Family Smart

Backpacking with Jack, Jay, Gramma Jackie, Jim and Bob

2009-08-30T09:37:00.001-07:00

Here are some photos from this year's backpack trip:

http://web.me.com/jimsmart1/Site/JMT_Backpack_09.html

Goofyfoot

2009-07-11T21:31:00.000-07:00

spring 09

2009-06-07T11:07:00.001-07:00

click here to see some random recent photos:
http://web.me.com/jimsmart1/Site/water_pics_spring.html

Kid videos

2009-05-05T17:50:00.000-07:00

Punahou Carnival 2009:

Eleanor Rigby guitar recital:

may day 2009:

sierra's first swim meet May 2009:

sierra piano recital:

Mammoth 2 - Epic Powder

2009-03-24T06:50:00.000-07:00

Mammoth movie

2009-03-22T20:56:00.000-07:00

Hawaiian Time

2009-03-14T11:48:00.001-07:00

Sierra rides a bike

2009-03-07T22:26:00.001-08:00

Bald is Beautiful

2009-03-02T22:12:00.000-08:00

HIGHLIGHTS FROM JACK'S FINAL SWIM MEET OF THE SEASON:

SYRACUSE, NY (February 27-28, 2009) – In the second day of competition at the Upper New York State Collegiate Swimming Association (UNYSCSA) Championships, the Vassar College men’s swim-dive continued to rewrite Vassar’s record books, breaking two more school records to bring the total to five new records set in two days.

The Brewers again had a strong session in the morning preliminary trials, setting two new school records, and going on to improve those times in the evening finals. After finishing in what was then a record time of 1:38.74 in the morning, the 200 Yard Medley Relay team of junior Jeremy Shiman (Brookline, MA/Brookline), seniors Tom Liu (Staten Island, NY/Curtis) and John Alaimo (Blauvelt, NY/Tappan Zee), and freshman Jack Smart (Honolulu, HI/Punahou School) improved their time to 1:38.42 with a ninth place finish in the evening session. The time bested the previous time of 1:40.53, set in 2008 by Shiman, Liu, Alaimo, and junior Lars LaPann-Johannessen (Landisville, PA/Hempfield).

Vassar swam well in the 400 Yard IM, led by Alaimo’s eighth place finish in 4:17.42, with Smart placing tenth in 4:19.40, dropping his time from the morning session by an impressive four seconds.
“Considering all the elements it takes to go into a relay race, those records are hard to take down. "We haven’t had the combination of men to do that for awhile, so it’s great to break those old records,” said head coach Lisl Prater-Lee, noting that the 400 Yard Medley Relay team took down a 2003 record, while the 200 Yard Freestyle Relay team broke a 13-year old record, set in 1996. “Breaking these records speaks well for where we are now. It took awhile for us to be able to get close to some of these records, and now we’ve smashed them.”

In the 200 Yard Breaststroke, freshman Jack Smart (Honolulu, HI/Punahou School) finished 20th in 2:15.90 with teammate Liu in 23rd (2:19.56).

“We feel like we’ve accomplished a lot,” said Prater-Lee. “We stood up against some very fast competition and we were competitive in that pool. More than that, it brought us together, and we’re leaving with an even stronger sense of team than we had before.”

Jack's swim meet

2009-02-15T05:38:00.000-08:00

Hi folks,

Yesterday I had the pleasure of watching Jack swim fast at the Vassar College Sprint Invitational. He won several events and improved to his fastest times ever in most of them. It was really fun cheering with the other Vassar parents. Here is a video of his close win in the 100 IM:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7dpz3vHR9I

Click here to read all about it in the Vassar newspaper:

http://athletics.vassar.edu/swimming/m-index.php

basking in the glow,

Jim

Sierra's first grade chapel

2009-01-31T12:31:00.000-08:00

Jack's swim news

2009-01-29T09:23:00.000-08:00

POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (January 27, 2009) – In a dual meet that could not get much closer, the Montclair State University men’s swim-dive team squeaked past Vassar College, 122-118, on Tuesday evening at Kresge Pool.

In the tight meet, the Brewers started off with a victory in the 400 Yard Medley Relay. The ‘A’ team of junior Jeremy Shiman (Brookline, MA/Brookline), senior Tom Liu (Staten Island, NY/Curtis), senior John Alaimo (Blauvelt, NY/Tappan Zee), and freshman Jack Smart (Honolulu, HI/Punahou School) finished in 3:54.54 to soundly defeat the Red Hawk ‘A’ team that finished in 4:02.83.

The Brewers went 1-2 in the 200 Yard IM, as Alaimo won in 2:04.48, followed by Smart (2:07.89). Vassar also got a big 1-2-3 finish in the 200 Yard Backstroke, led by Liu in first (2:17.74), followed by Smart (2:22.51), and Shiman (2:22.65). Alaimo notched a win in the 200 Yard Butterfly, finishing in 2:05.43 and freshman Dustin Molina (Toms River, NJ/Ranney School) won the 50 Yard Freestyle with a time of 23.49.

Sierra on the local news - Obama Inauguration

2009-01-20T22:15:00.000-08:00

In The News

2009-01-20T11:05:00.000-08:00

www.starbulletin.com > Special Projects > 09 > Inauguration '09 >
Punahou School cheers new president

By Alexandre Da Silva

POSTED: 08:34 a.m. HST, Jan 20, 2009
Victoria Eliazar watched her school’s most famous alumnus take on the toughest assignment of his life this morning.

