my email when I sent him the Landlubber's Shanty.

Maybe if I post it here, he might reply again!!

sandra
............................

LANDLUBBERS SHANTY
c. Bruce Watson (www.geocities.com/brucewatson1)

It's time we non-sailing types got a shanty of our own. Like all my
songs this is a true story


I'll tell you of a story, lads, that happened once to me
Heave, haul, ho, & open wide
Of the only time that I went out upon the briny sea
Heave from your stomachs lads & chunder over the side

As I went out one Sunday arvo on Port Phillip Bay
Heave, haul, ho, & open wide
The captain said, "She's blowing, lads, we'll get some waves today"
Heave from your stomachs lads & chunder over the side

My friends had all impressed on me how sailing was so easy
Heave, haul, ho, & open wide
If it's that easy, excuse me asking why I feel so queasy?
Heave from your stomachs lads & chunder over the side

While looking at the sea so green my face was getting greener
Heave, haul, ho, & open wide
Whoops! I didn't make the side, so we'll have to call the cleaner!
Heave from your stomachs lads & chunder over the side

The first mate & the Skipper said the boat was going beautiful
Heave, haul, ho, & open wide
But I grew more in need of some assistance pharmaceutical
Heave from your stomachs lads & chunder over the side

I wanted to be like those men at sea, who all go, "Arrrghh!"
Heave, haul, ho, & open wide
But when I tried to go like that it seemed to some out, "Yeuargh"
Heave from your stomachs lads & chunder over the side

The captain said, "Now heave that yard-arm mizzen to the tops'l"
Heave, haul, ho, & open wide
I said "Bollocks to your bulwarks, man, you can stick it up your
fo'c's'le!"
Heave from your stomachs lads & chunder over the side

Well, when we finally made for home, returning to terra firma
Heave, haul, ho, & open wide
I says, "The firmer it is the less terror it'll be", and went off
without a murmur
Heave from your stomachs lads & chunder over the side

The owl & the pussycat went to sea in a beautiful pea-green craft
Heave, haul, ho & open wide
But now I've had a go myself, I reckons they was daft!
Heave from your stomachs lads & chunder over the side
...............

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Lana
Date: 16 Jun 04 - 05:03 PM

i gave him a call tonight, he's definitely alive! he says he's just been very busy! :)
Kelli

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 16 Jun 04 - 06:59 PM

Huh? What? Oh, yeah, My thread. Hey, you know what happens to your time when you fall in love. I had a description of something or other half typed up and now I can't even remember what it was. Sigh, I either have to get rid of the girlfriend or... no! Either option is too horrible to contemplate. I guess I should budget my time better. Or get rid of the job...

I am making slow progress on Japanese but I am making progress. I can write Wakana's name in Japanese now from memory. I am building up my vocabulary. At this glacial rate though we will be in another millennium before I get there.

I'll see if I can dig up the last entry and get it posted. Whatever it was it was pretty cool.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: bbc
Date: 16 Jun 04 - 07:05 PM

Nice to hear from you. There are much worse things than being in love. ;)

Barbara

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Amos
Date: 16 Jun 04 - 07:08 PM

Warmest congratulations, Brett!! Give yer Wakana-sana a hug for me.

A

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 16 Jun 04 - 07:54 PM

Itodakimasu - Spoken before eating. Essentially it is thanks to the host for cooking/providing the meal.

Gochisosama - Spoken after the meal. Essentially it is thanks and praise for the meal.

Note: These are not intended as thanks to a deity. Apparently traditional Japanese do not usually bother the deities and hope the deities will reciprocate.

I have pictures of the canoe under sail if anyone wants to send me their email address.

Technical note: These pictures are scanned. I emailed them to my work computer. The pictures look good on my work computer but appear dark and fuzzy on this one. Can anyone offer an explanation for this?

Personal note: Yesterday I had my first colonoscopy. It was just a screening but they had to cut out a couple of polyps. I find out more later in the month.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 21 Jun 04 - 09:08 PM

I missed talking about a very important date though I was awarte of the anniversary when it happened. Ten days ago, on June 12, I celebrated my first year on Guam. And three days ago, June 19, was the first anniversary of this thread. Wow! Where does the time go?

It is raining. I realize that may not mean much to you but it has been raining and cloudy for the last two weeks! This weekend my red pickup decided it was time to die. Wakana drove me to work on Monday morning and I managed to forget my umbrella. She cannot get on the base so I had to walk in and later I had to walk out to meet her. It didn't rain in the afternoon. Actually there is no word for the amount of water that fell from the sky in the five minutes I walked from my building to her car. I might have been dryer if I had jumped into the ocean. But I have rented a car to get around in and now I have to wait for the repairs to the truck.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: JudyB
Date: 21 Jun 04 - 09:36 PM

Happy anniversary! May you truck runneth over....

J & C

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: GUEST,freda
Date: 21 Jun 04 - 10:49 PM

happy anniversary Brett - rain is an omen of great good fortune and fertility in the Pacific - can't beat may your truck runneth over!!congrats & best wishes

freda

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Amos
Date: 21 Jun 04 - 11:05 PM

Brett:

Could just be the capability of the monitor. Some are able to map fewer pixels than others, being cheaper or older, and thus try to portray the image with many fewer dots than the better monitor. It can also be the resolution the computer itself is set to use in display. It could also be the video card itself, I guess.

IF the two machines are comparable, compare their display settings.

A

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 22 Jun 04 - 08:02 AM

My truck truly doth run over. As doth the road, the parking lots, the streams, the umbrellas, etc., etc., etc. If you look closely at the San Diego harbor, Amos, you'll notice the sea level rising from the runoff on Guam.

Thanks for the suggestion on the display properties, Amos. I'll take a look.

Today we got a notice that there are now job openings in Spain and Italy. Tempting but it is either too late or too soon.

Today I had to fill out a questionnaire so the Human Resources Office could calculate my retirement package. I wonder...

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 22 Jun 04 - 10:02 AM

Why is it that I now have a vision of our Brett sitting on the Group W Bench in the waiting room of the Human Resources Office, dutifully filling out his questionnaire?

I have a BAD feeling about this. Watch out for trap doors, Brett! Remember, we still don't know whatever happened to Corridus.

Charley Noble

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: GUEST,bbc at work
Date: 22 Jun 04 - 11:59 AM

Congrats on your 1-year anniversary of occupancy! I will be having mine soon, too, & will report.

love,

Barbara

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 23 Jun 04 - 06:53 PM

I have purchased my first boonie car! It's a 1991 Buick Regal with 28,000 miles on it. The paint is faded and the interior is old but it has only been sitting for the majority of the time it was on the island.

Now I will sell the pickup unless my daughter decides to move out here with her finacee. Hmmm, I am reminded of the many times I commented on parents whose kids move in with them... Do I have to eat those words too?

Just so you know, Wakana and I are using the B-word and the G-word. Some of my co-workers remarked on that at lunch yesterday when I referred to her as my girlfriend.

Here at work we are having a windshield tour of the facilities we support. The tour will take all day and visit 241 sites and facilities. We'll stop at the Micronesia Mall for lunch. I hadn't realized we had responsibility for so much.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 27 Jun 04 - 02:06 AM

Friday was a bombshell day. I still need to incorporate what happened before I can talk about it but it might mean a big change to my lifestyle. It was nice to have Wakana's shoulder to cry on.

The bus tour was extremely interesting. There are parts of this island that I didn't know existed. Other parts I knew about but didn't have a clue about where they were. Now I have seen much of it. Very nice.

Today we are feeling the effects of Tropical Storm Tingting. The center is about 400 miles away but we have torrential rain and the wind is tearing the trees apart. I had to take Wakana down to her place to pick up her car. It took us most of two hours to get there and back, about twise as long as usual. There is little or no traffic but the roads are full of water and pieces of trees. Some areas are quite deep.

There are times when the blowing rain is as bad as any blizzard I ever drove through. I now understand the value of the plastic bumps they use here instead of painted lines on the roads. For the last year I have cursed them every time I bump over them but now I find that they allow drivers to keep within the lanes when the water covers the road.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 27 Jun 04 - 10:31 AM

"Friday was a bombshell day"?

Well, that could mean fireworks in the traditional sense, or something more ominous. What exactly confronted our hero? Was it larger than a breadfruit, or did it have more tentacles than a giant squigly? Inquiring minds and nosey friends would like to know.

Weather is relatively calm here in Maine, a bright sunny day, and wild strawberries are profuse on our lawn.

Shipping out a copy of Uncensored Sailor Songs as requested, hopefully to the right address or you might be further compromised at work.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Amos
Date: 27 Jun 04 - 10:33 AM

Keep breathing, pal.

In. Out.

A

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: JennyO
Date: 27 Jun 04 - 11:46 AM

Oh dear, that was a worrying turn of phrase. Whatever it is Brett, let us know soon, eh?

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: JudyB
Date: 27 Jun 04 - 01:16 PM

Hang in there and let us know what's happening when you're ready - our shoulders are a bit further off - but we do care!

JudyB

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 30 Jun 04 - 01:58 AM

I have tried three times to get this off to the Mudcat and none of my last messages got through. I guess it's a long ways from here to Pennsylvania.

About a month ago I signed an interest survey notifying the Navy that I was interested in retiring early. They have a new program for early retirement. This was just an interest survey. Later they will offer retirement packages and let the retiree decide whether or not he wants to go. They have a little separation incentive attached to the pack up to $25,000. They want to gather the names and then offer the package to those people who are in the areas they need to reduce.

Last Friday morning I was told the package would be offered to me. It was strongly urged that I accept it. Essentially I was being fired. This was the blow I refered to in my last post.

Over a very gloomy weekend I spent a lot of time thinking about what was said and what is available. Retiring early has always been something I have dreamed of. It would be better if I left of my own accord but I feel if I have a chance to go I should go. I am weary of the bureaubabble that makes up so much of this job. I am tired of waking to the alarm clock and worrying about the reports that are late.

My alternative is to hang on for a few more years of this crap and let it wear me down and out. I can't do it anymore.

Added to all of that was the result of my last medical appointment. Apparently I have diverticulitis throughout my large intestine. Now I start the rounds of careful diets that mark an older person. Bah! Humbug!

So, if I am to enjoy my days I need to get rid of the day job. It's just as well. Life is too short to spend my days in an office.

We had a little excitement here over the weekend also. On Friday we had some clouds and showers, not unusual, but by the evening the wind had picked up. On Saturday Wakana and I went down to the canoe to meet the gang and the wind was stronger. We abbreviated the meeting and went our separate ways. That afternoon the rain really started in and we learned that a tropical storm was on its was and strengthening into typhoon strength.

The rain poured all night and the wind blew hard. The rain spattered against the typhoon shutters like machine gun bullets, loud and hard. Our phone went out and then the power. Wakana and I sat talking by the light of a kerosene lantern for a while and then the power came back. We went to bed early. There was no power when we woke on Sunday morning. We had breakfast and watched the storm for a while and then headed out to see what was happening.

