HIGHTIDE

By Shane Bloom

This book is a biography about my unique and extraordinary life that most people couldn't even imagine, or even comprehend. I had the best childhood, spending my summers in a log cabin with my grandfather in remote Alaska (even being rescued by a coast guard helicopter). This fueled my unique connection to animals and nature. I married my high s

• Language: English
• Publisher: Amazon Book Marketing Pros
• Release date: Dec 19, 2023
• ISBN: 9781962290548

Book preview

HIGHTIDE

YOU WON’T BELIEVE THIS!

By

Shane Bloom

Copyright © 2023 Shane Bloom

All Rights Reserved.

This book is subject to the condition that no part of this book is to be reproduced, transmitted in any form or means; electronic or mechanical, stored in a retrieval system, photocopied, recorded, scanned, or otherwise. Any of these actions require the proper written permission of the author.

This book contains explicit material that may not be suitable for a young audience. Reader discretion and parental guidance is recommended for individuals under the age of 16. The content may include mature themes, strong language, and graphic descriptions of personal experiences.

Dedicated to my amazing family. Sorry Mom, some of this may be hard to read, but it is not a reflection on you! ��

Contents

Author’s Note

Acknowledgement

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Reflection

Author’s Note

I'm still in my early fifties, but man, have I lived one heck of a thrilling and exciting life that most people can't even imagine or wrap their heads around. I have been told time and time again that I need to write a book and share all of my unbelievably crazy and beautiful experiences. In so many words, YOU WON’T BELIEVE THIS!

Acknowledgement

I want to thank my amazing wife, Dyan, for all her support over the years, most of which, perhaps, I don’t even deserve. We have always joked that I would go to heaven on a buddy-pass because of her. My life wouldn’t have been so special if it wasn’t for my parents, John and Irma, my grandfather Earthum Willie, my aunt and uncle Lorena (also referred to as Ren) and Knox, who all gave me the childhood of my dreams and allowed me to become the person I am today! Thanks to my friend Karen for guiding and not judging me. Also, thanks to my friend Bob for helping me with the edits.

Chapter 1

Let’s journey back to the nostalgic era of the 70s and 80s, the greatest time to be a kid, in my opinion. I was an only child with wonderful supportive parents who did their best to provide me with everything that I needed as a child. Some of my earliest memories were living on my grandma’s farm; an old farmhouse where chickens, sheep, pigs, and horses roamed around. We even had a pony that I would ride, but she would always try to get me off her back. She was stubborn and would back up into the black-berry bushes or try to buck me off. I always loved it when she would try to buck me off; she never did!

I was always outside doing something! There was a huge weeping willow tree, and I would grab the long limbs/vines and swing out, dropping onto the hay piles stacked below. My favorite activities always revolved around the animals. Dad taught me how to feed them and look after them properly. I would grab onto the back of the sheep, and they would pull me around the pasture (I could easily entertain myself). I learned to pull up carrots, rinse them under the spicket, and eat them, but my favorite treat was picking and eating the pea pods. One of my most visual memories was getting on my knees with my grandma Ginny in the living room. As the sun came through the window, she would pray for God to watch over me and keep me safe (probably a good idea).

----------

We moved to West Seattle, so I could eventually go to the schools my dad attended, and follow in his footsteps; he was very popular in the area. There was an alley behind our new house, and on the other side of the alley, the neighbors had a fence. I could hear and see their hunting dogs through slots in the fence.  When my parents couldn’t find me, they would climb up and look over the fence; they knew I would be playing with the dogs in their dog run or their dog houses. Soon, my dad found us a Husky named Brandy that needed to be rehomed. He quickly became my best friend and would sleep with me and always protect me. I remember being in the front yard, and the neighbor reached over the fence to pat me on the head. Within seconds, Brandy had his arm in his mouth. He didn’t bite down hard, but made sure he didn’t touch me again. We didn’t have a fence in the backyard, but we had a dog house under the back window of the house! Whenever we came home, I would run and open the window, and Brandy would jump up on his dog house. Then I would let him off his chain, and he would run to the back door.

I quickly made friends. Darren was my best friend, who lived at the end of the street. I would walk down the sidewalk and call for him, because I wasn’t allowed to cross the street. We would usually hang out and play daily. He had a sister, Tammy, who was my first crush and first kiss. Yeah, I started young, haha!

There was a neighborhood pool and recreation center at the end of our street. This is where I learned to swim and started taking gymnastics. I didn’t continue with the gymnastics because I didn’t like being sore. Then my parents signed me up for soccer. I wasn’t the best on the team, but I was fearless, and the coach nick-named me Badger.

