Category: Life
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Coming to America: the Journey from Valangin, Switzerland
Jules Ernest Tissot and Family in Chino around 1910. Back row (from left): Adele Marchaud Tissot (1824-1910), Adele Tissot Aubert (1869-1955), unknown, Jules Ernest Tissot “the Black” (1864-1915), Gabrielle Tissot Mulvane (1893-1982), Cecile Franc Tissot (1865-1941). Second row (from left): Unknown, Jules Henri Tissot (1901-1965) Front row (from left): Cecile Emma Tissot (1903-1988); unknown, Ethyl…
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The Gentle Rains of Hilo
For all I’ve been blessed with in my life There was an emptiness in me I was imprisoned by the power of gold With one kind touch, you’ve set me free Let the world stop turning, let the sun stop burning Let them tell me love’s not worth going through If it all falls apart,…
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The Heart Stones of Trinidad
I took my love and took it down I climbed a mountain and I turned around And I saw my reflection in the snow-covered hills Till the landslide brought me down Oh, mirror in the sky, what is love? Can the child within my heart rise above? Can I sail through the changing ocean tides…
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My Second Life: the Miracle of a Kidney Transplant
July 30, 1993: the day my second life began with a kidney from my Dad. In September 1992 I died, leaving behind a young wife and a 3 month old daughter. Or I would have. I was 35 years old, we lived in Hilo, and hurricane Iniki was bearing down on the Hawaiian Islands, destination…
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Best Years of Our Life: Cal Poly 1975
In September 1975 I started college at Cal Poly and I was terrified. It was a wild time and I quickly met people, got rides to the beach with friends and girlfriends, and had one of the best years of my life.
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Why (Some) Men are Idiots: the Storm Inside
“It is only when a man tames his own demons that he becomes the king of himself if not of the world.” ― Joseph Campbell, The Hero With a Thousand Faces The Storm Inside Sometimes I am pushed to do things I don’t understand, to push myself beyond all reason into a fight beyond all courage. To…
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The Giant 200-Foot Wave at Trinidad, California
One hundred years ago, on Dec. 31, 1914, the lighthouse at Trinidad Head was assaulted by a wave of monstrous proportions. Although the details are unclear, we know that the storm that produced the waves was unusual and that the wave was greater than 100 feet and perhaps much more. The only eyewitness was the keeper of…
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Gifts from the Sea: the Lives We Touch
Twenty-two years ago I saved a women from drowning and I was recently reminded of how we are all connected and how simple acts can have profound consequences. It was 1992 and I had just moved to Hawaii to start a position as an Assistant Professor at the University of Hawaii at Hilo, my dream job. Barely…
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Caught Inside: Surfing Nightmares and the Legend of Dickie Cross
A dream: I am standing on a rocky jetty staring out at the ocean as the sun starts to slide below the water. A large storm is approaching but it is warm and a gentle breeze caresses my body. The waves are huge and rolling in with tremendous power between the two breakwaters jutting out…
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Best Years of Our Life: Pacific Beach 1971
It was the best years of our life When we were children remember what it’s like To bring back memories of the good things we once knew To be right, there’s so much we gotta do. — Iron Butterfly, Best Years of Our Life, Metamorphosis ▲ click to hear the music ▲ Listening to Iron Butterfly transports me…
