Small incidents during my daily routine/Carlos Pueblo

 Small incidents during my daily routine/Carlos Pueblo

Even though my daily life is in routine, yet there are still small incidents occurred which are bothersome. I have been like this way of life since 2012 when I turned 65 with the Medicare that made me feel more secure at the old age. I have lived in a very simple way of life, I do exercises in the morning and take several naps thereafter. I don't need to worry about the money because I do have the social security income and the requirement minimum distribution on my pension plans. However small incidents with costs unexpectedly have bothered me briefly with small costs. Recent summer heat way has destroyed my front yard lawn which I repaired in the spring plus the drought has made yards at the brink of collapsing. I was worried about the memory of my old Smartphone because the cable of the adapter was broken and I couldn't find any spare at home. I moved my old car parking on the street and damaged the right front tire.

This is a very hot summer and hardly has a rain shower. I didn't water the yards because I didn't realize how severe it would be until I saw the dry dead of the lawn. Now I still have a hard time to water the yard due to the heat way. It is too late now to salvage the loss which I must pay. I don't dare to make an estimate of the cost.

I have used this old Smartphone for a while and the cable of the adaptor was broken obviously because it was not working some time. I worried about loosing my small data after the battery went dead. I have set up my 401k account on this phone; therefore, I can check out the account value while I am away on cruises. It's only make me feel good when the market is up. I can also used another old i-phone to trade stocks when I am away on a trip. That i-phone adaptor cable is still working now. I went to stores to check on the cost to replace it. They are very expensive against my frugal charter. I then asked people to help me to purchase it on line. I don't have enough common sense about the electronic and can't figure out what the difference of 12V from 15V. Finally, my son Arthur helps me to purchase it along with his battery power light in order to put it into use for the hurricane season of lost power.

I tried to be nice to move my old vehicle up one spot in order to make a better space to the mail lady to deliver my mails. I didn't stop and took a look when the car ran into something and kept on pushing on. I felt the flat tire which I ran over a storm sewer plastic pipe. A tow truck came in to rescue me by changing the spare. My tennis leading partner came in to pick up me for the morning tennis. I didn't dare to drive the spare tire vehicle to swim and finally I drive carefully to make it to the tire store. It costs me $101 to replace tha tire with prorated warranty discount.

日常碎事／莊峻華

 日常碎事／莊峻華

雖然退休，閒居在家，仍是日常碎事纏身，我的每日生活簡單明了，凌晨天未亮就起床，因為早睡，加上晝寢多次，睡眠充足，清晨趕上網球場，我們有一業餘俱樂部，通常有兩場餘人雙打，自左膝關節微恙休息多時後，恢復球局，然後是晨泳，午前結束一日單調活動，但是仍舊遇到不順意外，例如炙熱苦旱無雨，枯死草皮；舊手機充電店線；和老車爆胎等，均是煩惱碎事。

春初，我補救受病蟲害乾枯之前院，然後我就幾次出外旅行，起初補上之草皮，似乎長滿，但到夏日，雨水缺乏，而且酷熱無比，連灑水都困難，於是前後院草皮均枯死，非常可惜，爾後整院修葺草皮，價格高昂，這是我要面對之煩惱。

家裡有支舊三星手機，幾年來手機更換多次，這舊手機仍舊可使用為小褲帶電腦，平常我可以看網誌政論節目，聽鋼琴演奏，還有設定一退休金帳戶網路，旅行時可以查看，另外一支舊蘋果手機，除上述用途外，尚可買賣股票，攜帶兩支舊手機，比攜帶一手提電腦輕便。這三星手機充電線路兩端表皮均破裂，充電非常不可靠，於是我開始煩惱，擔憂一旦失去電池，手機紀錄喪失，於是開始在家中尋找舊充電線路不果，於是設法查看電器行價格，非常有趣，電器行價格是網購之三倍以上，於是找網球夥伴幫忙，他教我上一中國網站找，但這需要一些電子常識，我遲遲不敢作主，深怕買錯，補救麻煩，幸好元兒在家，順便在亞瑪遜網站，幫我買下兩條線，解決一週之煩惱碎事。