----------

For Christmas that year, we took the train to Big Mountain Montana for a ski trip! We got dropped off at the Amtrak terminal in Seattle, and the train ride was an absolute blast! We stayed at a hotel where we shared a common bathroom with some young men. Mom and Dad were good skiers, but because I was only five years old, I had never skied before. They arranged for me to have lessons, and before you knew it, I was off the rope tow and hitting the chair lifts. It was great fun, and I never wanted to come back. But they would make me when my lips started to turn blue. I remember we exchanged gifts with the young men we shared the bathroom with on Christmas Eve. One of them gave me his yellow sunglasses, and I would wear them inside and outside. On the return trip, our train had engine problems, and we had to wait for them to change it out. Then the compartment with the food froze, and we only had drinks and snacks available. It was a long trip back with the mechanical issues, but I loved every minute of it. I still have the logo set of cocktail glasses that my parents bought!

----------

The following spring, I remember getting in trouble with another kid, playing with matches. We ended up burning the neighbors’ back parking area by the alley. We were able to put it out, but I remember my parents were pissed!

----------

Once, my cousin Dusty was over, and we went to my mom’s soccer game. She was playing at the field behind the middle school, and Dusty and I were hanging out with the Duke Brothers; they were the coaches’ kids and much older than us. They started breaking out windows in the school, and Dusty and I joined in like dumb-asses. As we were breaking a window, a lady walking by saw what we were doing and started to follow us. We took off and ran back to the game. The following week, I was called to the office from my second-grade class. A detective there wanted to ask me some questions (imagine being called to the office in second grade by the police). Mainly regarding how I was involved in breaking the windows with the Duke Brothers. The detective said, They have already admitted to everything and said you and your cousin didn’t do anything. I told him the truth that we joined in. Nothing really came of it, except we had to pitch in to pay for the damage, and Dusty and I were both on restriction.

----------

Due to the busing policy of the school district, my dad decided it was time to move. While my mom was visiting my aunt and uncle in Kodiak, Alaska, my dad bought a house in White Center. Mom had two surprises when we picked her up from the airport. My dad had shaved my head, at my request to look like the Olympian swimmers on TV. I jumped out from behind my dad and yelled, Surprise! She was a little stunned and then smiled.

Then my dad said, Hey, I bought a house, and ours is for sale!

What? I have only been gone for ten days! she replied.

----------

I remember the day we moved. I was throwing a Nerf football on the roof of our new house, letting it roll down to catch it. I quickly made friends with the other kids from the new neighborhood. They all called me smiley (I was a really happy kid), and they liked our Husky, Brandy. It was a great neighborhood; all the kids were always outside. We knew we had to be home when we were called for dinner or, on school nights, when the street lights came on. We would play hide and seek, whiffle ball, football, and smear the queer (at those times, we didn’t have a clue that was offensive). You play that by throwing the football in the air; whoever grabs it runs until the others tackle him.

----------

That summer, we were at a family friend’s ranch, where my dad eventually trained and showed Arabian horses. Their kids were a little older than me and taught me how to ride a bike. They said, Jump on, and sent me down a big grass hill. I didn’t even crash! I had no fear of anything. On a side note, I later hit my head on the mantle of their fireplace and got a concussion. I still have the scar!

----------

I remember visiting my Grandpa Willie’s house a lot while I was young. He lived with my step-grandma, and she had a daughter named Tina; she was several years older than me. As time went on, things got very weird! Tina would take me into a back room, and we would get naked together. This happened every time I saw her. She told me that I couldn’t tell anyone. She was always so nice to me that I didn’t think anything of it at that time.

----------

My dad bought us a camper, and we started to take vacations. Our first one was down the Oregon and California coast. We went to the Redwood Forest and stopped at all the main attractions and theme parks. While camping, my dad was pitching me whiffle balls, and he couldn’t strike me out; I could hit anything. He tried curves with no luck, and when he got frustrated, he started throwing the ball at me and laughed when it hit me.

----------

On the next camping trip, we went to the Yakima River. Back then, it was first come, first serve, not private like today. My Grandpa Willie, his wife, her daughter Tina, and one of her friends were there too. We were right on the river. I brought my friend, Paul; he was the son of my dad’s childhood friend, Tom. Our moms had started playing soccer together, and we would go to each other’s homes for the holidays. We floated the river, fished, and had fun. While inner-tubing, Paul got caught in the current and was pulled further out into the river. He yelled, HELP!

My dad yelled back, Stand up! It is still shallow!

It worked, and Dad went out to get him. After that, we tied our tubes together. Later that day, Grandpa and Dad went fishing together. They returned with a bunch of trout for dinner and had a huge Rattle Snake. Dad told us they walked up on it, and then it went under a wood pile. Grandpa told my dad, When I lift up this wood, thump it on the head with this big stick! He lifted it, but Dad couldn’t see it since it blended in perfectly. Grandpa grabbed the stick and thumped it on the head. Later that evening, the adults were sitting around the fire, and Paul and I were hanging out in the tent. Tina and her friend came in. Tina was so mean to me (really mean), to the point of making me cry, and the adults came to see what was going on. The rest of the weekend, Paul and I kept to ourselves.

