Reflections

This past week has been very nice.  We just relaxed.  Some days the car didn't even leave the parking lot...well maybe the Menahuna took it out at night while we were asleep.  We've enjoyed watching a sparrow take building supplies up to its nesting sight under our eaves, have worked on some sewing projects, and spent an hour or two most days down at the pool.  Could I "live" in Hawaii like this for several weeks? You bet!  I think I would need to have some activities, take quilting classes or hula lessons, or something...but, yes, I could do it.

Saturday we went downtown to the Hulihe'e Palace for their "Day at the Palace" event.  There was live entertainment and demonstrations of native crafts (see picture of guy pounding poi) The fresh poi was actually pretty tasty, but not something I would go out of my way to get, although that guy could pound poi for me anytime! There were also lots of arts & crafts - some of the handcrafted items were extraordinary - for sale.  We had lunch at the Kona Canoe Club (I had the kalua pig sandwich and Mom had calamari strips).  Then we browsed some of the shops on the way back to the car. A storm was forecast and by the time we got back to the condo the temperature had dropped and clouds had come in.  The pool didn't seem too inviting. We were going to a concert at Keauhou Shopping Center (free for 2 cans of food), but it had started to rain, so didn't go. It rained through the night, but not hard like it did several nights before.

Sunday the sun was out and it was hot again.  We decided to head up country and down island to what has become our favorite Sunday lunch spot - Kona Coffeehouse & Cafe.  It must be about 25 miles from here, but worth it.  Mom had eggs benedict and I had a burger. The people there are so nice and it is so pleasant out on their lanai, which is behind the building away from the road, so it is quiet.  We cleaned out the refrigerator for dinner and it was actually pretty good.

Today (Monday) we will do some laundry and try to get organized.  I'm hoping I won't have to send a box of stuff home from the post office.  We also need to put the condo back to its original condition as much as possible, eg., replace furniture, put kitchen items back, etc.  We don't need to clean.  We're hoping for one more dip in the pool this afternoon, then we're meeting Sue & Dick Roberts for dinner at Jackie Reys. 

Tomorrow we are on our way home.  I think we're ready.  I miss Simon and Mom misses her chair, her bed, and her shower (I miss my shower, too).  There's lots of things that need to be done at home for the spring, to it's time.

As I reflect back on the last few weeks, here are some of things I've discovered:

• I can wear flip-flops. I still don't think they are shoes per se, but I bought some Hawaiian Jellies and love them. They have some arch support and a heel cup and are comfortable. I haven't worn them since I was a kid - then we called them zoris or thongs. In Hawaii they are called slippers or slip-pahs.
• Saw a bird we haven't seen before: the Java Sparrow. See pictures.
• Grumpy people are a rarity in Hawaii. Actually, this isn't a new discovery. But, why should anyone be grumpy here - it's paradise!
• Even though distances are relatively short, it takes a long time to drive anywhere. Again, not a new discovery, but something to keep in mind. We're so used to getting on I-5 and being just about anywhere within 100 miles in and hour or two. Here the same distances take twice as long.
• Pog is good.  Pog is passion fruit, orange, and guava juice.  It is a Hawaiian staple and even served on Alaska Airlines Hawaii flights.  It is especially good as a slushy.
• With this, my 4th trip to Hawaii, I am finally starting to get a hang of the local place names and can even remember some of them, even though I may mangle the pronunciation.
• No matter how many times I come to Hawaii I still seem to find more stuff to spend my money on. 
• Macadamia nuts are good on everything: pizza, salad, green beans.  They are also tasty flavored with Maui onions and garlic, vanilla and Kona coffee, curry, and honey, though I'm not a fan of Spam flavored mac nuts.
• Driving in the rain 100+ miles round-trip for Tex malasadas is well worth the trip.
• Everyone is familiar with Kona coffee, but there is other coffee grown on the Big Island. We bought some Ka'u coffee grown on the south slope of Mauna Loa on the south side of the island.  It is pretty good, too.
• Geckos are our friends.  They are cute, too.  Maybe that little green guy on TV  desensitised us to these little lizards, but I don't mind them.  Wouldn't want to find one in my shoe though (maybe that's why everyone wears flip-flops).  They eat bugs so what's not to like...
• The shortbread cookies from the Punalu'u Baking Company (southern most bakery in the US) are ono (delicious).
• The spirit of Aloha is alive and well in Hawaii and it helps make this a paradise on earth.

Day 25 & 26 - "Living" in Hawaii

Yesterday we began our experiment to see what it might be like to "live" in Hawaii for several weeks without gallivanting around everyday.  It was a nice day.  We stayed inside and worked on our sewing projects, watched TV, and spent an hour or so at the pool.  I think I could manage to live like that.  We will continue this experiment for the final week of our trip, but we'll undoubtedly go out and about a little bit.

Just about the time we went to bed last night it started to rain and it POURED.  I don't think I've ever seen or heard rain like that before.  The downspouts are angled pipes from the roof that stick out about a foot from the roof line.  There is one right above our lanai.  The water pouring through it was about 10 times the water pressure in our shower!  It rained like that until about 1am.  This place has a flat roof and I was thankful for those downspouts; otherwise, I think the roof might have caved in from the weight of the water.  It must have rained 5-8 inches in that length of time though I haven't been able to find an official measurement.

Other than a little standing water in places, there was little evidence this morning of last night's storm. Woke up to sunshine as usual, which is something I could definitely get used to.

After breakfast, I went to the market in Kailua for enough papayas and bananas to last until we leave.  It was hot and I remembered how nice it was to stay in yesterday without having a sweat bath.  Some of the vendors were still dumping the water off their tarps.  I don't know why they haven't put up permanent structures at that market.  It is a rabbit warren of tarps and is pretty tacky, but good prices on fruit and other produce.  Some of the "craft" vendors sell cheap stuff made in China and the Philippines, but there are also some excellent crafts people selling their wares.

I enjoyed snorkeling on the Fairwind II so much a couple of weeks ago that I booked another afternoon trip for today.  Mom went for the ride, but didn't snorkel.  She's afraid that she wouldn't be able to get back on the boat, though the crew assured her that they would help her "no problem."  This time I rented a digital camera with pretty good results.  The yellow tangs are the most photogenic.  I got one or two good shots, but the darn things won't hold still!  This was our 4th trip on the Fairwind.  The crew is so great.  All the guys are nicer than nice and so accommodating to Mom's needs. A couple of the crew even remembered us from two years ago.