The rain was still falling heavily and the roads were full of water. When we got closer to the surf we could see huge white breakers with the wind tearing off the tops and scattering them ahead of the white surge. The sea was an angry green and white. Inside the reef there were dozens of sea birds flying low to keep station over the smaller waves in the protected areas. The streets were littered with bits of trees, branches and leaves, fallen coconuts, and here and there was the whole top of a palm. I saw people out picking up sheets of corrugated tin that had blown off their homes or sheds. Tarps were beating themselves to pieces. Our canoe was full of water and the cover was shredded by the wind.

We went to the Micronesia Mall for dinner and a movie. The house was too warm for comfort with no a/c. Afterwards we went to look at the next house I plan to live in and then to the owner to talk about what we wanted to do about it. I need to move in July. My current lease is up in August.

When we got back to my house the power was still out. There was one ominous sign. Guam Water Authority had moved a water truck into our neighborhood. That meant they expected our water to be out for a while.

There was no work on Monday. Tuesday the weather was still bad and there was a two hour delay for coming to work. Now we are back up to speed though the clouds are still thick. It would be nice to see the sun again.

The storm was named Ting Ting. We got 17 inches of rain out of it over two days setting the record for Guam for the wettest June on record. It was great fun but not for everyone. There are some fools who think they are masters of the planet. One man died after being swept off the reef while he walked near the surf. Two more are still missing after they went out into the surf in outrigger paddling canoes. Darwin continues to prove his theory.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 30 Jun 04 - 01:59 AM

I guess persistence pays off.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Amos
Date: 30 Jun 04 - 03:07 AM

This is Change. But there is nothing else in the universe! So...yo, heave and haul. This one is one of the most interesting ones I've heard of! It is easy to believe after a certain number of repeats of pattern that we have outfoxed Change. Even tempting!

But it ain't happening!

:>)

I wish you joy in all the instants of it!


A

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: GUEST,Freda
Date: 30 Jun 04 - 03:38 AM

Good luck Brett - I long for the day when I retire and have started working half days in anticipation. enjoy your blues skies and the rainy ones too..

freda

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Roger the Skiffler
Date: 30 Jun 04 - 03:43 AM

Brett, I have never regretted accepting early retirment the second time it was offered to me. When you feel like you do (and I did by then), believe me, the game isn't worth a candle. If the money works out OK, take it, I've never been happier. (But I'll miss your Guam stories!)

RtS
(now spending LESS time on line, much to busy enjoying myself!)

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 30 Jun 04 - 08:25 AM

Rogr-

From what Brett says about "the next house he plans to live in" he may not be thinking of leaving Guam, just his current day job at the naval base. We should be able to look forward to years of new adventures from the South Pacific, as we log into Mudcat from our squeaky office chairs.

I note that the Google Ads below are suggesting "beautiful rain chains" and "motorcycle rain gear."

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: JudyB
Date: 30 Jun 04 - 04:15 PM

Thanks for the update, Brett. It is always upsetting to hear that your services are no longer required. I remember back when you were trying to decide if it was worth the likely aggravation to live in what might be close to paradise – the job did sound even then as if it would be close to impossible, although the location sounded wonderful beyond belief.

I also wouldn't be surprised if one of the factors against you is that (gasp!) you go off the base and hang out with the locals! I'm quite sure that's not the normal practice for the folks working on base, and I'm equally sure that there's an ingrained suspicion about anything that's out of the norm.

I'm also a bit jealous. One of the women I'm working with is retiring in October, and listening to her plans is making me eager to make some of my own – though I've got probably another 4-5 years before it's possible for me to retire. But time does pass more quickly when you get to be our age. I don't know how your finances will be, but I bet you'll be happier working a couple of evenings a week in one of the book stores or even "do you want fries with that" than you are now. And you can't tell me that the stress of your job isn't responsible for some of your medical problems – maybe not directly, but all that stuff adds up!

Do keep us posted as your journey continues.

   Hugs from afar,
   JudyB

P.S. Is the new house you're considering a quaint little bungalow in the suburbs...?

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 30 Jun 04 - 07:11 PM

Thanks for all the support. I need it.

I understand about change and I even welcome it now and again. After all that's why I am in Guam instead of spending my winters shoveling the white s--t. And I am getting used to the idea of being retired. I think I might have a ritual burning of the alarm clock on October 1.

Roger, I am not planning to leave Guam, at least not in the immediate future. The house I am moving into is indeed a quaint little bungalow in the suburbs. And it is half the rent of the place I'm in now. I am also selling my pickup truck and getting out from under that car loan. I hope to be able to save enough money to be able to make annual trips out to see the other islands.

Plus I have a wedding to help pay for. My older daughter (Mudcatter Lana) is getting MARRIED! OMIGOD!

The direct result of THAT shindig is that I will be in England in August of 2005. Look out England, here I come! And being retired I should be able to spend as much time there as my money will keep me going.

Other plans include taking Wakana on a tour of the USA. She has never been there and would dearly love to see my home country. Plus I have to go to Japan and see her home country. I want to ride the cross country train across Australia. And she wants to ride the cross country train across Russia.

All this adds up to meeting many more Mudcatters and seeing a lot more of the world.

So, yes, I am getting used to the idea of leaving the day to day grind and living at my own pace for a while.

As to how I will make my way. Besides the retirement income I plan to follow the advice I have seen in this thread. I will turn these pages into a book about moving to Guam. And I will follow that with other writing projects for as long as I can keep it up.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Roger the Skiffler
Date: 01 Jul 04 - 03:46 AM

Sounds a great plan, Brett, look forward to meeting you when you get to UK if possible!
RtS
(I promise not to sing!)

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 01 Jul 04 - 11:16 PM

I am pretty excited about going to England. My one and only visit was back in 1973 when the ship visited Plymouth for a few days. But I have started my "...Coming to England!" thread. I'm looking forward to seeing a lot of old friends I've never met before.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 01 Jul 04 - 11:20 PM

By the way, Roger, I'll be disappointed if you don't sing. Every singer brings a bit of him/herself to a song. You just have to look past the performance faults to see it. I learned that from four years of helping to run a coffeehouse back in Maine.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Amos
Date: 01 Jul 04 - 11:52 PM

Roger has often asserted he has a voice just made for a Mime, but I don't buy it. I think he is hiding his light under a bushel, or a peck, or whatever...


A

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From:
Date: 02 Jul 04 - 05:37 AM

good onya, Brett - life in a tropical paradise (tropical hurricanes you can do without?) with a lovely lady & travelling around the world sounds ok.

I'm counting the days till I retire (very scary stuff cos I am sooo good at isolating) in 3 years. All I hope is my job lasts - 1 sit in one desk & do 2 completely different jobs, & one is supposed to be centralised (ie. taken away from me!!) in August. My boss's boss knew nothing about this, neither did her boss, the Director & we dunno what is happening. As state offices are supposed to give bits of their budget to the winning office when it happens & our office doesn't have money for this job (I didn't know that cos I get paid each fortnight!!) I dunno what is happening.

live each day as it comes is a good philosophy, so I just wait.

sandra

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 03 Jul 04 - 12:39 AM

Carpe Diem is as good a philosophy as I know as long as it means "Sieze the day". I have a sneaking suspicion that it really means "Fish are gods"!

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: freda underhill
Date: 03 Jul 04 - 03:10 AM

the train trip from Perth to Sydney is a long one, Brett. It took me three and a half days, and every 10 hours or so i got to see the excitment of a bush or something. its basically just one long horizontal line through the desert. The one from Darwin to Alice Springs could be an interesting one, its not so long (maybe a day and a half) and takes you to the red centre. they have a folk festival somewhere there in June. but my trip was over twenty years ago now - who knows what they've worked out since then?

you should try and get here for April/easter next year. the National folk festival is not to be missed. and if you decide to do that one, its worth trying to book accomodation in Canberra ahead of time, like in the next couple of months, to ensure you have it, unless you and Wakana are comfortable in a tent.

best wishes

amalina

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.

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: 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: 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: 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:
Date: 06 Jul 04 - 03:28 AM

wonderful descriptions of events & views as always.

enjoy your retirement

sandra

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: 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: 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 - 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:
Date: 07 Jul 04 - 04:24 AM

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

sandra

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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 16 Jul 04 - 09:08 AM

life begins!

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: 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 - 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: harpgirl
Date: 20 Jul 04 - 11:42 PM

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

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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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 - 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: freda underhill
Date: 29 Jul 04 - 11:41 AM

Happy birthday, Brett!

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: 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: SINSULL
Date: 29 Jul 04 - 02:17 PM

Happy Birthday, Brett! Celebrate.

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: JudyB
Date: 29 Jul 04 - 04:51 PM

Brett -

Happy Day!

JudyB

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: 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: 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 - 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: SINSULL
Date: 31 Jul 04 - 11:55 AM

A dissertation on clams followed by an afterthought - Wakana moved in with me today...guess who's from Maine! Be very happy, Brett.
SINS

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Amos
Date: 31 Jul 04 - 12:42 PM

LOL, SIns. Joy to the two of yez, mate!


A

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 02 Aug 04 - 08:45 PM

Wellll, not exactly an afterthought. Just reporting news without all the personal stuff that's associated with it. I'm sure your guys can read between the lines to guess at the emotions involved.

The newspaper is reporting an outbreak of Dengue Fever on Palau. We were warned when we got there that the mosquitoes were carrying it so we were careful. I think we are OK.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: bbc
Date: 02 Aug 04 - 09:09 PM

I wish you happy, dear!

Barbara

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: GUEST,freda
Date: 02 Aug 04 - 11:46 PM

your news is wonderful Brett - enjoy your happiness, you deserve it.

best wishes

freda

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 03 Aug 04 - 06:25 PM

I talked to Gordon last night. The canoe crew is home from Palau. I'm not sure what the outcome will be but they are trying to schedule a meeting for Thursday. Gordon claims it will not be a grousing session but I think there are frictions that will have to be resolved. Note for the future: Maybe we shouldn't go to these big events without more personal planning and preparation as well as setting some guidelines.

Last Saturday, while carrying boxes for Wakana I stubbed my toe on one of my own boxes. I heard the snap and felt the deep pain that means I've broken that bone behind the little toe. For the last few days that corner of my foot has been black and blue and there is some pain when I walk. It will take a while to heal.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 04 Aug 04 - 09:35 AM

ouch - I've walked on a broken toe, tho I never was aware of breaking it, I just walked on a very sore foot for a long time. I'm used to sore feet & legs, so it was a bit of a surprise to find it was broken.

I had no trouble seeing the break in the X-ray - the podiatrist didn't need to draw around it as a previously 0-shaped sesimoid (spelling??) bone now looked like a very obvious B!!

watch those boxes & packing materials, they jump out at you.

sandra

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 08 Aug 04 - 06:57 PM

Life can sometimes be difficult without actually seeming to be. My broken toe kept me out of the office for a while and then the phone quit working so I had no internet access. Sigh. It seems to be connected to the rain. We had torrential downpours late last week and the phones quit after the first one. They still don't work today but at least it has quit raining. Still cloudy though.