The eight-grader joined an overflow crowd of Punahou School students, parents and staff who packed an auditorium to watch Barack Obama, a 1979 graduate, be sworn in as the 44th United States president.

“It’s an interesting inauguration because he is our first African-American president,” said Eliazar, 13. “It is making a difference in my life because he is from Punahou and now I just want to do better in school.”

Shari Smart came with her husband Jim, a humanities teacher, and their 7-year-old daughter, Sierra, to watch Obama’s inaugural address broadcast on a giant screen. The audience, which applauded about a half-a-dozen times as Obama promised to fix the economy and launch a diplomatic administration, gave him a standing ovation.

“We wanted to watch it live,” Shari Smart said after the speech.

Her daughter had an American flag hanging from her neck with the words “The Obamas are awesome” written on it.

“I like him because he went to Punahou,” Sierra Smart said.

The school planned a day filled with festivities and lessons centered around Obama’s inauguration. Sixth graders and faculty were scheduled to hold an assembly at 10:30 a.m. to watch clips from the ceremony in Washington, D.C., while children from kindergarten through fifth grade would join teachers in a parade starting at 1 p.m.

“I’m going to be dressed as the statue of liberty,” said a teary-eyed Lauren Buck Medeiros, the school’s chaplain. “The last three days I’ve gone from laughing to crying to laughing to crying. It’s been such a depth of emotion, not just for our country but just for the exciting possibilities that lie ahead.”

Punahou eight-graders were set to learn about different aspects of the election and the inauguration in social studies, science, math and English classes.

Just last month, Obama visited the campus for a pick-up game of basketball. He attended Punahou from fifth grade until his 1979 graduation, playing eighth-grade football, high school basketball, singing in the choir and writing for the school’s literary journal, Ka Wai Ola.

“It is very inspirational to see a graduate of Punahou become president and lead our nation to a better time,” said Kalen Chong, 14, an eight grader. “I liked how we are going to work together to make our nation a better place. We are going to work together with other nations to be a better world.”

Victoria Eliazar watched her school’s most famous alumnus take on the toughest assignment of his life this morning.

The eight-grader joined an overflow crowd of Punahou School students, parents and staff who packed an auditorium to watch Barack Obama, a 1979 graduate, be sworn in as the 44th United States president.

“It’s an interesting inauguration because he is our first African-American president,” said Eliazar, 13. “It is making a difference in my life because he is from Punahou and now I just want to do better in school.”

Shari Smart came with her husband Jim, a humanities teacher, and their 7-year-old daughter, Sierra, to watch Obama’s inaugural address broadcast on a giant screen. The audience, which applauded about a half-a-dozen times as Obama promised to fix the economy and launch a diplomatic administration, gave him a standing ovation.

“We wanted to watch it live,” Shari Smart said after the speech.

Her daughter had an American flag hanging from her neck with the words “The Obamas are awesome” written on it.

“I like him because he went to Punahou,” Sierra Smart said.

The school planned a day filled with festivities and lessons centered around Obama’s inauguration. Sixth graders and faculty were scheduled to hold an assembly at 10:30 a.m. to watch clips from the ceremony in Washington, D.C., while children from kindergarten through fifth grade would join teachers in a parade starting at 1 p.m.

“I’m going to be dressed as the statue of liberty,” said a teary-eyed Lauren Buck Medeiros, the school’s chaplain. “The last three days I’ve gone from laughing to crying to laughing to crying. It’s been such a depth of emotion, not just for our country but just for the exciting possibilities that lie ahead.”

Punahou eight-graders were set to learn about different aspects of the election and the inauguration in social studies, science, math and English classes.

Just last month, Obama visited the campus for a pick-up game of basketball. He attended Punahou from fifth grade until his 1979 graduation, playing eighth-grade football, high school basketball, singing in the choir and writing for the school’s literary journal, Ka Wai Ola.

“It is very inspirational to see a graduate of Punahou become president and lead our nation to a better time,” said Kalen Chong, 14, an eight grader. “I liked how we are going to work together to make our nation a better place. We are going to work together with other nations to be a better world.”

solstice with Sierra, Jack, and Jay

2008-12-22T18:52:00.000-08:00

Winter Solstice - new camera

2008-12-22T18:36:00.001-08:00

The Curse of the Smarts

2008-12-06T11:31:00.000-08:00

We've had a pretty bad week! Maybe we should have Navajo cleansing ceremony or something. First, Jay's backpack was stolen from school Thursday night, with his laptop, wallet and everything. Today we woke up to find that our van has been stolen. Jay's keys were in his stolen backpack, and our address on his driver's license, so we think the thieves came after midnight to take away our van. Ironically, it was pretty empty. Shari had cleared everything out and used a Bug Bomb inside the van. Hopefully the fumes overcame them and they crashed into the bushes down the street.

This comes in addition to 3 other thefts earlier in 2008, the Year of the Thieves.

