This anniversary issue begins Year Sixteen.   My most recent novel, What's Next~An Epic Journey, is available on Amazon or can be ordered through your local bookstore. The book is a sequel to the The End of Time and Back: An Epic Journey. You can purchase now by clicking here. (Scroll to the correct title.) Either book is a fine read for the broad-minded or the spiritual seeker. To the End of Time and Back: An Epic Journey is available via Amazon and Kindle. It will grab you from the start and carry you to places you have never been. The book contains many diverse ideas and is a great love story filled with adventure and intrigue. Questions? Email me. To go to Amazon, click here. Click here to link to a You Tube radio interview about To the End of Time. (Friend David Riggs produced it for me. To link to his book, click here.) A number of individuals have sent some wonderful reviews. You can read some of them in the Forum Section below. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The focus on this page is on Maui 2017. Obviously, this page was also the 16th Anniversary Issue. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~                   Two pictures of what we left, also quite beautiful. Taken at Deer Creek Reservoir Sunday, February 26, 2017 – On this Page Three Poems: The Mountaineer, Homeward to Hawai'i and Baby Beach Vignette this Month: A Bit of PJ History Recommendations   View from Mt. Rainier flying into Seattle to catch our connecting flight to Maui Opening Comments from Bob This Anniversary Issue: We begin the 16th year of this publication. In the vignette I provide a brief history of the newsletter. We are again in Hawaii (Maui) for a partial winter sojourn. The pictures and poems have a touch of Aloha. There are three poems this month, The Mountaineer, Homeward to Hawai'i and Baby Beach. A BIG Mahalo to each of you for subscribing! To follow me on Facebook, click on Poet Bob, and ask to befriend me. Path to our daily tai chi spot .Three Poems The Mountaineer The intrepid climber   experiences many emotions   reaching the summits. Sometimes the pleasure   is so intense that the body   fills with ecstasy. A voice of pleasure   screams into the vastness of space   echoing off canyon walls   far below. Others generate only relief   for the climb   having been arduous–   sometimes even questioning survival. The bones aches and muscles spent. The climber can only gaze,   gasping for oxygen,   looking down on the blizzard whiteout   wondering if Providence’s hand   had secured the tether   preventing the plunge into the abyss   never to be seen again. Sometimes roped to another   one crosses an ice bridge   praying anchors and belays   will prevent a life ending plummet. Life creates many mountains   to be scaled,   some low, weathered by time   while others, the inevitable Everest,   requiring all the mettle   that your being possesses. Climb on mountaineers   enjoying your summits,   your conquests. Savor the views   for you have earned them. Comment: No interpretations needed. Homeward to Hawai'i Do you ever feel       that you belong,       that you have returned       to your ancestral home? Every time I arrive       on these enchanted islands       I feel thus so. Glorious white cumulous       enwrap the peaks–       those which first rose       from the sea eons ago. Greens beyond green       tease the eyes       with disbelief. Palms tall       bent by the trades       rhythmically sway. The fresh breezes,       the scent of the sea,       waft through the nostrils. One can almost       taste the salty blend. Peering from the shore,       the waves, the sea,       as far as one can see. The unforgettable roar       of water meeting land. My heart sings a song of Aloha,       swaying to the beat       of the hula and the ukulele Someday my ashes       will return to this sacred land. My spirit will have returned home. Comment: No interpretations needed. Baby Beach Lava break wall buffers the waves. Sea green water,       temperate, allowing one       to sit, meditate,       feeling the healing warmth. Families frolic       enjoying the unity       that the ocean brings. Dogs and owners jog the beach       occasionally dashing in for a dip. This place offers       an abundance for all. For me, peace. Comment: This beach is at the far end of mile long Baldwin Beach which is often too rough to swim in but is great for walking. I love to finish my walk at Baby Beach to soak in the calming water provided by the natural break wall. Enjoying lunch at Kimo's in Lahaina, gorgeous view   A view of the palms from under the hua tree where we practice tai chi   Some tai chi practice occurs on the beach- doing the shuttles as part of the Sun 73 Form   Seal basking in the sun   Our friends David and Renata visited us for a joyous time. Picture taken on Makena Beach   A small section of Baby Beach on Maui     Supporting the efforts of the Poetical Journal is greatly appreciated! To support, click here. To view the product page of other unique gifts, please click here. The Island of Lana'i