The boat got back to port at 5:30, so went home to shower and then went to the Kona Brewing Company for dinner.  I figured it wouldn't be as busy tonight as it would be tomorrow night (Friday). Wrong! 45 minute wait.  We had hefewiesen and a Kohala pizza with macadamia nuts.  Really, really good.  Turns out that macadamia nuts are good on just about anything.  Imagine that!

After dinner we drove down to the Sheraton at Keauhou Bay to watch the manta rays.  We saw several of them and there were some divers shining their lights and the mantas were putting on quite a show for them.  At least we didn't get wet this time.  Two years ago a huge wave came over the railing and soaked us!

Day 23 & 24 - Aloha, Katie & Margie

We had a slow day on Monday.  We went to Quilt Passions where Margie bought a kit for a wall hanging and Mom & I bought kits for projects to work on during the remainder of our stay.  Then we went to Discount Fabric Warehouse and bought some more...fabric!  We had not been to Quinn's Almost by the Sea yet, so chose that as our lunch spot.  I had great fish tacos and a Longboard (Kona Brewing Company's lager beer) while everyone else had calamari.

Before going home we went up country to Holoalua where we stopped in at the Kimura Lauhala Store.  When we were here two years ago, Mom and I stopped here and had a visit with the nicest Japanese lady whose grandparents walked across the island from Hilo to settle in Kona more than 100 years ago.  "Talking story" with her was one of the highlights of that trip.  She is now 87 and still active, but today her daughter was working at the store - also a nice lady. Lauhala is woven strips of leaves from the hala tree (aka pandanus).  Historically, lauhala mats were used as rugs covering dirt floors and as walls in grass-thatched houses, and also made into hats.  Weaving was done by the wives of the coffee farmers and sugar cane workers to make items for their own homes and to supplement income. Today lauhala is used  mostly as decor and the weaving is a cottage industry or done as a hobby.  Lauhala items are not cheap.  I paid $12 for a woven hot pad.  A hat could set you back $100 or more, and I wouldn't want to know how much a floor mat would cost.

Holoalua is sort of an artist's colony, but unfortunately since it was Monday the shops  were closed, so we weren't tempted to buy anything in the town's galleries. 

For Katie & Margie's last dinner on the island we went to the Kona Canoe Club in downtown Kailua.  Mom & I had Blue Hawaii cocktails, and I had a burger while Mom had the chicken salad served in half a papaya.  Margie had kalua pork sliders and Katie had calamari...again.  We had a beach-side table and watched the paddlers out on the ocean while the sun performed its magic and gave us a glorious sunset. A nice ending to their stay.

Tuesday, we dropped Katie & Margie off at the airport for their 1pm flight back to the mainland, then stopped at Costco for pineapple - third time we've stopped to get pared and cut-up pineapple and third time with no luck.  I got 2 whole pineapples, though.  After dealing with whole pineapples I can attest that the price you pay for the cut up ones is well worth it!  Next stop Safeway.  Our plan for our remaining week is to mostly hang around the condo, so we wanted to get supplies so we could eat lunch at "home."

The afternoon was spent washing sheets and towels, remaking beds and moving Mom back into the other bedroom.  Then we went to the pool and splashed around for over an hour, visiting with a couple of other ladies.  This is pretty much how we plan to spend the next week, so this may be the last post to this blog.

Day 22 - Honu & Nene

Another late start this morning and our first stop was the market in downtown Kailua-Kona for papayas & bananas.  Since it was Sunday and the market is closed on Monday, we got a deal: 6 papayas for $2, rather than 5.  Two years ago, the going price for them was 7 for $2.  These are the GMO papayas, but just as good as the others, and the price is right, especially since we each eat a whole one each day.  I cut them in quarters and we each get one-quarter of each papaya.  That way no one gets stuck with a bad one, but they are actually all pretty good, though some are riper than others.

After the market, we went south on Hwy 11 to Captain Cook and the Sunday Market there.  We went to that market 2 weeks ago before Katie & Margie arrived, so this was their first time.  It's a nice little market with lots of arts & crafts as well as food items.  We reached Honaunau just at lunch time, so had lunch at Kona Coffeehouse & Cafe where we also had lunch 2 weeks ago.  Great spot for a Sunday brunch or lunch.  No gecko in our flower arrangement this time - darn!

After lunch, we continued south, and took a narrow 1-lane road 2 miles down to Ho'okena Beach.  A nice little community of houses down there with a very pretty beach and rocky area with surf spraying on it.  This is obviously someplace where locals gather although there seemed to be several other rental cars going down to see what was at the end of the road just like we did.

The road twists and turns through tropical vegetation with coffee and macadamia nut farms, then all of a sudden, the scenery changes to scrubby trees and even lava flows with little or no vegetation.  There are 13 climate zones in the world and 11 of them are represented on the Island of Hawaii, which makes driving around the island very interesting.  Eventually, we got back to lusher vegetation and iron wood trees.  We passed South Point, the southern most point in the US (don't tell Key West).  We went down there two years ago and were glad we did, but weren't up to doing the 12 miles of pot holes to get down there again.  We stopped at Punalu'u Baking Company, which prides itself on its Hawaiian sweet bread as well as being the furthest south bakery in the US. It was a nice stop with nice restrooms and a gift shop.  It was good to get out of the car for awhile.

I had decided we would go as far as we could by 4:00, then turn back.  We arrived at Punalu'u Beach, also called Black Sand Beach, at just about 4:00.  It was very windy and the surf was high, so weren't hopeful of seeing any honu (green sea turtles), but Margie, Katie, & I walked down on the beach anyway.  Unfortunately, Mom just can't manage the soft sand, so she stayed in the car.  We were not disappointed as there were 10 turtles resting on the beach today - the most I've ever seen in the three times I've been there.  On the way back to the highway, we saw 6 nene, Hawaiian geese and Hawaii's state bird, on a golf course.  Both the sea turtles and nene are native to Hawaii and were nearly extinct 30 or 40 years ago, but both have made an amazing come back and are protected.  It's really exciting to see them.

