Home at Last

The view out my back door window is familiar. 

Wailea Beach Sunset, Maui
September 19, 2019

It is good to be home at the completion of the trip and I am ready to get back into the things of my life--including work, baseball, and household chores.

But the memories of the trip are fresh and even though the trip home was long and seemingly endless, I feel pretty good as this morning dawns and am ready to face the challenges that the early autumn is presenting. 

Lighting the Tiki Torches
Wailea Beach, Maui
September 19, 2019

Speaking of which, Autumn begins tomorrow morning at 3:50 AM EDT. 

The trip home was much longer than it needed to be, but that is the way we were routed. Sometimes I wish that Southwest would play well with others and I could have changed airlines in Denver and arrived home about three hours sooner than we did. As it was, we arriver at the airport promptly at 4:20 PM after leaving Maui the night before at 8 PM. Even by subtracting the six hour time change, that is still almost 14.3 hours of travel! And after being up all day, it made for a very long travel experience.

But we are back!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Most of the Way Home

Post-conference Reception
Wailea, Maui
September 20, 2019

I watched the sun rise this morning, but I was bleary-eyed because I had just landed in Denver. Those of us who traverse time zones while traveling know that it can be somewhat disorienting to take off from one place at 8PM at night and wake to the rising sun some five hours later in a different time zone. It seems like the Zombie Apocalypse  has arrived. 

Wailea, Maui Beach
September 16, 2019

Yesterday I enjoyed Maui and today I'm stuck with an incredibly long Denver layover waiting to get back to Baltimore. 

The departure from Maui was smooth and we were treated to a great end of conference party to send us off on our way. We left the reception, loaded luggage in the rental and headed for the airport. 

Arrival at Denver from Maui, Boeing 777
September 21. 2019

I will miss sitting with Chris on our balcony enjoying the rising sun and looking over the small beach that we would see from our room. We enjoyed the waves crashing on the beach and the sounds of the birds as the awakened for the day. 

We enjoyed the open air lobby of the hotel and restaurants, although the air did become very heavy at times. Chris tested her camera skills on the beach Friday by taking some spectacular images of the waves crashing on the rocks. 

I may be able to use some of them in the blog later.

For now, we are waiting--waiting, and waiting. Soon, though, we will be winging our way home and Maui will be memories and images.

-- Bob Doan, writing from Denver International Airport, Denver, CO

Atop the Mountain

From about 9000' Elevation
Haleakala, Hawaii
September 19, 2019

Mountains are sacred to the Hawaiians. Today I was honored to venture to the top of Haleakala, an extinct volcano, for a tour and discussions. While there I was able to pay my respects to the Hawaiian peoples. From Wikipedia I learned, early Hawaiians applied the name Haleakalā ("house of the sun") to the general mountain. Haleakalā is also the name of a peak on the southwestern edge of Kaupō Gap. In Hawaiian folklore, the depression (crater) at the summit of Haleakalā was home to the grandmother of the demigod Māui. According to the legend, Māui's grandmother helped him capture the sun and force it to slow its journey across the sky in order to lengthen the day.

Haleakala Crater
Maui, Hawaii
September 19, 2019

The journey up the mountain was long and the road wound around many hairpin turns going from sea level to 10,000 feet. I witnessed the changes of ecosystems along the way from the lush tropical trees and plants at the base, through the farmlands and pastures, through deciduous forests, and then pine forests, and finally scrub tundra before giving way to the barren landscape of the summit and the crater. It was very stark there, but I was not on a pleasure trip, I was there for business and could not spend much time viewing the scenery--such as it was. 

It was another beautiful Maui day. Tomorrow? Travel begins again as we journey home.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Palm Tree at Night

Palm Tree at Night
Wailea, Maui
September 18, 2019

Chris and I walked along the ocean front last evening and found a place to sit and look out into the blackness. The surf was pounding the shore with a regular rhythmic sound and the stars were shining brightly above us. We confirmed the location of Jupiter with the assistance of an app on my cell phone. 

As we were laying there, on the bench looking at the stars, I decided, with the encouragement from Chris, to take an image of the palm tree stretching up into the night sky. There were stars in the sky and ti was a memorable scene. There was maybe too much ground light. 

I turned on the flash to get a better picture, but the lack of light meant the scene was recorded in a grainy fashion, but the palm tree towered above us as we marveled at the night sky.

And so the scene was captured.

-- Bob Doan, writing from Wailea, Maui 

Maui on my Mind

Beach Near our Hotel
Wailea, Maui
September 14, 2019

Maui is quite a place. It is paradise and it is a working place. 

Over the past few days, Chris and I have walked the beaches and checked out the natural wildlife. 

Snail
Wailea, Maui
September 14, 2019

The local beach is beautiful. It is surrounded by rocks and has red sand. In the morning, it is a joy to behold in the dawn's light. Like the first morning that we were here. That written, I have been on the road a week now, having left last Wednesday, I think I am ready to go home. But, we have a few more days and then a long trip back to Maryland. 

Maui is beautiful. We had a fantastic welcome reception for the conference this evening. The sky was beautiful and the sunset was stunning.


-- Bob Doan, Writing from Wailea, Maui

A Day in the Sun

Chris on the Edge of the Infinity Pool
Wailea, Maui
September 16, 2019 

So I have determined that we are on the arid side of Maui--it has not rained since we have been here and there a large areas where the grasses are brown from lack of rain. I guess that is good for the tourists. The clouds hang over the mountains every day and look very ominous--but there is no rain in Wailea. 

