Live Video of Senate Hearings on Financial Crisis

Sox 8-11, let's focus on FOOTBALL!

With the exception of the first pick, I thought the Patriots draft was pretty good – if not very good. Areas of need appeared to be filled with quite talented players that fell in the draft due to reasons that are unlikely to bother the Patriots front office. The more I look, the more I like the TE picks. In Rob Gronkowski, the Pats grabbed one of the top two tight ends in the draft. Can’t argue with that. He had injuries that kept him out of last year, but I have to imagine they are comfortable with his healing process. At 6’6” and 265 lbs, he’s a big cat. He’s “straight-line” speed isn’t great they say, but I don’t think that is a factor. The guy can run, catch and block. Fourth rounder, Aaron Hernandez, is a interesting complement to Gronkowski. He’s not much of a blocker, but a solid player from a big-time school who could be used in the passing attack. He’s “undersized”, but could easily see him in a Dallas Clark type role. Check out this stat summary from ESPN: “2009: (14/14) 68 catches, 850 yards (12.5 avg.), 5 TD; 1 carry, 16 yards; Unanimous First-team All-SEC selection, First-team AP All-American honors, John Mackey Award winner as the nation's top tight end.” Nice. [For the record; Dallas Clark: Height: 6-3 Weight: 252 v. Aaron Hernandez: 6’ 2 ½”, 245]

The Linebacker picks are good too. LB was clearly a need. Cunningham and Spikes appear well-suited for Patriots kind of defense. I like they are big SEC players, and the fact that they played together is even more intriguing to me. They don’t have first round kind of talent, but this is where Belichick’s genius comes into play. He picks solid athletes who might lack a few techniques that would get them to the next level. The knock on Cunningham is that he lacks certain pass rush moves. He has gotten where he is because of great off-the-line, first-step speed. You can be taught technique, but not speed. Spikes was considered among the top inside linebackers in the draft. Some say his “slow 40 time” at the combine caused him to drop. I say, who cares. Scouts note his great instincts and excellent tackle ability. That’s what you need in a 3-4 inside backer. I also love this ESPN quote: “Emotional leader of the defense. Plays game with a chip on his shoulder and teammates follow his lead. Has very good playing experience at the highest level.”

Fourth rounder, Taylor Price is fast with great hands and athleticism. He’s considered a hard worker with a mature attitude. Plus, he’s tall. At greater than six feet, he’s taller than some of our other wide receiver picks over the years. He needs to improve his route running skills as that is particularly important to the Patriots offense (remember Joey Galloway – “It’s not that ----- hard!”).

Oddly, I love the pick of Zoltan! A stud punter! Gotta love it. Widely considered the best punter in the draft, the Pats picked him up in the 5th. Field management is critical in football, and our punting game has been weak the past few years. The guy was a captain at Michigan. Who makes captain as the punter?!? NFL.com summary describes him as follows, “He averaged 44.5 yards in 52 attempts with 0 blocked. Mesko is excellent at dropping the ball inside the twenty yard line to pin opponents deep into their own territory. Mesko has good size and athleticism for the position with above average leg strength. Mesko has been effective in tough weather conditions and shows poise under pressure. He has been solid with his hang time and distance.”

We also picked up some O-line guys. NE has done an excellent job at developing O-line talent. These are cheap options that could easily turn out to be the next Stephen Neal. All this, AND we picked up a second rounder next year. How do we do it?!?

So what’s wrong with Devin McCourty? Nothing. I just don’t get it. You want first rounders to be starters – impact players. Think about all the talented college football players at the multitude of positions – now pick 32. Darius Butler (1st round ’09), Jonathan Wilhite, Terrence Wheatley (both 2008). We signed Shawn Springs and Leigh Bodden (including a new 5-yr $10 million of guaranteed money contract). Last season, NE was 26th in defense against #1 wide receivers, and were 17th in pass defense in general. We either aren’t good at evaluating CBs or we don’t need anymore. Which is it? McCourty was a stud at Rutgers. Nothing against Rutgers, but it’s hardly OSU. The guy has good ball skills and is apparently a smart player. However, he also looks really lanky. I love how Belichick relies on his network when drafting (almost every player in this draft class played for a Belichick friend. That’s the kind of insider information I love to see); however, I just don’t get this pick. Nevertheless, kudos on the draft as a whole.