It was nearly 6:00 when we got to the Keauhou Shopping Center and picked up some items at Longs Drugs.  I didn't care what we did for dinner as long as I didn't have to cook it, but the pizza place was closed and I didn't feel like driving into Kailua for dinner, so I popped into the KTA supermarket and bought a frozen pizza and we had that with a tomato and avocado salad for dinner, with some lilikoi bars I bought at the market for dessert.

Another fun day in paradise, even with the little bit of rain we had up in the mountains coming home.

Day 21 - Kohala & Rain

Today we got a rather late start, but fortified ourselves with some reheated malasadas and coffee before starting out for North Kohala and Hawi.  One thing about Hawaii is that there is usually only one or two routes to follow to get anywhere, so you travel a lot of the highways several times while day-tripping around the island.

We stopped off at Spencer Beach Park and got long distance look at Pu'ukohola Heiau (ancient temple).  Since it was Saturday there were a lot of locals picnicking at the beach and lots of people in the water.  We drove right through Kawaihae, but stopped at Lapakahi State Historical Park further up the road.  Katie & Margie & I walked down the rocky, and in some places steep, path to look at the grass huts that are along the path to the ocean.  Of course, what goes down the path must go back up. 

We drove through Hawi, looking for someplace to eat lunch, but we all needed a restroom, so  back tracked to the visitor's center, which has nice facilities.  I talked with the man there who said that the North Kohala area has added only about 100 people in the past 10 years and it has been designated as a no growth area with no chain stores and franchises.  Their economy is strictly farming/ranching with a little bit of tourism as only about 10% of the visitors to the Big Island make the effort to go up there.  Historically, they grew sugar cane in this area and the town of Hawi is like a slice of old Hawaii with 100 year old store fronts housing galleries, shops, and restaurants.  We ate at Bamboo, which was good, then went across the street for Tropical Dreams ice cream for dessert.  After visiting a couple of galleries, we started back south via the Kohala Mountain road (250).  This is a very scenic highway across the Kohala Mountains (extinct volcano), and probably the oldest part of the island geologically.  The clouds were low and we encountered some heavy rain, but visibility was good and we could still see a lot of the scenery, though views of Mauna Kea, Mauna Loa, and the ocean were obscured.

This morning I sorted through all of the stuff I've accumulated since I've been here and decided I didn't need to buy any more stuff, which didn't keep me from buying a pair of earrings in Hawi today.  Oh, well!

We got back to the condo about 5:30, had some mai-tais and steak for dinner.

Day 19 & 20 - Baking bread and dinner with friends

On Thursdays they bake Portuguese sweet bread in a stone oven at the historical society, so we went down there yesterday to check it out.  The oven is made of stone, lava rock I assume, and they build a fire in it, letting it heat up for 4 hours.  When it is hot, they remove the ashes and charcoal and bake the bread in the retained heat.  First they bake plain whole wheat and white rolls while the oven is hottest, then they bake the sweet bread rolls in a cooler oven.  We didn't get there in time to help with shaping the rolls, but the plain bread was well risen and ready to put in the oven when we got there.   We wanted sweet bread rolls, which wouldn't be ready until 1:00, so we went for lunch and came back.  The baked bread is sold for $7 and there are 7 large rolls in each pan.

We had lunch at Orchid Isle Cafe where we have eaten a couple of times on prior trips.  Had the quiche and watched the geckos.  Nice lunch with a wonderful view from the lanai.

After lunch we continued to drive south towards Kealakekua Bay and on past the Painted Church near Honaunau Bay.  Didn't stop at either spot as we had been to both before, but we enjoyed the drive through the lush tropical vegetation.  We did stop at Kona Pacific Farmers Coop where we got lots of free samples of macadamia nuts (plain and chocolate covered) as well as samples of Kona coffee.  The Kona coffee there is very expensive: $65 for a pound of peaberry (see prior post for description of peaberry) and $40 a pound for regular coffee.  Decaf Kona coffee is scarce because the coffee has to be sent to the mainland to be decaffeinated, then fumigated when it comes back to Hawaii, which adds to the expense and most growers don't think it is worth the trouble. 

From Honaunau, we headed back north, stopped at Safeway and the farmers market, and got home in time to take a swim.  I made chicken teriyaki in the crock pot for dinner.

This morning we went out to do some errands: gas & cash at Costco, and we also needed pineapple, but they were all out of the cut up pineapple and the whole ones were too green to bother with.  Then went to one of the local quilt stores and Discount Fabric Warehouse.  Such an exciting day, uh?  We had lunch at the condo - leftover kalua pork and teriyaki chicken and sweet bread rolls.  Mom took a nap while Katie & Margie read, and I started work on an appliqued Hawaiian style quilt block.  I bought a pre-cut kit of a honu (sea turtle).  Then I went to the pool for a quick swim.

We had dinner with Dick & Sue Roberts, who are my cousin Sue Durbin's son's in-laws.  They bought a house in Kona a year or so ago and this was the first time we visited them in their new house.  It is up on the hill about directly above our condo and they have a fabulous view of the ocean and the coast.  A really nice house, wonderful company, and a great dinner of grilled tuna, purple sweet potatoes, green beans with macadamia nuts, and salad, with tapioca pudding and strawberries for dessert.

I presented Dick & Sue with a wall hanging quilt I made for them as a house warming gift.  They are paddlers and belong to one of the local canoe clubs.  The quilt has an appliqued paddle and canoe with Hawaiian petroglyphs.  They were thrilled with it and know where they will hang it.  We got back to the condo about 9:30 - I think the latest we've been out since we've been here.

Day 17 & 18 - Overnight in Hilo

Yesterday, we got the car packed up and were on the road by 8:30, heading over to Hilo, which is on the east (windward) side of the island.  We have been to Hilo before, but this is the first time we we've taken the "Saddle Road," which is the most direct route between the two sides of the island.  It took about 1 hour and 45 minutes for the trip. 

At one time the Saddle Road, which runs along the "saddle" between Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa, was so bad that car rental companies would not allow their customers to drive over it.  But now it is an excellent smoothly paved 2-lane, 55 mph, highway with passing lanes.  That is until you get about 10 miles from Hilo, then it is a narrower twisted 2-lane road.