Jack's college swim career

2008-11-24T15:54:00.000-08:00

Jack is swimming at Vassar and doing some fast times. He's still working on consistency and he can't believe some of the pools that they swim in (25 yard indoors with 6 lanes.... unlike the 50meter outdoor pools he is used to.) Check out the Vassar athletic web site for some results. The following 3 articles highlight recent meets that Jack has swum in.

http://athletics.vassar.edu/?action=fullnews&id=2153
http://athletics.vassar.edu/?action=fullnews&id=2181
http://athletics.vassar.edu/?action=fullnews&id=2140

Here's a quote:

Alaimo showed an impressive display of endurance, going directly from the IM to the relay, where he joined Lars Lapann-Johannessen (Landisville, PA/Hempfield), Jack Smart (Honolulu, HI/Punahou School), and Ian Madison (Philadelphia, PA/Holy Ghost) to notch the win.

Vassar nearly swept the relays, coming in just two-tenths of a second behind the winning Skidmore team in the 200-yard medley relay.

Prater-Lee was impressed by the performance of new swimmers contributing crucial second and third place finishes.

“The guys who finished in second and third were crucial because its four points that we get and that Skidmore doesn’t get and our guys understand that now,” said Prater-Lee. “They’re making a huge contribution that way.”

In particular, Prater-Lee pointed out the performance of freshman Smart, who finished first in the 200-yard breaststroke (2:23.27).

“Jack was gutsy today,” said Prater-Lee.

Crazy Elf Dance of the Smarts

2008-11-23T21:02:00.000-08:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Life is good

2008-11-08T20:43:00.000-08:00

Life is good.

Dad keeps surfing at the north shore, after a great summer on the south shore. Today was for longboarding at Leftovers, and Thursday found him in the big stuff at Pipeline on a boogie board. What an island! Oahu kicks ass on other areas of planet earth. Think of us when the snow blows down your neck.

Shari did a turn as a sports announcer for the waterpolo championship, which you can see by clicking here:

http://iws.punahou.edu/dept/it/streams/boyswaterpolo2008/

We are all very excited that Obama won the election. We are big supporters for many reasons, one of which is that he went to our school here, Punahou.

Jack is having a blast at Vassar. He is on the swim team, and he did well in breast stroke in yesterday's meet. He helped Obama win Pennsylvania by giving 3 days of his fall break to going door to door in Bethlehem to encourage voters. He even got to use his Spanish for that!

On election day he volunteered at the polls and even made the paper:

WAPPINGERS FALLS — In the Wappingers Junior High School gymnasium, voters have been arriving steadily throughout the day.

"People were here at 5:50 lined up," said Jack Smart, an election inspector and freshman at Vassar College. Four Vassar students were working the polls here as part of an outreach program to get young people more involved in the voting process.

Jay is on the varsity waterpolo team, an honor for a sophomore. He doesn't play much, but he's paying his dues in hopes of playing more next year and his senior. He loves it and works very hard. He also rocks on the guitar now and is getting better than Dad.

Sierra and Dad yelled and cried on election night. Sierra had a piano recital, and according to her teacher she is wonderful. We already knew that, though. She reads and writes very well and loves to hang out with Dad's sixth graders after school.

Life is good.

new Myna Bird video about life in Hawaii

2008-10-27T17:08:00.001-07:00

Sierra Rides the Wild Surf!

2008-10-11T11:11:00.000-07:00

Lost Tooth

2008-09-12T21:45:00.000-07:00

Loose Tooth

2008-09-09T22:44:00.000-07:00

Sierra and Jim made a short film about a wiggly subject:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8abMDUsU7I

Fun in California

2008-06-19T19:56:00.000-07:00

Half Dome

2008-06-19T19:41:00.001-07:00

Jack, Jay, Shari, Jim, and Grampa Jim hiked up Half Dome to scatter some ashes and check the view.

Garnet Lake / Mt. Banner

2008-06-19T19:10:00.000-07:00

Just back from a great backy packy with Jay Cole, Joe Walker, & Mike Brown. Killer fun with lake-bergs, big bears, and a death defying ascent of mighty Mt. Banner.

S I E R R A ! ! !

2008-05-15T18:41:00.001-07:00

At last, a set of photos all about Sierra!
http://web.mac.com/jimsmart1/iWeb/Site/Sierra%21.html

Jim has a new CD

2008-05-15T17:32:00.000-07:00

Peru movies

2008-04-12T11:42:00.000-07:00

Hi folks,

When Jack and I did the 4 day hike on the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu in Peru last month, I had my video cam going. I have edited it down to three parts and put them on You Tube.

Part 1: "Footsteps Over Dead Woman's Pass"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPVgXcSHUpg

part 2: "Footsteps of the Incas"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_fEeH0CUws

Part 3: "Footsteps of Hiram Bingham" (Machu Picchu)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=isY5RZbf2Dc

Fair warning: each part is about 10 minutes long

Enjoy!

Jim and Jack in Peru

2008-03-31T23:11:00.000-07:00

Hi folks,

Jack and I had a great time hiking the Inca Trail in Peru for spring break. It was a challenge well worth the effort. Jack is thriving in Peru and now speaks fluent Spanish. He will be home for summer before heading off to college in the fall. I can't get over how lucky I am to have such a fine son, so independent and fun to hang out with. How did this happen?

I put a few photos on the web at
http://web.mac.com/jimsmart1/iWeb/Site/Jim%20and%20Jack%20in%20Peru.html

Sierra!

2008-03-18T23:14:00.001-07:00

winter fun

2008-03-12T23:27:00.000-07:00

Jack left for adventures in Peru, cousin John visited, Shari celebrated a birthday with Auntie Susie, and Sierra and Jay joined in lots of fun stuff.