----------

A short time later, Grandpa, his wife, and Tina came for a visit during the holidays. Tina wanted to hang out upstairs in my room. Wow, she was super nice to me again! Within minutes, she got me naked and told me not to say anything, as usual.

----------

Out of nowhere, I started to think about what happens when you die. I found it to be a terrible feeling, just picturing black and silence! I just thought, could there be nothing after death? Then I started questioning why we were here. It would really bum me out (I would be down in the dumps for a day or so), and it would just come and go from time to time.

----------

The following summer, my Auntie Ren set up a trip to Kodiak for me and one of their friend’s kids, Jason. Both families got to know each other at the airport while we waited for our flight. Both of us were only seven years old when Jason and I boarded the plane to Kodiak. I remember we flew on Western Air, and the crew was amazing. We got to go in the cockpit and meet the pilots, and they even gave us wings to wear. My aunt picked us up at the airport because my Uncle Knox was working at his dental practice. We drove out to their property on Spruce Cape which overlooked the water. It was cool; Jason and I got to sleep in the banya (Russian Bath House) right on the edge of the cliff. Jason and I would climb down the cliff using the rope that was secured. We would find huge starfish and other sea creatures at low tide.

Then we took an adventure. We flew over to a lake in Knox’s float plane. We did a little fishing, then Knox let us stand on the floats while he taxied the plane to the other side of the lake (imagine if you did that now). The next day we drove to the fireworks stand. They had the BIG stuff we couldn’t get in Washington! Knox was just a big kid, and we bought a ton of fireworks. On the Fourth, they had some friends over. The adults were drinking, and we were all having fun. Jason and I were lighting all of the fireworks off. I lit a big Roman candle that I was holding in my hand. The wick burned down, and nothing happened. I thought it was a dud, but then it just EXPLODED! I couldn’t hear anything, and I couldn’t feel my hand. They rushed me into the house and got it under some cold water. It was completely black and swollen! Though I didn’t lose any fingers, and it ended up being ok. I just watched the rest of the night, and no one held anything from then on.

One of their good friends was in town with his father, getting ready for the salmon season to open. His father got really drunk, and Jason propped up the next Roman candle with rocks so that it wouldn’t blow up in anyone’s hand. As it started to go off, it fell over and started shooting fireballs toward us. We all ran except for their friend’s father; he just stood in the line of fire. One hit him right in the chest, and the adults ran over to make sure his clothes didn’t catch fire. I couldn’t stop laughing, and everyone joined in once they knew he was ok. That night he slept on their couch. When he woke up in the morning, he looked around at everyone, then down at his shirt and saw the burnt hole. He looked up and said, Damn, that must have been one hell of a case of heartburn. We laughed about that all day! Jason and I were there a few more days and did so many fun things. We even got in the river and tried to catch salmon that were spawning with our hands. I totally fell in love with Alaska from that point!

----------

Upon returning from Alaska, my parents showed me a picture of a little girl named Heather and explained she was up for adoption. I was excited to have a sister, and they started the process. Unfortunately, it ended up not going through, and we were all disappointed.

----------

I wanted to be outside more than ever. The older neighborhood kids showed me a pond full of frogs and perch. It was also next to a blueberry patch, so we always had something to eat. In the summer, we were there every day, and I got good at catching frogs and fishing. I also ate blueberries by the handful to stay full. One of my friend’s dads was a sheet metal worker, and he made all of us kids large cages for frogs. We made little habitats with plants and water. Then we started to catch snakes and made their habitats as well. My mom was NOT happy about that, and neither was the older lady June, who lived next door! When the snakes would escape, they would end up in her garden. I even lost a few in our house somewhere (which I didn’t tell my mom)! When I saw one go behind the fridge, I decided, no more snakes in the house!!!

----------

We also used extra sheet metal to make bottle rocket guns. They were awesome, and we would get on both sides of the street. Then we would slide the bottle rocket into the end of the gun, leaving enough room to light it. After lighting it, we would push it all the way down the barrel, then aim at the guys across the street. Our bottle rocket wars were epic. Sometimes we would go home not hearing or seeing very well.

----------

My cousin Dusty would get dropped off by his dad on his way to work. He even went to school with me for a while. Dusty wanted to get in on the action at the pond, and oh yeah, he liked blueberries. One day walking back from the pond, a station wagon pulled up, and the guy said, Hey, do you know how to get to the freeway? I gave him directions, and as we continued to walk, he pulled up again and said, My dog is missing, could you guys get in and help me find it?

No, we have to get home, we replied.

