A day in the life of Gord - December 2010

Mele Kalikimaka

Christmas 2010.....Mele Kalikimaka to all our friends. We wish you all a wonderful happy and healthy season of joy!

All is well in Maui in spite of the constant reports of rain. So far each day it has been predicted, we have enjoyed pure sunshine. Must be the Kihei effect being between two mountains. The wind blows the clouds up both sides and we stay clear.

We have started back on the acupuncture, massage routine and are looking at a gym down the road to perhaps get into a muscle strengthening program. Gord may also get into driving the golf carts for friends which will boost his happiness level significantly I think!

We have both been out outrigger paddling with the Maui Canoe Club the past two Fridays. On the first trip we encountered whales very close to the canoe and yesterday we did not even see a blow!

All in all, we are happy and comfortably busy. We will have grandchildren visiting in Jan, Feb and March and are very excited to see them all.

I am sending a shot of a sunset the other evening.....

Once again, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Love

Sheila and Gord

December 2010

We made the trip successfully and after 9 days of getting acclimatized I think we are ready to roll. These pictures show how much fun we are having already. When Gord sits down for sunset, it is wonderful how everyone pulls up a chair and joins in. This is what it's all about!

The picture looking down from our perch is what we wake up to every morning now that the Maui Canoe Club live right next to us. Awesome!!!

I am watching for the whales so that I can get a picture. Apparently a couple were spotted close to shore this morning....so the season has begun.

Gord is doing so well. He is motivated to get his speech and comprehension better so he is actually sitting down and doing 10 or 12 pages a day of lessons. He is also working with a leg stretcher brace so we will see if that will improve his walking over time. All in all, with upcoming massages and acupuncture, I am excited to see improvements. Of course, the weather really helps - that goes without saying.

If I don't get back on the blog before Christmas, we want to wish one and all a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS.

Lots of love

Sheila and Gord

November update

Well it's true...a picture is worth a thousand words. Nov 16th and the first major snowfall has arrived. I shovelled this morning for a while and then gave up. 4 inches of the white stuff is too much for me. Gord will now be doing his exercise route around the house and I will be doing my "indoor" stuff like cleaning and packing.

It is getting close and we are getting excited. Actually the excitement is twofold as we are anticipating the arrival of Grandchild #8 any day AND preparing for our trip to Maui.

Our treatments end here in Sylvan Lake but we will start up again in Maui and by the time we get back to Canada in the Spring Gord will have improved exponentially I am certain.

Have a wonderful season to all those folks we will not see in Maui.

Lots of love

Gord and Sheila

October update

We have been kind of distracted by the lovely weather we have been having lately, but as of today, October 25th, those lovely thoughts have been altered. Today it snowed. I think it may stay since the temperature is staying around zero for the next few days. As we drove to our clinic to have blood tests today, the wind was blowing and when we got out of the car, the frigid air made us shudder and just wish this was all behind us. It will be in a few weeks when we board the plan to Vancouver Nov 26th and then on to Maui on Nov 30th. We are SO looking forward to being greeted by friends at the other end of the flight, Normajean and Larry, Linda and Mikee, Bill and Judy, Bob Fondiller and the Maui Canoe Club.....it will be so nice.
And I hear from Mike Williamson, that the whales have indeed arrived in Maui as of Oct 20th. It may be just a few younguns but at least it is a start of another great whale migration to our Maalaea Bay to give birth and mate. I will be in the water with Bill with my hydrophone listening to those songs and tweets and trills.....can't wait.

Now for the news :

A new addition to the Bosch family arrived on time, Sept 25th, to Darren Bosch and Jackie in Moosejaw Sask. Stella Grace arrived in the wee hours of the 25th and weighed in at 8lbs 1oz. We have not seen her yet but hear she is a beautiful baby and adored by her parents.

The next new addition will arrive around Nov 20th to Geoff and Kim Bell in Vancouver (Steveston). We are travelling there to hopefully welcome the new arrival. This child will be a sister or brother to Jack - I know a lot of our Maui friends have met Jack on the beach - and next time you see him he will have a sibling in tow.

We are sad to leave the grandchildren here in Alberta, BC and Sask but as the snow starts to fly, it would be almost impossible to see them during the next 6 months anyway. They will grow and flourish while we are gone and when we come home there will be great reunions for all. I hope our Skype set up works again this winter.