車庫堆積家裡捨不得雜物，於是兩車停在車庫道，愛美車在前，元兒車在後，我之25年老車停在街道，愛美開車需要移動元兒車在街道老車之後，如此需要考慮是否擋住信箱，郵差不許，一日元兒開車上班，我好心為郵差著想，移動老車到舊位，結果壓過一庭院暴雨排水管出口，右前輪為塑膠管口戳破爆胎，老車動彈不得，天氣又熱，華氏104度，水泥道面約是150度，愛美又是一陣滴咕，說是天熱明日再辦，於是我大發脾氣，因為明晨無法日常上午日常活動，我不敢動元兒上班車輛，我威脅購買新車，於是老拖車公司遣來一救援技師，換上備胎，很有趣此備胎為原車廠備胎，技師需要舉起車前，始得灌滿備胎，否則重壓妨礙備胎縫隙，真是活到老學到老。

我按愛美指示，先和卡斯可大店約好翌日下午兩點，球伴好心雙打三缺一，清晨前來接我打網球，我為安全起見，省去游泳，下午提前開車到大店，戰戰兢兢，我在輪胎店等候三小時，實地觀察這美國大賣場之生意。

The wild fire devastated Lahaina, Maui Island/Carlos Pueblo

 The wild fire devastated Lahaina, Maui Island/Carlos Pueblo

Last week, the wild fire devastated Lahaina, Maui Island in Hawaii. I have been to that ancient capital town of the Hawaii Kingdom twice. First time was during the 90's of last century by land while the second trip was just a couple years before on a cruise in this century. It was a lovely town at the coastal line with a very found memory of my visits.

I was solicited by a commercial time sharing builder to have a discount time share room at Maui near the airport in front of a mountain. We have to take a cross island highway to reach back to Lahaina on the other side of that mountain. The town was one time served to be the capital of the ancient Hawaii Kingdom. The Main street was on the coast line where you could view it on the fire ruined photos which was the downtown. That year, I had visited an old Cantonese Temple, Chih Kong Tung where a Asian Thai Chinese young lady provided me a research draft report of Dr. Sun Yat-sen's stay at Maui done by a research group of Chinese students at the University of Hawaii at Honolulu campus. I did my local research myself to find an oriental grocery store with a gas pump by the main cross island highway. The lady owner referred me to her husband at the downtown ice cream store at a mall for further information. I had circled the entire island several times even went up to the top of an old volcano. Ping Tong Magistrate gave Maui Island a Statue of Dr. Sun Yat-sen at the southern end of a small stop by the across island highway. 

I also love to mention a flower called the Protea transplanted to this island by a University professor in 1965 at Kula, Maui, an University agricultural extension garden. The Protea flowers are with similar shapes of lotus flowers and very unique and charming. At that time at a super market closed to my house in Houston asked about $100 a piece. On the second time to visit Maui on a cruise, I tried and couldn't find such garden because we were on bus to Lahaina.

Near the cross island highway, you can see a cane sugar factory on the plan. I went to visit the campus. Japanese immigrants came to Maui to grow sugar canes and joined the sugar industry. I have always guessed that sugar factories in Taiwan are a copy of Hawaii. No one did the research. In 1895 Japanese Empire annexed Taiwan and put the mass land in Taiwan for Japanese investors to build sugar factories. There were no sugar industry in Japan  and no sugar canes were growing in Japan either. Japanese business learned it from their immigrants' experience from Hawaii and that was why. That sugar factory factory at Maui is still in operation so is our home town sugar factory at Huwei, Taiwan.