Future President of the United States

At a local bookstore we met Mitt Romney, the former Governor of Massachusetts and future President of the United States. He was there signing copies of his new book, No Apologies. He was very nice, spoke to each of the kids (including wishing Emily Happy Birthday), and even took a picture with a stuffed gorilla, Gonzo, for Emily's school project. He was great. I wished there was time to actually have a discussion with him, but it was cool just to meet him and get our picture with him.

Rich Avoid Paying Taxes

oh, whoops. Nope, they pay most of it.

Good basic Yahoo.com/Finance article of the disparity in Federal Taxation.

HERE

Home again, home again...

We arrived safe and sound on Monday afternoon. We had a redeye out of Honolulu with a stopover in San Fran. Emily slept the entirety of both flights. Katie slept all of the first, and some of the second. Alison and I got bits of sleep here and there.

Here are a few pictures from the trip (click the individual pictures to see larger versions):

South Eastern Coast looking towards Waikiki

Lighthouse on the cliff walk on Makapu'u Point

Hardened lava along the coast of the Big Island

Approaching the Thurston Lava Tubes

The smoking Halema'uma'u crater at Volcano National Park

Probably not Alison's favorite picture, but proof she gave it a shot

Manoa Falls

Aboard the U.S.S. Missouri

Japan's WWII surrender document

Pearl Harbor survivors who met us at the entrance of the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial

Last night on the beach of Waikiki

On the beach of the Banzai pipeline

A photo of our Luau photo

Duke Kahanamoku - the man and legend who brought surfing to the masses

She Who Talks with Turtles

Although we awoke too late to feed the fish at 7:30am, we did make a trek to a place we heard from word of mouth - "turtle beach." After taking the trolly to the Marriott hotel, we stepped off property to head up the local public beach. The beaches here are state property, and thus public. The land next to them are often private. As you head up the coast from the Marriott, there is some waterfront that is beach, and some that is all rock. We didn't quite know where this famous turtle beach was. Getting there involved climbing some waterfront rocks, dodging some waves and wading through shallow water. However, in the end, we got there. It turns out, if you knew where it was, you could walk the road and take public access path right to the beach.

The small lagoon was protected by a large row of rocks. Apparently, the sea turtles like the lagoon to feed, and they are used to people. You aren't supposed to feed them, but a number of people grabbed floating seaweed, and the turles ate right from their hands.



We probably saw a total of three sea turtles swimming around. They would come and go. Sometimes there would be one. Sometimes, none. Sometimes all three. The kids made a friend there. A "local" 8-yr old girl. I use quotes because her dad is stationed at Pearl Harbor with the Navy. Her mom, who was there with her, was from Newton, MA and graduated from Mount Alvernia High School is 1990. Her sister went to Sacred Heart H.S. (the same school where my sister attended).

We spent the rest of the day at the pool, and talked with a family who we met yesterday from Waconia, MN - a town two away from us. Small worlds.

Friday Fun

Our Friday adventures took us up and down the windward (East) coast of O'ahu. Our goal was a morning snorkel trip to Hanuama Bay. We had heard that snorkeling in that bay was very cool. However, when we arrived, the parking lot was full and the Park Rangers weren't allowing anyone else in. [Grumble]

Instead, we headed up the coast. We stopped at a few viewing points. One which we climbed some rocks above the ocean waves, and another in which we viewed the Halona blowhole. After stopped for lunch for the kids a Subway, the adults ate garlic shrimp from a roadside lunch truck. Alison was hesitant, but I was insistent that at least I was going to try it out. She acquiesced, and we both enjoyed it quite a bit.

We returned to Haluama Bay to find the lot open. The beach is considered a nature preserve, and consequently, we were required to view an 8-minute movie about the preserve and its Do and Don'ts. The Bay is located below the looming cliffs, and is full of coral and sea creatures. We each rented snorkeling equipment and set out to explore the coral only a few feet below the water's surface. There is plenty of fish, and an occassional sea turtle. In fact, Emily and I saw a sea turtle swim right past us.

The kids (and Alison) found snorkeling hard, so we didn't spend a ton of time doing it. But it was very interesting. We forgot to get shots of us snorkeling, but the video below is of Haluama Bay. The dark spots in the water are the coral



The final adventure was a hike up the Maluapu'u Lookout. The paved 1 1/4 mile hike takes you well above the ocean below. The view of the Southern coast back towards Waikiki is terrific. The area is also well known for its whale viewing. We saw a number of whales swimming in the near shore, and Alison and Emily even saw a whale breach the surface.