We have had a great 6 months here at the lake and Gord has improved exponentially. I truly believe he is a miracle. He continues to strive to walk better, talk better and directs me to all the things I need to do. He catches all the little things I miss and I thank him for that. To me, the fact that he is coming back with his sense of humour and picky stuff warms my heart and gives me great hope. Not only for him but for all those other people out there who have gone through the same thing and for those families who may have to deal with this type of situation in the future.

I am happy, I am content, I am blessed with great friends....

Thank you

Love
Sheila

September update

Our Maui group in September at the lake sitting in the 10 minutes of sun in 4 days.

Evelyn stopped by for dinner on a beautiful day before the weather turned.

The celebration of the finished table. September 2010.

The work in progress.....almost finished.

I knew it was time to plan for our trip to Maui when Gord innocently said to me "You look like Winter". I knew exactly what he meant. My face was showing all it's wrinkles. The ones that really stand out when the air gets cold and dry. Time to leave.

Apparently we are going to get a few nice days soon. Great.

Gord news:

The table is finished. He loves it and so do I! It is certainly something to be proud of and a wonderful accomplishment thanks to Kevin!

I actually took a stand a few days ago when Gord refused to have a haircut, wear long pants and use a cane. I told him my new name was "Coach" and that he had to listen to me. So off we went to the hairdresser with jeans on and a cane to walk with. I think he has finally realized that his welfare depends on me helping him and to refuse my help does not further his progress! This is all said in fun but in truth, my taking a stand was a long time coming.

Last night Kevin and Cheryl were over for dinner and afterwards we played a game and then I showed them what we were working on with Gord's right arm. Kevin got up and stood behind Gord and lo and behold Gord was able to pull his arm back without using his body. It was amazing!!! and the start of movement I hope. He was as surprised as we all were and now wants to really work hard at it. These are tiny little improvements but HUGE to us.

It was wonderful to have our group reunion again this Summer and although the weather was poor, the girls managed to have a good time and the boys helped Gord do a few little renos and watched the US Open tennis with him. Good friends, good food, fun shopping.

Our little Fab Four grandchildren all started preschool this month. It is so hard to believe they are over 3 years old already. Time really does fly. This time last year Gord and I were still in therapy and driving back and forth every day from Ponoka. Now we just drive 2 days a week for therapy and it is a really good break for both of us to get out and about.

That is all I have to report for now.

Enjoy the Fall colors!

Love

Sheila

Where oh where did Summer go

These cool mornings are making us dream of Maui......won't be long now. We are pretty much status quo from the last blog update. Gord has been working on a new dining table with Kevin and I believe it is almost finished. I have purposely not viewed it as this is Gord's project and will be a nice surprise for me when it arrives in the cabin finished. Thank you Kevin for getting in there with Gord and helping him create a dream.
I have also been busy finishing up projects that Gord did not get done before his stroke. The stairs in the cabin are now complete thanks to a great neighbour, Peter who has also given me a sense of security knowing he is around to help me out with the little things that pop up once in a while that need repair. In the back lot - B2 - we call it, I had another great neighbour with a landscaping company come in with all their machinery and grade the lot, put in a country fence and two amazing firepit areas. Thanks to Clay and Brian and the crew. I will take pictures soon. No mow grass has been sown and I am trying to locate some wildflower seeds to sprinkle on so in the Spring we have a beautiful meadow. This has been much more than just a "get it done" project. It has given me something to create and be an ongoing fun project. Gord has watched and wondered but has pretty much left it to me to do. Thanks Gord. The other project that needed doing badly was replacing our deck on the house at B2. BIG project....yuck....and does not look much different than it did before. The wood under the Duradek had rotted in places and became unsafe so it had to be redone. SO I am happy to report everything is finished except for a little pile of rubble for the dump. Gord survived it and I have now got a raging head cold and feel like ____. It's been coming for a long time - Sheila's time - to go to the bottom and work my way back up and be ready for the next adventure.
The grandchildren are all doing fine. The last of the First Fab Four, Declan, is having his 3rd birthday on Sept 9th. If you recall, we had 4 grandchildren in the span of 6 months. Let's see, there was Catarina, Daniel, Jack and Declan. Then, along came Fiona and Mateo and their Australian cousin Kayan (who we consider one of OUR grandchildren). Now to still appear is a granddaughter in Sept. and a grandchild in Nov. THAT my friends makes NINE. It has been an amazing ride to have all these little folks in our life.
Notice I am avoiding saying anything about the weather we have had this summer. Or the non-weather we have had. It is the topic of conversation everywhere so I am just trying to ignore it - it's called avoidance and denial. Yes, I am there. I am praying however, for amazing weather in September so the 4 couples that are coming for a 3 day fiesta at our place will have nothing but great memories of hot sunny days.
Well, that about wraps up this update. I hope everyone is well, and happy.
Love to all
Sheila and Gord