After stopping at McDonald's for a comfort stop, we headed few miles north of Hilo to the Plantation Museum in Papai'kou.  This museum just celebrated its first anniversary in its new location and it is a very interesting collection of memorabilia from the sugar cane plantation days.  The last sugar cane plantation ceased operation in the mid-1990s, but the history of sugar cane on the Big Island goes back to the mid-1800s, and workers were imported from a variety of different countries over the decades to work in the cane fields, including China, Japan, Philippines, and even the US.  The demise of sugar in Hawaii was caused by the increasing cost of labor, water (sugar requires tons of it), and cheaper beet sugar; however, some sugar cane is still grown and processed on Maui.  We had an interesting visit with the two men who operate the museum, especially Ron who spent quite a lot of time with us.  He is especially interested in showing today's kids the toys that the plantation kids had like buttons on string, cat's cradle, and the wooden ball attached to an cup by string where you try to toss the ball and catch it in the cup.  Actually, we have seen several keiki around here with those.

At Ron's recommendation we had lunch at Ponds in Hilo, which just happened to be across the street from our hotel.  It is built out over a pond filled with koi and from our window-side table we were able to watch the koi and a couple of turtles while we ate lunch.  Every now and then, someone would throw fish food into the pond and there would be a feeding frenzy. I had a good hamburger with garlic fries, and Mom, Katie & Margie had seafood pasta and everyone enjoyed their lunch.  Afterwards, we checked in to the hotel.

Hilo has a mysterious system of one-way streets, which when complicated by road construction, makes it difficult to get around, so it seemed like I was always back-tracking and having to turn around, but we managed to find our way to a quilt shop downtown.  Fabric Sensations is a nice shop with a very nice owner, and we spent quite a lot of time there visiting, and spending some money.  We then went into a couple of galleries and did some more talking.  Everyone loves to "talk story" or shoot the breeze in Hawaii, and that's what makes this such a fun place to visit.  Every place you go is enhanced by the friendly people you meet.

I took mai-tai fixings with us, so we enjoyed those back at the hotel.  Hilo Seaside Hotel is a very nice Hawaiian family-owned hotel.  It's an older facility, but well maintained and super clean.  Our rooms were on the ground floor and we had a key to the back door, making it easy for Mom.  We faced the pool and were under the flight path from the airport, but during the night it was very quiet and we had the best shower we've had since leaving home (the showers here in the condo suffer due to lack of water pressure, but we manage).  For dinner last night, we went back to Ponds and had pu-pus and dessert.  The pu-pus (appetisers) were so-so, but the dessert was good.

This morning we went to Ken's Pancake House for macadamia nut pancakes with coconut and lilikoi syrup.  So good.  Then we went to the big Hilo market.  Craft people on one side of the street and farmer's market on the other side.  There was a woman doing chair massages, so I treated both Mom & I to one - $10 for 15 minutes (one of the true bargains of Hawaii).  Felt so good.  After the market, we found Kilauea Kreations, another quilt shop.  Very nice shop with another very nice proprietor.

We had seen an article in one of the local magazines about Two Lady's Kitchen where they make mochi, a pounded sweet rice confection.  As we were driving along we spotted it and stopped.  I went in and stood in line for about 20 minutes before I was able to get some.  It is very popular here and I guess they sell out just about every day.  Mom & Katie don't care much for it, but Margaret & I like it, so I guess that leaves more for us.  For lunch we went to Lucy's Taqueria, another popular local spot.  It is owned by the people we rented from last year on Oahu and Lucy is their daughter, so that is how we heard about it.  We had a good lunch - the biggest chimichanga I've ever seen.

We originally had planned to go back to Kona driving around the south end of the island, but we decided to spend more time in Hilo, so instead we went back over the Saddle Road, which is quicker.  We went up to Rainbow Falls and Boiling Pots (water churning over rocks), before heading back over the saddle.  At Boiling Pots we watched some people skinny-dipping (I got pictures, which I'll share privately...). It was so foggy on the east side of the mountains that I could barely see more than 2 or 3 car lengths ahead.  But once we reached the crest and started down the west side it cleared off and it was an easier drive.  We got back to the condo in less than 2 hours.

Because Hilo is on the windward side of the island they get a lot of rain, which makes everything lush and green. We lucked out and got only a few sprinkles.  We also enjoyed the slightly cooler temperatures over there, but I still think I like this dryer side of the island better.

Day 15 & 16 - Ali'i Stroll & Seahorses

Yesterday, Sunday, we took it easy in the morning, did some laundry, etc., then went up to Sam Choy's for lunch.  Gorgeous view from high above Keauhou Bay.  The building used to be a Wendy's, but Sam makes much better use of it as the view deserves a nice restaurant up there.  Katie and Mom had chicken salads, which were huge; Margie had the seared poke plate; and I had fish & chips, which were actually fresh Alaskan cod.  We guessed the cod swam over here trailing the humpback whales -- whatever, it was good.

On the 3rd Sunday of every month, Ali'i Drive is closed off through downtown Kailua-Kona for the Ali'i Stroll, where just about every artisan on the Big Island has a booth to sell their wares.  It's fun to walk along the street, looking at all of the different stuff you can buy, and nearly all of it is made in Hawaii, if not on the Big Island.  I spotted only a few booths that had items that looked suspiciously imported.  Then at 4:00 there is a concert at the Hulihe'e Palace which is on the ocean side (makai) of the street.  Most people bring their own chairs or put down towels, some sit on the sea wall, but they risk a soaking when big waves come up behind them.  A few chairs are put out for the kupuna (elders) and Mom, Katie & Margie were able to get one of them while I sat on Mom's walker.  It was a good concert - a brass band playing traditional Hawaiian songs and a group called the Merry Monarchs singing.  Mom said it reminder her of the band concerts they had in the park when she was a kid in Minneapolis, Kansas.  There was also a hula troop that danced traditional hula with chants.  I think all 4 of us enjoyed this concert more than the one on Saturday night.  Of course, after the concert we had to walk back through the street vendors and everything looked different going back, so we actually bought more on our way back to the car.  Probably the fact that it was a lot cooler when we went back to the car helped.  We got an added bonus in that we decided to park in the pay lot so Mom wouldn't have to walk as far and the meter box was broken so we didn't have to pay! What a deal!