Click here for photos:
http://web.mac.com/jimsmart1/iWeb/Site/winter08.html

Gray Flannel

2008-02-17T21:08:00.000-08:00

Sierra, Jay, and Dad are spending the weekend on Molokai. The sad news is that Gray Flannel passed away. He was a longtime family pet cat here on Molokai....as old as Jack! Here are a few shots of his grave.

Punahou Carnival

2008-02-02T20:05:00.000-08:00

and Sierra did ballet

2008-02-02T20:03:00.000-08:00

Sierra's sixth birthday

2008-01-24T09:11:00.001-08:00

Beach day at the north shore

2008-01-24T09:05:00.000-08:00

December fun

2007-12-31T01:23:00.000-08:00

Maui big wave

2007-12-01T18:23:00.000-08:00

Here’s a few shots from Simeon and Jim’s quick trip to Maui at Thanksgiving to hang out with Dave Kalama. We hiked to the cliff that overlooks Peahi on a big day and stayed at Dave’s house. We got to watch Dave go out with Laird Hamilton on their jet skis, hang out with his dad Ilima, and try stand up surfing a little.

http://web.mac.com/jimsmart1/iWeb/Site/Maui-07.html

Jack

2007-11-21T09:01:00.001-08:00

Portlocksunset

2007-11-21T08:57:00.000-08:00

November Splash

2007-11-19T06:47:00.001-08:00

Hi folks,

Got a new set of photos from splashy fun on Oahu in November. Click here:

http://web.mac.com/jimsmart1/iWeb/Site/November%20Splash.html

Big Tuesday

2007-11-15T10:48:00.001-08:00

On Tuesday I rode the biggest waves of my life. I had taken a boogie board and fins to Pipeline, having been there the day before with my son and his friends.

I like to ride a boogie board at Pipeline because the take off is more make-able and less terrifying. I'm pretty good at medium to small sized Pipeline. I'm no big wave guy.

Anyway, on Tuesday, Pipeline was flat, even though there was a huge swell. I decided to go back to a spot near Waimea Bay called Leftovers that looked good when I passed it on the way to Pipeline. Leftovers looked perfect, like some teenager's surf magazine fantasy. I have surfed it many times, usually on a longboard. I had never gone out when it was this big, though. There's a nice safe channel that made it seem OK to go out. For the first hour I stayed inside and caught many good waves, but I kept seeing these monster outside sets that looked really good. Big, but not bone-crushing. I started to move out and catch some of these. The rides were long and fun and I got in a kind of zen mindset, totally in the moment. All my usual brain activity was silenced. The sun was setting brightly, there was almost no wind, no sound, just those huge waves and me.

Oh, and 20 other guys. But they were mostly riding the second half of the waves on the inside. Where I was taking off the rides lasted forever, and I went blasting through most of the inside crowdat the speed of sound.

I would have liked my surfboard, but the boogie board was all I had. This was kind of good because I could duck big whitewater well and go for some late take-offs. It also magnifies the experience to be down at the water level. The speed feels faster and the waves look bigger. I tried to estimate how big the waves were. Probably in the old way of measuring the backs of waves, it was between 6 and 10 feet, with bigger sets. The faces were looking much taller than 15 feet to me. Some were pushing 20 foot faces, maybe, but they were feathering and breaking very gradually, even gently, if such a word can apply to beasts that big.

Eventually I became the guy the farthest out, looking for the biggest of the biggest sets. This is not my normal thing. I'm no Dave Kalama. The big sets just looked really inviting to me. A huge monster started to blot out the horizon. I felt no fear, but I did start to paddle even farther out to see. It looked as if it would close out the whole channel, but I had a feeling it wouldn't. Half way up the face, which might have been more than 20 feet, I turned and caught the thing. I could see the whole crowd scrambling in a panic inside as I races towards them. It felt like it lasted over a minute. I was swerving left and right in big graceful arcs, smiling at all the panicking surfers diving for their lives as this thing rumbled through. I made all the inner sections and rode nearly to the beach without the whitewater ever catching me.

It was certainly the biggest and best wave I have ever caught. I guess even at the ripe old age of 43, my best surfing might not be behind me.

Here's a web site I found that describes Leftovers. On Tuesday it was much better than usual, due to the strange swell direction:
http://www.surfguidehawaii.com/leftovers.htm

Jim
http://www.familysmart.blogspot.com/
http://myspace.com/jimsmartsongs

Jack's movie

2007-11-06T21:37:00.001-08:00

Gramma Jackie's visit

2007-11-05T17:26:00.000-08:00

Lots of fun and frolicking in Hawaii during the past few weeks when Gramma Jackie came to stay ...

Soccer vs. Waterpolo

2007-10-28T14:23:00.000-07:00

Fun at Makapuu

2007-10-24T01:42:00.000-07:00

The kids are alright

2007-10-08T10:03:00.000-07:00

birthday video for Jack

2007-09-30T23:41:00.000-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QzYNjqHG0qA

surfing Portlock

2007-09-30T09:55:00.001-07:00

Jay and Dad took a cheap underwater camera to Portlock the other day. Small day, but some nice photos.

Happy Birthday Jack

2007-09-30T09:30:00.000-07:00

Today Jack turns 18. We sure do wish he was here so we could celebrate this milestone with him, but we know he is happy in Mexico.