July update

Gord enjoying the hot tub on a beautiful Summer's day in Sunbreaker Cove

Gord on his way to Kevin's to work on a table they are making together....in his new wheels.

A man on a mission......Go Gord!!

Once again time has passed by so quickly that I realized I have not written on the blog for over a month! I notice I start to get more phone calls checking up on us when the blog is not updated so I thank everyone who checks in on us.

Gord has been busy running around in his new "Gord Cart" picking up the mail, visiting neighbours, being a delivery guy and whatever else I can think of to keep him from getting bored. This is a full time job....

We visited a consultant last week who I was hoping would give me more of an update on how Gord is progressing but he basically just said I was doing a good job and not much else. I was looking for some good solid advice on where to go from here and did not really get it so I have turned to other resources. We had an acupuncture treatment 2 days ago and will continue on a weekly basis along with chiropractic help to get the muscles etc. straightened out so perhaps Gord will walk a little better. He still needs to trust his right side for support.

Of course along with the walking etc. we will continue to work on his right arm. Still nothing.

We attended a very bittersweet occasion a few weeks ago when we traveled to a funeral service for a co worker of Gord's at Spartan Controls. He was the same age as Gord and tragically passed away quite soon after a cancer diagnosis. Gord has been deeply affected by this event and rightly so. He questions why he is still alive and others are not. A universal question....I am not equipped to answer...

So as the Summer tries to move along with all it's setbacks of RAIN and more RAIN, we also move along and try to fill the days. I hope everyone is managing to enjoy their Summer holidays...

Take care,

Love

Sheila

An exciting time at the Lake so far

Grandchild Mateo, born 7 days ago on June 23rd. They can celebrate together from now on! They share the same second name of Joseph. Lovely. That was also Gord's father's name.

Gord the driver......I am SO proud.

What a great day at the lake...and looks who's driving.

Well, we now know he can drive a golf cart....again, I am SO proud of him.

The pictures will tell it all. Gord is just surpassing all the goals that have been set....thanks to a great friend, Kevin who just keeps thinking up things that Gord needs to try. Witness the golf cart he drove around the course while Kevin hit the ball and Gord kept score! Later that day, Kevin arrived at our dock to take us all on a cruise and invited Gord to drive. Awesome!

Our friends Mike and Linda joined us after a long day of chores with Sheila. They spent a week with us and it was fantastic. So much got accomplished. Gord would even take Mike or Linda aside and try to get them to do things he knew I wanted left alone! He usually won - except for the little trees on the hill!

Oh and we also played some tennis. Gord hit some great balls.

I spoke to a wonderful Dr. who is going to assess Gord and we can see how he is doing in his rehabilitation. We see him July 20th. The other good news is that there is a speech pathologist that will come to a small town very close to us once a week to work with Gord. We are very excited about that!

Now I just need to arrange for some physio and we are good.

Take care everyone, have a great summer.

Love

Sheila

Happy Birthday Gord

The infamous hot tub....note the pole for getting in and out. Works well.

Isabella reading - lucky girl - looking over my new construction ( black arbor) at the top of the stairs to the lower deck.

Kevin and Gord at the end of a quad ride!!!! Yes Gord actually rode on the quad. He was thrilled.

Yes, today is Gord's birthday and I just sat down before making coffee to check emails etc. and thought I would just quickly jot off a note to let all our blog followers know that today is extra special. We always thought we would not count birthdays after we turned 50 but now with Gord's recovery we are actually happy to celebrate these special days. Today will always be very extra special because Gord's daughter Stacy is about to give birth to a little boy. Grandson and Granpa will be able to celebrate their day together in the future. How fun is that!

We have friends here from the Seattle area who have come to visit and to help me get some things done around here. Mike and Linda are angels straight from heaven....thank you both for showing up just when I need you!!

