Race the Sunset
Exploring the myriad mysteries of life, from beyond the furthest reaches of the universe to the quiet sanctuary of the human heart.
About Me
- Ralph F. Couey
- Pearl City, HI, United States
- Husband, father, grandfather, friend...a few of the roles acquired in 69 years of living. I keep an upbeat attitude, loving humor and the singular freedom of a perfect laugh. I don't let curmudgeons ruin my day; that only gives them power over me. Having experienced death once, I no longer fear it, although I am still frightened by the process of dying. I love to write because it allows me the freedom to vent those complex feelings that bounce restlessly off the walls of my mind; and express the beauty that can only be found within the human heart.
Sunday, March 31, 2024
A Source of Wonder in the Sky
Monday, February 26, 2024
The Ambush of Memory
Thursday, February 15, 2024
Jubilation...Devastation
Thursday, February 08, 2024
Bug Time
Monday, January 08, 2024
Confluence and Life
by Ralph F. Couey
Monday, December 11, 2023
December 7th and the March of History
Each generation lives within the bubble that envelops the span of their lives. When great events happen, we experience those moments in a personal way, how it affected us, our family and friends, even the smaller world immediately around us. As I alluded to in my quote above, it is our responsibility to pass those experiences to the next generations. It is not only important that they know that events like 9/11 and December 7th happened, but how it felt to us. It is those feelings that help to convey the import the meaning of those events into the future, ensuring they will never be forgotten.
Sunday, December 03, 2023
Going Home. Again.
Tuesday, November 14, 2023
Celebrating Veterans Day
Wednesday, November 08, 2023
One More Autumnal Blessing
But the best thing is what happens to the trees. Starting in early fall, the verdant green begins to morph into glorious golds and reds. Seen from afar, hills are covered with those vivid colors even more beautiful against the sky.
To walk through a forest thus transformed is to leave the mundane and be embraced by a world where the artistry of nature is not only seen, but felt. The cool, dry air is filled by the smell of leaves already fallen, upraised by feet shuffling along. The leaves lift for a moment, then return back to their quiet rest. Wildlife is still active, birds singing while they make their preparations for their flights south for the winter. Deer are moving through the forest and occasionally seen sprinting away from these noisy humans.
In Hawai'i, it's green all year round, and someone like me who grew up amid the cycling of seasons, they are missed. To be back in a place where autumn paints her brilliant canvas, to walk through the forest during this time has brought a quiet thrill to my soul.
I have hiked some local trails, especially in the afternoons. That's when the sun, lower in the sky sends butter-colored light through the trees, illuminating the changed leaves into colors that seem iridescent. I feel I could stop and sit on a stump for hours and simply absorb the beauty. Fall is an experience of the soul, refreshing, replenishing, restoring peace and tranquility.
For me, fall is also a reminder. Over just a couple of weeks, the colors fade into winter's drab and somber cloak. The sounds of birdsong fade as well, and the forest lies silent. Time is passing, things are changing and nothing can stop that relentless progression. I must remember to embrace the brilliance and beauty of the Now before it is irretrievably lost forever.
Tomorrow is promised to no one. We plan to come back next fall, but the year between now and then is fraught with uncertainty.
But I am thankful that I had one more autumn.
Friday, September 22, 2023
What I Did This Summer
Monday, September 18, 2023
Monday, September 11, 2023
A Prayer
Friday, August 25, 2023
Disaster in Paradise
The catastrophe that overtook Maui, particularly the old port town of Lahaina has been on everybody's news feeds. The images and video of what happened during those seven deadly days has shocked and horrified everyone. The speed at which the fires overtook the area are still incomprehensible. Today, August 26th, 115 people have been confirmed as having died. But despite over 40 teams of searchers, over 388 people still remain unaccounted for.
The genesis of this terrible occurrence lay in a combination of meteorological conditions. Hurricane Dora crossed the Pacific from its birthplace off the southern coast of Mexico but NOAA and the National Hurricane Center forecasted the track would pass well south of the Hawai'ian Islands. This is hurricane season for the Central Pacific and such things are to be expected. The initial disappointment was that the system was too far away to send some desperately needed rainfall to the state.
Hawai'i is in drought. No surprise there, as we are manifestly not alone. As a result, during the summer dry season, wildfires are a frequent occurrence around here. The county FD's spend as much or more time suppressing fires in brush country as they do dousing structure blazes in towns. Much of the grasslands in the state now largely consist of non-native invasive grasses. They have overgrown many areas, and yes, they can be mowed, but this is the tropics and even during drought, plants grow rapidly and wildly. Adding to that are the persistent trade winds blowing out of the northeast at double-digit speeds. Fires can be fanned by those winds and spread rapidly. The FD's are vastly experienced, and justifiably proud, at putting these blazes down, but one has to feel sympathy for them hauling heavy hose lines, tools, and other accoutrements up steep terrain while wearing protective gear under the brutal summer sun.