Here's a card for you, Jack:

http://www27.123greetings.com/card/09/29/15/46/BD30929154601519.html

Jack in Mexico

2007-09-15T10:03:00.000-07:00

There's a link on the right for Jack's blog. It's really fun to follow his adventures living in a tent on the beach in Mexico caring for crocs and sea turtles. Bueno!

Jim

Jack has gone to Mexico and beyond

2007-08-30T05:34:00.000-07:00

We miss you Jack!

Jack will hopefully be keeping us updated on his adventures in Latin America at the following blog:

http://jackinteligente.blogspot.com/

Sierra!

2007-08-23T22:51:00.000-07:00

Fun with my kids

2007-08-07T17:16:00.000-07:00

Kids underwater

2007-08-07T17:12:00.000-07:00

Jay's waterpolo goals on YouTube

2007-08-07T17:11:00.000-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uX-2FHTZ0iU

Dave Kalama

2007-08-02T13:48:00.000-07:00

Dave Kalama has been a friend of mine since we were both about 14 or 15 years old. He is famous for many things such as windsurfing, tow in surfing at Peahi, and now long distance paddles. One of his current efforts is to raise awareness about autism via his friend Don King's new film Beautiful Son.

I just made a contribution to help them out at http://www.beautifulson.com/
Perhaps you can help spread the word if you get as inspired by Dave as I am.

Here's a clip from KGMB news 9 that aired this week about Dave's latest paddle:

Photos from Europe

2007-07-01T22:17:00.000-07:00

Start here to see our photos from Europe:

http://web.mac.com/jimsmart1/iWeb/Site/Tuscany.html

You can click on the other parts of our trip at the top.

Ireland photos

2007-06-29T10:02:00.001-07:00

Hi folks,

Shari and I are safely back in Hawaii, very happy to be with our 3 great kids. Jack is working two jobs, Jay is finishing up summer school in art, and Sierra is recovering from her travels with grandmothers; she is now a roller coaster enthusiast! We are so lucky to have had this opportunity, thanks to lots and lots of people who helped make it possible.

I've begun to sort through some of the many photos we took on our trip, starting with Ireland. Here are some of the best ones we got. The first ones are from Galway, a fairly large university city in the far west, and the middle batch is from our three days of biking around County Clare. The photos at the end are from the great city of Dublin. In all of these different places we learned a lot, made friends, and heard lots of live music.

Dublin arrival

2007-06-25T01:20:00.001-07:00

Hi folks,

Ireland has been very good to Shari and me. We loved the west, biking around County Clare in Irish weather, which is weather that changes before you even realize what your current weather is. We had lots of gray and cold, but little rain, with strange bursts of sunniness at just the right times.

We are now big fans of Irish Stew and the Full Irish Breakfast, which is basically all you need to get you from Guiness to Guiness. Shari has not taken to the local brew, sadly.

Last night whiole Shari slept I went out to find live music in the Temple Bar area. I found a very crowded loud one that had the magic, if a bit touristy. Loud and fun, impromptu dancing, shouting, singing along, stomping feet, etc.

Now we are in busy Dublin on a busy Monday morning, everyone is dressed up and going to work. We are lodged adjacent to famous old Trinity college, which is like Harvard times ten in terms of history, pillars, statues, etc. It is right in the heart of the things to see and do, and we hope to spend the next couple of days seeing and doing lots.

aloha,
Jim

biking in Ireland

2007-06-23T00:33:00.000-07:00

Hi folks,

Shari and I loved Galway's bustle and hustle. The music at the pubs flows on and on, casting a spell. Had a truly Irish night in the oldest pub in town, with different locals chiming in for a sad ballad in between the long running Irish instrumentals.

Then we got bikes and rode to Doolin, about 35 miles. On the way we checked out the local surf beach and the cliffs of moher.

Now we are in Doolin with sore butts. Last night we had the most amazing Irish stew at McDermott's pub. the music was good, but a bit soul-less. In Galway they smiled and shouted with joy and stared with somber sadness; it was more locals than tourists, unlike last night. We are meeting a lot of people along the way, but they are mostly travellers from other countries.

2 more days of biking here in County Clare!

Jim

greetings from ireland

2007-06-21T03:34:00.000-07:00

greetings from ireland!

\Shari and I have come through many transfers to be strolling the streets of Galway, ireland, where the sweaters are hand knit, the pubs are full of musicians, and the beer is Guiness, except for Shari, where the beer is Harp, a lighter shade of pale.

We had a great time in Kastelruth in the Alps. It's in Italy, but everyone speaks German there and acts like it's Austria. We caught up with our good friends the Walkers. Joe and Lorenza, and their kids Carrie and Sean. All of them are looking well and looking forward to returning to America after a year in Cortina.

We also did one of the most gorgeous hikes ever with our Innsbruck friend Herbert. He is 76 but hikes much stronger than we do. We hiked all over a ski area by streams and fields with the most gorgeous mountains overhead, as shown in the photo below. And of course, no matter how far into the wilderness you hike, there's always a hutte with radler and food and good cheer. I played my ukulele there for some appreciative Dutchmen who insisted that I drink shots of schnapps with them. This made the rest of the hike pleasant, but a little wobbly.