Looking to the Ocean
Wailea, Maui
September 16, 2019

It has been hot--some of the hottest days of the summer they tell me. And the trade winds have calmed down. Meaning--it is not just hot, it is really hot!!

There is a nice swimming beach not far from the room that we enjoy walking on to get in touch with the ocean. But even so, the pools are very nice, such as the infinity pool I took a picture of Chris enjoying yesterday. 

The weather is great in the morning and early afternoon and again after the sun goes down. We tried to get a sunset image yesterday--but it didn't work out. We still have a few more days to get another sunset shot. I have taken a few on the trip and will put them together as I can when I get back.

-- Bob Doan, writing from Wailea, Maui

Monday Musings - September 16, 2019

1. It is now the third Monday of September. The month is slipping away precipitously. 

2. Amazingly, the Orioles won a series by beating the Tigers two our of three games. The Orioles are 49-100, .329 with 13 games remaining. Hopefully, they will find a way to keep loses below 108. 

Turtle at Turtle Town, Maui
September 15, 2019

3. Family Football results:
     Ravens defeat Cardinals 23-17
     Cowboys defeat Redskins 31-21
     Steelers lose to Seahawks 26-28

4. I love snorkeling where there are some awesome pictures to be taken. This turtle was imaged yesterday morning off the Maui coast.

5. Flying isn't hard as long as the landings are smooth.

6. Getting away is good, except all of the work I am missing is just piling up at work.

7. Today in History: On September 16, 1932, in his cell at Yerwada Jail near Bombay, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi begins a hunger strike in protest of the British government’s decision to separate India’s electoral system by caste.

A leader in the Indian campaign for home rule, Gandhi worked all his life to spread his own brand of passive resistance across India and the world. By 1920, his concept of Satyagraha (or “insistence upon truth”) had made Gandhi an enormously influential figure for millions of followers. Jailed by the British government from 1922-24, he withdrew from political action for a time during the 1920s but in 1930 returned with a new civil disobedience campaign. This landed Gandhi in prison again, but only briefly, as the British made concessions to his demands and invited him to represent the Indian National Congress Party at a round-table conference in London.

Headlines

Saudi Oil Attack Photos Implicate Iran, U.S. Says; Trump Hints at Military Action - The New York Times

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OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma files for bankruptcy - Reuters

China's slowdown deepens; industrial output growth falls to 17-1/2 year low - Reuters

Ronald Reagan Quote for the Week



There's an account of two of America's greatest postwar statesmen traveling to Hungary soon after the war. Budapest lay devastated by weeks of street fighting, but there was rejoicing in the city. The Soviet occupiers had allowed a free election, and the anti-Communists had won a clear majority. Cheering Hungarians thronged the streets, blocking the way to the American mission. Recalled one of the diplomats: "There was an enormous crowd celebrating the victory under the American flag.'' He said, "It made me very humble to see how much these people looked to the United States as the protector of their freedom.'' And recalled the other: "Here was the hope of the world -- the American flag.''

Remarks at the Annual Leadership Conference of the American Legion - February 29, 1988

-- Bob Doan writing from Wailea, Maui

Out the Hotel Window - Maui, Hawaii

Break of Dawn Out the Hotel Window
Wailea, Maui
September 14, 2019

Palm Tree
Wailea, Maui
September 14, 2019

The scene out my hotel window is beautiful, but not so photogenic. It is Hawaii, and therefor, beautiful. I had to wait until yesterday morning to take an image. There is a small beach just barely visible from the hotel room. Chris and I walked the beach as soon as it was light out and I was able to shoot the morning sun beginning to light the the sky and drive the darkness away. Chris and I continue to get up very early due to the time change that we have experienced. 

I also got this really great shot of a palm tree with the moon and the sunrise sky. 

It was very nice to be on the beach just before dawn to get the colors of the sky. 

Today, we will be heading off for a snorkeling trip. That should be fun. I even remembered my GoPro camera! 

-- Bob Doan, writing from Wailea, Maui

Maui on my Mind

Out the Hawaiian Airlines Window
on Approach to Maui
September 13, 2019

I arrived in Maui last evening for the second part of my 10 day business trip. I worked a full day and did not arrive at the hotel until about 8 PM. It was a long day and I would like to say that I took some great pictures, but I didn't. 

Tiki Torches
Maui, Hawaii
September 13, 2019

I suffered through some terrible traffic yesterday morning in Honolulu! Worse than Baltimore. One night cycled four times before I was able to get through it. It made me late for the first meeting of the day and shortened the discussion, but no permanent damage was one. 

The torches which were lighted at the hotel were a nice touch. As Chris and I arrived last evening, it was a bit late to do any exploring.

Tomorrow, we explore and learn of the beauty and secrets of this island paradise.

-- Bob Doan, writing from Maui

Waikiki

Sunset and Sailboat
Waikiki, Hawaii
September 12, 2019

As the Colors Fade
Waikiki, Beach, Hawaii
September 12, 2019

On two successive nights I have had the opportunity to view Waikiki as the sun set. On both nights it was stunning. the view, the colors in the sky, and the people. 

Last evening the colors were stunning and rapidly changing. In about a 15 minute span, the colors turned from orange to magenta. The water turned purple in the weaning light of day as night began to fall. 

I took the second shot from my table in a restaurant where I stopped for dinner. I was mesmerized by the colors and how quickly they would change.

Autumn is settling in already despite the increased temperatures of late.

-- Bob Doan, Waikiki Beach, Hawaii