When we got home, my parents overheard us talking about it and said, What the hell are you guys talking about? Then they called the police, and we gave our statements to the police.

We still talk about it today. Except now, my cousin always says, That guy wanted to rape you and probably kill you!

----------

One afternoon Mom was laying in the sun in the backyard. All of a sudden, I could hear her yelling. I went out back, and there were apples all over the yard. They had big nails sticking all the way through them! Just then, another one flew over the fence, almost hitting Brandy! Mom yelled, Knock it off. It was the neighbor kids who lived on the next street over, but our backyards were kitty-corner from each other. The whole neighborhood had a love-hate relationship with this family. The parents worked at night, and they would leave their dogs out to bark ALL NIGHT. If the dogs ever got out, they would bite people. I was bitten by them twice! When my dad got home, he went over and knocked on their door. Their mom answered the door snarky but toned it down when she saw my dad. He had bought their kids baseball gloves because when Dad helped coach the elementary school team, he learned they didn’t have any. My dad came home and said, They won’t be doing that again. Later, they threw a bunch more apples in our backyard, but at least this time, there were no nails in them. The next weekend my uncle Phil was visiting. He heard about the apples with the nails and dogs barking all of the time; he was going to handle it with Big Blue. That was his lifted 4X4 with a roll cage on the inside. It was a beast. He wanted to drive it through their house, but my parents calmed him down. He actually would have! He was pretty crazy!

----------

I always wanted a new BMX bike (Race Inc. brand, to be specific) since the first time I saw one. It was the best and most expensive bike, but I didn’t have any money saved up. So, I got a paper route like some of the older kids. It didn’t take long for me to save money delivering papers and doing odd jobs for people. I remember my mom driving me to the bike shop (that I had visited a hundred times) to buy my bike. I was so excited, and my friends were excited for me. That night we rode until it was dark out. I continued to make sure the papers were delivered on time, but really, I only collected money when I needed it.

----------

We rode our bikes everywhere. Man, we thought we were so cool that we started doing stupid stuff! On Friday nights, the Catholic Church down the road would host bingo. They would crack open the windows, and we would yell, BINGO! Once they figured out it was us, they would come out and chase us. We thought it was so funny and would laugh the whole time the priests and nuns chased us.

----------

When delivering papers to the upper-end apartments, we would get in the elevator, go between floors, turn it off and climb on top of it. Then we would have one of our friends ride us up and down. When we were all done, we would sound the elevator alarm and take off.

----------

One day at school, I thought it would be funny to punch the fire alarm. The ink that shot out missed my shirt, but the whole school was evacuated, and several fire trucks came. I talked my way out of that one, saying I tripped and hit it by accident.

----------

One evening on a dare, I climbed up the side of the neighbor’s rear patio cover using the metal decoration that allowed me to get a foothold. Once on top, my friends were able to hold my bike high enough that I could grab the front tire. Once I had my bike, I walked up to the top of their two-story roof! Then I rode down and jumped off the front of the house, nearly breaking my ankle. We took off when they came out to yell at us. They knew who we all were but never told our parents; maybe because they enjoyed watching us play whiffle ball, using half of their driveway. I was also their paperboy, and they had a soft spot for me.

----------

One of the older kids showed us a gate a few miles away that led to the park ranger’s house at the beach. It was a curvy and steep road, and we would race and see who could make the bottom the fastest.

One day on the race to the bottom, I was way out in front of everyone. Then, I overshot the corner, flew over the bank, and rolled down the hill. Thank God there were some ferns that broke my fall. I was banged up pretty good and really dirty! My friends got to the bottom and couldn’t find me! They finally came back up the dirt road looking for me. I had bent my rim and was walking while carrying my bike. That sucked! I had to walk all the way home. One of the older kids in the neighborhood had an extra rim and showed me how to replace it and tighten the spokes.

When I got home, my mom said, What happened to you? Are you ok?

I’m fine, just crashed my bike, I replied

PLEASE, be more careful, she said—something I never intended to do.

----------

Over time, we made a rope swing that would swing out over the clay cliffs. I was the first to try it; it was a little scary, but fun. We did it all of the time until one kid fell and got really hurt. The park ranger ended up removing the rope and placed a no-trespassing sign.

----------

Behind our house was a home with a car junkyard. We would climb the fence and play in and on the cars. They also had cherry and fruit trees, which made it a cool hangout. We got in trouble with the owner for shooting some of the car windows with our BB guns, and he ended up getting a huge Malamute Husky named Chinook to keep us out. He was an awesome dog, and I would pull up his cyclone fence and let him come into our yard to play ☺.