Things are getting pretty around here now with all the sunshine and little rain we have had. I will add a few "pretty pictures".

Love to all...

Sheila

June 9th update

It's not sand, but it will do -Grandson 2.5yr old Declan and Sheila on the driveway of B-2

Gord with his brothers, Richard in front, Gary to the right and nephew Tyler to left

Boys putting a secure railing on guest house so Gord can visit the kids when they come.

Gord and Fiona (Andrea's wee one born March 9) - so peaceful...sleep baby sleep

Well we are into the rainy season so it is indoor things today - hence a blog update! Everywhere I go and in everything I do, I am always thinking about what I am going to write on the blog. I am getting such positive feedback on it, that I feel I need to continue - at least for a while longer. We are making such progress I suppose it is helpful to post it so that other people who may be going through what we did will have some hope.

Since our last blog, we have fulfulled a couple of Gord's dreams. He really processes his thoughts now and follows through until I manage to get it completed. One of the biggies was extending the front deck so he called his brothers Gary and Richard and nephew Tyler and they all arrived with their deck building gear and in 1.5 days they had the job done! Gord sat on the deck and supervised....our neighbour Donalda said he looked like a king sitting on his throne.....and all in all the boys had a good time and it was SO good for Gord. Family are EVERYTHING!!!! There is such a depth of emotion when I see these guys get together. Beautiful.

The other project was getting Gord into the hot tub. He loves the water and as I said before it has been the place we have connected over the past 25 years. We get decisions made, dream up projects etc. In the process of trying to fulfill this dream I did a lot of research into lifts and slings and new hot tubs but in the end I kept thinking - "There HAS to be something around this place we can use to get Gord in and out of the tub"....and lo and behold, at first I used the patio table plus myself for getting in and out. It was not the safest thing but we managed and the smile on Gord's face when he finally got to sit in his hot tub after and year and a half was awesome. Of course getting the 25 year old tub back into working order was not an easy task for me. I think I cried a little over this frustrating experience but after getting help from Peter the electrician (introduced to us by our other neighbour Glen)- we got it running. I cleaned out the little hole that I have to crawl into to start everything up, shooed out the mice etc., sprayed some smelly stuff to make it a little pleasant and Voila! we have a functioning tub and a place to stretch the arm and leg. Our neighbour Ralph came last night and installed a sturdy bar for Gord to pull himself out of the tub with, and it also allows him something to hold onto to get into the tub. I will always be there to catch him if he tips over, but all in all I think this will work.

Now for the speech. I am just about to try and find help here in Red Deer or closer I hope. I'll report on that later. My sense is that if I can find nice flash cards with words on one side and pictures on the other I could work with him to help identify objects and things and then get the name of it ingrained in his brain. He is a little more interested in the computer now but only to look at his emails. It's a start. As for doing lessons out of his binders - forget it. He really feels it is juvenile and not necessary. I know it is necessary but he can be stubborn! I will just have to keep presenting things until something works for him.

You know, this is such an amazing project for me to be assigned. I really feel "useful" in my life now. As long as Gord remains such a good sport, we will continue this adventure - mainly because we have no other choice. AND the real bonus is, I am motivated to get rid of years of accumulated "junk" around here. You should see the loads going out of here...and I have more...my arms are so sore from hauling.....but we will feel so much lighter when it is all gone. Thank goodness for junk haulers! They deserve a medal.

Love to you all

Sheila & Gord

I know...it's about time Sheila...

We have been back at the lake for a couple of weeks now and the guilt is getting me! I vowed today that I would sit down and dash off a note before starting the day trying out my new electric weed eater and electric leaf blower. I have been so frustrated as the head of the house now not being able to start the gas blower and gas weed eater and all those things with pull cords and gas engines etc. We may have duplicates of everything but darnit I need to be able to DO the things around here that need to be done. This year I am taking the bull by the horns and NOTHING will stop me now.

Gord update. Since we have arrived back at the lake he has almost single handedly re-arranged all the furniture in both houses and insisted on updating our big ol TV sets with flat screened ones. Thanks to our neighbour Kevin, who so patiently stuck with us last week in the rain and cold to find the perfect TV's, we have 2 new ones. Gord is HAPPY.