Now we are in Galway Ireland, exploring the city and getting ready for 3 days of biking, which start tomorrow. It's a lot colder here, and a bit stormy, but we love it.

aloha,

Jim
http://familysmart.blogspot.com/

mountains of euro

2007-06-17T22:52:00.000-07:00

Hi folks,

It has been a time of amazing transitions, from swimming on a hot day in the Mediteranean in Vernazza to shivering on the top of a glacier in the Engadine Alps of Switzerland.

It was also time to say goodbye to MB and Bill in Bellagio. We had a great hotel there called the Belvedere, which means good view. Mostly we sunned by the pool and stared dreamily at the rainbows, mountains, and the endless expanse of Lake Como.

Today we will drive through Switzerland, where unlike Italy, most folks do not speak English and the euro is not the currency. We rode a big tram up to the Diavolezza glacier which looks to be a mouth wateringly good ski area in winter.

more info-
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Engadin

ciao, or auf weidersein, or something,

Jim and Shari

cinque terre

2007-06-14T21:57:00.000-07:00

Hi folks,

Yesterday we hiked along the trails that connect the Cinque Terre, stopping to swim, eat gelato and drink beer at various beautiful overlooks. Our favorite place is Vernazza, where we swam and explored the cliffs and rocks for hours>:

On the hardest section between monterossa and Vernazza we bumped into some Punahou friends. Jack-s teacher and waterpolo coach Paul Hamamoto was hiking with his family right along with us. His older daughter was in Jay-s class in 6th grade. Fun coincidence and it was great to see them, though they were in a hurry and moved ahead of us since they had a big itinerary including the hike, then Pisa, then Florence, all in one day.ù

We were happy to take it slow.

Another one we liked was Corniglia:

Shari and I swam at 3 of the 5 towns, and we held hands on the Lovers Walk at the end. A nice end to a special day.

leaving tuscany

2007-06-13T21:44:00.000-07:00

Hi folks,

Shari and I have been tooling around tuscany with mb and bill maclean. we are currently in sestri levante. our plan for today is to hike through the cinque terre.

yesterday we climbed up the leaning tower of pisa. it was like being on a ship that is tilting as it sails, and the marble steps are well worn by centuries of climbers.

before that we were in the countryside of tuscany among the grape vines and ancient hill towns. towers and castles, beautiful little churches, and scenic piazzas where we enjoyed many a gelato (italian ice cream). some of the towns were siena, montepulciano, san gimigniano, pienza, and montefollonico.

before that we saw some of the worlds great art in florence. the david by michelangelo was a real highlight.

we are eating well and tasting very good vino. mb and bill are wonderfully fun companions, and we seem to have very good luck everywhere we go. the president of italy drove by us waving out his window. we stumbled upon a beatiful wedding. the good table at the restaurant is often mysteriously waiting for us.

tomorrow we plan to visit portofino on our way to bellagio. after that the macleans will return to the usa while shari and i head into the alps.

we miss our children, and we are thinking of you,

jim and shari

Italy

2007-06-12T23:04:00.000-07:00

Hi folks,

Shari and I are having a blast in Italy. After about 3 days in Florence seeing great art and criss-crossing the city, we have been living the vida rica, the life of the rich and famous in various small hill towns in Tuscany.

The castles are ancient, the gelato is tasty, and love is in the air. We are travelling in high style with MB and Bill, photographing ourselves by every 20 that we find, since both our marriages have been burning for 20 years.

We are moving north to Pisa, Cinque Terra, and Bellagio. After that we will be in the Alps before flying to Ireland for a week.

Fun!!!!

Jim

Two Graduations

2007-06-03T12:36:00.000-07:00

It's been double crazy excitement around here with Sierra finishing pre-school and Jack graduating from Punahou. Here's a link to some fresh photos:

http://web.mac.com/jimsmart1/iWeb/Site/grad%20-%20Jack,%20sierra.html

My Mom

2007-05-12T19:16:00.001-07:00

Here's a new song I wrote for my awesome mom for mother's day 2007:

11 years ago

2007-04-05T14:30:00.000-07:00

11 years ago my big teenage boys were cute little rugrats running around the meadow. My friend Chris Lokan was healthy. The meadow was a meadow, and the old gondola was still running. This video makes me feel old:

Here's another one of my boys in Yosemite that year. Since I bought a new videocam in 1996, I have tons and tons of footage...

Remembering Grammie with a Smart family reunion in Hermosa

2007-03-30T12:55:00.000-07:00

Photos are here:
http://web.mac.com/jimsmart1/iWeb/Site/smart%20family%20hermosa.html

A very nice family reunion at the Hermosa Beach Pier. We ate at my grandparents' old favorite restaurant, The Mermaid. We walked on the pier and threw flowers in her memory. Highlights: Aunt Meg smiling from her wheelchair, and seeing Sierra and Lucky Smart together: they are THIRD cousins!

See my uncle's excellent photographs at http://www.pbase.com/ae6eg/mothers_memorial

ski madness!

2007-03-29T18:54:00.000-07:00

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See all of the photos:
http://web.mac.com/jimsmart1/iWeb/Site/Mammoth%20spring.html

Grammie Smart video

2007-02-03T08:35:00.000-08:00

Today is Grammie Smart's funeral in Palm Desert, California. I am unable to be there, feeling a little guilty, which is fine, because guilt helped give me the kick the pants I needed to make a little film. They showed it at the funeral, which had about 150 people in attendance.

