The Vog and other Scenic Events

Diamond Head in the Vog

Out and about in the morning, we were surprised at the amount of fog that was covering the mountains. We were also surprised that our eyes itched and noses burned. It’s not the fog but the vog. Vog is a form of air pollution that results when sunlight hits a mixture of oxygen, moisture, and the effluvia, namely sulfur dioxide, other gases and particles from an erupting volcano. The culprit in this case is Kīlauea on the Island of Hawaiʻi, with the prevailing winds sending vog across to O’hau. We shouldn’t have been too surprised that we would get some interactions since the Hawaiian Islands are continuously formed from volcanic activity at a hotspot. As the Pacific Plate moves to the northwest, the hotspot remains stationary, slowly creating new volcanoes; the only active volcanoes are located around the southern half of the Island of Hawai’i. The newest volcano, Lōʻihi Seamount, is near the south coast.

Honolulu Happenings

Honolulu and Diamond Head

Visiting the city of Honolulu means you’re very close to Waikīkī, Pearl Harbor and Diamond Head. This is the largest city in the Hawaiian Islands and the location of the seat of government for the state. For many people, Honolulu is best known for Pearl Harbor and the Japanese attack of December 7, 1941 that brought the United States into World War II. The Japanese saw this strike as a preventive measure to keep the U.S. Pacific Fleet out of Southeast Asia where the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and the United States had territories. Immediately following the attack, the writ of habeas corpus was suspended and Hawai’i was placed under martial law. Blackouts, confiscation of land, censorship, intelligence reports on locals, restrictions on use of US paper money and movement of Japanese-Americans to internment camps occurred. The writ of habeas corpus was not restored until 1944 and it took a presidential edict to accomplish its reestablishment.

Old Time O’ahu

L to R: Tantalus Drive, Tantalus Park, Song bird

Granted, winter in Texas generally isn’t too bad, but the forecasters were calling for freezing rain, sleet, and ice. We wanted to go where it was warm, so it was off to Hawai’i! The most inexpensive place to land is ‘The Gathering Place’, O’ahu; so three Near-Normal Travelers (along with another 100 thousand or so tourists) arrived to visit about 900,000 of our closest friends. Locals (any resident of Hawai’i) don’t use directions when navigating this rhomboid-shaped island; ‘ewa’ is toward the western tip of the island, ‘Diamond Head’ is to the eastern tip, ‘mauka’ is in the direction of the mountains and ‘makai’ is headed for the sea. The island is divided into five or six sections, depending on who you are talking to: ‘Town side’ (roughly Halawa to just below Diamond Head), ‘West Oʻahu’ (Pearl Harbor to Kapolei and Ewa),  ‘North Shore’ (all of the northwestern coast), ‘Windward Side’ (all the northeastern coast); ‘East Side’ (the eastern part of the island, overlapping ‘Windward Side’ and east Diamond Head), and ‘The Valley’ (Pearl Harbor northwest to Haleiwa). One of the drives we try to take early on to get oriented to the island is the road up and around Tantalus crater. This is a wonderfully scenic drive that immerses you into ferns, palm trees, giant philodendrons and other Hawaiian plants you’re expecting to see. Stopping along the way let us look out on different parts of O’ahu and begin to make our plans for what we want to see and in what order. Of course, plans change as opportunities arise. This time we were determined to see some areas we had not visited before.

Carnivorous Ducks and Restaurant Review

Fort Worth has an interesting skyline, but what I like best are the old buildings on the south

Texas and Pacific Railroad Station

side of town. The Texas and Pacific Railroad station is a wonderful Art Deco building that is supposed to be restored and turned into apartments and shopping. Next to it is the Post Office, with its wonderful blend of Beaux Arts and Classical architecture. And next to that is Texas and Pacific Railroad Warehouse that is also Art Deco. Someday soon I hope to blog about all of these great old buildings found in Fort Worth ~ and to try out more restaurants in the area!

Aimed at Aledo and Restaurant Review

House on the prairie

From the time I was in junior high school, the Aledo Bearcats athletic teams (football and basketball) were terrifying. This wasn’t because they were so much better than other athletic teams we played, but because those kids were ‘rough’. We dreaded playing away games because we had to ride the bus all the way out to this foreboding town, were likely to lose the game, and might get into some sort of altercation ~ at least that was what we believed when we were kids. In retrospect, both schools were classified as 2A (105 to 219 high school students) with the only difference being that Aledo was a bit more rural than Everman at the time. Now a visit to Aledo is a nice ride into an area of cattle ranches, prairie houses, and historic settings.

Venus in Blue Jeans...and Cowboy Boots and Restaurant Review

Old down town Venus

Another small town about half an hour south of Fort Worth is Venus. Originally named Gossip, it was developed as a township by J.C. Smythe and renamed Venus. This former farming area transformed into a bustling town when two major railroads met at the site. At one time Venus had a post office, a school district and small college, several businesses, and a weekly newspaper (Venus Express). However, the Great Depression caused terrible down swing in the town’s prosperity, leaving the streets nearly vacant with only a drug store in operation. With the coming of industry to the nearby community of Midlothian, Venus began to recover. Plans are underway for the rejuvenation of the town. With its pretty park next to down town, Venus could attract restaurants (beyond the two fast-food establishments that are on the highway), shops, and visitors from the Metroplex.

Maneuvering in Midlothian and Restaurant Review

About half an hour south of Fort Worth is the small town of Midlothian. Small towns in Texas

Cement Capitol Sign

usually have some interesting or quirky story behind them and they just may have a good restaurant or two. Since it was a pretty day, we decided to take a drive in the country. Now known as the Cement Capitol of Texas, Midlothian began its life as Peters Colony in the midst of Indian country. William Alden Hawkins and Larkin Newton were founding members of the colony, building houses by July 1, 1848 and thus meeting the requirements for claiming 640 acres of land, each. But, for the settlement to become a viable town, Sam Houston had to achieve peace between the settlers and the Tonkawa Indians. Once the treaty was established, other tribes that hunted in the area, the Wacos, Kickapoos, Bidias, and Anadarkos, also had to agree to honor the terms. The early residents made their living by trapping and hunting but incoming colonists began to establish cattle ranches and cotton fields. Cattle and cotton production led to the coming of the railroads, linking Dallas, Cleburn, Enis and Fort Worth; this prompted the change of the town’s name from Peters Colony to Midlothian – midpoint of the railways.