Katie and I made the whole hike to the top. After her complaining earlier about making such a trek, I was proud she made the effort to reach the summit. From the top we got a great view of the Eastern Coast, and there is a nice view of the Maluapu'u lighthouse which sits on the side of a cliff, high above the ocean below.

We finished the day with dinner in Waikiki, and two exhausted girls.

Volcano Follow Up

We are a few days behind, and getting ready for our last day, but wanted to follow up with our Thursday trip.

We took a plane (Go! Airlines regional jet) through a tour from Robert's Hawaii to the Big Island. Our package was the Volcano National Park tour. The other option was to leave earlier in the day (we left at 11:20), and tour the whole island, but that seemed long, and we weren't sure we wanted to be in a big coach bus the entire day.

Although we picked the shorter tour, we did feel like we were on the bus quite a bit. We were on a mini-bus with about 12-14 others including a family from Northern Iowa that flew through Minneapolis, a 22 yr old girl traveling by herself from Brazil, and a group that spoke French and little to no English. Unfortunately, it rained a large portion of the day, although it did appear to let up at the most important points.

After two obligatory tour stops (one at the Mauna Lau Macademia Nut factory and one unscheduled stop that was probably a friend of the driver's place, we arrive at Volcano National Park. We drove into a viewing spot of the large Halemaumau crater with it's smoking/steaming spout. Cool, but seen from a bit of a distance. The area looked like it might be the surface of the moon. After only spending about 20 minutes there, we made two other stops in the park - 1) at these steam vents where you could feel the hot steam coming up from the earth, and 2) teh Thurston Lava Tube, where you walk through a cave-like tunnel that was created by flowing lava some 50-years ago.

From there, we got back on the bus, and drove almost back to Hilo to go to dinner. By this time, we were wondering why we choose a tour. I'd rather be on my own schedule. However, we had moved to late, and getting plane tickets had been too hard.

Our final stop was the "nightime" lava viewing. We traveled to a spot where lava had destroyed an entire area in the last 5-10 years. We trekked out 10-15 minutes to a "viewing spot." However, there was no flowing lava. In fact, the Park Rangers said they hadn't seen lava in two weeks. Consequently, we "viewed" 1,000 or more acre area of hardened, black lava. Cool, but not exactly what we were hoping for. As seen in the video, there were a couple of hot spots. Normally, you could travel down and see the lava flowing into the ocean. Our tour guide told us (after the fact) that the lava hasn't been flowing into the ocean for over two months. Historically, it had stopped for a day or two, but this is the longest it hasn't flowed. I wish we knew that before booking the tour.

We were taken back to the airport, and in the end, saw maybe 2 - 2 1/2 hours of stuff in aggregate. It was a neat, but an expensive disappointment.

Volcanos, but no flowing lava

We visited the Big Island yesterday, and took a tour of Volcano National Park. We walked hardened lava, but unfortunately saw no flowing lava. Apparently, it hasn't been seen in over two weeks. Here's a quick video, with more text to follow later...

Catch a wave

Today was a lazy morning turned Beach Girl challenge. We walked to and had a great buffett breakfast at the J.W. Marriott a couple small lagoons over. From there, we climbed some rocks out toward the ocean and collected some sealife in the tidal pools.

We meandered over to our own lagoon and spent the rest of the morning on the beach. The girls immediately found a couple friends with which to dig in the sand. Around Noon we moved to the pool. Shortly before leaving, Alison struck up conversation with the family next to us at the pool. Turns out, they are from a town away in Minnesota.

The afternoon was meant for adventure. Catching wave. We took a group lesson from an outfit called "Girls who Surf." Ironically, our instructor was a guy. Undaunted, we hit the beach of Kapolei. Two and a half hours later, we had the fundamentals. Katie struggled with getting over the fear of surfing. Emily worked through her nervousness and roade a few waves on a tandem board with the instructor. At the start, I got up a couple of times, but not more than a couple of seconds. Mostly, I struggled getting enough speed to actually catch the wave. Just as I'd get ready to leap up, the wave had past me. Alison never tried standing, but rode the board from her knees.

In the end, only one surfer actually rode of wave...



Bribed with the ability to pick dessert at Outback Steakhouse, Emily rode not one, but two waves.

On the way off the beach, Emily asked, "Dad, can I get a surfboard?" I don't know how much surfing she'd do in Minneapolis.

Surf's up, dude!