----------

We would ding-dong-ditch houses and then hide in the bushes. Many times, we would call and order pizzas to people’s houses (we knew everyone’s phone number back then, and there was no caller ID!), especially if one of our friends couldn’t come out and play with us. I remember ordering pizzas to our friend's house up the street, then hiding and watching them deliver them. They would answer the door and say, We didn’t order a pizza! Most of the time, it would backfire because they would just pay and take them. On one occasion, a person didn’t take the pizza, and we just happened to be walking past. We said, Hey do you have any extra pizza? We will take it! And this is how we were able to get a pizza really cheap!

----------

Heading into summer, Tina became my babysitter on weekends. It was so weird; she would be in the neighborhood hanging out with me, then she started dating one of my friend’s older brothers. She would treat me like absolute shit, then be extremely friendly when we were back at the house, always getting me naked. It got to the point that I made excuses for her not to come over. I would do sleepovers at a friend’s house or say I didn’t feel good. That was around the time I really started to be uncomfortable and shy around girls in general due to the feelings I had experienced and held in from her.

----------

The best part of the year was meeting Vo. A lady (they called her a sponsor) came to our soccer practice and brought a kid named Vo. He had come from Vietnam with his mother and sister. As they were introducing him, I reached out to shake his hand and introduce myself. That was the start of a great friendship! He went to a different school, but we would always pick him up for practice and have him over to the house. I later found out that his father was MIA from the war. Vo and I would do everything together. He was usually as good or better than me at most things and was CRAZY athletic. He became like a brother to me, and from that year on, we dominated at soccer! He met Martin from his school, and he joined our team. And we became the three amigos!

----------

On a visit to Paul and Dyan’s (our dads played pee-wee-football together as kids, and our moms played soccer together), we went to the convenience store down the road. Paul rode his bike, and Dyan and I walked. We played a few video games and bought some candy. When we went back outside, Paul’s bike was gone. We searched all around the store and the nearby area. No luck; it was gone.

A few weeks later, my friend Brandon and I got dropped off at Skate King (a roller-skating rink). We were waiting for a few other friends to show up, and kept going to the door to see who was in line. Then I spotted Paul’s bike leaning against the wall. I asked to use the phone and called my parents. Soon, Paul and his dad showed up, and the police came and ended up finding the kids that stole the bike inside the building. They were in possession of other stolen bikes as well. Paul and Tom said, Thanks! And we went back to skating.

About a month later, Paul and I had to go to juvenile court to testify about the bike. The kids that got arrested had a lawyer who asked us questions repeatedly, just trying to spin the truth. The kids kept trying to intimidate me. Once they were done with me and I got up to leave, the main kid said, You will get yours! They ended up losing and got some community service.

----------

That Christmas was a special one; we focused on Vo and his family instead of ourselves. We bought Vo a bike and presents for his mother and sister. That was the best-feeling Christmas I had ever experienced. They were so grateful, and I will never forget the smiles on their faces!

----------

One afternoon, some of us were heading to the bike shop in Burien, and we stopped by the wooded area by the library to hit some jumps. Someone had the bright idea to climb on the roof because the library was closed. While a few of us were on the roof, the janitor came out and started yelling, I am calling the police! The police station was literally across the street. Even though it was about eighteen feet high, I ran and jumped and landed on a metal sprinkler head covered in ivy. My ankle went completely sideways and made a horrible cracking noise. I was in massive pain but didn’t want to get in trouble. I limped to my bike, and then I pushed with one leg to get further into the wooded area. Once I got to the other side of the woods, I found my friends, who said, Let’s get out of here.

I can’t pedal! I replied.

We started pushing our bikes up the road slowly because I was sitting on the seat pushing with one leg in pain. It started raining, and a few blocks later, a lightning strike hit the street next to us. It made a massive BOOM, and everything went bright white. We were startled and cursed, HOLY SHIT! simultaneously. Then we laughed and kept going.

Finally, we reached one of our friend’s houses, and his mom had just gotten home from work. She was a nurse, and so, she had a look at my ankle. It was swollen and turning a dark purple. How did this happen? she asked.

He twisted his ankle, her son replied,

It’s just a sprain! You will be fine, she assured.

I lightly pedaled home and pushed with one leg up the hills. Once I got home, my dad said, Get ready for soccer practice. I agreed and tried not to show the massive pain I was in. My dad was one of the coaches, so we picked up a few kids on the way to the field. At practice, I was limping around, and noticing, he said, What’s up with you?

Nothing, my ankle just hurts, I replied. Then it was time to practice corner kicks, and I was always the one to take them. I tried taking one and just couldn’t get the ball across the field. My dad had me go and sit down.

Once we got home, my parents wanted to look at it. They had a hard time even getting my cleat off; the ankle was huge and black and blue. They asked me again, How did this happen?

I did it jumping my bike, I responded.

I had a shattered ankle, so they took me to the ER and put me in a cast. At my check-up, the cast was mush on the bottom from walking on it and not using my crutches. They cut it off and gave me a new cast. I just played video games after school and stayed off it per the doctors and my PARENTS' orders. I gained a ton of weight, probably because I was eating Doritos all day. Finally, the cast came off, and I was back outside.