viewed from the Lahaina shore Plenty of rainbows occur on the Islands Vignette this Month: A Bit of PJ History Fifteen years ago on February 10, 2002 the first issue of the Poetical Journal was emailed to a small group of friends. It was two pages. From that first mailing about 31 decided to give the fledgling e-zine a try, especially since it was free. For several months, the PJ came out twice a month. By Issue 3, there was a web version but no pictures. The first pictorial issue started with Issue 40, December 24, 2004. Since then, photographs have played a large role in the web publication. In 2012, new format options were offered to subscribers. They could continue to receive the PJ in the traditional format that had been used since its inception or choose a revised version, which allowed readers to click on links that most interested them. The vast majority chose the revised version. In 2015, as part of a financial decision, the traditional format was eliminated and all subscribers simply receive a general announcement and a web link. Of the current subscribers over ninety-three percent have subscribed for thirteen years or more. An unsubscribe is rare with less than 12 in 2016. On average at least 38% of the subscribers open the newsletter. I have no idea how long they spend reading it. I sense that most do a quick skim. However, some have emailed me that they read it all, something unusual for an online newsletter or blog especially since the average PJ is over ten printed pages. Click here to view one of the first web issues–my how times change. (Back then putting pictures into a newsletter was very difficult. Besides high-speed internet was just coming into existence.) At one time the PJ was one of the largest online poetry newsletters in the world. Over the decades I have removed thousands from the subscriber list due to the fact that the newsletter was never opened. Also, one year I had difficulties with Yahoo and could not obtain help correcting it. Over 3,000 subscribers were eliminated to take care of that issue. On the plus side, the reductions in numbers saved me hundreds of dollars in emailing costs. Over the fifteen years, over $18,000 has been spent in its publication at no cost to subscribers. Yearly, 1-3 subscribers have offered a donation to support the newsletter. These are always appreciated. The biggest plus is having the opportunity to interact with individuals. Two special subscribers I have watched grow from teenagers to women, both now married. Others have written and shared their poetry. A few of those poems appeared in my book An Oasis in a Cluttered World. Some subscribers have taken me into their confidence when dealing with personal issues. While others on a given moment share their excitement whether it is over birds or the arrival of spring. The PJ link is also delivered via Facebook and Twitter. Over 5,000 have the option to open the newsletter. Thus far, it has been quite a ride! Thank you for joining me.                  Same rainbow but a different angle Recommendations Maui Recommendations There are so many that can be made. Several that appear yearly include the Maui Swap Meet which occurs each Saturday in Kahului. There are over a hundred booths of all ilks from clothing to jewelry to farm produce. (Pictured rt: Homemade jellies booth.) Another annual recommendation is the Kula Farm Stand in Upcountry. We make a weekly trip to purchase island raised vegetable and strawberries. (Pictured middle: Strawberry plants)   Mana Grocery in Paia is world famous. The focus is on organic, local farm raised products. What a wonderful selection of items. The customers are also a fun group to watch. (Pictured bottom/rt: Customer is getting ready to write down a selection from the bulk session) Go to my Maui recommendation page to read MANY more.       Please take a look at the online book and gift pages. Lahaina Shoreline Above and Below: Pictures of the west coast beyond Lahaina   Path through Kula Botanical Gardens Sample pics of flora from Kula Botanical Gardens Baby Beach (located the end of Baldwin Beach near Paia) View from Upcountry looking toward the Pacific 4,000 feet below. Taken at Kula Lodge.     Rock Balancer, Lahaina, Maui: I am always amazed at the gentleman lower right who is able to balance rocks on pinnacle points. Seems impossible. None of the images are attached in anyway. Each is carefully balanced and counter balanced. The sea and tides knock them down each day.   Upcountry, Maui: On the final day for the Riggs' visit we took them on another tour. Pictured is a pano of the cloud layer and the blue Pacific. We are at about 5,000 feet. It was taken at the Kula Farm Market where we purchase our weekly fresh strawberries.   The Chinese New Year celebration started on Jan. 28 and ended on Feb. 15. The traditional lion dancers move among the crowd eating the offered dollars in return offering good luck.     Back MAIN Hawaii Page Back to Maui POETRY Dirctory Back to Maui MAIN REC Directory Back to Maui BROWSE Directory Back to Maui Pictorial Directory top