Return to Paradise

Terri and I flew to Utah to see some of our children-- before they scattered around the world again! Our oldest son, Michael, retired from the Marine Corps after almost 15 yrs of service (he enlisted when he was 17). He, his wife Pri (from Brazil) and two children (Robbie and Gabe) will be moving to Brazil once all the visas and paperwork is ready-- so we thought we would go see him before he leaves (he was staying in Utah while all his paperwork was being processed).

Here is Mike and his family. He is an honorable man and has faithfully served his country for many years. Now he is moving to Brazil so Pri can return to school, and so that he can pursue a career in economics.

Several other family members were able to gather to Utah at the same time. Our second son, Jeremiah, and his family came from Sacramento. Here is one of the grandchildren (Ben or Kael?) watching the new TV Mike bought to take to Brazil with him.

Robbie and Ben found a corner of Kim's house to play (Terri and I stayed with our daughter Liz in Terri's sister Kim's house, while Mike and his family stayed at the Clawson condo in Salt Lake).

One of the items of family business was to celebrate JJ's birthday. We went to his favorite restaurant: Chucky Cheeze! Here our daughter Liz shows us her best side as she celebrates the birthday.

Mike with his party hat on. It just doesn't seem right seeing him without his uniform on!

Mike's wife, Pri, waiting for the pizza to arrive.

Terri is attempting to take a picture of Gabe with her new camera phone.

JJ watches over Robbie as he plays one of the many games at Chucky Cheeze

Finally, JJ steps in to save the day. Remember... this is where JJ wanted to go for his birthday! He likes to play the games more than his kids do!

Robbie riding a small merry-go-round

I think Robbie is unsure about this ride!

Ben and Kael try their hand at driving. It won't be long before they are stealing their dad's car to go joy-riding...

Mike and Gabe, Pri and Robbie, challenge each other at a car race.

Finally! The pizza arrives and their is a mad rush to get one's share of the food before it disappears.

Jamie is holding Kael... and pondering whether she could escape out the door before someone missed her...

Kael tries his hand at the ferris wheel. He seems to be having more fun than Robbie did!

Ben and Kael peer out from behind the plastic window in the playtower.

JJ looks on as Mike and Robbie play a game.

Robbie and Kael look on while Ben shows them a new cartoon website he found.

The next family priority was to go to Little America for brunch... a long-standing Clawson tradition! JJ and Terri wait with Ben and Robbie until our table is ready.

Robbie comes to tell us the table is ready!

We finally get to the table and eat. It is a large group, but we are still missing my Dad, Isaac and Jackie (living in Mexico), and Seth, Meg and Joshua (living in PA).

Mike rests as the kids play at the Clawson condo in Salt Lake.

Terri and Liz take a break from lots of shopping! Once again, Liz shows us her best side!

Liz and Robbie make some brownies in Kim's kitchen.

We didn't have enough time to do everything, but did get to say hello and goodbye to Mike and Pri and Robbie and Gabe before we lose them to Brazil for several years.

The Tinian Hot Pepper Festival: Pika! Pika! Pika!

Since Terri and I are going to miss the Hot Pepper Festival this year (just bad timing!), Janet King (a flower among the flowers) sent us a couple of pictures to remind us of what we are missing!

Tinian is famous for its tiny hot peppers, and the island holds a yearly festival to celebrate. The following is an article from the local paper about the event:

FROM THE SAIPAN TRIBUNE
Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Tinian's Hot Pepper Fest is also a Valentine's treat

As Valentine's Day and its traditional chocolates draw near, history
reminds us that the Aztecs were the first to serve chocolate as a
drink, mixing it with hot chili pepper to make a special beverage.
This Valentine's Day, the island community of Tinian provides the
perfect treat as it serves up its own hot pepper specialties during
the annual Tinian Hot Pepper Festival.

The festival, slated for Feb. 14-15, 2009, is named in honor of donni
sali, a small but potent hot pepper that is indigenous to the island.

"The Tinian Hot Pepper Festival is going to be the perfect Valentine's
getaway, whether with friends, family, or that special someone," said
Marianas Visitors Authority managing director Perry Tenorio. "Whether
it's island recipes seasoned with native donni sali or other
activities, the island of Tinian offers a buffet of cultural, scenic,
and entertainment choices."

With the theme "Pika! Pika! Pika!" (or "Hot! Hot! Hot!" in indigenous
Chamorro), the Tinian Hot Pepper Festival will be celebrated at
Tachogna Beach. Activities include cooking competitions, indigenous
craft sales, and live entertainment, including cultural dances,
standup comedy, and Hapi the clown. The festival will also feature
umang (hermit crab) races, a hot pepper eating contest, and numerous
sports activities, including beach volleyball and dragon boat races.

Away from the festival grounds, visitors can explore white sand
beaches, stunning cliff lines, ancient Chamorro limestone pillars
called Taga stones, relics from the Japanese era of the administration
of the islands, and World War II ruins. World-class gaming is also
available at the Tinian Dynasty Hotel and Casino.

Tinian is accessible within minutes of the main island of Saipan via
airplane or ferry, or via connecting flights from Rota and Guam.

For more information, contact the MVA Tinian office at 1.670.433.9365
or e-mail at vborja@mymarianas.com. (MVA)

*******

We hope all of you have a hot time during the festivities!

Flowers and rainbows

I discovered some new calves on Tinian

Carefully watched over by the extended family

With a watchful eye kept on me!

As I worked my way up to the Carolinas to see about a fire that was burning there yesterday, the sky looked threatening. I did get a little wet... but it was ok, since it also produced a beautiful rainbow a short time later.

Once a local obtains land, it doesn't take time to begin using it!

The fire seemed to be purposely set to clear some brush around a new business up on the hill. A sand and gravel yard has been created right next to the subdivision. It seemed to be an odd place for this type of business...

You can see a beautiful home just behind the new business yard.

Every home on Tinian has flowers. Whether the largest mansion, or the smallest tin shack, everyone takes pride in making their little piece of paradise more beautiful.

And every garden is different, and creative

There are great views of Marpo Heights from the Carolinas

You can just see what remains of the rainbow on the left, it had almost made a full rainbow before it quickly began to dissolve into the clouds.

Another creative garden I passed on today's walk

Filled with interesting treasures collected from around the island

Now that the old road was removed, and new road base installed and leveled, they get to dig the road up again to install the drainage pipe.

These men were using tamping machines to compress the dirt used to cover the new drainage pipe. Lots of work in just making a simple road through town, eh?

A worker had just finished putting new paint on the Post Office sign

Just one of the many beautiful fighting cocks that can be found on Tinian!