----------

Then I tried out for baseball. The coach would make us run a lot. In the beginning, I was toward the back of the pack, but within a month, I was usually first or second. I quickly shed the weight. I loved baseball right away, and everything came easy. However, during our third game, I remember getting hit in the chest area by a pitch by an older kid. I started crying and just reacted. I ran toward the pitcher with my bat, ready to hit him. My coach ran over and grabbed me. He settled me down and helped me get my composure.  We ended up winning the game, and I went on to play All-Stars with the kid who hit me.

----------

A few weeks before Christmas, my dad came into my classroom to talk to my teacher. He said, We are going to Hawaii for Christmas. We will be leaving a few days before school is out. Can you put together any classwork that Shane will miss?

Sure, have a great vacation! the teacher replied.

My classmates came up to me all day saying, You are so lucky!

I got a Walkman for Christmas, and a note that read, You can listen to this on the way to Hawaii. I was beyond excited. Knox and Auntie were already there, and we would join them. Once we landed and got our bags, they would pick us up. I was expecting Knox to have some fancy rental car. Sometimes, when they would visit from Kodiak, he would rent a Porsche. They pulled up in this little yellow, four-door Toyota-something. It was a stick shift and had no A/C. Auntie jumped out and said, Aloha, welcome to Kona and Santa’s yellow slay. We laughed and jumped in. We headed south of Kona, where we stayed in some beautiful Condos they rented. We were right on the ocean, and the waves would hit the rocks and splash up by the Lanai. The water wasn’t accessible, but it was amazing!

Once we were settled in, we drove back to Kona. We rented snorkeling gear and boogie boards for the week. We hit a great snorkeling beach on the way back. It was easy access and full of beautiful fish. We stayed for a few hours, then headed back to the condo for happy hour. Knox made Chi-Chi’s; mine was made virgin, of course. We all sat on the Lanai and watched the waves crash. I kept throwing food to the wild Mongooses. Knox said, The Hawaiian Islands had a rat problem. Someone had an idea to bring over the Mongoose to kill them off. The problem was one is nocturnal, and one is not. They both multiplied. Random fact for you!

Ok, here’s how the week will go! Auntie said, We have a few trips planned. Tomorrow, we will drive up to Hapuna Beach to hang out for the day. Other than that, everyone will get a day of their choice. You can choose anything, and that’s where the car will go. We all thought that was great, especially me. She was a planner and liked everyone to have fun.

The following day Knox and Auntie asked, Do you want to go running with us? I agreed, and that ended up being the way we started every morning.

It was a pretty long drive to Hapuna. Once you pass the airport, it is pretty much lava fields. My uncle said, This is where they do the Ironman. They do the swim in Kona by the King Kamehameha Hotel, then the bike and run are out on this highway. Knox had run the marathon part of the race the year before. 

We got to the parking lot and walked down the hill. Knox told us about the currents and what to do if you got caught in one. We claimed our little piece of the beach and laid our things down. Knox took me out boogie boarding. The beach was perfect to learn on, and immediately, I was hooked. I ended up out there all day, except when they waved me in to eat lunch. They pretty much relaxed on the beach and read. They would come down and get in the water when they would get too hot, or they would boogie board with me.

There was a homeless-looking man that would run up and down the beach. He would stop at the end and do pushups. Well, they were really bad pushups, as he would only go down about two inches. He was skinny, had a long beard, and had the darkest tan I had ever seen. Everyone found him very entertaining, though.

As we drove back to Kona, we saw him walking down the highway. That night my aunt said, I think tomorrow’s day should be Irma’s (my mom’s). Irm, what do you want to do?

I would like to visit Hilo and see the volcano, my mom replied.

The next day we headed for Hilo. As we were driving up the highway almost to Hapuna, we saw our homeless friend walking again. Then we hit a cowboy area in Waimea; I wasn’t expecting that. As we hit the east side, we stopped at many lookout spots and made some side trips to waterfalls. We hit a bunch of shops and had lunch in Hilo. I was pretty bored and would rather be at Hapuna or snorkeling, but it was my mom’s day.

Then we hit the Volcanoes National Park, which was really amazing. Now, I was glad we made the trip. We went around the south end of the Island and stopped at Black Sand Beach! It was an incredibly long day, and we headed back after that. The rest of the drive was lush and beautiful.

That night it was my dad’s turn to choose. He chose to golf because someone told him to make sure to golf if he was ever in Hawaii. He and Knox went golfing while my aunt and mom rode in the carts with them. Neither Knox nor my dad were great golfers. I hung out by the clubhouse, messing around on the putting green, etc. They did give me money for lunch, but I was BORED!!!

