Monster Heatwave

Aloha Everyone,

I definitely feel the effects of the heat wave we are having in San Diego County. It has been dubbed as a Monster Heatwave because it has registered 100 degrees Fahrenheit temperature in San Diego County.

August heatwave are not unusual in this part of the country. What is unusual is the length. Most years, heatwaves last a few days. The current heatwave is expected to linger until this weekend. That would make it a 9-10 days run.

Actually, the current outside temperature at our son’s house is 85 degrees. Being near the ocean helps. We are also running our AC.

This morning, I was out of the house by 6:00 am. The air was warm but not oppressive. Having to wear a mask and a baseball cap, a long sleeve t-shirts and long pants to protect myself from getting any insect bites, my body becomes heated within 30 minutes of brisk walking. To hydrate my body, a tall glass of water with lime accompanied my light breakfast.

Compared to Phoenix, Arizona and Las Vegas, Nevada, where current temperature is 110 degrees Fahrenheit, we have little to complain. Stay hydrated everyone!

Aloha -- Cathi

Sturgis 2020 Motorcycle Rally

Aloha Everyone,

Sturgis, located in Meade County in South Dakota, has a population of less than 7,000 (info based on 2010 US Census). It is a small, charming, friendly rural community where people generally would bypass except for its annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.

If you are motorcycle enthusiast, they talk about Sturgis as if comparing it to Mecca. One must visit at least once in a lifetime to pay homage to what has become the biggest annual event in South Dakota. From the first weekend of August, for 10 days, Sturgis’ population explodes. In the normal year, the expected crowd is about 500,000. During their 75 years anniversary, the town hosted more than 850,000 bikers.

J.J. and I visited Sturgis three times with Honu. One of our visits unintentionally coincided with the annual Sturgis event. We weren’t able to find any vacancies in RV parks within a 50 miles radius. All restaurants were filled. The average wait time for restaurant tables at nearby Rapid City was three hours. Streets too were closed to normal traffic due to motorcyclists parading around under police escorts.

This year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the visitors numbers were down to 250,000. Seeing photos of so many cyclists gathering without masks nor exercising social-distancing make us cringe. It seems very irresponsible for the organizers as well as for the participants.

https://www.google.com/search?q=sturgis+2020&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-us&client=safari

Aloha -- Cathi

Stick Insect

Aloha Everyone,

During my morning walk, a neighbor alerted me to a “strange twig-like insect” at the side of his garage.  

Stick insects, also known as walking sticks, is an interesting group of insects that camouflage themselves to resemble their immediate surroundings.

The one I saw looks like stick when it is attached to a branch or trunk of a tree. There are over 3,000 species of stick insects. They can attain the size of 1 to 12 inches long. These insects are the biggest insects in the world.

Another interesting facts is that stick insect can reproduce by their females producing unfertilized eggs that are then mature into other females.

During one of our travels through the rain forests of the Philippines, J.J. and I have encountered even more rare types of walking sticks that blends itself to leaves or a fallen log. Although stick insects are considered unwelcome pests in gardens and forests in many of the states, some enthusiasts pay up to $50 for a supply of 50. I have no idea what one would do with 50 of these stick insects except to appreciate their unique characteristics that may add to their enjoyment of gardening.

Aloha -- Cathi

Left Handed People

Aloha Everyone,

On August 13th, our daughter-in-law reminded us that it was International Left Hand Day! She was born left handed into a family whose father and grandfather were also left handed. However, her father and grandfather were forced to shift to right hand as that was then the “generational“ thing to do. Our daughter-in-law was spared from the tradition and is very comfortable with her left handedness.

J.J. was also born left handed but he was “corrected” at school. While J.J. complied with his school’s demand, he wisely kept up with his left hand usage. Thus he became ambidextrous. Rather rare talent as only 1% of the world population is said to be ambidextrous. J.J. writes with his right hand but plays table tennis with his left hand. He also cuts and eats with his left hand and tends to carry things on his left side.

Historically, left handed people were considered bad omen or bad luck. I guess that is why the forced conversion to right handedness. The word sinister traces its root to the Latin word for left.

It is interesting to note that many famous people are left handed including presidents Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, Barack Obama, George W. Bush and George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and Gerald Ford.

For additional reading, please go to:

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-topics/hebrew-bible/left-handed-people-in-the-bible/

Aloha -- Cathi

Frikadeller (Danish Meatballs)

Aloha Everyone,

Our connection to Denmark is multifaceted and that includes Danish foods.

When I mentioned to my daughter-in-law that I would like to make Danish meatballs she quickly agreed and obtained the necessary ingredients through Whole Foods/Amazon Prime. What I didn’t expect is that my daughter-in-law actually has Eva’s recipe. In my own handwriting, my daughter-in-law recalls receiving it on her bridal shower along with other recipes.

Eva was our younger son Jeff’s Danish Godmother and an outstanding cook. Recalling many happy holiday times we spent with Eva and Svend (Eva’s husband and Jeff’s Godfather), I was eager to get started.

Preparing the Danish Meatballs with J.J.’s help was walking back into memory lane. I think the end product tasted even better because of the story behind it.

Aloha -- Cathi