A visit from the Shepperds

Tyler, Becky and Christian came out for a visit on Monday. It's nice seeing them again and we scored the perfect day to go snorkaling at Waimea on Tuesday. Lot's of fish, turtles and sunshine.

Kayaking North Shore

Our kayaks have been getting a good workout this past week. Last week we hit Kaneohe bay and the sand bar, then yesterday we went over to the North shore with Tracy and Micky, some friends who are TDY here from Japan. I remembered to bring our new underwater camera (which Pentax was nice enough to replace for us after the last one stopped working) and snapped these pictures of another big turtle out by the Waialua bay channel buoys. There's a deep drop off into the channel there and I can always count on seeing a few of these big fellows. There's no scale in the photos but it was what I call a "refrigerator door size." Before we left we paddled up the river a ways and tried to decide which shack we'd like to live in.

Ironman fever

Browsing around the Ironman World Championship website I found this today. The race has been auctioning off a charity slots for a few years now. I don't know what the record is for $$ but this must be close. I wonder if anyone buys a slot out of their own pocket? I think it's great to raise money for charity but wish there was another way to do it besides letting those with deep pockets simply write a check. Just goes to show that money can buy just about anything.

Aloha

Part of being associated with the military is having to say goodbye to friends you make along the way. Last night was a going away dinner for Marianne's friend and coworker Denise Bradley and her husband Emeil. Marianne always told me she wished she had a strong, no nonsense NCO working with her and with Denise she got her wish. They are off to Anchorage for their next assignment and we wish them the best of luck.

This past week Marianne was busier than normal at work because she was serving as the driver for the Assistant Air Force Surgeon General, Major General Melissa Rank. Although a little stressful, she enjoyed this opportunity and says she learned a lot. It wasn't all work though. One afternoon they went sailing in Kaneohae bay. Tough duty! I told Marianne if she hangs around long enough she'll be wearing a star one day.

Haleiwa metric century

Last weekend was the Haleiwa metric century. Marianne and I ride this route all the time but we don't usually start off with 700 other riders. We rode a good pace and I basically did two, 30 mile pulls at the front. Marianne's cycling is really improving this year which makes riding together more enjoyable for both of us.