After their round, my dad opened the back door of the car and said, Where did all of these golf balls come from? The floorboard was full. There were at least a hundred of them.

I said, I found them out in the grass. They laughed! That was the driving range! Heck, I didn’t know.

That afternoon, we hit some shops in town, and they wanted to see a movie that had just come out (An Officer and Gentleman). As we watched the movie, my dad kept telling me to close my eyes. Oh boy, that sucked!

The next day was Knox’s day. He chooses to go windsurfing at the Sheraton in Waikoloa. It was a beautiful day. While Knox was windsurfing, I was snorkeling in the bay and followed the sea turtles for hours.

I was in pretty shallow water and saw a long chain on the bottom, so I swam over to dive under and get it. It was only in four-feet deep or so. As I started to dive, it moved! It was a sea snake. That’s when I found out you can’t swim backwards very fast. I swam back to shore. It was time to go anyway, and we headed back for happy hour.

The next day was Christmas Eve Day, and it was my choice. Of course, after breakfast and our run, we headed for Hapuna. Once on the beach, our homeless friend was doing his routine jog and bad pushups from one end of the beach to the other. I boogie-boarded all day. Knox, my mom and my dad would take turns coming out with me. What a great day! When we returned to the condo, a volleyball game was going on. We joined in. And it was a perfect Christmas Eve! No presents, just enjoying each other’s company.

The next day was Ren’s day. We did tours of the coffee plantation and other museums, then snorkeled at the bay of Captain Cooks Monument! There were bigger fish there, and a four-foot shark had washed up on shore. That didn’t scare me! I just wanted to be in the water. 

Before you knew it, they were dropping us off at the airport! Now I had two places I loved, Hawaii and Alaska!

----------

When I got back to school, I was really tan. We were having a Scoliosis test that week, and when they lifted up my shirt to examine my back, they commented on my tan lines. Then asked me a lot of questions and told me I had Scoliosis. I didn’t think anything of it and went on with my day.

Chapter 2

We were on a family vacation with another family in Eastern Washington. They decided at the last minute to go skiing at Mission Ridge and invited me! Because my dad blew out his knee playing soccer, I hadn’t skied since I was five years old, when I skied in Montana. All I had to wear was a pair of jeans, a fleece pullover, and fingerless wool steelhead gloves.

We rented gear and headed for the chair lifts. To everyone’s surprise, I got right on the lift with no problem. We needed to change lifts to go to the top, and I came down the hill and forgot how to slow down and stop. I slammed into the back of everyone waiting for the next lift, causing several people to fall! Man, were they pissed off!  My friends and their dad thought it was hilarious! Then we made it to the top, and they said, Just follow us.

They headed for the black diamond runs (for experts only!). I stood there at the top and said, No way!

Just get in a tuck! my friend replied. I took off and got in a tuck, as they said. When I hit some moguls, I crashed and burned HARD. I ended up falling all the way down the hill; I was wet and exhausted and told them I was done and would wait for them in the lodge. Their dad talked me into going on a shorter run while the other guys went back to the expert runs!

The sun helped me dry out while we were on the lift. This time, I started getting the hang of it again and didn’t slam into anyone waiting for the chair lift. I actually did pretty well the rest of the day, but I was so worn out and hurt everywhere!

We stopped for some burgers on the way back, and I had an idea to prank my mom and dad! I grabbed a bunch of ketchup packets, and we used gauze from the first aid kit. I wrapped my head in gauze with the ketchup under it! It really looked like blood was seeping through! I had them carry me into the vacation house as I moaned in pain. My mom frantically started crying while she and my friend’s mom kept yelling, What happened? I started laughing and pulled the gauze off. His mom slapped my arm, and my mom said, Don’t ever do that again! It made up for all of the crashing and burning, though!

----------

I had joined the Boy Scouts with a few of my friends, and we were staying the weekend at the scout camp, doing some trail work and repairs. In our free time, we would canoe and do archery. There was one kid who was an oddball. He would just hang around his mom, who was working in the mess hall. The four of us were heading down to the water (I had brought my wrist rocket). As we passed the mess hall, he was standing out front, wearing a long coat and holding a walking stick or a staff. He started yelling something while twirling the staff, but we couldn’t understand him because we were about fifty yards away. I was going to scare him, so I grabbed a rock and shot it at him. You could hear it as it went over his head, hitting the side of the mess hall. Then he yelled something else. I shot another one at him. No shit, he blocked it with the staff (you could hear it bounce off). Then I shot a bigger rock at him. We saw and heard it hit him in the head; he fell backward and hit the ground. Then his mom and a few other ladies ran out from the mess hall. We all took off running. 

Soon, a couple of the older scouts asked, Who has the wrist rocket? I handed it to them. Then to my surprise, we headed to the archery area. They used the wrist rocket to shoot arrows high into the air while we all ran for it.

