Peppercorn in Paradise

[Ron Thorne]

Yesterday's (Saturday's) News —


It's been a long, weird, stressful day in paradise. We were awakened very early this morning by the alarms on my O2 machine (new one) which was failing, causing my oxygen levels to plummet. Things became very convoluted very quickly, beginning with a 911 call, arrival of EMTs to our hotel room, and an ambulance ride to Straub Medical Center/Hospital for oxygen. The staff there could not have been better! We've had to rent an O2 machine while a replacement is being shipped from Anchorage via FEDEX at an alarming rate. We were scheduled to leave Oahu for Kauai tomorrow (Sunday), but can't leave until my new O2 machine arrives sometime Monday, so additional charges for our extended stay. There's much more, but I'll spare you further details now. We're working on being resilient. Mahalo ~

[Jazzooo]

Read about this on fb, Ron--yikes! Vacations and ERs are not the best combo I can think of. Keep us posted when you can, please.

[hornplayer]

Oh dear! You're supposed to be enjoying "Paradise!" Hope you hit the lottery soon, Ron.

[Ron Thorne]

Thanks, Doug and June. We're still stuck on Oahu, awaiting my new machine so that we can re-book our flight to Kauai. We're now paying for a hotel in Waikiki and our condo in Kauai. It's getting very expensive, but we hope to turn a corner today, with any luck.

[Ron Thorne]

Still trapped in paradise. And, we're having to do other people's work for them! No surprise. FEDEX should deliver my new machine in the next few hours, but it may be too late to book a new flight to Kauai without paying a stupid premium rate. It's looking more like we'll be getting to our beloved island tomorrow. It's only money and emotions, right?

I promise to post some more positive notes and photos as soon as possible.

[A. Kingstone]

Ron: My dad had an 'major medical event' a few years ago in Hawaii and the attention he received I believe saved his life.

Hope your delivery arrives quickly and that you're on the mend.


PS. Enjoying some baseball broadcast from Taiwan. Canada is in tough against Mexico today.

[Ron Thorne]

Thanks, Alan!

My new portable oxygen concentrator arrived today ... finally. We have to pay the penalty on Hawaiian Airlines for changing our flight before we can contest it. We fly to Kauai tomorrow and resume our 50th Anniversary Tour in our 50th state. Some more good comments and photos will appear here soon, in high contrast to the recent news. Onward and upward!

[Ron Thorne]

Patti & I finally arrived on our favorite place on the planet this afternoon. Here's proof ... a quickly snapped shot through our aircraft's window of one of our first views of Kauai. Hooray!

[Ron Thorne]

Earlier today: enjoying our lanai for the first time, and it's a glorious view.

[Ron Thorne]

Here is a trio of photos I was lucky enough to capture of a pair of beautiful Hawaiian Nene Geese near a favorite taro field on Kaua'i. They were "talking" to me the whole time.

These gorgeous geese are the state bird of Hawai'i, endangered, and the rarest goose in the world.