Two weekends ago we went to Palau and last weekend we moved Wakana into my house. Consequently I did no laundry for two and a half weeks! Yesterday Wakana and I washed and dried seven loads! What a job! She seems to think it would be better to wash more frequently. I guess I have to agree with her.

When I was young one of my favorite TV programs was COMBAT!. Wakana grew up in Japan on the other side of the world and is 8 years younger than me. As a child one of her favorite TV programs was... COMBAT! Recently I found a DVD with the first season of the show on it and she and I have been watching a show or two every evening. What a great series. It still stands up even today.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 08 Aug 04 - 11:25 PM

Another update from our trip to Palau. Wakana had her heart set on seeing an abai, a men's gathering house, in Palau. There is a very old one in Arai state. The abai is still an important part of modern Palauan society but she wanted to see an original.

We rode out to see the Arai Abai which is the oldest on Guam but the taxi driver didn't know where it was. He did manage to find the Palauan war canoe. It is an outrigger paddling canoe for 40 men. The thing is huge! And it was carved from a single log! Amazing.

The taxi driver took us to the Belau Museum where we knew there was a modern replica of an abai. When we got there we saw a group of people watching dancers all lined up in front of the abai. The dancers were men and boys wearing the traditional thew loincloths and carrying dancing sticks. We settled ourselves on a convenient seat to watch but were hustled away from there because we "could be seen by the camera". That puzzled us but we moved on. The men started to dance but we couldn't see much of them because of people standing in the way taking pictures.

After the men finished it was the women's turn. A huge group of women and girls in grass skirts, panadanas brassieres, and other colorful decorations and headresses took their places before the abai. We tried to get a better look but someone kept shooing us away from our vantage points. It turns out the event was being filmed for TV. If I wanted to see the dancing and ceremonies we would have to go back to hotel room and watch it on TV! The other people that were in our way were "the media" who were recording the event for their various publications. I was mad enough to spit nails! We'd spent good money to be on Palau for just such a sight and we were not allowed to enjoy it because it had to be recorded for those who were NOT there! Grrrr. Sigh. It must be another facet of the modern world.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 09 Aug 04 - 09:10 PM

Yesterday I decided to check on the job as chanty singer at the Tokyo Disney Resort Park. I have sent out a number of messages to those who might have some info and am waiting for a reply. That would be fun once I retire.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 10 Aug 04 - 12:25 AM

I THOUGHT it had been rainy! Now I know it! I just saw a weather report. The annual average for rain in the dry season (Dec - June) is 30 inches. The annual average for rain during the wet season (July - Nov) is 60 inches. So far in 2004 (the "dry" season) we have received 73.4 inches of rain! June alone gave us about 37 inches!

And now we start the "wet" season.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 11 Aug 04 - 06:19 PM

No job in Tokyo. That program has been terminated.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: SINSULL
Date: 11 Aug 04 - 06:37 PM

I will have to watch PBS for the film so that I can write in and complain about the big American ruining the authenticity of the pictures. How's the toe?
SINS

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 11 Aug 04 - 09:14 PM

Yesterday afternoon I whacked it on the leg of my desk. It appears to still be sensitive as I voiced some choice comments without intending to and then limped home to ice it and take some Tylenol.

We have an unusual weather anomaly outside. The sun is shining. There are actual shadows out there. In other weather news there is a typhoon churning off to the west of us. It's headed for China. There is a tropical storm northeast of us headed out to the center of the Pacific. And there is a tropical storm to the southwest that has a fair possibility to turn into a typhoon that might head for us.

I understand the eastern USA is having some fears of hurricanes right now so I hope I don't hear anyone questioning my sanity about living in the path of typhoons. It's been over twenty months since our last real typhoon.... Am I nuts or what?

Still, in those twenty months my friends in Maine and New Hampshire have shoveled through piles of snow, slopped though buckets of mud, smacked flocks of mosquitoes, shivered through chilly nights and sweated through hot August days, so I still think I have the better deal.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 12 Aug 04 - 10:50 PM

Ah, back to normal, clouds and rain. Would someone please remind me why I wanted to live in a tropical paradise?

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Amos
Date: 12 Aug 04 - 11:49 PM

Gee, Brett -- I don't recall skeeters or snow...or mud... and a few warm days have been tolerable.

You could always move here!


A

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 13 Aug 04 - 10:17 AM

Brett-

It's been relatively cool and wet this summer in Maine, only a couple of days above 90.

We have managed to enjoy the beach a couple of times, and now that the surf temperature is up to 60 degrees the swimming is really wonderful!

The Gooch Island annual picnic/survivor's challenge/sing is on the weekend of 8/21. You could always fly in and surprise us.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 15 Aug 04 - 07:05 PM

Well, Charley, I would love to do that but the job wouldn't get done. Not the office job but the renovation/redecorating job. Wakana and I spent this weekend prepping and painting the new place. The landlord came in and worked on cutting out large chunks of concrete where the rusting re-bar was showing through the ceiling.

Back when we first looked at the place I got my truck stuck in the driveway. When I told Gordon about that he was truly puzzled. This weekend he went to look at it and saw what had happened. The neighbor had graded his yard and put in new soil. Tropical Storm Tingting had washed it all into Gordon's driveway in time for me to get stuckin it. Gordon and his son shoveled out over 100 five gallon buckets of wet red mud so we could get into the house.

Today I go off to fight with the utility company bureacracies to get the utilities hooked up to the house. Then it's back up the hill to keep painting. If I am going to live in this place I want it clean and neat for at least the first ten minutes before it gets comfortable.

This morning in the office we had a pot luck breakfast. I brought in donuts. Wakana had rallied her strength and made rice balls, wasabi, shrimp, sour plum, and salmon. I was carrying in the donuts and rice balls when I tripped on the curb and fell. The donuts were crushed under the weight of the plate but the plate was undamaged. I cannot make the same claim. My knee is scraped and the little finger on the right hand was scraped raw with hunks of skin hanging off of it. I came in and grabbed the office first aid kit. So this morning I was reintroduced to the joys of iodine on open wounds. My fingernail is dark red and may be turning black soon. I may have to drill a hole in it to release the pressure. Sigh, it's just one damn thing after another.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Barbara
Date: 15 Aug 04 - 07:17 PM

Brett, do you know the trick of heating up one end of a paper clip in a flame and using that to burn a hole in the nail? It tends to be less painful than drilling (less pressure). I used a pair of needle nose vice grips to hold the paper clip.
Blessings,
Barbara

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Amos
Date: 15 Aug 04 - 07:19 PM

Brett,

Life has its little lessons. If you're going to be a biped and walk upright on the earth, practice til you get it right!!! :>)

Heal quick, amigo. Falling down is not encouraged!!

A

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 15 Aug 04 - 08:22 PM

Well, I really shouldn't do this but here's the 900th post!

Happy healing!

Charlie

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: JennyO
Date: 15 Aug 04 - 10:24 PM

Charlie, you turning into El Ted? :-)

Brett, you are going to have to stop bashing yourself up like this. It just won't do! I still have visions of those poor squashed donuts :-( I love donuts.

Jenny

Subject: WIld News From Guam
From: Amos
Date: 17 Aug 04 - 11:10 PM

I just got an unexpected phone call from Brett - he would have called Charlie but it is late in Maine.

Seems Brett and Wakana came back from doing errands (including getting utilities set up for their new place) to find that their new place had been burgled! Wakana's laptop was stolen, but the guitars are safe down stairs. Not only did they toss the joint and steal an indeterminate amount of stuff, but they then set the house on fire. So when Brett drove up it was all charred and smoke damaged. The fire was started at his computer station where a pillow had been left to burn from the heat of a monitor (the burglars had to turn the system on and place a pillow on it to make this happen, so Brett reckons it was arson. Police and Fire officials are still working it.) The whole upstairs is smoke-damaged and charred, especially where the computer was.

What all this means, unfortunately is that Brett is sleeping on a borrowed floor somewhere in Guam, the t-shirt and shorts he has on being the only clothes not smoke-damaged or burned. I guess all those nice clothes he bought in San Diego are layered with smoke from burning CRTs and such...jaisus!!

He wanted me to post a report to you all and say it will be a while before he'll get to a borrowed computer and post to his thread.

I told him he was living an awful interesting sort of life with all these catastrophes in it, and he managed to laugh, so I guess he ain't broke, but it isn't as if he needed this extra chaos in his life!!!

Well, that's about it -- we couldn't talk long as it was his nickel from way the hell overseas. He sounded okay, considering all he's been through, and asked me to pass his warm greetings on to all his friends, so consider them passed to you.

Best regards,

A

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Roger the Skiffler
Date: 18 Aug 04 - 05:04 AM

Brett, I don't know what you've done to upset the gods and have all this recent bad luck. Have you been treading on any maere out there?
Here's hoping the force of the Mudcat can counteract it and send you some good fortune.

RtS

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 18 Aug 04 - 09:50 AM

Brett - big hugs to you & Wakana. I hope this time the police will find the (alleged) criminals.

Did your CDs survive - I can replace the Ozzies if they're gone.

love from sandra

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 18 Aug 04 - 02:37 PM

Damn! Of course there are scum like that in Maine too but what a bummer to come home to.

I note that the appropriate ads are for fireProof Files and Safes and attorneys.

Charley Noble

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: JudyB
Date: 18 Aug 04 - 03:05 PM

Brett -

Big hugs to you and Wakana from me, too! This does seem like a somewhat different version of paradise than what I usually envision. I was thinking your new place was more suburb than rural - if so, they are one brazen bunch of thugs! (Or one sort of dumb and hopefully not too lucky jerk.)

I'm sending good thoughts your way - let us know if there's anything else more concrete you need from the states.

The ads have changed to ones for blues albums....

Love, Judy

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: SINSULL
Date: 18 Aug 04 - 03:35 PM

Brett,
Seriously...does someone have it in for you? Be careful. Any chance of you and Wakana moving to the relative safety of Maine?
Take care,
SINS

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: JudyB
Date: 19 Aug 04 - 04:31 PM

Hi Brett!
Have the police made any progress? Do make sure you mention the other "little" things to them, like the identity theft and the stuff that went missing from your old place - if someone does have it in for you, it should help them find a pattern. Please keep us posted when you can (is there an internet cafe on Guam?
Hugs, JudyB

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: bbc
Date: 19 Aug 04 - 10:50 PM

Gee, Brett, I can relate to this one, too. Sorry to hear about the break-in, smoke & fire damage, etc. When my house was broken into, it was winter. The bad guys slipped on the snow & broke a window on the way out. The draft blew out the pilot on the oil furnace & we came home to standing water & ice on the whole ground level of our house. I happened to have laryngitis at the time which was pretty amusing as I gave the report to the insurance adjuster. We had a plumber showing his butt crack who knocked holes in the walls to find the broken pipes. Then, we had to replace all the hardwood floors & wall-to-wall carpeting. Did I mention the several hundred dollar water bill? Thankfully, we didn't have to pay that!!! Anyway, it took about a year to get the house back in shape. The good news was that we never felt the sense of violation that many folks do when they are robbed. Who had time? Thinking of you with sympathy. Best to you & Wakana. This, too, shall pass.

love,

barbara

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: GUEST
Date: 20 Aug 04 - 06:36 PM

I am using Gordon's computer to make a quick post before we get back to work. In the last four days we have converted an empty abandoned house into a home. We still cannot live in it. The sewer system is blocked up and the aircon is not working either. But we have a bed and set of dressers. We are bone tired and ready to drop and we haven't yet started in the old house. Hopefully we'll have help today.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: GUEST,Charley Noble
Date: 21 Aug 04 - 10:27 AM

Cheer up, Brett! The balance of the universe is being restored as I post, in that today we Gooch Island revelers are scheduled for Guam monsoon rains. The Island itself was last reported surrounded by bounding billows of muddy water. There are rumors of a tent being erected for the survivors in the adjacent Royal River Park but somehow the idea of crowding together in a tent while thunder and lightning is breaking overhead is challenging to even the most foolhardy.