Later during lunch, I apologized to the kid I hit with the rock. Holy crap, he had a huge lump on his forehead.

----------

My parents had a big BBQ, and my grandpa came by himself (thank God, no Tina). There were a lot of people in the backyard, and after he said hi to everyone, he looked at me and said, Hey do you have hair on your balls yet? How embarrassing! He had just retired and said he was heading to Alaska full-time, then asked, Do you want to come up to Alaska and help me finish the cabin? He and his brother Barney, from Texas, had started building a log cabin.

I said YES! before my parents could even answer. It took some convincing because he was a heavy drinker, but they agreed to let me go.

My ticket was booked, and I headed to Kodiak for three weeks that August. I flew to Anchorage, transferred planes after a short layover, and then landed in Kodiak later that afternoon. My auntie picked me up, and we stopped by the dental office to see Knox and his staff. Everyone kept saying, You are going to have a great time on Shuyak with your grandpa.

The next day we grabbed supplies at the store and drove to Lilly Lake, where Knox and Auntie had a duplex and a dock with their plane. I was stoked as we flew over Afognak Island, and Knox showed me where they hunt elk. I was getting more excited as we crossed over the straights to the south end of Shuyak Island. Then Knox buzzed the cabin, and I could see the Boston Whaler tied up! How did you guys get that over here? I asked.

Grandpa did a day trip, Knox replied.

Is that safe?

On occasion, weather permitting.

After we landed, we taxied up to the shore where Grandpa was waiting for us with one of my aunt and uncle’s sheepdogs named (Powder Hound). Grandpa said, You timed high tide perfectly. We started to pack my stuff up the trail to the cabin. The first thing I saw was a wheelbarrow made of wood (like the Flintstones).

Who made that? I asked.

Your uncle Barney, Grandpa replied.

That’s amazing! I responded.

As I kept walking, I saw the American flag on a homemade wood pole. Once in the cabin, Grandpa showed me where to put my things and gave me a cot to set up. We walked Knox back down to the plane and saw him off. He did a fly-by stunt between the two little islands out front. We laughed and headed back up to the cabin. That is when I noticed how silent it was! There was NO sound; other than every once in a while, you could hear a salmon jump all the way out in the inlet.

The next day, Grandpa was up early making coffee on the wood stove. After breakfast, he said, Today I will give you a lay of the land, but first, let’s talk about the simple rules for safety and the bears. If you see a bear, DON’T run. They can run up to 35 mph! Make noise, talk or sing to them (I was thinking, LIKE Hell, but listened. He would only tell you once, then it was on you to remember). These are Kodiak Grizzlies, and they are too big to climb trees. In an emergency, have that in the back of your mind, but climb a BIG tree, because they can push smaller trees over.

Then he showed me all of the guns and had me unload and load them. Then, as Grandpa handed me the gun and box of shells, he said, Here is a revolver to carry. I was a little taken aback but thought it was so cool. We went outside, and he set up a target and had me fire several rounds. He said, Nice job. I will show you how to clean it later. The next thing on the agenda, where we get water with a five-gallon bucket, you will be responsible to keep it full.

No problem, I replied. That is when I said, What’s with the tree-house platform?

That is a bear cache, it is used to store food so the bears don’t try to get into the cabin. The next important thing is having firewood. That is how we cook and our heat source.

What about fishing and hunting?

He laughed, The Silvers (Coho Salmon) are just showing up. We will go out later this afternoon once the boat has water under it. That is when the tide will be up. He handed me a tide book and said, High tide is twice a day. Everything we do revolves around the tide. Then he said, Let’s get ready for the crabbers!

I asked, What are crabbers? He turned on the AM radio (we could get a decent signal most of the time). It was the radio station in Kodiak, and they would do the weather (I would find out how important that was), then Paul Harvey news, then the crabbers. They were messages that they would read from people in town to people in the bush. We didn’t get one, but hearing the different messages was really cool. Mostly fishermen, as the season was about to start.

I noticed he had two cassette tapes, Willie Nelson and Hank Williams Jr., and a pile of batteries. What other tapes do you have? I asked.

That’s it! The only two we need! he replied.

That afternoon the boat had water under it. It was on a buoy line, and we pulled it in and took the cover off of the console. We used a pole to push us to a little deeper water, started the outboard, and were off. He educated me on the boat systems and the marine CB and had me watch everything he did. We toured a few inlets and saw deer and a ton of sea otters. Then we started fishing, it only took a few minutes, and I hooked my first salmon. We ended up catching and releasing several. Then he said, The next one is a keeper. We only keep what we can eat, we don’t have a way to keep them. I was in seventh heaven!

The next day, during breakfast, Grandpa had an idea (by the way, breakfasts were huge; eggs, sourdough pancakes, bacon,