This morning we left a little after 11:00 and headed to Hilo Hatties, which is a gift shop that has all sorts of Hawaiian souvenir stuff as well as Aloha wear.  We make it a point to stop at Hilo Hatties at least once each trip -- they give you a shell lei when you enter the store, and I have quite a lot of them accumulated by now. 

We had lunch at Taco Del Mar before going up to the Ocean Rider Seahorse Farm.  They raise seahorses to sell to aquarium hobbyists.  Seahorses are nearly extinct in the wild because of loss of habitat as well as over fishing.  They have been harvested for sale in pet shops as well as for other purposes.  Unfortunately, they do not survive long in captivity.  I did have some seahorses that I sent away for once and I don't think they lived very long.  In the wild seahorses eat only live shrimp and they are monogamous, so when wild ones are placed in captivity and forces to eat dead frozen shrimp and are separated from their mates, they get stressed and die.  At Ocean Rider, they have conditioned the seahorses over time to eat frozen shrimp and keep several of them together, so that if the mates are separated, they will bond with another one.  They are raising some seahorses to be reintroduced to the wild and these are fed only live shrimp.  At the end of the interesting and informative tour, we got to put our hands in the water, holding them like a "coral reef" while one of the biologists wrapped a seahorse tail around our fingers so we could "hold" a seahorse.  It's pretty neat.  Mom and I did this tour two years ago, but had forgotten about the killer gravel they have out there and it was very difficult for Mom to get around.

Tomorrow morning we are driving over to Hilo for an overnight stay.

Day 14 - Quilt Passions & Concert

Last evening we went to the free hula show at the Keauhou Shopping Center.  This time only kupuna danced - older ladies - all except one was 55+.  It was a really good show and we enjoyed it a lot.  When we got home no one was really hungry for dinner as we had eaten a whole 18" Costco pizza for lunch, so I fixed some mai-tais and we had snacks. We were all tired, so went to bed early.

It has been pretty hot - well into the 80s with lots of humidity - and it really saps your energy, plus we're always on the move.  Even though distances are relatively short, it seems like it takes a long time to go anywhere.  We are only about 4 miles from downtown Kailua-Kona, but it takes about 20 minutes to get there, so driving can be tiring.

Today, we went to the farmers market at the Keauhou Shopping Center.  It isn't a very big market and is almost entirely food items.  Mom & I bought some orange-lilikoi marmalade and some lilikoi bars, which we had for dessert tonight.

Today was National Quilting Day and I had received an email from the local quilt store saying they were having special discounts (percentages in balloons), and other activities.  We had been saving going to this quilt store (Quilt Passions) until Katie & Margie got here, so today was the day.  The owners are really nice and seem remember us from time to time.  They keep stock on the mainland and are vendors at many of the quilt shows on the West Coast.  I've seen them a couple of times.  One of the day's activities was to make a quilt block which would be put together and donated to charity.  We each made one of the blocks - everything was pre-cut and it was a pretty simple block. No points, no half-square triangles. I bought the kit for a wallhanging pattern I bought and a couple of other items, and got 10% off in my balloon.  Mom bought the fabric so I could make her another purse - she got 25% off in her balloon.

We had lunch at the Kona Canoe Club, which is owned by the same people who own the Kona Inn, but more casual.  I had a real good chicken salad and everyone else had calamari strips.  After lunch we went back to the condo to rest.

This evening was the free concert at the Sheraton Keauhou which celebrated the birthday of King Kamehameha III, Hawaii's longest reining monarch who was born at Keauhou Bay.  The concert is sponsored by the Kamehameha schools which were founding the 1880s for native Hawaiians.  As I understand it, a person still needs to be at least part native Hawaiian in order to attend the schools.  The local radio station KAPA 99.1 is also involved.  We stayed from 4:30 until a little after 6:30.  It was really hot when we got there and no shade.  By the time it got pleasant, Mom was getting tired, so we left -- probably missed the best parts, but it wasn't to end until 10:30 and I don't think we would have lasted that long anyway.  But, what we saw was good.  We saw about 4 different entertainers.

Day 13 - Whale Watching

We took the 11 am whale watching trip with Captain Dan McSweeny this morning.  Mom & I went out with Capt. Dan two years ago and enjoyed it, so there was no question which outfit we wanted to go with this time around.  Capt. Dan is a naturalist who has studied whales in Hawaii, Alaska, and Puget Sound form many years.  He knows whales. His boat has a crew of 2 - both women - whom we remembered from 2 years ago, and they all remembered us, too.

We went out quite a ways, but could still see shore.  There is a expansive marine shelf north of the airport that has been designated as a humpback sanctuary.  We saw several whales off on the horizon, spouting, and splashing, but the ones we saw closer in, just spouted and showed their backs.  Some were quite close to the boat, but they weren't interested showing their tails or breaching.  Two years ago we saw two whales breaching and it was very exciting.  Closer to shore we saw some other whales that were more willing to show their tails.  We also saw a large group of spinner dolphins.  They are only about 100 pounds and are the only marine mammal that actually jumps out of the water and spins on its axis - 7 1/2 rotations.

We were on the boat for about 3 hours and the service was quite good with juice and snacks served.  There were some pretty big swells out in the ocean and we wallowed a little bit when the boat was stopped, but thankfully Mom provided us with meclazine, so we weren't worried about mal du mer.

Since it was 2:00 when we got back on shore and late for lunch, we shared a pizza at Costco and picked up some necessities - sure are going through the rum and pineapple...
Then a quick stop at the market for papayas before heading for the condo.

Day 11 & 12 - Katie & Margie Arrive and More Malasadas

Yesterday Mom and I spent the morning getting ready for Katie & Margie's arrival.  We moved her into my room with the king-size bed, so K & M can share the other bedroom and bathroom, though Margie likes to sleep on the sofa.  We had the place looking pretty much as good as it looked when we arrived.  K & M's plane arrived on time and we pulled up to the curb about the same time they arrived with their luggage.  We got everything loaded and drove directly to the Kona Inn for a late lunch.  Everyone had calamari except me. I had a pulled pork sandwich, which I don't think was as good as the pulled pork I make.  Back at the condo we let K & M get settled while Mom and I went for a swim.  The water was perfect. We spent the rest of the evening out on the lanai drinking mai-tais and visiting, snacking in lieu of dinner since we had a late lunch.