火災無常摧毀茂宜島古都／莊峻華

 火災無常摧毀茂宜島古都／莊峻華

火災無常摧毀茂宜島古都拉亥宜那鎮，這是最近幾日之重大災害，我曾經旅行茂宜島兩次，第一次在1992年左右，是陸地旅行，居住在茂宜機場附近之瑪莉奧特大飯店時分客棧，第二次是一年郵輪之七日行，兩次均專程拜訪茂宜古都拉亥宜那鎮，印象深刻，整個夏威夷島群都不大，一小時許就可以環繞各島，我曾繞過歐胡島，茂宜島，和可愛島多次，另外夏威夷大島，則是郵輪經過兩鎮和海岸峭壁。

這古都曾有段歷史，是夏威夷王國之統治中心，火災摧毀前是一令人喜愛之小鎮，鎮榮整潔美麗，我們開車專訪，找到一華人致公堂，致公堂拜關羽，孫文之長兄孫眉曾在茂宜島居住，有一夏威夷大學華人學生社團，曾經前來茂宜島研究致公堂，留下一份研究報告給致公堂保留，當年一位泰國客家小姐在致公堂服務，讓我借出該報告在客棧迅速閱讀，非常有趣，孫文當年投奔其長兄是在茂宜島，就在穿過茂宜島公路之唯一加油站附近村落，就是孫眉故居，當年孫眉從舊金山移至茂宜種馬鈴薯，還不是種甘蔗，孫眉送孫文到壇香山讀高中，然後再送他回香港，這村落仍有祖祠，平常關閉。屏東縣政府曾贈一孫文銅像給茂宜島南端公路旁小公園，已凋零不堪。

夏威夷大學農業推廣中心，在茂宜島苦拉村山坡地，培植南非美麗花朵普落蒂亞，我剛查谷歌是1965年，此花朵酷似蓮花，但長在灌木株上，當年一朵在休市城鄉超市售價一百美元，夏大職員招待日裔美人參觀花園，這些女長者當場掏出花剪，剪下花朵帶回家，這中心也有果株若蕃石榴，中心前有株老胡椒，長滿胡椒果粒，第二次訪問茂宜島郵輪行，我們在大購物中心搭巴士到古都，我想到夏大中心花園，但一直未發現。

貫穿公路上有一古糖廠，仍在生產運作，我對歷史有興趣，我們也參觀該糖廠，維護不若我們虎尾糖廠，我一直猜想日本人在台灣蓋許多糖廠，其動機可能是來自夏威夷，我無法考證，1895年日本取得台灣，日本移民在夏威夷種植甘蔗，操作糖廠已有經驗，於是在東京招募日本資本，興建台灣糖廠，當年台灣蔗糖產量世界第二，僅次於夏威夷。

My second visit of Bar Harbor, Maine in 2022/Carlos Pueblo

 My second visit of Bar Harbor, Maine in 2022/Carlos Pueblo

After Portland, Maine, the cruise ship sailed over night and arrived to Bar Harbor, Maine for my second visit of this lovely town of the New England in the United States. It is my intention to  make a back to back cruise journey of two weeks in order to make me feel save a pair of airplane tickets to lower my daily cost of the cruise trip. I don't mind how many times which I have been to the place. They are all very beautiful and wonderful to visit.

It is not quite a dock at Bar Harbor to take such huge cruise ship. We use a commercial tender service to get on to the town. The lovely Bar Harbor Inn is located on the left hand side with a lovely garden park with a small pavilion. Flower gardens are in front of the old section of the inn. There is another new addition of the inn by the park with many more apartment style of rooms available to visitors of the New England. I volunteered to introduce the scenery to a younger original couple to get started to visit the foot path on the coastal line toward the boarder fence of the Acadia National Park. I emphasized many lovely home gardens along the way. One by the inn and the other one right at the end of the path to turn right to the main street of the town center. I forgot to mention the lonely apple tree divided the small coastline path. Of course, the floating lobster traps were still on the sea surface.