Yesterday we visited Dr. Smith to get the paperwork for a handicap parking sticker and couldn't really think of any health issues needing to be dealt with. Great position to be in. We will move forward with finding an acupuncturist, a massage therapist and hopefully a physiotherapist. At present we are also investigating getting a nice deep hot tub with a sling type hoist to get Gord in and out safely. We have always had a tub and that is where most of our ideas were hatched and lots of good discussions went on. I am so sure that getting in the water every day will be so good for him and am going to go all out to get it done ASAP. We are going to come into the current times and actually get an ozonated system.

Our new little grand daughter Fiona has been up for a visit and what a wonderful feeling to hold that little being. Thank you Andrea and Declan for coming to visit us. We look forward to more fun times.

I am now going to officially announce the exciting upcoming events we are looking forward to in the next months. Those who know our kids will understand our excitement.

Stacy Bosch and Andreas are due to have their baby mid June.
Darren Bosch and Jackie are due to have their baby mid to late September.
Geoff and Kim Bell are due to have their baby in November.

That my friends will be 8 grandchildren for us. That is a big WOW.

I will get some pictures together as soon as I get a new camera. I left my other one in Maui. OOPS.

Til later...

Lots of love
Sheila

More pictures

A picture is worth a thousand words

Gord and his loyal supporters - mostly on the beach.

I am going go through the latest pictures and try to depict the last weeks on Maui.

Enjoy.

So long for now, Maui

'Til we meet again....Maui

As we get closer and closer to departing, I have lots of dialogue running through my mind that I want to express to you all - all my faithful followers on the blog. Thank you so much for your support....I will keep saying that - forever.

So my latest adventure is yet another lesson in preparedness. On an afternoon a few days ago, I was bugging Gord to get downstairs for a swim in the pool. He was a reluctant participant but selfishly, it was hot and I wanted to swim - and I like company. Off we went, got the lifejacket on and Gord into the pool. As he was walking across (as he does each time) to the far side, I decided to run out to the front lawn to see who was around. Just as I rounded the hedge ( like 20 seconds after I left Gord alone) I hear a faint "Diane" "Diane". I bolted back to the pool and there was a lady I have never seen before gathering up her towel etc. and looking like she wanted to run out of that pool area as fast as she could. I called over to her and said "Is he OK?" Her response was "He just got stung by a bee". Oh Boy....my life flashed before me - again. In the past Gord has reacted to bee stings on the hand by huge swelling. He also used to have many allergies so I did not know if he would have a reaction and have his throat swell up etc. As I am getting him out of the pool I am looking around for someone - anyone to help us. Not a soul to be seen. I didn't scream for help, but was a little frustrated because usually there are many people milling around. Not so this day. So, I just thought to get up to the condo and see what happens. That's where the phone is, the car keys , dry shorts etc. If in those few minutes he had a problem, we were hooped. Luckily, we did not have anything more than a very swollen middle finger on his left hand. He only has ONE hand to work with so this kind of handicapped him even more. BUT I have to say, he did not complain - at all. It hurt, but he was so amazing. Maybe it was the ice or the toothpaste that I slathered on ASAP. That is what some researcher on the internet said took the pain of a beesting from level 10 to level 2 almost instantly. Good enough for us. Just make sure the toothpaste has glycerin in it. I must also mention that Larry heard my calls while we were waiting for the elevator and rushed up with his first aid kit. Thank you Larry.

That is your tip for today. We are off to our last acupuncture appt.

I am planning to upload some pictures today so will do on a separate blog spot.

xoxo
Sheila

Counting the days....

At this time of the season we start counting down the days to D day May 13th. It truly is a miracle that we have been able to live the dream to return to Maui and for that we are forever grateful. Gord is still continuing to improve in his motor functions and his speech. I think you will really notice a difference when you see him in person this summer. We are getting anxious to return home and reunite with all the family. It will take us all summer to see everybody but it will be fun. Y'all come and visit!

The latest antics of Gord is the truck. I handed him the keys a couple of weeks ago to go down to the truck and let himself in. When I caught up with him a few minutes later, he was climbing into the driver's seat. I was in shock...but stayed calm and just said "Oh, driving today are you?" He said "Yes". I said well let's see if we can get you right in and see if your right foot fits on the gas pedal. It was a bit of a struggle but we got him in the right position and he was thrilled to know that at least there was a possibility in the future of maybe driving again. I told him we would find a really BIG field or parking lot where he could try driving - something - maybe a golf cart to start off with.

