Archive for category Travel
Kayak week and staying busy
Posted by J.D. in Daily Updates, Entertainment, Kayaking, Travel on May 7th, 2010
It’s tough to come up with good titles anymore after having a website/blog for 10+ years. Actually, I’m not sure I was ever very good at picking blog titles 
. I almost entitled this blog entry “Mashed Potatoes and White Gravy” due to me having mashed potatoes and white gravy three days in a row. However, I decided to title it “Kayak week and staying busy” and leave the permalink (URL) with the mashed potatoes bit…
One of the times eating mashed potatoes and gravy 
That three-day string was prompted by us eating at Benita’s: twice after kayaking the Eleven Point River (and also Springcreek for one of those trips), and once when Samantha and I went to town to pickup our metal roofing. On the Springcreek trip, we also did some hiking up a small tributary of the Eleven Point River:
Continue on to see photos one of my favorite
I also kayaked the Current River with my dad and friends. Here are some photos I took while on (and hiking near) the river:
This river cave, complete with a massive spring inside of it, was AWESOME:
^ Larry at the mouth of the cave
(continue on for more photos from inside the cave, a recap of what’s been going on, AND butterflies )
American Airlines killed our Kindle
Posted by J.D. in Ask J.D., Entertainment, Travel, Travel tips, Uncategorized, tech tips on February 21st, 2010
Alternative title: What to do if your Kindle breaks after warranty coverage has expired.
What happened: last night we found out our Amazon Kindle was dead. It had been killed by American Airlines.
What we’re doing: We are getting a replacement Kindle from Amazon (see below).
What we will do differently: We will be even more careful with carry-on items that may get “valet checked” when we’re boarding the plane. We will try to check all of our valuables before leaving the terminal (or at least within 24 hours).
The longer story, and how to get a replacement Kindle if yours breaks…
Hawaii after a month
We’ve been in Hawaii just over a month. It’s been a wonderful time so far and here’s a short categorical summary of my thoughts so far:
Weather
Definitely one of the highlights. In Kona we had one day of rain, the rest was sunshine. Temperatures were in the low to mid 80s during the day and mid 60s at night. Now we’re on the Hilo side and we expect more rain but similar temps. So far we actually like the variability of the weather on this side of the island.
Lodgings
We’ve been staying in economical, but nice, lodgings. A 3rd story condo on the Kona side with a small view of the ocean and a great view of sunsets. On the Hilo side it is a 2nd story condo with a view of a pool and an unbeatable price. Both places are nice but so far we actually feel more relaxed in Hilo, there is less hustle and bustle around us and the occasional shade is nice too.
Cuisine
We try to eat healthy and reasonably. Sometimes we succeed, sometimes we fail. But overall I think our stomachs and our bodies overall are happy .
We cook about 2/3rds of out meals at home and eat out the rest of the time. Samantha has made some delicious entrees and we’ve tried some tasty places but I’ll save that for a dedicated entry.
Work
Most of my work involves the internet, so connection speeds and latency can have a big impact on how much (or little) work I can get done. So far we’ve lucked out at both places, the internet is as fast or faster as on the mainland. Consistent 600kbps+ (actual throughput), 50-200ms latency. This means I’ve been able to do as much work as I want. I miss my large monitor at home, but the laptop is doing fine. I’ve also experimented with using a netbook as a 2nd monitor, it works surprisingly well.
Transportation
We spent the first 3 weeks exclusively on foot and bicycle and we covered approximately 160 miles (each). After that we rented a car to transport our guests around. The rental car rates were reasonable so we’re the keeping the car (a Pontiac G6) for the rest of the trip.Out location in Kona required a decent amount of travel to get to restaurants and entertainment (a negative). Where we are in Hilo, most things are within east walking distance (a big plus).
Entertainment
(to be updated)
Economic state of Hawaii
(to be updated)
Misc
I’ve left a lot out and I haven’t posted photos either 
. Hopefully I’ll do some updating before long…
Reason for writing
I’m amazed how much I forgot about Hilo since our last visit. I wanted to start writing a bit of this down so I wouldn’t forget it all again!
Summary
Our stay so far has been relaxing but still productive. It’s really very similar to what we do at home, except in a warm winter climate. I do miss people, places and activities back home but I’m excited to continue experiencing Hawaii until it’s time to go back!
A Few Personal Highlights of 2009
Posted by J.D. in Daily Updates, Travel on December 31st, 2009
As I ponder the year, and how fast it sped by, here is a short sampling (there are a lot of things are left out) of what stood out during the year… You can checkout Samantha’s year end recap as well as Jessica’s. If you have your own year end recap, please post a link in the comments!
These are organized by category, not by chronology… Warning, there are a LOT of photos!
Work update from paradise
Posted by J.D. in Daily Updates, Hawaii, NetRender, Work on December 16th, 2009
I may be in Hawaii, I’m still doing as much or more work as usual. It’s just a lot warmer here .
Today I’ve been working on some simple improvements for NetRender (NR), it’s a site that sells hi-res textures. John is my partner on the site and we try to improve the site anytime we can.
