It has been a wet weekend here as yet another hurricane makes a swipe at the island.
This has meant over an inch of rain and some strong winds at the house. A pair of 14,000ft mauna between us and the oncoming storms has worked as usual.
The windward side took the brunt of the storm, but this was a marginal hurricane. In general there have been no major impacts on the island beyond some localized flooding in the usual places and downed trees blocking roads.
I did deploy a new rain gauge this weekend, just in time for the deluge. An electronic tipping bucket of my own design that seems to be operating quite nicely.
Hurricane Hone passing south of the islands bringing wind and heavy rain the the Island of Hawaii on August 25, 2024
As I sit typing away I have a slight interferece to deal with. Rasalhague is sleeping just above my keyboard.
Rasalhague dreams atop the compter desk
He came for the scritching, then eventually fell asleep as I worked on a user manual.
Not much interference… Just push his tail under the monitor rather than in front of the screen. There is a soft paw to push out of the way if I need to type numerals at the top of the keyboard.
Ras is deep asleep, his paws twitching slightly as he wanders in an unknown dreamland. Chasing Geckoes about the house? Or running off the doves that frequent our lanai? I have only guesses.
Whatever his dreams I am sure it is more fun that configuration registers, control loop settings, and relay connections.
For someone who works with their hands tools are important. We all have our favorite tools, that one we always use as we have for so many years. There may be a dozen screwdrivers in the rack, but that one is used almost every time.
A veteran Weller WES50 soldering station
Thus is with great sadness that I announce the death of my longtime soldering station.
A good soldering iron is a basic tool for an electronics engineer. A multimeter, a soldering iron, and a set of basic hand tools are absolutely necessary for any electronics workbench. To this end I had bought a very good iron, one that has served me well for several decades.
I wonder just how many soldered connections I made with this old soldering iron… Thousands upon thousands certianly, so many circuit boards, connectors, and wires.
There are no available spare parts for this long obsolete soldering station. There are many conversations on bulletin boards and chat rooms lamenting this as others have had their beloved soldering irons fail. The WES50 was long ago replaced by the WES51, and the parts are not interchangable.
With sadness I remove the old soldering station from the bench. I replace it with a new Weller WE1010NA station. I wonder just what work awaits the new soldering iron, how many solder joints will it see in the coming decades. I hope that this new iron will outlast me.
A new shopping center here in Waikoloa is cause to celebrate. However… It is not the fancy new resturaunts, or the gym, or even the pizzarias I will be celebrating… It is a hardware store.
Waikoloa Ace Hardware
This week a new Ace Hardware opened its doors for the first time. Yes, I was there to check out the new store. Not having to take to 30-40 minute drive to Waimea or Kona when we need one little thing is a big deal for me.
I remember all too well need to make that drive on several occasions when something was busted in the house. There was the time I put a pickaxe through the water line supplying the house. I had the PVC pipe, and the glue needed to fix it, and one coupler… I needed two. I was short a single PVC coupling. Off on the hour long trip to Waimea and back for a single 50 cent part, that or no water in the house.
Stopping by our new Ace on their first morning I checked out the store, walking the aisles just to see what hey have, and do not have. Not that I left empty handed, I did buy a replacement garden hose for the driveway spigot.
The new store is a bit on the small side, not a huge selection of stuff. They do have all of the basics, a good selection of plumbing parts, screws and bolts, and electrical fittings. This will save a great deal of trouble in the future.
At the south end of the runway there is a parking area for transient aircraft. The hard stands here are usually populated with a flock of private jets that ferry the well-to-do to their Hawaii vacation homes. Occasionally there is a regular cargo 747 that is parked here, looming above the Learjets and Gulfstreams.
This was a bit different…
An Antonov AN-124 at Kona International Airport
From a distance I thought it was the usual 747, not paying much attention during my routine commute. A bit closer and I did a double take… This was no 747, but rather an Antonov. I knew immediately it was an AN-something, but could not remember which.
Social media chatter later that day provided the answer… An Antonov AN-124 making a stopover from Asia while headed to Seattle. A Ukranian aircraft currently operating out of Germany on charter for special cargoes.
As usual we rang in the new year staying quietly at home. Quietly? We may have been quiet, the neighborhood was not. I have always considered the amount of fireworks the neighborhood launches to be a rough economic indicator. Apparently this last year ws not too bad, the quantity of explosives launched over Waikoloa was impressive.
While Waikoloa was impressive, Honolulu was insane…
Our celebration? Testing a little telescope and enjoying a cup of cocoa at midnight.
With celebrations complete we shall have to see what this new year brings. There is some optimism and no complete disasters looming, which after the last few years is all I am going to ask for.
In the back of a plastic crate, forgotten for a decade or three, a little cardboard pack holds a few battery holders. A humble package, not containing anything particularly special, yet this is a time capsule from another age, another me from decades ago.
A set of battery holders in retro packaging
This little package brings back memories… I remember when shelf after shelf of components were packaged this way. The look, the smell, the facination with the fantastic array of parts on display in those little packs, each inspriation for a project or solution. The young teenage me wandering those shelves wondering what I could do with those components.
Well? That was the strongest shake we have had in a while. Magnitude 6.2 well offshore of the south end of the island.
The whole house rattled for a while, then a few sharp bangs, then it rumbled on for a while longer. Nothing knocked off shelves, just a steady rattle of plates and photos on the wall. The 3D printer took no notice, happily plotting along.
The cats did take notice, Electra disappearing under the bed, not to re-appear for a while. Ras was all perky-eared and vigilant.
For this quake I guessed not only the distance correctly, but the magnitude to within 0.3, (guessed 6.5, USGS revised 6.2). We have plenty of experience with big island shakes at this point. I felt both the S and P waves arrive, that gave me distance. What surprised me is the depth, 21 miles down, that is below the crust, into the mantle.
USGS plot of a magnitude 6.1 earthquake off the south end of the island with aftershocks, Oct. 10, 2021
After navigating the phone menu system and a few minutes on hold the phone rings and a nurse practitioner picks up…
Nurse: “What can I help you with today Mr. Cooper?” Me: “I need to schedule a vaccination.” Nurse: ” You can do that by going to our website and clicking on the COVID link at the top of the page.” …and she continues with an obviously well rehearsed answer with information on getting a COVID vaccination. Me: “Stop! Not COVID… Tetanus!” A long pause… Nurse: “Let me find you an appointment time, do you prefer the Kona clinic?”
A tetanus vaccine syringe after the dose has been delivered