The good news? Well, the rest of the week promises to be warm and sunny.

Charlie

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 21 Aug 04 - 06:49 PM

Ah yes, weather. I failed to mention that Typhoon Chaba is bearing down on Saipan. That means we get tropical storm conditions today and tomorrow. I wonder when the earthquake is scheduled to occur.

We are both so tired we cannot see straight but at least the major painting is done. Today we work in the old house cleaning and salvaging.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 23 Aug 04 - 06:40 AM

Typhoon Chaba took a turn to the southeast and made a close pass to Guam. At it's closest it was about 85 mailes away and our winds were up to 70 MPH gusts. Rota and Saipan took it as a close approach and saw sustained winds in excess of 100 MPH. Currently it is moving away and has sustained wind speeds of 185 MPH.

We spent Sunday afternoon putting up typhoon shutters and preparing the old house and the new house for the storm. The rain was pouring and the winds were already high. I was soaking wet before we were half through with the first house. Then we were back to help Gordon get his and another house ready.

We rode it out in a friend's house. Oddly enough we had power through the heighth of the storm and sat up watching DVDs and movies. Then it crashed this morning around 8:00 AM as the winds dropped.

Tonight we are spending our first night in the new house. We had our first shower in a week this evening! What luxury!

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Amos
Date: 23 Aug 04 - 08:35 AM

Keep plugging, pal;!! Change is a bear...


A

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: bbc
Date: 23 Aug 04 - 12:34 PM

Progress, dear. Being clean is almost as good as being rested. I remember from the time when my kids were babies!

Barbara

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: SINSULL
Date: 23 Aug 04 - 12:57 PM

Must be true love if you can stand each other without bathing for a week.
SINS

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 23 Aug 04 - 09:31 PM

Here is a more detailed report from last week. I am now back in the office and very glad to be here. This is the easiest day I have seen in over a week.

I went out on Monday to arrange for the utilities to be turned on. That was a long and arduous day. I got home at 4:30 PM to find the door was not locked as I usually leave it. There was a foul odor in the air. I opened the door on to a scene of wreckage and the reek of smoke and soot. My house had burned while I was out.

Now that the investigation is over it appears that someone had broken into the house and stolen my camera and Wakana's laptop computer. They may have also taken my passport and social security card. They then set a pillow on top of the computer monitor and turned it on. The firemen report that the house was full of smoke when they got there. It was a smoldering fire. It wasn't until they ventilated the upstairs rooms that the flames came up and they could put it out. We lost a lot of our stuff. Anything that was made of fabric is full of the soot and smoke smell. We may be able to clean the clothing well enough to wear but the bed and easy chair are gone.

Next day we started in the new house. It had been empty for about a year and a half. We had to clean and paint the whole thing. What a chore. We had planned to do this work over the rest of the month. Now we had a week. I bought a new bed and a dresser. The kitchen cabinets were full of termites and ants so we tore them out. The air conditioner didn't work and the refrigerator wouldn't cool. Some of the windows were broken. The bathtub was full of rust and debris. The sewer line was plugged. The driveway was silted up with four inches of mud washed down from the neighbor's new yard.

While we worked we stayed with a friend, and our future landlord. We slept on his couch and on the floor. The village was having water problems so we weren't able to shower. We would arrive at his house after a long hard day, drenched in sweat and covered with dirt, barely able to stand. To clean up you would turn on the water in the bathtub but there wasn't enough pressure to take it up to the shower head. Instead you had a Taco Bell plastic soda cup which you would fill and pour over yourself. There was no hot water. Once you were wet you could lather yourself with soap and then rinse with the cup.

Last night, Monday, August 24, 2004, was our first night in the new house. It still looks like a construction site with paint cans and tools scattered around. The range is in the living room and there is a roll around dishwasher waiting to be removed. We also have a water cooler in the living room. But we slept in a bed and we got to take real showers. The house is near the naval magazine and for some reason has water while the rest of the village is dry. What luxury is a hot shower…

Oh, then after all that work we heard of Chaba. Chaba is a Thai word that means "sweet flower". It is also the name of the typhoon that was bearing down on us. We spent Sunday in the pouring wind whipped rain putting up storm shutters and preparing two houses for the storm. Then I helped Gordon get his own house and his neighbor's house ready. Gordon was house sitting for the neighbor and we stayed in the empty house to ride out the storm. Chaba passed about 90 miles north of us so our winds were only in the 60 to 70 MPH range. It hit Rota and Saipan pretty hard. Now that Chaba has moved on we hear that the sustained winds are up to about 180 MPH.

So let's see, fire, typhoon, hmm, I guess that's the list. I figure the big earthquake is next. And that's the news from Guam.

I hope you can see this. It is the satellite montage from our neck of the woods. Next time you hear Florida complaining about storms just think of this picture. Chaba and Aere

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Amos
Date: 24 Aug 04 - 12:41 AM

SOmething weird has happened to this thread....

anyway: Brett, the operating range for a monitor of the CRT type can be around 140 degrees farenheit. But that is with the ordinary airflow, calculated to keep the heat down. So I reckon just putting a cheap cotton pillow on the air vents near the hot part of the tube might be enough to start it but I am not 100% sure.

A

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: katlaughing
Date: 24 Aug 04 - 02:41 AM

Holy cow, Brett! I see I am going to have to call more often to keep caught up or be sure I make more reading time! I am very sorry to hear of the burglary and fire. What a terrible thing to do to anyone. I am glad to hear you had a good friend to stay with and that you both seem to be coping with it, together and well.:-) Wakana sure sounds like a keeper.:-) Oh, and I can relate to those winds, though NOT 185 mph! Wyoming has wind, but I don't remember any blizzards going beyond 100 or so!

Take care and enjoy your new place as it takes shape. There is some satisfaction to be had from surveying the results of one's hard work, esp. when shared. And, let us know if there are things we can help to replace, okay?

luvyakat

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 24 Aug 04 - 08:48 AM

So let's see, fire, typhoon, hmm, I guess that's the list. I figure the big earthquake is next. And that's the news from Guam.

If you were in Oz it would be fire, cyclone, flood, drought & locusts! We're heading for bushfire season, & cyclones hit the northern regions Nov to March, naturally floods follow, drought is endemic (Sydney's dams are below 5o%) & lotsa' locusts are hatching out west.

Do the police think all the incidents are related?

sandra

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: wysiwyg
Date: 24 Aug 04 - 11:34 AM

Brett, although of course I'm concerned and sympathetic about your troubles, I have to say that shining through it all I see a strong man being wonderfully strengthened by the circumstances and people of this place and time-- a man living as large as is his heart and spirit.

Go, man, go!

~Susan

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Ebbie
Date: 24 Aug 04 - 12:10 PM

Brett, I'm supposed to tell you hafa adai! I hope you are well.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: JudyB
Date: 24 Aug 04 - 05:06 PM

Hey, Brett -
Sounds as if things are looking up just a little if you actually have running water now (without standing in your yard with your bar of soap during the typhoon)! I'm a little confused about which house is which - is the one with the fire the one you've been living in for the past year or so? Or the one you said you were moving into a few weeks back? Not that it matters, but I was curious as I know there had been a couple of other "incidents" at the house up in the hills over the past year. Do they have lottery tickets on Guam? Seems as if there should be a wave of good things due your way now (though Wakana sounds like a major step in the positive direction!).
    Take care!
    JudyB

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 24 Aug 04 - 07:16 PM

Judy, the house that burned is the one I have been in for a year.

Hafa Adai to you too, Ebbie. You must know someone who has lived in Guam!

Is there more? YES! We have more! Come to the fire sale for your own mess of bad luck!

Yesterday I answered a message from the MBNA Fraud Department. I thought it must be related to the earlier ID theft problem I'd experienced back at the end of July. Oh no, not so Mr. Burnham. It seems that on the day of the fire someone began making purchases with my new credit card, the one I could not activate because I no longer had a home telephone. So here I am, with a brand new credit card still stuck to the mailer in a folder at my new home and someone is out having a great time with it!

How does that happen? Remember I said I thought my social security card and passport had been stolen? Well, they appear to really have been stolen! And someone is having a great time out there.

Wonderful! What is next...? Do I dare even ask?

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 24 Aug 04 - 11:32 PM

It occurs to me that Amos was right in his 24 Aug 04 - 12:41 AM post. "SOmething weird has happened to this thread...." I thought about it and realized I have only been whining lately. No descriptions and no mental pictures.

I drove out at lunchtime today to buy some plumbing items for the new house. As I drove down Marine Drive I noticed the surf crashing out on the reef. It has been cloudy and rainy for as long as I can remember. Today the sun peeped out and lit up everything with an unfamiliar warmth. The sea turned a lovely green-blue and the waves crashed into a brilliant white. The surf is running very high because of the typhoon and instead of a thin line of white surf out by the reef we have huge masses of incredibly white water foaming over miles of reef and shore. The waves loom up in translucent tropical water colors and then explode into white masses while the wind drives the white flecks inland. The surf cannot reach the shore so all this drama takes place about 100 yards off shore.

The typhoon was a wonderful experience of driving warm wind and rain. Early on as we tried to put up shutters we were soaked by showers that filled the air with water. It was warm water so there was none of the shivering I have always associated with being wet by the rain. The wind, when it came on strong, bent the palm trees over and sent their fronds tossing all in the same way, as though Mother Nature were combing their unruly hair.

We were safe indoors but we could hear the wind battering the house. The shutters were thin sheets of steel bolted to the concrete walls and they boomed with every gust. Often there was no rain, just the driving wind. It was a wonderful display of nature's power.

Last night I could hear water trickling past the house. The rain water is still draining. Who knows what else it might be. Wakana thinks there may be a water line broken in the jungle behind the house. It certainly sounds like gushing water. I like to think it may be a natural spring that has opened up after the storm and now I will have a brook to deal with next to the house. I imagine building a pool and concrete water channel with rocks in place to make the water splash. Maybe I could even install a little water wheel and rig it up to a generator... Nah, my daydreams go too far.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Amos
Date: 25 Aug 04 - 01:27 AM

Nah, man, push them further!!!