But this situation was different. As Dora passed to the south, two huge high pressure systems were churning away in the Gulf of Alaska. In the atmosphere, air always moves from high pressure to low pressure, and the relative proximity of these systems created what is called "a steep pressure gradient" over Hawai'i. If you've ever looked at a real weather map, you can see the lines of pressure, called isobars. In the situation in Hawai'i, those lines were very close together. Anytime you see that, you know that the winds will be howling.
Tuesday, March 21, 2023
The Not-So-Distant Sound of Drums
Saturday, February 18, 2023
Checking In...
A week ago I watched my team, the Chiefs, edge the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LVII. Yes, it was a moment to savor. After all the negative comments about how the Chiefs would not be as good this year, the game was more vindication than victory. Patrick Mahomes won two MVP awards, and the unofficial MVA (Most Valuable Ankle). His performance in the second half after the agony he was in just before halftime defies description. He triumphed over the pain, giving his all. I don't think we'll see another gutty performance matching that one for awhile.
In the 7 days since, I have enjoyed the celebrations, particularly the parade through the familiar streets of Kansas City. The life of the party was, of course, Travis Kelce. This larger-than-life personality has endeared himself to the fans, and not surprisingly, has earned him an invite to host Saturday Night Life in two weeks.
Of course, I've been happy over the win, and looking forward to what this team can accomplish next.
On other fronts, it's not been so much fun. My Mustang's repair parts came in, and is in the shop beginning that work. But the damage will take awhile to fix. They expect mid-March as to when I can expect to get it back. Then, our other vehicle, a Hyundai Santa Fe, began to have problems. It was sluggish and making noises. I took it into Goodyear, and was told that there was only two quarts of oil in the engine. It has never leaked or blown smoke. But we took it to a discount oil change shop, and the only thing that makes sense is that they didn't replace the oil. Of course, there's no way to prove it, so we took it back to Hyundai. The repairs are extensive and will run well into five figures. We decided to get it fixed, because buying a new one means shouldering a large debt for probably seven years. That would mean we would both have to keep working. The good news is that the parts are in and we should get our SUV back by mid-week.
Our insurance company provided us with a rental, but because of the time it took for the Mustang's parts to arrive, most of the allotted time had expired. So we had to take over those payments until we can get one of our cars back. Fortunately, Cheryl's sister has graciously loaned us her minivan to help us out.
I get to preach at our congregation in Kaneohe on the other side of the island tomorrow. I enjoy doing this, because it forces me to be much more diligent in my time with scripture and contemplation. It has been a time of quiet joy during my preparation. We have a funeral Wednesday morning for one of Cheryl's aunties. They asked me to sing two songs, one of which, the Casting Crowns brilliant "Scars in Heaven" a wonderful, comforting song for those who have experienced loss. I have also been asked to lead the singing of "Aloha O'e," the heartfelt ballad penned by Queen Lili'uokalani, the last Hawaiian monarch in 1878. Some of the lyrics are in the Hawaii'an language, which I hope I can pronounce correctly. I work a midnight shift the night before, so it'll be a long day. But I am happy and honored to be able to do it for them.
We are now in the rainy season here, and it has come with a vengeance. This week we experienced a Kona Low storm which has dumped feet of rain on the Big Island, Maui and Kaua'i. Flooding has been a terrible thing for people to endure, and there was one death, a firefighter who was swept into a storm drain while trying to effect a rescue. And just as soon as this one leaves, another one will arrive. Rain was falling in some places up to 5 inches per hour, which is like standing under a fire hose. This kind of thing is a challenge and a test for those of us in Emergency Management, and so fare, we've met the challenge.
Friday afternoon, our phones began lighting up. People were reporting a loud boom, followed by a few seconds of shaking. We made some phone calls ourselves. It wasn't an earthquake (no faults under Oahu), and the military had no exercises or aircraft up busting mach. There was no reports of large landslides, so we were all left with a mystery. I recalled the incident over Chelyabinsk in Russia in 2013 when a 60-foot rock boomed into the atmosphere at 70,000 miles per hour. The 10,000 ton meteor exploded at just under 100,000 feet altitude. The flash was bright enough to temporary blind some people. The shock wave, arriving a bit later, broke windows all over the city, knocked down walls, collapsed roofs, and injured almost 1,500 people. I dug into the witness accounts and saw some clear parallels with what happened here. That same day, another object soared in and exploded over Texas, an event detected on the Weather Service's radar. These objects are called Bolides, meteors that explode in the atmosphere. I sent a text to the local weather office asking if they had seen anything. They said no, but as the mystery remains unsolved, my money's on the space rock.
So, life, with all its twists and turns, ups and downs, goes on. Like a hike, sometimes its a steep climb, sometimes its level, sometimes it goes downhill. But it's always the journey and it must be taken in that context. If nothing else, it keeps us from going crazy.
Monday, January 30, 2023
That Incredible, Incomprehensible Thing in my Head
Monday, January 23, 2023
The Routine -- And Breaking It Up
Saturday, December 31, 2022
New Year's Steep and Rocky Path
Sunday, December 25, 2022
Vows Fulfilled
Friday, December 09, 2022
Pele's Dance on Hawai'i Island