This morning we left the condo around 10, heading north, stopping at Costco for gas (Costco price $3.979, Chevron Price in Waimea $4.379).  Destination: Tex Drive-in for malasadas.  The plan was to drive down the Hamakua coast a way to Laupahoehoe to have lunch at the 50's Fountain Cafe, but the weather was not promising, cloudy and windy with some showers, so decided to head back to the west coast.  50's Fountain Cafe is a fun place with all sorts of 50's memorabilia.  They have an Elvis Room, and one room is devoted to Marilyn Monroe and James Dean.  The lady's restroom is all about Betty Boop.  It's a fun place to go and the food is pretty good, but we'll have to go another time. Today, we had lunch again at Village Burgers in Waimea.  They actually grind their own hamburger.  After lunch we stopped at Isaac's Gallery which is associated with Hawaii Preparatory School.  The proceeds from the gallery supports the scholarship program at the school.  Very nice gallery with very beautiful but pricey stuff - we didn't buy anything, but enjoyed looking. 

Next stop was the Hamakua Macadamia Nut Factory.  Apparently, this was the first macadamia nut processor on  the island. As a tourist attraction we thought this was a lot better than the Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut plant we visited 2 years ago.  The latter is very chintzy with their samples.  At Hamakua you can see part of the process, though they were already shutting down for the day, watch a good video, sample as much as you like, and crack open a nut; and, of course, buy all the nuts you want.  They make a lot of different flavors, including Spam, which didn't really impress me, but some of their other flavors were pretty tasty.

I put a pork shoulder in the crockpot this morning and it was smelling pretty good by the time we got back to the condo.  But, after all the macadamia nuts we sampled this afternoon, it might be awhile before we are hungry for dinner.  I fix it with liquid smoke and Hawaiian red salt.  Tastes pretty close to pork cooked in an imu (underground oven), but without the taro or ti leaves, though I did wrap the pork in taro leaves once, but couldn't see that it added much.

The reason I am not posting many pictures is because I haven't been taking many.  Since this is my third trip to the Big Island, I took a lot of pictures on previous trips and am not compelled to take many this trip.

Day 9 & 10 - Waimea & Snorkling

Great weather yesterday. We drove up the Waimea, which is the center of ranch country on the Big Island.  If you suddenly woke up and found yourself there you would never  believe you are in Hawaii.  We had lunch at Village Burgers - a wonderful hamburger with a thick patty of locally sourced beef on a brioche bun with lettuce, tomato, onion & mayo.  It was so thick we had a hard time getting our mouth around it.  As an accompaniment we had a real ice cream milk shake - chocolate, of course.  There was even a Hershey's kiss at the bottom of the cup!  We checked out some of the shops.  There are some really nice galleries and gift shops with locally made items.  It is about 40 miles from our condo to Waimea, but it takes well over an hour to get there.  It was about 4:30 when we got home, so we headed for the pool, which was glorious.  It was about 85 degrees and the sky was still clear with no clouds.

This morning I drove to the market in Kailua-Kona for fruit.  I paid $8 for 10 papaya, a bunch of about 10 bananas (the little apple bananas grown here on the island) and 4 tomatoes.  I also bought a really pretty bouquet of tropical flowers for $10 - antherium, little orchids, protea, Helaconia, and birds of paradise.  We ate lunch at home today.

This afternoon we went out on the Fairwind II. This was the third time we went out on this boat, but before we've done the morning cruise, which includes a BBQ lunch.  The afternoon cruise only provides snacks and 90 minutes of snorkeling, rather than 2 1/2 hours, but it costs about half what the morning cruise costs.  Mom didn't snorkel, but I did and 90 minutes was ample. 

We went to Kealakakua Bay, which is of historical significance as it is where Capt. James Cook first landed on the Island of Hawaii and where he met his demise at the hand of the natives.  There is a monument there to his honor and the land it sits on is actually British land.  Kealakakua Bay is a state park and a wild life preserve.  It is also considered to be one of the best snorkel sites on the Big Island, if not in Hawaii.  Access to the bay is mostly permitted only by guided tour, though I think individuals can hike to the Capt. Cook monument. The Fairwind is the only commercial vessel that has a permanent anchorage in the bay, grandfathered in prior to the state park designation.

There is a multitude of fish to be seen on the reefs.  They are very colorful.  Sometimes there are spinner dolphins and even humpback whales have been known to come into the bay.  I saw lots of different fish and at one time I was even swimming with a school of several dozen fish that seemed close enough to touch.  There were lots of tangs, butterfly fish, angle fish, and parrot fish, as well as sea urchins.  Because this is a preserve, touching the fish and coral is not allowed, nor is feeding the fish.

It was 5:30 by the time we got back to the dock, so home to a shower, mai-tais, and dinner.

Tomorrow Katie & Margie arrive.

Day 7 & 8 - Time Out Day & Market at Captain Cook

It was raining when we got up yesterday and it stayed cloudy all day.  We decided to make it a time-out day, so stayed at the condo and did laundry, tidied up the place, watched some movies on TV, and had left-overs for lunch.  I went outside only to take out the garbage.  One thing nice about staying for a month is that you can afford to take a day off now and then.

It was bright and sunny when we got up this morning, so we decided to head to South Kona to take in the farmers market in Captain Cook.  This was a really nice market with some of the same booths as were at the market last Wednesday at the Sheraton, but more food items.  Everything was locally made and grown. We both bought glass pendants with bits on opal embedded in them.  Very pretty and original. 

The drive down Hwy 11 was so pretty with the sun shining on the bougainvillea and other flowers.  Bougainvillea comes in an assortment of different colors from bright red, to dark pinks, lighter pinks, and pale pinks.  It grows like weeds along side the road.  We drove further down the road and were going to turn back at Honauhau, but noticed that there were a lot of cars parked at Kona Coffeehouse and Cafe, so decided to try it for lunch.  We had been past this place several times on other trips, but it didn't look very promising; however, it seems it has been renovated.  We pulled into the parking lot, but no spaces.  I was trying to turn around in tight quarters when a fellow came out to tell me I could park against the wall.  He got Mom's walker out for her while I parked.  They have seating in a very nice lanai behind the restaurant.  Unfortunately, no ocean view.  They were serving Sunday brunch so Mom ordered Eggs Benedict and I ordered Eggs Florentine (same as the Benedict, but spinach rather than ham).  Both plates came with excellent home fries and we had brewed 100% Kona coffee.  It was so pleasant on the lanai and it was so nice to be able to take our time without feeling like we needed to be on the road to our next destination.  We did have some company, though.  There was a bouquet of mums on our table and suddenly a baby gecko crawled out from the center of the large white mum.  He was really quite cute and I took a bunch of pictures of him.