Our big project here in Maui is trying to sell our other condo and so far no luck. I am getting discouraged but still holding out hope that a last minute buyer will come and fall in love with it just like I did. I still love it. Every time I go into it, I feel very nostalgic and cannot believe the absolutely gorgeous view it has over the mountains and the ocean. It is so private - which is NOT what we have now due to the location over the pool. Screaming kids are kind of annoying at nap time. Maybe I will invest in ear plugs next season.

Anyway, I am giving it until May 1st and then I will take reservations for rentals. Email me if you are interested in some time at the Kealia! sheilabosch@hotmail.com

It's nice to be talking to you all again. It has been a while and I apologize.

Love from both of us,

Sheila and Gord

April Update

Aloha to all our friends and family

Things are getting quieter and quieter here on the island in paradise. Gord and I are going to find it quite easy to leave and get home to some more activity. My plan is to connect up with the Brain Injury Society out of Red Deer and hopefully continue on with therapies for speech, walking and the right arm issue. I have observed slight changes in the movement of his arm, greater speed in writing words down on paper, and a definite improvement in his gait when walking. Healthwise we have encountered "swimmer's ear" which is now being treated and should be cleared up in a week. Gord now owns some pretty jazzy earplugs for the shower.

The past weeks have taken us out for meals in various places and I am including a couple of pictures of these lunches in particular. I would like to send out a thank you to Ed and Ferne for a beautiful lunch at Kimo's in Lahaina - and for spending some of your day off the cruise ship with us. The other picture is of us dining at Mama's Fish House with Jennifer and Mark. Jennifer was Gord's speech coach for the past few months and we have appreciated everything Jennifer has accomplished with Gord.

The 3rd picture is entertainment I hired for Gord.....and after the trees got trimmed, Gord had a haircut. Funny how nature reminds us of those little things we need to do.

At this point we are continuing on with acupuncture every Tuesday and Thursday morning. As of today, we will most likely be adding some physical therapy to the program - probably until we depart in May. My feeling is that Gord can improve his posture and gait while walking and I just don't know the human body well enough to be able to give him the correct instructions. Plus the fact I don't think he really wants me on his case all the time. I feel like the bad guy in this situation and would rather someone else took on that role!

Upon our return to Sylvan Lake, my big plan for this season is to set up a place for Gord to exercise with all the equipment he will need. Once again, that huge motorhome garage will have a purpose - along with the ping pong tables it will now have stationary bikes, stepmaster, etc.

An invitation to all our neighbours - come on over and ride with Gord!

Hope everyone is having a good Spring!

Love from

Sheila and Gord

We made it to Spring!

This year has been a journey and the best part of it is that we are very close to accomplishing our goal of being able to stay in Maui for the entire 6 months without any mishaps. Gord has been in excellent health except for an ear that overproduces wax and at least THAT is a problem we can deal with! We are continuing to walk and swim when we can as well as going for acupuncture treatments twice a week. May 13th is our departure date and we are actually looking forward to returning home to see the children and grandchildren. I don't have any more exciting news than that but just wanted to write "something" today to keep you posted on Gord's progress. I can report that his walking and talking are improving and that is being verfied by our friends who visit and report seeing great improvements. All is good.
Thanks for checking in.....
Love
Sheila

Celebration Time!

We are experiencing a very exciting time right now. Gord started acupuncture last week and he is really being a good sport about it. The acupuncturist( Jeff ) knows about working with stroke folks and we are going to give it everything we've got to try and spark the brain to move that right arm and just kind of balance his whole body. This also gives us a mission - firm appointments every week - something to do - other than just swim, walk the beach and visit with friends!

Our other news is explained by the pictures I am posting today. Daughter Andrea had a beautiful little girl on March 8th. Her name is Fiona Alison. As you can see she has a big brother whose name is Declan. (A wee bit of Irish influence).

Michael is the proud Dad.

Gord and I look forward to meeting Fiona in person - in May.

So - Welcome Fiona and Happy Birthday Andrea - today March 10th.