Here’s what I’ve been up to:
+backed up everything (as part of our periodic backup schedule)
+removed the credit card logos from the sidebar of texture sample pages:
http://www.netrender.com/texture-maps/trees/trees-vol-1/trees-texture-pack-i-sample-3/
(previously the credit card icons would get overlayed onto textures when the textures were really big. It looked pretty yucky, and really we only need the credit card icons on the product/ordering pages)
+removed the “subpage” listing on the shopping cart:
http://www.netrender.com/cart/
(this was over at the side and used to list “transaction results” and “checkout” etc. but those links weren’t really supposed to be clicked… I think this will be less confusing for people)
+revised the text at the top of sample pages
http://www.netrender.com/texture-maps/trees/trees-vol-1/trees-texture-pack-i-sample-1/
I think it’s more straightforward and lets people know that the image is only one of many, and that they can buy the image…
+removed the “attachment” text, pages like http://www.netrender.com/texture-maps/trees/trees-vol-1/trees-texture-pack-i-sample-1/
used to say:
NetRender > Trees Vol 1 > Attachment: Tree from NetRender
but now it says:
NetRender > Trees Vol 1 > Tree from NetRender
+Added some new administrative features.
+Implemented keyword tracking and storing (this stores the keywords that people are searching for to find out pages)
-I’d like to finally get coupon (discount) codes enabled soon. (it is just a tricky thing to implement with our site…)
-I need to improve (and enlarge) some of out texture samples
-We’re also planning either a new free texture site, or a NetRender free texture section.
Non-work update
Hawaii is spectacular! This is the first day I’m staying in and not walking/biking around the Island, however, I did do my P90X ab-ripper workout and Samantha did her 30 day shred workout.
I though I might get bored in Hawaii, but I was wrong .
Hawaii: Day 1 Transportation and Groceries
The time is 11:22AM and so far it has been a good day . I got up at 7AM Hawaii time, which is 11AM Missouri time. I did some work and then at about 8:30AM it was starting to warm up so we began our trek. We walked 4.3 miles, the longest portion of the walk was along scenic Alii drive. The walk is punctuated by gorgeous views of the ocean and the coast.
Here is Samantha at the starting point of our walk:
We made it there in an hour and half, which included some breaks to take photos and enjoy the scenery. At Wal-Mart we picked up a few basic items and two bicycles! We plan on shopping at more local places from here on out, but for bikes we figured Wal-Mart was our best bet.
Our plan is to do most of our travel via cycling and walking. So far we’ve gone about 16 miles by taxi from the airport to our condo, and about 9 miles by foot/pedal (our adventures today).
Next up is a trip to Rocky’s Pizza to try their pizza. If I recall correctly ,from a few years ago, it is delicious!
To be updated…
Los Habaneros
We ended up eating at Los Habaneros, we got to it first and I had read good things about it. You order and pay at a counter, then you wait until they call your name. Indoor and outdoor seating. Good (hot, med, and mild) red salsa and tasty cheese enchiladas. It was busy for lunch. Reasonably priced. Not particularly healthy, but tasted good!
Hawaii: Day 0 (Departure)
Posted by J.D. in Hawaii, Travel, Uncategorized on December 9th, 2009
We’re in the Spfd airport, warm and out of the snow. Our flight is now scheduled for 8AM (instead of 7:40AM). Apparently the crew was delayed getting in the night before. They are required to get a minimum amount of rest, so our flight is slightly delayed. We’re all for the crew having plenty of rest, so no biggie . The new Springfield terminal is pretty nice, power (AC and USB) outlets under a number of seats and the wifi can pull down about 700kbs (actual throughput) on downloads.
I liked getting t experience some snow this morning before heading out to warmer climates.
To be updated…
8:24PM (12:24AM central time) UPDATE We’re all settled into the condo in Hawaii! The flights were uneventful, everything went smoothly in the air. Once we arrived on the big island we took a taxi to the condo, but it took us a long time to find our unit (it was dark and the building we needed was behind the tennis courts). We made it though! The place is nice and the shower felt AWESOME after being in planes and airports all day.
Relaxing on the couch
A big THANK YOU to my mom for taking us up to Springfield and for Kevin and Shannon for letting us stay at their place and for Kevin driving us to the airport so early in the morning. Also, thanks to family and friends housesitting while we’re away!
Lush Summer in Missouri
Posted by J.D. in Travel, Uncategorized on August 21st, 2009
We’re back from our Colorado vacation and WOW, everything is amazingly green here in Missouri! For August, this is the most lush I ever remember seeing the vegetation. There must have been some serious rains while we were gone. The following photo is meant to show the almost jungle like state of the forest around here . Hopefully we will have a lot of black walnuts this year!
The pine trees I planted, which are about three years old, grew 6-8 inches in two weeks. Our tomato plants are still producing and the peppers Kevin gave us are coming along nicely. The tree leaves in general are just POPPING with vibrant green color:
Sorry to keep gushing about this, but I am just so excited that this summer has been so mild (temperature wise) and hyrdated. I think the rain has kept the plants growing almost non-stop from Spring until now.
Misc wrap-up
This is our first day back home after CO. We only had time last night to eat at Mexican Villa (Campbell) in Springfield and visit one set of friends. Then it was time to finish the drive home. We got in a little after midnight. There were a lot more cool people we wanted to visit in Springfield, but it’s going to have to wait until next week.
Things are good at home: the house was in good shape, the yard was nice thanks to my mom kindly mowing for us, my office was gloriously awaiting my return (I missed my big monitor ). Today Samantha has been researching dogs, catching up online and doing lots of other cool Samantha-type stuff. I’ve been doing some misc work and fasting. After being in a car and eating fast food, I felt like not eating anything today. Though I must admit now I am looking forward to food tomorrow!
That’s it for now. Lot’s of good work and play projects coming up soon. Here’s hoping your summer has been, and continues to be, a great one!
PS here are a couple flower photos from today…
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