We headed back towards Kailua-Kona, stopping at Longs on our way back to the condo.  We took a bit of a rest, then went to the pool.  The place is crawling with people for Seattle.  A couple from West Seattle, in fact, and another couple from Arlington.  It was fun taking with them.

Pasta and salad for dinner tonight.  The avocados here are so very good!

Day 6 - Helicopter Ride!

As promised this was a much more exciting day. 

We got up before dawn so we could be on the road by 7:45 in route to the heliport up at Waikoloa, which is about 26 miles or so north of here.  We needed to be there by 8:30 and needed every minute of the 45 we allowed as the traffic was heavy until we got past Kailua.

This helicopter ride was a combination Christmas/Birthday gift to me from Mom, with the condition that she go with me.  Not a problem.  We used Blue Hawaiian Helicopters, the same outfit we used in Kauai last year, and they do a great job.  We were in a smaller A-Star, rather than the larger Eco-Star, but there were only 4 of us plus the pilot, so with 2 empty seats it was pretty comfortable.  We started out towards Kilauea and flew parallel to the Saddle Road for part of the way.  We have yet to drive the Saddle Road, but plan to when we go to Hilo in 10 days or so.  Mostly, we were flying over lava flows of varying ages.  Since the Saddle Road is between Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa, there is lava all over the place.  The most recent flow was from Mauna Loa in the 1980s.  It was easy to spot Kilauea because of the plume of smoke and steam coming out of the caldera.  There has been volcanic activity to some degree at Kilauea since 1983, but right now there is no visible lava to speak of in the caldera itself. Kilauea is in Volcano National Park, which is a no-fly zone, so we couldn't fly over the caldera. A distance away is where the current volcanic activity is, and we were able to fly over it.  We could actually see red hot lava in a couple of spots, and we could see burning trees where the lava was engulfing the forest, and smell the wood smoke.  Currently, there this no lava flowing into the ocean, so we did not go that far.  It was pretty exciting. 

This was the Big Island Spectacular 2-hour tour, so we headed north again past Hilo and up the Hamakua Coast.  The weather was changing, so we were heading into clouds by the time we got up there.  We flew out over the ocean for the remainder of the trip and saw several humpback whales breaching and tail slapping.  We flew past Waipi'o Valley, which we had seen a couple of times before from the lookout, but have never been down in it.  We could not fly into the valley because there are still people living there.  They grow taro there.  We were able to fly into the next valley, which was beautiful and accessible only by foot or boat.  The Kohala Sea Cliffs are about 1,200 feet high, so the scenery is spectacular. We saw several high waterfalls, including the highest one in Hawaii (sorry, but I can't remember the name of it).  Because the Kohala Mountains were clouded over, we flew down the coast where we could see the big resorts, including the Mauna Kea, Mauna Lani, Fairmont Orchid, and Waikoloa Marriott and Hilton, before heading back to the heliport.  It was a wonderful adventure and Scott, our pilot did a great job.

We had lunch at Merriman's at Kings Marketplace Shops in Waikoloa.

Just after we left home this morning the warning light indicating low tire  pressure came on again.  When we got to Waikoloa, I noticed that one tire was all but flat, so I called Enterprise and they had us come in to switch out the car.  We got one identical to what we had, but it was somewhat of a hassle, although Enterprise handled it well and I have no complaints.

There is a lot of free entertainment on this island.  Every Friday night there is a free show at the Keauhou Shopping Center, which isn't far from here.  Mostly the shows are put on by the various hula schools in the area.  Last night it was presented by the famed Beamer family's hula school.  The keiki (children, but this school has only girls) start hula at five and continue throughout their school years. But once learned, women dance hula throughout their lives. I heard once that it takes 7 years for someone to become proficient in all of the various moves of the hula. 

The show started with traditional hula, which is accompanied by chants and rhythm instruments only, and often includes an implement such as a feathered gourd, or split bamboo stick.  Then the show moved onto the modern and more familiar hula, which is accompanied by other musical instruments and song.  They also performed some Tahitian dances, which are faster and focus more on the hips.  Hawaiian hula focus more on the hands to tell the story, as demonstrated by one of the dances "Keep your Eyes on the Hands."

We are looking forward to more Friday nights at the shopping center, as well as other free entertainment as it comes up.

After the show, we stopped in at Bianelli's for pizza.  Bianelli's is also at the shopping center and attracted quite a crowd following the show.  We got one of the last tables before they started a seating list.  The pizza was very good -- excellent crust.

Day 5 - First Quilt Shop

We can sure kill a day without accomplishing much.  Another glorious day, though - warm with lots of sun.  Clouds moved in earlier than yesterday, though.

Mom scraped her arm, pulling the skin back in three places.  Her skin is like tissue paper, so she's out of the pool until that heals.  Fortunately, she brought a first aid kit. She decided she wanted to get her hair washed and styled, so we set out to look for a place. Found a Super Cuts, so she went there, and they did a horrible job, but at least her hair is clean.  We'll need to find someplace else. While Mom was busy, I went to the market in downtown Kailua to get some more papayas and bananas, then strolled around the shops for awhile.  We had a so-so lunch at a Chinese joint near the Super Cuts - I really wanted some dim sum. 

It was finally time to hit one of the local quilt stores.  Gorgeous fabrics, but I just bought a yard and a pattern, using a $6 off coupon from one of the ad fliers.  There are still three other quilt/fabric stores to check out, but didn't want to over do it.

Finally, we made a quick run up to Costco for cash and pineapple.  The ATM at Costco doesn't charge a fee, and I like to get the already prepared fresh pineapple - it costs more, but it sure is easier.  I hate paring pineapple. The prepared pineapple at the Costco at home is from Mexico, but they have Hawaiian pineapple here and it is so sweet and good.

It was after 3 when we got back to the condo, so I took a dip in the pool, then we enjoyed mai-tais and read out on the lanai until dinner.

