Back in LA

The Devil Dog is back in Los Angeles after a whirlwind week in Washington DC.  The excitement in the city as we build to inauguration day is palpable, and the monuments of this Acropolis on the Potomac are  aglow at night in preparation for the crowds to come.

But in Los Angeles the Devil Dog retires to his zen compound in Sherman Oaks, the principle features in which are the two endless fountains that mark the front and back yards.

Above is the view of the golden urn fountain from just inside the front gate, and below is the blue green obelisk fountain in the midst of the Garden Bar.  The compound is a place to refresh and restore the batteries, to write and repose before the next undiluted journey that lies ahead.

Happy Birthday Mom

The Devil Dog is in Washington DC to celebrate his mother's 90th birthday.

Along with all the other beautiful qualities she has, Mom is responsible for the Devil Dog becoming a travel writer. In the summer of 2005 Mom wanted to go on a European River Cruise from Budapest to Amsterdam, and couldn't find anyone to go with her. (She was then a spry 86). When she was going to cancel her trip, the Devil Dog volunteered and, knowing it would be a great travel article, queried 18 newspapers and magazines and newspapers and was turned down by 17 of them.

One man, Richard Slusser, travel editor at The Washington Times said yes. The trip was amazing, a true adventure, 15 days on the Rhine, Meine and Danube Rivers, spectacular scenary, fairy tale castles, tiny villages, beautiful towns, Cologne, Nurnburg, Vienna, Durnstein, and Budapest, among others. After that article was published (Sept 25, 2005) the Devil Dog did 17 more pieces for The Washington Times. I also took mom on subsequent adventures, a cruise among the Fjords of Norway, from Oslo to Bergen to Kirkines well above the artic circle; a two week tour of the castles of England with my wife, her mother and my mother (the Mums Tour we called it); and last year a Mississippi River Paddleboat Cruise from Memphis to New Orleans.

As my travel writing career has blossomed, with pieces in numerous other newspapers (and upcoming articles in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Austin American Statesman, and the Honolulu Advertiser) I have never forgotten how it all began.

Thanks Mom, and Happy Birthday.

King Kalakaua's Beach House

David Kalakaua was King of the Hawaiian Islands from 1874 to 1891, and was known as the Merry Monarch for his colorful enjoyment of the finer things in life.  He had a very contentious reign, where the struggles between native Hawaiian culture and the encroachments of the Western powers (the United States and United Kingdom mainly) were an ongoing undercurrent culminating in the overthrow of his successor, Queen Liliokalani (who wrote Aloha Oe in protest of her imprisonment in Iolani Palace, bemoaning the loss of Hawaiian independence) and annexation by the United States in 1898.

But in happier times King Kalakaua used to come to Kona and relax at this beach house, which sits on the grounds of what is today the Outrigger Keauhou Beach Resort, and is very close to the birthplace of Kamehameha III. Unassuming by modern standards, it is interesting to think of the Hawaiian King in the glory of his reign spending many a relaxing day fishing or on the beach before coming back to his royal bungalow by the sea. The Devil Dog delights at the thought.

Rancho Aloha

Bruce and Lisa Corker have a beautiful property high in the hills of Holualoa, just outside the tiny village, with one acre of coffee trees, but it must be a spectacular acre because they won the Gevalia Cup in 2006.

A lawyer by training, Bruce served in the Peace Corp as a youth and was smitten with the coffee farms in the mountains of Columbia, so when he moved to Hawaii it was a natural progression to buy his own farm.

While the property is quite nice, with a larger rental house at the top, Bruce and Lisa live in this unassuming bungalow at the lower end of the property, with an idyllic surrounding and stunning views.  They produce about 1000 pounds of Rancho Aloha coffee and it ALWAYS sells out so order early and often.  Rancho Aloha Coffee can be found at www.ranchoaloha.com or by calling 808 322 9562.

Malia Ohana

Malia Bolten is a rising force in Kona Coffee.  The daughter of Dan and Jan Bolten, founders of Kona Coffee and Tea Co. (which won the Gevalia cup in 2003), Malia has her own 8 acre coffee farm, Malia Ohana, which came in second in the Gevalia Cup last year.  Malia not only handles a range of duties for her fathers operation, she is completely on top of her own farm and whatever else is going on with Kona Coffee, and she's certainly not hard to look at. The Devil Dog approves.  Of course it helps that she's sharp, bright, witty and independent, dedicated to her craft, and deeply knowledgeable about the Kona Coffee industry. Expect Malia Bolten to be around a long time.  Her Malia Ohana brand coffee can be purchased through www.konacoffeeand tea.com or by calling 808 896 7907.

Mountain Thunder Coffee

Trent Bateman is a coffee man on a mission.  His Mountain Thunder Coffee occupies 8 organic acres at the highest elevation for a coffee farm in Kona, 3200 feet, and he processes mills and roasts for a number of other farms as well.  But his Mountain Thunder organic coffee is sensational, and Trents reputation is such in Kona that he mills and roasts the coffee for all the entrants to this years Gevalia Cup.  

Trents operation is impresssive, but his home and coffee fields are beautiful.  Thats him above in front of his home.  We walked down to the middle of his coffee trees as the sun was setting where Trent has built a patio platform.  The two pictures below show his fields, first looking down towards the Pacific, and then looking up towards his house, bathed in the golden red light of the setting sun.

Mountain Thunder Coffee can be found at www.mountainthunder.com or by calling 808 325 2136.

New Years Day

The Devil Dog hopes everyone takes the time to reflect on New Years Day how good you actually have it in life, in spite of what ails you; think positively about the possibilities for 2009 and view the challenges in your life as opportunities for the redemption of the human spirit. Its a big beautiful world out there, right at home and all around the globe, so indulge....take a trip with someone you care about and find the memory of a corner of the sky you can call your own.

Last year my wife Alison and I went to St. Paul de Vence, a medieval village in the hills of the south of France, staying at the legendary Colombe d'Or, the most exqusitely personal hotel I have ever stayed in.  Our first morning there we woke up early and walked the ramparts of the tiny village as the sun was rising.  In the middle of town, at the highest point, is the church, a beautiful conclave from the 14th century.  We sat on the steps and had a local early rising passerby take the picture. It was one of the most beautiful mornings of the Devil Dogs life, and the start of an amazing 8 days in St Paul, and Vence, and Tourette sur Loup, and Cap d'Antibe, and Cagne sur Mer.

Happy New Year !!!