A

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Ebbie
Date: 25 Aug 04 - 03:18 AM

I'm not a great believer in coincidence- as some above have intimated, it might be fruitful to investigate whether the pieces of your recent 'bad luck' originate in one person's puzzle.
(
Hafa Adai! Great phrase). Yes, it comes from a Coastie now posted in Juneau.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: GUEST,Sandra in Sydney
Date: 25 Aug 04 - 09:16 AM

whining?

na, just too busy with other stuff, you certainly do live in interesting times, Brett (and a beautiful place).

sandra

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: GUEST,winterbright
Date: 25 Aug 04 - 06:35 PM

It may interest you to know that very recently we (the Earth) missed getting hit by a space chunk by - get this - a mere 4,000 miles.
It appears your luck is turning. (grin)

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 26 Aug 04 - 07:47 PM

Thanks for that, Winterbright. Sometimes you have to look beyond your own pool to find the good luck.

I hate to write this post. I have listed so many bad things is such a short time that it seems like overload to add any more. There has to come a point where people just stop believing that all of this could happen to one person. Believe me, I am telling everything, exactly as it has occurred.

On Tuesday I stopped at the credit union to get a printout of my account. I knew that I had blown through the money I had transferred into checking to cover the move and the preparations in the new house. It didn't seem right because I had been keeping careful track of what I was spending.

Well, it seems our resourceful thief had taken more than just Wakana's computer, camera, social security card and passport. He also took my box of checks. Starting on the day of the fire he started wiping out my accounts. I now have a net worth in the negative numbers.

This last straw seems to have broken the camel's back. I am sunk in depression and gloom. I live on the verge of tears and flinch from everything, expecting it to be another attack.

Oh, and I don't think I mentioned that Wakana's car broke down the other day and may cost upwards of $1,000 to fix.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: wysiwyg
Date: 26 Aug 04 - 08:48 PM

I'm so sorry-- stay close to Wakana and decide together what to do next.

Bad check kiters usually get spotted in due course. When s/he starts bouncing them, that may be their undoing. You can always hope for restitution.

~Susan

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Ebbie
Date: 26 Aug 04 - 08:49 PM

Just remember your net worth is a LOT more than numbers.

{{{{{{{{{{{{{{Hugs}}}}}}}}}}}}}

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 26 Aug 04 - 09:12 PM

Ugh!

I would think that Guam is a small enough place that if someone were using your checks to purchase something they would run the risk of being recognized by a store clerk or being caught on a security camera. Hopefully the thief or thieves will outsmart themselves. They probably live in your old neighborhood to start with.

Well, it's at least a good thing to get depressed about, not to mention pissed off! There's got to be some clues that could be followed up.

Charley Noble

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 26 Aug 04 - 09:16 PM

Keep this in mind--you live on an island. It's harder to hide what you're doing when you live in a confined space like that. And WHEN (not "if") they catch the thief, they'll add on a hefty charge of arson to the crime list.

Someone should be able to track these purchases made with the checks and get this guy pretty soon. Keep your chin up. You're not liable for more than about $50 of the charges on your card (if even that much) and the checking account should be restored.

SRS

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 26 Aug 04 - 09:28 PM

Hey Brett -
Work with the credit union - they shouldn't be paying on the checks if the signature isn't yours. (If the signature is yours, get Wakana to tie you to a tree on the nights of the full moon. But I digress.)

Retrieve "I am a Man of Constant Sorrow" from your wayback files - it got me through some rocky times because after singing it enough times in a row it was just so dumb I had to laugh (not the song, exactly - just something about singing "I Am a Maid of Constant Sorrow" enough times in a row struck my ludicrous bone).

Guam isn't that big - they should catch the buzzard (or some other word that I don't think would make it past the censors).

Does Guam have a gym with those giant punching bags that boxers use? If it were me, I'd want to punch someone, and that seems like a good alternative. Visualize the son of a seahorse (or whatever) and WHAM!

When you're at a place that you can do it, remember all the folks that love you - and realize that they may have your bank account (at least for a while) but they can never get their hands on your true wealth.

And do keep posting as this continues to unfold. We care, and we're rooting for you!

I actually know you (unlike Corridus), making the story all the more real as it unfolds. And I've had enough strange things happen in my life (for better or for worse) to have a real appreciation for the journey.

Breathe in, breathe out.

Hug Wakana.

Tomorrow is another day.

Love you,
JudyB

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: JudyB
Date: 26 Aug 04 - 09:32 PM

Brett -
Oops - forgot to log Charlie out and me in - Oh, well, Charlie loves you too - he's just not quite as vocal about it.
JudyB

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: SINSULL
Date: 26 Aug 04 - 10:49 PM

Deep breaths, Brett. The single most important thing right now is for you and Wakana to stay healthy and focussed on each other. Don't let the anger, frustration and depression come between you. What you have lost is only things. They can and will be replaced. Don't make it worse by giving these low lifes the single most precious thing you two own, the one thing they couldn't take without your permission - your devotion to each other.

Stay strong,
SINS

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 27 Aug 04 - 11:35 AM

don't let the bastards get you down.

Do the police have any ideas or leads? Is this a fairly 'common' kind of crime?

And is the island covered with cameras so there is hope of getting pics of the person/s passing them?

love from sandra

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: GUEST,winterbright
Date: 27 Aug 04 - 05:54 PM

White light & hugs. And remember, it's always darkest when the lights are out.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 02 Sep 04 - 11:31 PM

Thanks all. Sorry about the lack of posts but this is the first time I've parked myself at a computer in a long time. I need to compile what has happened and create a mega-post so you can find out what I've been going through. It is a testament to frustration, anger, and stupidity.

I don't have any news of progress on the case. Two days ago I bought an abstract of the police file and all it talked about was the theft of the physical items from the house. And it didn't mention Wakana at all though the computer that was stolen was hers.

I have been trying to pay off the legitimate checks I wrote but now the credit union won't let me have any more money until the negative balance in my account is made right. That will be next payday, 9/10. The companies I have talked to do not care about the ID theft. All they care about is getting paid the money owed PLUS the returned check fee. In one instance I was paying the debt before the check came back and they STILL assessed the returned check fee.

In the meantime I just learned that my Government card has been compromised as well. The thief apparently took that as well. I cannot talk to those people until the world turns far enough that they have a work day on their side of the world. I guess I'll be up late tonight.

But there is humor and laughter to be found as well. Wakana's mother came to help us out. We met her at the airport. Just before she arrived Wakana confessed that she had not had the opportunity (nerve?) to describe me to her parents in more than general terms. Wakana's mother arrived, a tiny, elderly, Japanese woman and they greeted each other warmly. Then Wakana introduced me and the older woman's eyes travelled up, up, and up, with increasing astonishment at my size and appearance. Her mother is only a little shorter than Wakana and Wakana is only 5'1". I am 6'2" tall and at last count weigh in at 365 pounds. I think Wakana's mother is concerned about her daughter.

Time to go back into the fray. Thanks for all the good wishes. We are doing as well as can be expected. It's tough but we will survive it.

By the way, thanks to the extremely wet weather this year we have a brook running through our yard. The landlord says there is a spring up in the jungle that flows when the aquifer fills up. It is quite pleasant to listen to. It took some doing with a shovel to get it to follow a particular course but now it flows down past the house, across the driveway and into the neighbor's yard. It's been very well behaved and has stayed out of the house though the neighbor has complained about it coming into his house. I'm thinking of naming it. Any suggestions?

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: katlaughing
Date: 02 Sep 04 - 11:41 PM

{{{{{{{{{{Brett & Wakana}}}}}}}}}}}}}}

I'll call soon. We love you,

kat

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Amos
Date: 02 Sep 04 - 11:45 PM

Wakana-Wawa?

I feel for ya, man. Keep breathing, 'kay? Get through it soon!


A

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 03 Sep 04 - 10:05 AM

Brett-

Sounds like one hell of a tough month to come, with all that you've described, plus the end of the budget year, and winding up your job. That's a whole lot of stress. Plan for some quality quiet time afterwards if your new plastic arrives intact.

As for naming the brook, how about "Merry Meanders"?

Off to the 10th Windjammers Weekend in Camden this Saturday. I plan to hang out with Kendall at Gilbert's Pub for the Thirsty Whalers Reunion from 1 to 5 pm.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: SINSULL
Date: 03 Sep 04 - 10:59 AM

For the brook:
Roll'N Gone ?

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: GUEST,winterbright
Date: 03 Sep 04 - 02:26 PM

"Brook Shields"? Oh, no, wait - that's been taken. "Brook-no-nonsense"? "Re-moat Control"? Or maybe just "Enough-is-enough".

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 04 Sep 04 - 10:13 AM

Giac sent me pictures of her Springbrook Park - one shows the spring bubbling up in the brook, the other the brook.

But I don't suppose you can have a Springbrook in Guam, too, where would the world be if people started naming things after places in the Old Country?

don't let the turkeys get you down

sandra

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 04 Sep 04 - 10:21 AM

One of my favorite rivers names has to be the Nonesuch River, just south of Portland passing under the Maine Turnpike. As our car approached the "bridge" we'd eagerly stare over the side, only to see nothing but a dry creek bed.

Of course, you could always call your stream "Further A-Dew."

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: GUEST,Canberra Chris (guesting)
Date: 05 Sep 04 - 07:41 AM

Brett,
Just caught up with your thread. I'm travelling in UK, mainly family business, but catching up with the odd session (great hospitality in Chester), and inducting my 10 yr old nephew who is starting to play. I came over mainly for a family wedding (sang 'Fields of Gold' at it in late summer country England), and to pitch in helping to move my mother which is a major family exercise.
Sorry to hear about your troubles - the kind we don't need, just hassle upon hassle for nothing. But as all your friends say, hang in there, and don't let it get between you and what you love. Just work through it, and keep singing. And just tell Wakana's mother you were built for resonance!
Names for brooks? After a brief drive round the Lake District, I wouldn't know where to start!
Chris

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 06 Sep 04 - 08:38 PM

The visit with Wakana's mother was a big success. They worked on setting up the kitchen while I made another round of visits to banks, merchants, and the police department. Then they worked on cleaning and repacking books as I hauled truckloads in from the old house. The landlord had a pile of concrete pavers stored in the way so I laid themout to form a patio where we could work comfortably. It was funny to see those two small women reaching out to help move the pavers. These are four feet long by two feet wide by four inches thick with re-bar inside. I can just barely carry one and preferred to just lever them into place.

But we got a lot of work done and in the evenings had long conversations with Wakana translating. I think it was good for Wakana's English skills and told her mother so. Wakana wasn't pleased about that but had to agree.

When Mitsuko-san left I named the brook in her honor, the Mitsuko River. She was pleased with that.

Yesterday Wakana, Gordon, and I finished moving our stuff out of the old house. We gave up on cleaning it as we moved it. That was just too slow. Instead we have stacked it outside in a corner of the house that includes an outdoor closet. There a blue tarp and a large overhang protects it from the weather but I have to get the books and stuff into the house ASAP. Our next priority is to build bookcases and unpack the boxes. It makes as much sense as cleaning and repacking the boxes and might not take as long.