Lots of love

Sheila and Gord

Tsunami Feb 27 2010 - A day to remember

What an event! I have been trying to formulate all the events of the day in my mind so that I can relate our experience to you. The pictures show the beach about 2 hours before the tsunami was to hit - not a soul around. And absolutely beautiful. Hot, sunny, calm waters, whales coming close to shore and waving their pectorals at us.....folks gathering in Unit 504 to view the impending waves...and a tiny bit of fear of the unknown - the what ifs...

The second picture shows the boats from the harbour sitting waiting to ride out the waves.

The sunset picture is that evening.

It was also a day of extra low tides due to the full moon (14th since Gord's stroke).

We were woken up at 5am when Dale called to ask if we needed any help. I replied "what for"? and Dale said they were just told to evacuate at Maalaea Surf due to the tsunami. I knew about the earthquake in Chile but apparently after I went to sleep that night Hawaii decided to activate the tsunami warning system and clear the shorelines. When I got my head clear and listened to the news, they said vertical evacuation was also going on which means that if you are in a concrete building and above the 3rd floor it is ok to stay where you are. This alleviates the pressure on the highways with all the cars moving to high ground etc. OK so that's fine, I filled everything I could with fresh water, assessed our food supply, proceeded to make coffee and toast and get on with the day. Gord was great - very calm - very resigned to our situation - we looked at each other and kind of said if this is IT, it's ok. Great space to be in. Anyway, back to coffee and toast. After turning up the freezer and fridge controls in preparation for a power outage (supposed to get cold as possible to hold if power is out for a few days) I got the cream out to put in the coffee. Guess what -it curdled - I have not had that happen for as long as I can remember. Darn - we love our cream so I decided to walk to Sugar Beach store to see what he had for cream. People were hauling bags of water bottles out etc. and there actually were some cartons of cream available much to my surprise. I checked the date - which I always do- and I could not believe my eyes. Feb 23, 2010....it was now Feb 27th. I left the store empty handed and went home to finish preparations of moving my kayak to the roof. With still about 1.5 hours to wave arrival I thought I would walk down to the ABC store and see if they had cream. In a crisis I really need a good cup of coffee so I was on a mission.

Well, that walk to the store was the most desolate walk I have ever taken. The road had been closed to traffic because we are in "the zone", all the buildings had been evacuated and the parking lots were empty, and of course the store was all closed up. I should have known but I am glad I had the chance to see and feel the emptiness and desolation. I decided to get onto the beach to return home and OMG it was absolutely beautiful. Wide open perfect sandy beach - and HUGE - more sand exposed than I have ever noticed. The thought passed through my head that uhoh maybe the big wave is coming early and the water is sucking back...I walked quickly on a deserted beach excited and yet a little bit scared. When I got back to Kealia, I watched the news and apparently we were experienced an negative tide due to the full moon. It was not the tsunami - yet.

We had visitors coming in and out of our unit on the front of the building to hopefully witness this big event. The most we saw was the water drawing back more than usual and then surging forward more than usual in a most unthreatening way. All in all it was very calming.

While all this was going on on the beach I was fielding phone calls from the KMart parking lot from Dale and Norm who were waiting to get to the Airport to fly out at 3pm. (They eventually successfully got out) and calls from Calgary airport from friends trying to depart on Air Canada for Maui. I will find out today if they made it.

Back to coffee and toast.....after the all clear signal was made about 1:30pm I drove (after Larry brought my truck back from the church parking lot up the hill) to Foodland to see if they had fresh cream. Once again, I found a few cartons and checked the date. I thought I was in a time warp or something because the date on the cream read: Mar 03 2007. I shook it and it seemed good so I asked the cashier if this was a joke....she was surprised too.

Happily I just put some in my coffee this morning while watching the most spectacular rainbow out our front window - and it is just fine. All is good. Back to normal. The NEW normal.

BUT I am still not emptying out my stored water supply - yet. We could hear that siren again.

Gotta get some candles.

And keep the truck filled with gas.

And keep a good supply of water bottles.

These are the things we need to think about. What I did not know was that Maui automatically shuts down the sewage plant in the event of a tsunami warning (because it is in low lying terrain) and the power plant goes to minimal output so we are told not to use water, or power if possible.

We were lucky. We ARE blessed with good luck. We are in a very beautiful place on earth. We are happy. We have amazing friends.

WHAT A RIDE!

Lots of love

Sheila and Gord

For those who could not view the video here are the pictures that were used- taken by Kevin - and the lady on the right standing on her lanai is the author of the Whale Tail - Melva