Lepine

The Noordam has departed the dock in Pago Pago and is sailing out of the harbour on its way to Hawaii Big island, arriving 5 days from now. Oh My Buddha, too many sea-days !!!

We are on the Noordam and it s getting ready to depart Pago Pago. This will be our "Last Minute".

A BRIO Utility Cover. Could not find where they are made. Cover trivia: A round cover can't fall down a round hole. Round covers can be easily transported by rolling. A round cover has a smaller surface than a square one.

Welcome signage in Pago Pago. SAMOA MUAMUA LE ATUA (American Somoa's motto, means, “Samoa, God is First.” Did I mention the community is rife with churches.

A Ford Meter Box cover in Pago Pago. As a water system superintendent in the 1890s, founder Edwin Ford faced shortages caused by excessive and unmetered water usage by customers. Meters were available, but an accessible outside location was thought to be impractical in Indiana’s cold winters. Mr. Ford solved the problem by designing a meter box for in-ground settings. Word of Ford’s unique approach quickly spread to neighboring towns. The first meter boxes were made in his basement, but as other utilities learned of his solution, sales increased and a new business was born. The small company grew steadily through the years, and in 1911 The Ford Meter Box Company was incorporated in Wabash, Indiana. After moving to Wabash, Ford Meter Box expanded its product offerings, and in 1916, Ford Meter Box received its first patent for the water meter test bench. This first bench was a simple design, but it revolutionized how water meters were tested. Today, Ford offers a comprehensive line of water meter testing equipment, from basic manual benches to fully computerized models. From the early 1930s through the 1950s, Ford Meter Box continued to develop new ideas for the waterworks industry. In the mid-1950s, Ford introduced the Pack Joint compression fitting, which was a revolutionary way to connect service line tubing without flaring or threading the pipe. Today, Ford offers a large variety of couplings with compression fitting options including the Pack Joint, Grip Joint, Quick Joint, and Ultra-tite.

Tutuila Island fuel cache on the island coastal highway. American Samoa uses imported fossil fuels for almost all of the territory's energy needs, including transportation, drinking and waste water treatment, and most (about 97% in 2020) of its electric power generation. American Samoa Power Authority (ASPA), a government corporation, owns and operates two generating plants on Tutuila that have about 45 megawatts of combined diesel-fueled capacity.

Fatu ma Futi (Flower Pot Rock) is a natural landmark offshore of Tutuila Island near the entrance of Pago Pago Harbour. Fatu looks like a sea stack, a natural geological formation usually found near rugged coastlines and appearing as vertical stone columns offshore from a main land mass. The taller the sea stack, the more unstable it is. Eventually the sea stack will topple and make a stump. But it may be that it has survived a wave battering because it is much harder than the surrounding rocks? This is a volcanic region. Regardless of its geological origin, Fatu was exposed, over time by wind and water, processes of coastal geomorphology. It formed when part of a headland was eroded by hydraulic action, the force of the sea or water crashing against the rock.

Snorkel lesson in the waters of Faga All Bay, Pago Pago.

A Pago Pago flag for American Samoa flag day. We were in Pago Pago 15 April, 2 days before American Samoa Flag Day (17 April). In preparation for the holiday, residents decorate the island with woven palm fronds and flowers on signs, lamp posts, and coconut trees. 17 April, 1900, the Treaty of Cession of Tutuila was signed. The treaty was between the U.S and several chiefs of the Island of Tutuila. The treaty ceded the island to the U.S making it American Samoa. For the first time, the American flag was raised on Sogelau Hill in Fagatogo.

A set of Purse Seine net stored on the dock at the Port of Pago Pago. A purse seine is a large wall of netting deployed around an entire area or school of fish. The seine has floats along the top line (the yellow balls) with a lead line threaded through rings along the bottom. Once a school of fish is located, a skiff encircles the school with the net. The nets in Pago Pago are used to catch Tuna.

The Noordam moored to the dock in Pago Pago Harbour. We first walked left around the harbour bay and then right to the next community concentration of Faga'alu. So going right now.

I caught my eye and no idea what it is but guessing some kind of survey locator marker in Pago Pago.

The electricity generating station in Pago Pago operated by the American Samoa Power Authority. American Samoa Power Authority (ASPA) is a development-oriented public utility providing electricity, water, wastewater and solid waste services to residents of American Samoa. Diesel generators supply most of American Samoa's electricity, nearly all of it on the main island, Tutuila.

Pago Pago Harbour is home to a small ship graveyard and this is one of those interred here - well not buried but ready to be?

A view into Pago Pago Bay inner harbour. The N SUNDIN Docksta, Sweden 1962 built sail boat Barbarella looks to be in need of some TLC. N. Sundin Dockstavarvet, based outside Örnsköldsvik in northern Sweden, is a highly specialised manufacturer of aluminium boats. The company was founded in 1905. In 2017 N. Sundin Dockstavarvet and Muskövarvet was sold to Swedish defense major Saab.

This bright red disc located at street drains in Pago Pago is impossible to miss. Does the message resonate with residents?

We were in Pago Pago 15 April, 2 days before American Samoa Flag Day (17 April). In preparation for the holiday, residents decorate the island with woven palm fronds and flowers on signs, lamp posts, and coconut trees. 17 April, 1900, the Treaty of Cession of Tutuila was signed. The treaty was between the U.S and several chiefs of the Island of Tutuila. The treaty ceded the island to the U.S making it American Samoa. For the first time, the American flag was raised on Sogelau Hill in Fagatogo.

A memorial to singer Mathew Sam Ling. Ling was a member of 2K Twenty Boiz