Moving sooty boxes and stuff out of a sooty house is dirty work. In the evenings the shower water flowed dark around my feet. My clothes were dark with soot that managed to get through my shirt and on to my skin. The sweat and soot seems to have turned me grey in places. It may take a few showers to get back to my usual color.

Today we need to go back to the old house to shovel the leftover debris out of the office and pick up a few odd bits of trash. Then we will be done.

Here's a memory out of the blue. When we moved into the new house I ordered the new cable TV service. As a surprise for her I included the Japanese public TV station, NHK. The first night we watched a program on a kite flying competition that took place last May. Two teams were trying to fly giant kites and these things were huge. They measured 6 meters by 22 meters. One of the kites couldn't get into the air but the other team managed to fly theirs. What a sight. Try to imagine a billboard flying in the blue sky. The lines came down from the kite's edges to meet at a junction into a rope that ran to the crowd of people on the ground. It was obviously a tug of war between that kite and the ground crew. Great stuff.

Wakana is very nervous about our security since the fire. She wants to leave Guam. We've been discussing possible future homelands. So far I like going to the Pacific Northwest USA (or Pacific Southwest Canada), or Australia/New Zealand. Wakana is worried about racial prejudice in Australia/New Zealand but is interested in the USA/Canada. She thinks of Japan as an option too though I doubt I could be comfortable in a place where I am so much larger than the furniture and bathrooms. We are open to suggestions. I think we will stay in Guam for a while longer but be leaving before the middle of next year.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: SINSULL
Date: 06 Sep 04 - 09:27 PM

Leave there, Brett and start new somewhere else where you have friends to help you. Given the length and breadth of Mudcatville, that is almost anywhere in the world.
SINS

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: wysiwyg
Date: 06 Sep 04 - 10:00 PM

Brett,

You're welcome to stay here as long as you like, semi-private quarters and shared bath.

~S~

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 06 Sep 04 - 10:23 PM

Thanks, I think I need to stay put for a little while longer. We haven't had a real chance to enjoy Guam yet and I want to try my hand at being an unpublished author (no expectation of success but I can dream). Wakana and I will keep talking about it until we nail down a plan. Her student visa is up at the end of the year and then she will have to go back to Japan to get a visitor's visa. After that, who knows? Maybe we will use our 'round-the-world trip to research new homes. One possibility is England. I have toyed with the idea of living on a narrowboat in the canal system there. If I use the rest of this year to reduce my possessions to the absolute minimum and put the rest into storage I might be able to try that.

And I could always go home to the farm and take care of my parents. That would relieve my sisters of some of their responsibility. However, I really don't want to go live in northern Maine and I am sure Wakana doesn't like that idea either.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: wysiwyg
Date: 06 Sep 04 - 11:03 PM

Yes, I have a feeling you do need to stay put. Your latest update sounds like renewed energy and you generating positive forces around yourself. But if you decide to bail, hole up, hide out-- reconnoiter-- we're right where you left us.

~S~

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: JennyO
Date: 06 Sep 04 - 11:10 PM

Hi Brett. What a lot of nasty messy stuff you both have been through! I don't envy you all that moving and cleaning at all. Yes, I think it is wise to stay where you are for a while and try to settle down.

I noticed you said that Wakana was concerned about racial prejudice in Australia and New Zealand. Now I can't speak for New Zealand, or even every part of Australia, but for what it's worth, I don't think it would be a problem around our neck of the woods. Well you've met some of us here. Apart from friendly mudcatters and folkies, Sydney in particular is very multicultural with a very high proportion of many different races. We'd love to have you both here if you ever decide to come. Come for a visit some time anyway, when you can afford to. There's still the National next Easter, if you can manage it. Love to both of you.

Jenny

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 07 Sep 04 - 12:10 AM

I'd like to try for the National next Easter. I will have to make that decision as it gets closer.

Jenny, you are right about Mudcats and folkies in general. However, when in Sydney last year I did run into a few people (non-folkie/Mudcats) who had nothing nice to say about aboriginals in general. I didn't hear anything about other races but my experience is that bigotry doesn't necessarily limit itself to one group. I am concerned that Wakana may have a point.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 07 Sep 04 - 01:53 AM

By the by, Susan, I never forget that my Mud-buddies are out there, ready with support and help as fits their abilities. And I appreciate all that comes my way. I certainly don't expect anyone to jump on a plane and come running with tools in hand. The kind words and prayers are enough to keep me grabbing at the next soot covered box and hefting it down the stairs and on to the truck.

Speaking of "tools in hand" Wakana and her mother have been astonished at what I appear to be capable of turning my hand to. I mounted the medicine cabinet and towel rods in the bathroom, repiped the kitchen sink drain and replaced the innards of the toilet, reglued one of the kitchen chairs, knew how to scrape and paint, replaced the locks in the exterior doors, and intend to replace light fixtures and electrical sockets myself. To me this is just what I, and many of the people I know, do. In Japan they make a point of calling in the experts for these jobs. Wakana seems to think she has a prize in me because of this. I tried to explain that this ability is common and that I screw things up quite often but that seems to have made no impression.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Amos
Date: 07 Sep 04 - 08:26 AM

Well, she does have a prize in you, Brett!

For many good reasons.


A

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: SINSULL
Date: 07 Sep 04 - 10:19 AM

Gosh Brett. Come visit me and you can show off your skills around a garbage disposal, rotted wooden windows, leaking roofs...the list is endless. I'd be impressed too.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 07 Sep 04 - 10:51 AM

Brett, Sydney has a small Japanese community & one of my colleagues & good mates has a Japanese wife, so I've asked him for their opinions & experiences.

We certainly do have an element of racial prejudice in Oz, but not in the circles I move in, so I look forward to his reply.

sandra

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: GUEST,winterbright
Date: 07 Sep 04 - 05:05 PM

Check out British Columbia! It looks beautiful!

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: bbc
Date: 07 Sep 04 - 06:28 PM

Nice & modest, too. Brett, you *are* a prize! I wish I had someone who could do stuff around the house.

love,

Barbara

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: SINSULL
Date: 07 Sep 04 - 07:23 PM

Seen this yet Brett?
http://www.rollandgoseasongs.com/

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 08 Sep 04 - 07:47 PM

That website was up and running before I left Maine, Mary, but I am surprised Charley hasn't excised me from the picture yet. Brian used to be in that picture and Charley took him out. He'd have been a favorite son in the old Soviet Union for his ability to make people disappear from photos.

There is some good news on the ID theft front. The credit onion (deliberately misspelled) has redeposited some of the money that was stolen. I now have a positive bank balance! Of course it's nowhere near what was there before. Take my advice, protect yourself even if the money is in a "safe" place, like a bank.

And now that the move is over I need to clean up the pick up and put it up for sale. I guess this weekend it goes on our "lemon lot". This is a place on the base where people can sell their cars. I will not be able to afford the payments once I retire and it has to go.

The Mitsuko River continues to flow strongly. Gordon and I talked about following it back to its source somewhere in the jungle behind the house. I guess I better sharpen my machete. Yesterday the mayor's office sent some loads of coral our to rebuild the side of the road where the water has washed it out. They built a speed bump dam to reroute the water to the other side of the road and then filled in the washed out area. Unfortunately they used cold patch asphalt for the dam. Cold patch compresses when you drive over it so now the water is flowing through the tire marks and is running in sheets down the middle of the road. And it is starting to wash out pot holes in the road itself. They really need to come in and place some concrete culverts to take the flow where it wants to go. You cannot stop Mother Nature. You can only make it easier for her to follow her chosen path.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 08 Sep 04 - 07:59 PM

By the way, for those of you who have my address and phone number you should know my address has changed but the phone number is the same. Kat, the phones are working again if you still want to call. Remember to speak slowly and clearly if Wakana answers.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 13 Sep 04 - 07:42 PM

I have finally found my way to a computer and I can post again. The time in between has been filled with hard work and hot days and nights. I called the landlord this weekend and told him we surrendered. We would pay for replacing the air conditioner if he would let us use the rent for that. He agreed. By this weekend we may have A/C! Plus Wakana bought a sofa which will be delivered on Thursday. No more hard kitchen chairs and lying on the tile floors to watch TV.

This weekend was our first weekend where we did not have to work in the old house. I managed to stay relatively soot free this weekend. Friday night we went to KMart where we found cheap bookcases (laminate on pressboard) and we bought the lot, two double wide Cherry bookcases, one single wide Oak bookcase, and one white singlewide bookcase. We used the money Wakana's mother gave us. The logic is that we have boxes of books sitting under cover outdoors soaking up the humidity and attracting wasps looking to build nests. We have to get them out of those sooty boxes, clean them, and then... why not into bookcases where they can be accessed? I hope we have enough bookcases.

I constructed a time line of the various criminal activites that hit me lately. It was very interesting. The first activity on my credit cards happened when I was in Palau! As I see it the thief was in my house at least twice if not three times. The last time he set the fire. By my estimate he has made off with almost $10,000 in goods and cash from various merchants, my credit card companies, and me.

If a man ran down through the streets of Tumon with a gun robbing pedestrians and shops ,etting $10,000 the police would be all over him and the newspapers would be shouting the story to the rooftops. But the cops aren't interested in my little problem. The special agent who is supposedly working on the case just tells me to submit my additional evidence to the original interviewing officer. He will not stir from his desk to do any legwork. I think a TV show about the Guam police would include lots of arguing over donuts and plenty of coffee and little else. I am getting frustrated and disgusted with the whole process.

It isn't as though I have nothing to go on. I have dates and times that the criminal used an ATM. There are cameras on those machines. All the cop has to do is go to the bank and get the tapes. I also have dates and times for use of the card at KMart. KMart has the best security system on the island. It would be so easy to find the guy. I also have bank transfers and checks written to a specific person. How tough is it to find that guy and question him? Grrrr!

As a result of this whole problem Wakana and I are talking of moving to another place, a safer place. I think she would be happier in Japan but I am not sure I would be. We have considered the Pacific Northwest of the USA and the smaller islands in the Hawaiian chain. It will not happen soon but it will happen I think. More to come on that.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: SINSULL
Date: 13 Sep 04 - 07:50 PM

Brett,
Have you requested recent credit reports? Just in case your thief has gotten a bit creative with your ID. Isn't the credit card company interested in nabbing the guy? How about the bank that has to make good on the bad checks? How about a local newspaper?

Leave when you can. You will both feel better on friendlier turf. i didn't have that much grief in NYC!

SINS

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: curmudgeon
Date: 13 Sep 04 - 08:47 PM

Brett -- So sorry about your losses. But, listen to Sinsull re: newspapers.

I don't know about Guam, but every paper I've written for would have been delighted to run your story. Simply compose a "press release" and send it to all the papers; then get ready to answer questions -- Tom

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 13 Sep 04 - 09:28 PM

I am currently waiting for a credit report. Apparently it is a free process when you are the victim of ID Theft.