Actually, it was Aunt Meg who suggested I make a film when I was making guilty noises on the phone. Aunt Meg's body was irreparably damaged when she stopped a rolling vehicle from rolling into a crowd of school children with it many years ago. Her sunshine spirit in the midst of suffering is a great inspiration.

So for you, Aunt Meg, and all the Smarts, here's a film of memories by the Hawaii Smarts:

Trash Dive

2007-01-30T08:03:00.000-08:00

On Sunday we had a family "pick up trash" day at a local beach. The boys and I took SCUBA gear and collected marine debris as well. Here's a couple of pics:

Makapuu Moon

2007-01-30T07:57:00.000-08:00

Here's a painting I finished yesterday:

Sierra turns five today!

2007-01-12T12:44:00.000-08:00

Grammie Smart

2007-01-12T11:28:00.000-08:00

Grammie Smart passed away last night. She was a large presence in my life.

When I was 16, she took me to England. I remember a fancy show at the west end, river trips through locks, exploring Tintagel and Stonehenge and especially Mousehole. This is a quiant fishing village just around the bay from Plymouth. Small twisty streets leading down to a tightly enclosed harbor consisting of two walls with a small entry for the fishing fleet. We changed our plans and stayed there for a couple of days, we liked it so much.

On the way back we me my grandfather in New York. He took me to the US Senate, where I remember seeing Ted Kennedy. I amm thankful that they took me to the top of the World Trade Center on that trip. There was a booth where you could get your picture taken and it would be printed onto a t shirt right there. They got me one.

Grammie gave me and Shari some Chinese communist hats when we stopped at her place on our 1986 cross country trip. She taught us dominoes, and we ended up playing it quite a bit.

Grammie Smart was a hard core Texan southerner. She never lost her Dallas twang. She told me that our ancestor fought in the Civil War. When I asked which side they fought for, she snorted, "The South, of course!" However, I remember when Bill Clinton came on the TV before he was elected president, and she said, "I could never vote for a man whose eyes are so close together."

She loved USC. She was a professor of education there. All my Christmas gifts growing up were USC socks, shirts, sweaters, hats, etc. She took me to several of their big football games back in the seventies. Red and gold, red and gold.

She spent most of the last year in a state of dementia. Perhaps it's for the best as far as USC goes; she never learned that her great grandson Jack didn't apply to be a Trojan.

Grammie was hard to please. No matter how often I visited her, it was never enough. She was intelligent, extremely well-travelled, and was not shy with her opinions.

She would have turned 92 next month. Though the last year was very rough for her, the other 90 were quite good. I'm glad to have her good genes.

The last time I saw her was in October 2006, when I took this picture of her. I sang some songs on the ukulele for her, and she was more relaxed and less opinionated, her mind suspending her memories in favor of being in the moment.

She was one of a kind. She left her mark on me, deep and strong. I'll miss her.

Jim

Happy New Year

2007-01-02T19:04:00.000-08:00

Here's a movie of all of our Christmas photos through the years:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8UZdBTZ3vM

Mentos and Diet Coke

2006-12-27T20:31:00.000-08:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdguFhJ2eq4

YouTube hit

2006-12-22T07:27:00.000-08:00

Wow! Since Decmeber 18, 5,928 people have looked at my little home movie about the Decemberists vs Stephen Colbert! Scary numbers!

Here's the movie:

New movie: More Molokai Beach Fun

2006-11-25T16:10:00.000-08:00

Sierra and her cousins on Molokai, Thanksgiving 2006

2006-11-24T22:19:00.000-08:00

Jack the movie star

2006-10-24T18:34:00.000-07:00

Here's a link to learn about Jack's latest movie, which is part of the Honolulu Film Festival:

http://starbulletin.com/2006/10/24/features/story01.html

The film premiers tomorrow, and concerns the internment of German Americans in WWII, a little known topic.

A day at the beach

2006-10-12T00:25:00.000-07:00

Spinning cube

2006-09-14T03:53:00.000-07:00

Jack's new play!!

2006-09-12T03:43:00.000-07:00

Sierra and dad in music video

2006-09-08T02:57:00.000-07:00

Click on the image to see the new 3 minute movie of Jim and Sierra in their first music video for one of Jim's new songs:

42

2006-09-04T08:59:00.000-07:00

Hi Lynn and Bill,

I am very happy with how birthday 42 went for me this weekend. I had a big party, with so many diverse friends that I felt wealthy in the best sense of the word. I combined an idea from Lord of the Rings with Hitchiker's Guide. Such high literature, I know.

I like Tolkien's idea that Hobbits give away presents on their birthdays, so I did that. I had a table by the door with my new CDs, my band t shirts, and a pile of nice print outs of one of my paintings. I encouraged people to take a "mathom" on their way out. Mathom is Tolkien's word for something that's just sitting around in a closet, but you can't throw it out, which is what all of those items are for me.

All the musicians I know have piles of their CDs in their closets. I can afford to just give them away to those who are interested without pushing them, which is nice.

So no one gave me presents, and no one sang happy birthday to me, and I loved it!
It was kind of a blur, though.

I was honored that such a big crowd came. It was loud and fun, with good food, and people did whatever they wanted. We had a nice circle of musicians for awhile, and it was folks who hadn't played together before, like Gerry from the Daytrippers, Jim from Don't Panic, and assorted hangers on. This was in by the piano.