It was again at the end of the summer season. I could feel the lonesome Main Street. The lobster restaurant which my childhood neighbor and her friends dined last week was closed. The owner even took down the sign of the restaurant. So were the art gallery and many local gifts shops. I still could get a scoop of a delicious ice cream. I couldn't wait till I reached back to the ship due to mu low blood sugar. 

二度重返緬因州棒港2022／莊峻華

 二度重返緬因州棒港2022／莊峻華

因為節省來回機票，郵輪旅行經常重覆，將一週變成兩週，時間拉長後，每日消費額可盼壓低到我的底線，這是我的節約經濟算盤，所幸郵輪路線經過港口，均有特色，因此我去年就二度重返緬因州棒港，而且一生中經過棒港許多次，上次在接駁船上，巧遇半世紀前台灣虎尾舊日鄰居，帶她們逛棒港海岸步徑，到愛開迪爾國家公園籬前，折回小鎮中心，她們只訂單程，因此我又恢復單人行。

在碼頭旁棒港旅店花園，遇到一位年輕東方人夫婦，我自動介紹步行路線，先欣賞旅店花園游泳池，這旅店規模甚大，白色建築，有增建部份公寓式，增加房間，棒港是遊覽勝地，有開車來旅客過夜。我介紹棒港住屋前院小花園，夏日最後玫瑰花仍在，大理花等，教他兩多拍照留念。

海岸佈置許多捕龍蝦陷框，水面上有彩色浮球，上週未注意到小徑上之蘋果株，這次補上一些拍照，再來就是望海豪宅別墅，未見麋鹿，國家公園籬前右轉，屋主有一美麗花園庭院，每年我都拍攝許多相片留念。

因為是郵輪季節最後一週，街道上商店大半關閉撤離，龍蝦餐廳甚至拆除招牌和食譜，非常清涼，北風瑟瑟，我想是外地人到棒港做夏天生意。冰淇淋店仍在，我因血糖低，前去購買一大匙，要價12美元，確實可口。

Prosecuting Donald J. Trump/Carlos Pueblo

 Prosecuting Donald J. Trump/Carlos Pueblo

Two weeks ago I posted a piece in Kanji edition about Prosecuting Donald J. Trump, an You Tube program by a well learned attorney on MSNBC to explain what all happening on Trump's legal issues. I went to Austin to house sit our daughter's house while she was on vacation for 8 days. Trump was criminally indicted again for the third times on August 1, 2023 on the last day of my Austin stay. I had been hooked by MSNBC and CNN in Austin for this biggest political event in the United States in history and I believe is one of the most memorable event in the human history. 

Trump excuses himself for the reason of Biden's persecution because he is the obvious leading Republican Presidential Candidate for the 2024 U.S. Presidential Election. Biden persecutes him for the rivalry. He doesn't admit that he has violated any U.S. Laws, of course, he is never be remorse yet I can see his scared sketches at D.C. district court room for his third arraignment in front of a judge to pled not guilty.

He still says that Biden has stolen the 2020 Presidential Election from him. He still claims that at the beginning of the election night his poll was leading Biden and suddenly the fraud was occurred. He still blames the dead man voting. Then, he managed to commit many crimes against the U.S. Laws which he has been facing now.

There have been two impeachment while he was in the White House, first one is something to do with the threatening to withhold aide to Ukraine if his demand of Hunter Biden's investigation was not announced by the Ukraine President; the second impeachment is after the January 6, 2021 riot at the Capitol Hill. Of course, both impeachment were not passed in the Senate. It is why he is still not change his behavior. There is a congressional investigation for the January 6 insurrection before the end of 2022 with a criminal referral to the Department of Justice for the Federal Prosecution of him. 

It is very interesting that some American voters are still voting for him to be their National Leader. I know the reasons, they are racist in their mind, they are Evangelical Christian, and they like tax cut no matter what happens.