Thanks, Tom, for the idea on how to contact the papers. I've been thinking along those lines but didn't know how to do it. I cannot imagine calling the newspaper offices and explaining my story to the first fifteen people I have to talk to. Unfortunately the local paper may not be a good choice. There is quite a "good ol' boy" network here. Everything is tied up in families, government, corporations, and the newspaper. It all depends on how the newspaper family is getting along with the government family.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 13 Sep 04 - 10:45 PM

Brett-

For your amusement try accessing the MP3 files of the new C. Fox Smith poems I've set to music on my personal website. I particularly recommend "Port o' Dreams." Then Masefield's "Hell's Pavement" not so bad either.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: katlaughing
Date: 13 Sep 04 - 11:15 PM

Okay, Brett, thansk for the phone info. I've a few days off from watching my grandson, etc., so will try to call in the next couple of days.

Re' the newspapers. Since it is a territory(?) of the US, maybe some major/mainstream USA papers would be interested...maybe that kind of "press" would shame them into doing something about catching the idiot. Are there others who have suffered the same? Would they be willing to talk about it, too?

Good luck with the books and bookcases...seems to funny to think of a KMart over there.:-) A move sounds like a good idea, too.

luvyakat

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 19 Sep 04 - 07:12 PM

This KMart is advertised as the biggest in the world. Hwever, I think they exagerate. It isn't all that big.

I have been taking a lot of leave lately, stretching the definition of sick leave so I can use it up before my retirement. However, the last three work days were truly sick leave. I'd been feeling bad in the evenings and Wakana finaly persuaded me to go to the doctor's office. They only confirmed my own self diagnosis, pneumonia, again! It was a very mild touch, we caught it before it got too bad. So I was out of the office for three days and Wakana wouldn't let me do any work.

I have ten days until I retire and I have to admit I am not enjoying the anticipation. It's pretty scary.

Not much progress on the robbery, ID Theft, arson front except that the fire department ruled the fire "accidental". I don't know how that will play out in the long run. I have an idea that I may be facing a civil suit from the owner with him expecting me to pay for repairs. I'm afraid he can squeeze this stone all he wants but he ain't gonna get any blood.

On the good news front we now have a sofa. It's amazing how civilized it feels to sit on a sofa and watch TV or read a book. We managed to find one long enough for me to lay on for naps. I like that. Wakana paid for it but came up $5.00 short so I made up the difference. Now I claim it belongs to US and she challenges me to pick out the .005% that is mine. She says she'll sell it to me if she decides to go back to Japan (a recurring joke between us, we both claim we are "going back Japan!") and I tell her not to bother, I'll help her get it to the airport... We have a lot of fun with that.

As for further good news we are to get air conditioning tomorrow! Now that will be the heighth of luxury, movement without breaking a sweat! Sleeping without a fan blowing on you. Doors and windows closed against the cry of the roosters and the continual barking of the dogs. Dry walls, towels, and surfaces. Sigh, what a great daydream. I will dare tune up the guitars and when I play them I won't stick to them.

Wakana saw me playing around with my pennywhistle and got interested. She dug out another of my D whistles and I showed her the fingering. She has been playing around with it trying tunes she knows. I also found my pennywhistle instruction book and pointed it out to her. When she first picked up the whistle she looked for the thumbhole such as you would find on the recorder or maybe on some flutes. I need to ask her about that. Maybe she can play a Japanese flute and I just don't know it.

Back to work.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 19 Sep 04 - 07:35 PM

Brett-

Check my website for "Port o' Dreams" if you dare:Click here!

There's a few other newly arranged songs on my website that you might also find interesting if you've got something that plays MP3 files.

We had a nice session at the Press Room yesterday if you'd like to check that thread. Tom looks and sounds real good.

Hang in there!

Charley Noble

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 21 Sep 04 - 06:56 PM

I finally have some positive news. As of yesterday we have air conditioning in our house. The guitars positively sighed with relief. I know I did.

Wakana and I are both healing and the work of bringing the books into the house continues. Yesterday I found some old treasures that I'd forgotten I had. Plus I found a box of things belonging to my younger daughter including a wrinkled dress and a bunch of Christmas ornaments. AND her diary! Muahaha! She better hurry home! (Of course, I would never read your diary, dear!)

It poured rain night before yesterday and I worried about the pile of stuff out under the eaves. However, there wasn't much damage. I did finally take a close look at my guitar cases, the two I could reach. They had been in the fire room. They are toast, warped and the skin is bubbled. The combination of heat and moisture has rusted all the metal fittings. I guess I'm in for replacement of those babies before I can travel with the guitars.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 22 Sep 04 - 07:20 PM

Well, another shoe dropped yesterday. It must be one of Charlie's squids. I got a bill from a credit card I used to use back in Maine. I haven't used it here in Guam at all and had it carefully squirreled away. Now it is maxed out with purchases all over Guam. Sigh.

This has reawakened Wakana's fears and insecurities. It just makes me tired. Last night I had to call yet another fraud department and I will soon have to fill out yet another set of papers. This fraud department is in Wisconsin so I have to stay up till 11:00 PM to talk to them. No bed until midnight. Double sigh.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 23 Sep 04 - 09:29 AM

Maybe this cloud has a silver lining??

Surely now your local police or whoever will start looking at camera records in stores? Get those Wisconsin folks harassing the Guam folks.

sandra

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 23 Sep 04 - 07:36 PM

Yesterday the newspaper ran a story about my problems. It took up most of page 2 complete with graphs showing the effect of ID theft on the economy and on people. It didn't say anything about the police not working on it. Actually it implied the police were actually doing something. I guess the newspaper isn't going to shake anything loose.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: SINSULL
Date: 23 Sep 04 - 08:17 PM

Brett,
Maybe this is the angle for your book. Anyone can write about life in Paradise. You have the inside story on when Paradise turns into Hell. Theft Identity is hot right now. Get busy writing. Or maybe you can devote one chapter to it. Any news on the Credit Report front?
Mary

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 23 Sep 04 - 08:24 PM

Actually I was worried about finding an emotional high point for the book. After all anyone can write about paradise but you need something to hook the reader and make them worry too. The reason good news doesn't dominate the TV news reports is that good news isn't news. So now I need to craft the story to lead the reader into a sense of crime on the island getting closer and threatening me. The crescendo of the story and the next to the last chapter will have to be the ID theft and fire. The last chapter will be our recovery and whatever happens next.

I received two credit reports. No new accounts that I can see. I think we have this nipped now though I thought that before and more bad news rolled in. One of the items on the last credit card bill was a purchased credit report though I don'tknow who the report was for, me or the thief or one of his friends. I am worried about that.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 23 Sep 04 - 09:04 PM

And the ports that look the finest, turn out somehow worst of all,
For I lost my chum in Rio, in a Dago dancing hall,
And I lost my bloomin' heart once to a wench in Callio,
And I lost my youth in 'Frisco, so many years ago.

From Port of Dreams by C. Fox Smith

Cheerily,
Charley Noble, still in Baltimore

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 26 Sep 04 - 07:36 PM

Well, today is my last Monday. From here on out I will never again suffer through the end of the weekend. After Thursday every day will be Saturday.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 26 Sep 04 - 07:38 PM

By the way, two interesting items arrived in my mailbox today, or at least I first saw them today. The first is from a friend. The other is from the web site A Word A Day.

"Life's journey is not to arrive at the grave safely in a well preserved body,but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out, shouting "...holy shit...what a ride!"

schlimazel (SHLI-mah-zuhl) or shlimazel        noun        Someone prone to having extremely bad luck.        From Yiddish, from shlim (bad, wrong) + mazl (luck). A related term is Hebrew mazel tov (congratulations or best wishes)

You can refer to me as the schlimazel.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: SINSULL
Date: 26 Sep 04 - 08:13 PM

By law you have a right to know who has requested your credit report. Contact the agency that billed you for a name and address. Don't wait. In the wrong hands that information could be the beginning of a new set of thefts.
SINS

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Leadfingers
Date: 26 Sep 04 - 08:17 PM

Early retirement from the day job last year was the best thing I ever did - I just do the music now mate , So All The Best of Luck and I hope it all goes smoothly for you from now on .

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 27 Sep 04 - 10:21 AM

I'm aware I have less than 3 years till retirement - fancy only having 4 days to go!! No doubt one day I'll start counting the days.

sandra

Actually it's 2 yrs & 5 months

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 27 Sep 04 - 10:30 AM

Brett-

Yep, Monday is just another day!

Happy trails!
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 27 Sep 04 - 07:01 PM

Last Tuesday!

Yesterday I got an email reminding me of a meeting scheduled for Friday. I wrote back explaining that I don't work on Saturdays and they'll all be Saturdays startng on Friday. The kid who sent me the message is only getting started in his career and he doesn't seem to appreciate the joke...

Coming to work this morning I was stopped at the gate. It seems my pass had expired and I had to get a new one! Talk about adding injury to insult. I had to go to the Pass & ID office and get a temorary pass to get me through the next few days.

I was up late last night working on ID Theft materials. Yesterday a work friend mentioned that she'd told her husband about my problem. Her husband works for the police department (not the same one) and he mentioned it to Senator Quinata. The Senator wants to meet with me. I guess things might start moving now. However we are 43 days out from the crime and I think the trail might be pretty cold by now. Stay tuned for details.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: wysiwyg
Date: 27 Sep 04 - 07:08 PM

Go, Brett, go! Full speed ahead!

~S~

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: SINSULL
Date: 27 Sep 04 - 07:33 PM

Brett,
Your retirement got me rummaging through my papers. I was pleased to find that I am vested in two retirement plans totalling ...TAHDAHHHH!...$425/month. That plus Social Security and I will be making more then I have made in years. But I am 8 years and one month away from it. SIGH!
I need a Sugar Daddy.
Enjoy!
Mary

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 27 Sep 04 - 09:06 PM

Sins, I've heard that from a number of women. Apparently sugar daddies are hard to come by. Of course, if you judge by your competition (young, blonde, given to skimpy clothing and vacuous looks) then you may just want to keep on working for a living. At least you can look your cats in the eye and tell them you are there for them.

Well, I have an appointment with Senator Quinata on Friday. This should be interesting.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 27 Sep 04 - 11:07 PM

I just took another package of material to the police. The Special Agent had told me to deliver it to the original interviewing officer so I took it to GPD. They wanted me to take it directly to the special agent. I thought I was really going to have to express my frustration but they finally decided to receive the package. Sigh, any more interest on the part of the police and I may just have to hire my own detective to handle the case for them. Bums!

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: freda underhill
Date: 27 Sep 04 - 11:17 PM

Brett, i am so envious of your imminent retirement date. please enjoy your freedom heaps! lots of us would like to be where you are!

best wishes

freda

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 28 Sep 04 - 11:31 AM

Brett-

Don't forget to inquire about the ATM videotapes; hopefully they haven't been erased. However, the perp may have taken the trouble to wear a GWB mask, a frightening thought...

Happy last Tuesday at work, or is it already last Wednesday?

Charley Noble

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: katlaughing
Date: 28 Sep 04 - 03:40 PM

Don't let retirement fool you, Naes...there's loads and loads to do around the house, to see and do together...you'll have a blast..congratulations!

Good to hear there is finally some interest in helping you with the thefts and arson, too. It's about time!