I remember being one of the loudest, most obnoxious fans for the big foosball tournament. Jack and Kehau were scoring on Kirby and Kale, and I was shouting "Go Blue!" and other inanities.

Sierra had a bunch of other little girls to pal around with, including dress up in her room and a trip to the park at night.

Some teens and adults monitored the U.H. volleyball game in the TV room.

Mostly people were just talking, eating, and drinking in the back yard. The weather was great, and talking out of doors, meeting new people, and sampling the various delicacies was the favorite activity. Lots of Punahou folks came, and my musician friends like Dave, Gerry, and Martha. Bob and Ginger came down the hill, and several other neighbors. The usual suspects like the Miller/Watkins clan, Dane and Lisa, Bob Tam, etc.

People snapped the mathoms up, and instead of the traditional birthday stuff, we just had a great time eating, playing games, music, talking and drinking. Definitely my best birthday ever, and I feel great about being 42.

more later,

Jim

The passing of Terri

2006-08-21T07:54:00.000-07:00

Sad news, folks. Our friend and colleague, a great fellow English teacher and all around sweet lady passed away yesterday. She was too young to die, and the shock of it all is how fast it happened. In June she was a healthy teacher getting ready for a trip to stay with our friend Herbert in Innsbruck, Austria. In July some medical test results prevented her from going. She had cancer, and each test result was progressively worse. Now in August, she is gone. My brain reels trying to comprehend the suddenness, sadness. This is what I meant when I wrote a song that "live is in a minor".

Here's Lynn's e mail about it. Lynn and Bill had taken her to Brazil for some alternative healing, since the doctors gave her no chance:

Dear Jim,
Glad to know you got home safely.
Terri passed away peacefully this morning in a hospital in Anapolis Brazil, where we brought her last night. Yesterday was an amazingly remarkable experience, which I´ll relate later. We are in the funeral home now making complicated arrangements to have her body sent home for cremation ... a nearly impossible task here.
I´ll call later.
Love,
Lynn

new camp photos

2006-08-20T14:57:00.000-07:00

We are back in Hawaii now, admusting to new time zones and enjoying our five-ness.

Photos from the end of camp:
http://web.mac.com/jimsmart1/iWeb/Site/Treetops.2006.3.html

violin stealers, you're on notice!

2006-08-16T11:47:00.000-07:00

Sad news. The violin player in my band has had his instruments stolen:

http://starbulletin.com/2006/08/15/news/story06.html

Camp fun

2006-08-09T18:42:00.000-07:00

Hi folks,

Another great week at camp in the Adirondacks. The latest photos are here:

http://web.mac.com/jimsmart1/iWeb/Site/Treetops.2006.2.html

Treetops photo page

2006-07-31T03:11:00.000-07:00

Jay loves his Captain Jack Sparrow pirate hat. I had the pleasure of a sailboat voyage with him in command while wearing it.

See more photos at:
http://web.mac.com/jimsmart1/iWeb/Site/Treetops.2006.1.html

Our first week at camp together

2006-07-28T03:36:00.000-07:00

We miss Jack!

Sierra at Camp Treetops

2006-07-28T03:31:00.000-07:00

Sierra loves the garden. She first focused on raspberries, an old favorite. It's early in berry season, so you have to learn where to look. Sierra knows that the bushes with red gold are near the cows.

She also likes the peas. She eats them raw, in the pod.

It's great to let her run wild at camp, free from the usual worries of parenthood like strangers and cars. Strangers and cars are two things that don't fit camp.

Now she wants to ride the horses.

Fire in the Forge!

2006-07-28T03:27:00.000-07:00

Jay's latest thing at camp is making iron things with an old fashioned forge. Alex the counselor helped him master the ancient arts. Soon he'll be making swords and rings of power.

Dad's new CD

2006-07-26T21:30:00.000-07:00

JIM SMART: Seven Fathoms

His string tinged rock music lets your brain wander the fine line balance between the pain of old timey musicals and the foolish pleasures of acoustic punk rock, with power pop nods to artists like the Kinks, the Decemberists, Wilco, and Nick Drake.

Arrival at Treetops

2006-07-24T03:48:00.000-07:00

Shari, Sierra, and I are now at camp. We are staying in the same rooms in Cascade House. Instead of George and David Turner, we live with 4 gigantic dogs. 2 belong to Julia, and 2 to Bill L.

George is doing well, and Senior Camp has a nice tone. The kids are a biit more innocent than last year in general.

Jay seems to be thriving as a Super. He is more interested in socializing with them than us, though he likes a hug a couple of times a day. He has a guitar which has mostly stayed in his tent so far.

We heard that the Supers did a funny but very long skit at the bonfire based on Bob and George. It had something to do with George having to fill big shoes. Ergo, Jay played the part of George, and he wore very very big shoes, or slippers, or something. Anyway, you'd best ask someone who was there if you want to know about it.

Yesterday was the Ironman, with the usual fun scene out at the street. I thought of Lindsay's year. Shari and Sierra were too tired to get up for breakfast, so there's no way she would have made it to the start like that year.

photos of Mammoth Summer

2006-07-21T09:59:00.000-07:00

Click Here:

http://web.mac.com/jimsmart1/iWeb/Site/Mammoth%20Summer.html

July 2006 - Sierra and Jim came to Mammoth for a week of fun. Kayaks at Lake Mary, mountain biking and hiking, fabulous flowers, and a gig with friends and their kids. Perfecto!