Thanksgiving is going to be a bit different than we had expected. There’s a turkey waiting to move from refrigerator to oven, and my sister was scheduled to drive my parents out mid-day. Instead, my dad is in Queen’s Hospital after a fall at home on Tuesday evening. It looks like he’ll be there until at least Monday, then have to move to a nursing facility for a while. He wasn’t seriously hurt in the fall, but he was quite disoriented when I visited yesterday and they’re still running tests. The turkey will still get cooked today, but we won’t all be together here in Kaaawa. And we’ll likely be somewhat preoccupied thinking through the weeks ahead, since it’s unlikely my dad will be able to simply return home. It’s going to be tough.

With the political battles over school consolidations and closures just beginning, I’m not sure whether it’s unsetting or reassuring to see the same scene being played out across the country, including Seattle (where bloggers are already out in force), in California, in small town Pennsylvania, Galveston, and on and on across the country.

If you’re looking for some intellectual stimulation while watching our educational system crumble, check out the long list of Oxford University podcasts. Oxford’s podcasting web site also has lots of information on podcasting in general, including how-to guides. Good stuff.

Finally, a bit of island nostalgia. This photo, from one of our family trips in the mid-1950s, is labelled simply “Parker Ranch Beach”. Several years later, in 1965, the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel opened on this beautiful spot, but when we were there it was a private and largely deserted place, a hidden gem. No more.