Sorry, I haven't called. Each time I've thought to do so, it's been the wee hours of the morning in Guam.:-) I'll make m'self a note.

luvyakat

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 28 Sep 04 - 06:35 PM

Last Wednesday!

But not a happy one. Last night another shoe dropped. The owner of the old house called to ask me to pay for the damages. I refused so he is now suing me. I can expect to be served soon.

Sigh. I keep thinking about Typhoon Chaba and putting up the typhoon shutters in the wind and rain and yelling challenges into the storm. What a foolish think to do. At the time all I knew was that the house had been burglarized and burned followed by a typhoon. I thought I was in as deep as I could go.

This is tearing up any happiness I could find in retiring.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 28 Sep 04 - 10:07 PM

You know, Brett, it's probably your old Landlord's son who's been ripping you off and torched the place.

Hope you didn't tell him where you moved to.

Charley Noble

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Paco Rabanne
Date: 29 Sep 04 - 04:07 AM

996

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Paco Rabanne
Date: 29 Sep 04 - 04:07 AM

997

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Paco Rabanne
Date: 29 Sep 04 - 04:08 AM

998

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Paco Rabanne
Date: 29 Sep 04 - 04:09 AM

1000! I thank you!

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Paco Rabanne
Date: 29 Sep 04 - 04:09 AM

Had you fooled there eh? This is the 1000th.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 29 Sep 04 - 04:18 AM

Can't somebody stop him doing that? Or should we just hope that one day he start acting his age, and not his shoe size?

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Paco Rabanne
Date: 29 Sep 04 - 04:21 AM

Take a happy pill and chill you humourless nerk!

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 29 Sep 04 - 04:25 AM

If it was in the least bit funny I'd laugh, you infantile nerk!

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Rt Revd Sir jOhn from Hull
Date: 29 Sep 04 - 04:25 AM

hello, wahts a nerk?

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: freda underhill
Date: 29 Sep 04 - 04:32 AM

this has been a great thread, a fascinating, amusing, devastating, moving and inspirational thread.

Now where were we...

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Jeri
Date: 29 Sep 04 - 11:26 AM

Brett,
Jeez.

Talk to a lawyer.
Talk to the base legal office. They can't represent you, but they should be able to give you advice.
If you got the house through base housing, tell them what's going on so they can keep a record on this guy.
The base newspaper is an option, too. They might do a story, or you can send in a letter. I don't know how far they'd go in pissing off the local authorities, but the facts sans editorialization ought to be reasonable.

You've got proof of the break-in with the police report, and the findings of various investigators. You have the fire dep't calling it 'an accident' and hopefully a description of a pillow on the monitor being the cause. This isn't a normal place one would leave a pillow in my opinion. This all points to the fire not being your fault, which is what the landlord will have to claim in order to sue you.

If you can hire your own investigator, maybe you should. I don't know what could be done with the results of the investigation though. Would you talk to a judge, or perhaps just bring a civil suit against whoever robbed you?

I'd seriously consider how I became a target in the first place. It doesn't sound all that random to me. And your former landlord obviously thinks you're made of money. In any case, it might be nice to mention to him the civil suit may be a GOOD thing, since it may be your only opportunity to bring all this evidence out into the open.

Just out of curiousity, was he supposed to have smoke detectors in place, and did he?

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 29 Sep 04 - 12:18 PM

Were you insured, and if so did you claim?
The landlords attempt to exact compensation from you is a direct result of the incident, and as such can also be claimed on your insurance, as it is a contingency of the original event. Nobody in their right mind would rent out a property without having insurance cover, tell him to claim on his policy.
Giok

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Jeri
Date: 29 Sep 04 - 01:35 PM

...what Giok said. Insurance investigators may dig a bit deeper than the local police and FD, since it's their money at stake. If the landlord didn't have insurance, he was nuts. If he's filed a claim with them, THEY should have paid. If he hasn't, why not? If they paid for the damage, I can't see how he could sue you for the same losses.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: curmudgeon
Date: 29 Sep 04 - 01:45 PM

...unless, of course he's doing some double dipping. Based on what you've said about law enforcement in Guam, it may be easier to get away with there.

By the way Brett, I do think it's damned decent of you to be celebrating my birthday by casting off the chains of wage slavery. Happy Retirement!

Looking forward to seeing you in the coming year -- Tom

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: wysiwyg
Date: 29 Sep 04 - 01:47 PM

If the landlord had insurance, how it usually works is that his insurance pays him and then his insurance company sues yours, whether the landlord wants to do it or not-- his policy would include something called "subrogation," which means his company can try to recover all or part of their costs from you or your insurance.

If you had no insurance, then when they find out how shallow your pockets are they will probably decide to let it go.

When we had a house fire in our rental, our insurance and the landlord's insurance dragged it out for years, and then settled it for next to nothing-- the lawyers just liked collecting their fees to "work" on it.

~Susan

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: SINSULL
Date: 29 Sep 04 - 02:59 PM

Time to focus on good things, Brett. You have retired - WAHOOOO! You have retired with a beautiful lady who loves you - WAHOOOO! You can pack up and leave Guam, your tormentors, and this idiot landlord tomorrow if you choose - WAHOOOO! You have a thousand friends worldwide ready to put a roof over your heads and feed you - WAHOOOO!

Celebrate! NOW! Let the shoes drop where they may, you have a good life! Damn it! Don't waste it worrying about the what ifs and extraneous crap that really mean nothing.

Mary Sunshine

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: wysiwyg
Date: 29 Sep 04 - 04:24 PM

His girlfriend's name is Whahoo? I thought it was Whakana?

~S~

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: SINSULL
Date: 29 Sep 04 - 04:59 PM

Susan,
Are you being a YAHOOOO?
heh heh

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 29 Sep 04 - 07:46 PM

Last Day!

Happy Birthday Tom! I am pleased to be able to share this day with you.

Ah, insurance. What a concept. I did not have insurance. I never claimed to be smart. The owner had no insurance. Obviously he and I share the same ability to see into the future.

The owner is a decent enough fellow. He originally wanted to discuss a settlement. But I know two things. The fire is not my fault and I don't have any money to spare. And he and I both know he should have insured the place. Gordon has insurance on the place he's renting to us and has kept that insurance up even though the place was empty.

Oh, and another shoe dropped yesterday, a little one. Wakana has to go back to Japan next week. This is after all a mnior thing. She is here on a stuudent visa and she is no longer a student. She will go home, get a 3 month visitor's visa and come back to me. She is upset about leaving me with the lawsuit hanging over my head but I need her here to testify so nothing can happen till she gets back anyway.

Jeri, the smoke detectors worked very well. In fact, two days after the fire I had to smash the melted remains of the one in the stairwell to make it shut up. There is no fault on either my part or the owner in this. It all falls at the feet of the thief who did this to me.

And I know why I was the target. Back last fall someone stole my check card from my mailbox and used it for a while till we stopped the card and closed the account. I duly reported it to the police and the postal inspectors. Of course, they did nothing, the guy got away with it so he decided to go for more. When he found out I was moving he decided to take it all and run.

Good things and fun things. These have been too few and far between in this thread recently. Last night at the grocery store I got quite a shock. I came around a corner and there, sitting in a grocery cart, was my younger daughter! Well, it was the spitting image of her at the age of 6 or 7. This kid had the same hair, eyes, turned up nose, silly grin, and habits. I just stared! I couldn't believe it. I hope I didn't worry her mother.

And, of course, this is my last day. I came through the door this morning and walked up the corridor singing "Leave Her, Johnnie". The office had a big breakfast pot luck for the 2 of us who are retiring today. They gave us photos of the retirement luncheon from the other day.

From this day forward I am retired and if that isn't a good thing I don't know what is.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: wysiwyg
Date: 29 Sep 04 - 09:14 PM

Sins, Brett's retired now, so I'm a-Yay!!!-hoo!

~S~

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: bbc
Date: 29 Sep 04 - 09:58 PM

Hearty congratulations on your retirement! Have some fun for me. I need to work another 11 years or so, unless I want to content myself w/ living in a cardboard box on a street corner. I hope things start looking up soon.

love,

Barbara

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Amos
Date: 29 Sep 04 - 10:25 PM

Brett:

Sorry you got tangled up in that asshole's mess but, hey -- lawsuits are like colds, eventually they pass. Now retirement--that is a MAJOR gain!! So keep the perspective straight and celebrate the delights of self-designed days!!

Congratulations, dude!


A

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 29 Sep 04 - 10:55 PM

Ah, self designed days! What a concept. Life is worth living if you aren't living it at the behest of some half deranged boss.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: katlaughing
Date: 29 Sep 04 - 11:52 PM

Congratulations, Brett. I wish my Rog could retire now.

Ya know, there's nothing says that fellow might NOT change his mind and NOT serve you.:-)

Think of all the songs you can learn, the canoes you can help refinish, the pictures you can paint in words, as you've already done for we lucky 'catters...the new love you have to share and explore....it's going to get better.

luvyakat

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: freda underhill
Date: 30 Sep 04 - 03:00 AM

brett, all my friends who have retired look sooo good. relaxed, 10 yrs younger, and they're DOing things, creative things. mind you, it seems to take a while for the shock to wear off!

good luck with it all

freda

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 30 Sep 04 - 09:31 AM

keep painting those word pictures! We're awiting for them (she sez. speaking for everyone)

sandra

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Roger the Skiffler
Date: 30 Sep 04 - 09:50 AM

Amen to that, Sandra. Perhaps start a new "post work" thread as this one is now so long?
Certainly seems someone has targeted you, Brett. I'm surprised in a small community that the cops are ignorant of likely suspects. Is it an anti-American thing, or are they afraid to indict someone who might have influence? Your local politician may be able to kick some ass to get them started.
Hope you invest in a fireproof safe for your vital documente etc in your new house.

RtS

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: GUEST,ClaireBear
Date: 30 Sep 04 - 10:31 AM

Congratulations, Brett, and clear sailing from now on. How did the office respond to "Oh the rats have left and we, the crew..."?

Now, don't wait too long to get to work on that book. It will be wonderful, and all of us will buy as many copies as we can afford!

Claire

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: CarolC
Date: 30 Sep 04 - 11:47 AM

Congratulations on your retirement, Brett! Good luck with the other stuff.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: GUEST,winterbright
Date: 30 Sep 04 - 04:55 PM

Hang on to what is beautiful, and let the rest go.
I have no idea where that came from, but it doesn't matter.
Just do it.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: SINSULL
Date: 30 Sep 04 - 05:50 PM

Brett,
Time to start a new thread? Post retirement in Guam?
SINS

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 06 Oct 04 - 08:50 PM

This closes out my News From Guam Thread. Look for more news in my Springtime In Guam thread.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Pasttense
Date: 17 Feb 05 - 08:36 PM

Hello, revered nephew. I've been enjoying your posts..got the Mudcat data from your mother this morning. All is well....Regards, G.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 17 Feb 05 - 09:38 PM

Brett-

Now the whole family is after you!

I suppose I should redirect them to your current "Springtime in Guam Thread."

Charley Noble