The plumerias are prettier than I've ever seen them before.  There are some huge trees loaded with flowers - they look like pink clouds.  We also enjoy watching the birds.  There is a flock of parrots that fly over most every afternoon, and are very noisy. The mynas are also noisy.  We saw a saffron finch and some java sparrows while out on the lanai today. The little zebra doves are cute and make a soft cooing sound. Yellow billed cardinals have red on their heads, but no crest.  We see them when we're out and about.  Still haven't seen any geckos or mongoose.  There are three feral cats that call this condo home.  They are very skittish, but I think the manager feeds them.

Well, I  promise to have something more exciting to report tomorrow.

Day 4 - Market Day at Keauhou

This morning we awoke to a clear blue sky and loads of sunshine.  It was glorious.

We went to my favorite market, which used to be held on the grounds of the Outrigger Hotel, but now is at the Sheraton Resort.  The Outrigger has closed because there are heritage sites on the grounds. Hawaiians treasure their heritage sites, especially those that are sacred to them and the ones on the former Outrigger property are going to be preserved.  I had wondered what happened to the market once the hotel closed, so I was delighted to hear that it had simply moved.  This market has a few fruit and vegetable booths, but mostly it is locally produced arts and crafts.  We bought a pottery platter with a honu (sea turtle) on it from a fellow that lives here several months a year and in Twisp the rest of the year.  He is actually a friend of Dick & Sue Roberts, who are the parents of Susan Durbin's daughter-in-law and who also have a place here in Kona as well as a place in Winthrop.  Small world.  It was pretty hot at market, but the booths were interesting and we got to sample some good macadamia nuts and other goodies.

We had lunch at Peaberry & Galette at the Keahou shopping center.  Peaberry refers to a coffee bean that doesn't have the cleft on one side - it is smooth all around - and is considered to make superior brewed coffee.  In fact, that is what we are drinking here at the condo now, but it is from Kauai.  We had a savory galette, or crepe, with avocado, bacon, and sour cream. It was pretty bland and not nearly as good at the galettes we have had in France. 

We came back to the condo after lunch, rested for awhile, then went for a swim in the pool. The water was really nice and the air temperature was perfect. There was a couple in the water with us from Canada and they were a lot of fun - about my age. He realized he had his car keys in his swimsuit pocket.  The car rental companies warn you not to go swimming with car keys and charge you $250 if they are ruined.  We had a lot of fun teasing the guy, but fortunately the keys stilled worked, so I think he is off the hook.

Mai-tai time was spent on the lanai and it was very pleasant out there.  No big plans for tomorrow.  We'll see what strikes our fancy in the morning.

Day 3 - No Rain & Changing Cars

The sun came out today and it didn't rain.  It wasn't real sunny as the vog came over from the volcano, but it was a pretty nice day.  Vog is the haze that comes over from the Kilauea volcano and it causes breathing problems for some people, though I haven't had a problem it.

We set out about 10:30 and headed up island.  Our first stop was the Enterprise car rental place at the airport.  Shortly after we picked up our rental car (a Chrysler Town & Country with less than 5,000 miles), a warning light came on indicating the tire pressure was low. I called the office and they said to just stop at a gas station, but I hate putting air in tires because I always let more out than gets in.  I couldn't find a station with service bays, so since we were going past the airport, decided to stop.  Problem solved.

The highway north goes through about 20 miles of lava flow.  It is a very interesting landscape and one side of the highway might look entirely different than the other side.  How the lava looks depends on how it cooled.  Some areas are quite smooth while others are very rough. In some areas there is a lot of plant growth, but in other areas there is very little.  Along the side of the road people have spelled out messages on the black lava with white coral.  Mostly declarations of love and political opinion.

We stopped at the Queen's Market Place at Waikoloa Beach Resort where we had lunch at Hawaiian Fish & Chips in the food court.  It was freshly prepared and very good. After eating we walked around the mall, looking into a few shops.  One was Hawaii Quilt Collection, which has handmade Hawaiian style quilts made in the Philippines. People from the Philippines were brought into Hawaii over 100 years ago to work in the sugar cane fields and the women learned how to do the Hawaiian appliqued quilts.  Many returned to the Philippines and took the tradition with them.  Today most of the quilts sold to tourists in Hawaii are actually made in the Philippines, but they are nicely made and more affordable than quilts made by locals in Hawaii. A queen or king size made in Hawaii could cost $10,000 or more, but those from the  Philippines cost only a few hundred dollars.  They also sell handbags, place mats and other items that are quite reasonable.  After our walk around the mall we stopped at Marble Slab Creamery for ice cream.  It is liked Coldstone, but I think their ice cream is better and there is no charge for the mix-ins.  It was quite yummy.

Our next stop was our destination for the day: the Mauna Kea Beach Resort.  They have mounted Hawaiian quilts - these made locally - along the corridors of the hotel.  We only  walked around one floor since we weren't guests and didn't want to overstay our welcome. It is a very nice hotel on a golf course and facing the ocean.  They have a beautiful beach and a koi pond meanders through the atrium.  The quilts were all "of one piece," meaning the applique was one motif, though of course the fabric was pieced together in sections.  After working on 20-inch squares of Hawaiian quilting, I can't imagine what it would be like to work on a queen size quilt all at once!  I think the quilts were probably commissioned especially for the hotel, which is one of the oldest resorts on the west side of the Big Island.  They are all about the same size and the craftsmanship is extraordinary.  Makes me want to get back to work on my Hawaiian style quilt when I get home.  I say my quilt is "Hawaiian style" because only a Hawaiian can truly make a Hawaiian quilt.

We stopped for gas at Costco on the way home: $3.979 per gallon - yikes!

Upon arriving back at the condo, we both rested for awhile, thinking we'd go swimming, but the wind came up, so decided not to.  I fixed pasta and chicken italian sausages for dinner, with a salad.  I bought a huge avocado yesterday - it must have weighed about a pound - so we had some of that.  The "butter" avocados here in Hawaii are absolutely the most delicious. While I cleaned the kitchen I noticed that there was a beautiful sunset this evening.

It's nice being here for so long because we don't have to scurry around trying to get everything into a few days.  Very restful.

Day 2 - Up Country and 1st Swim in the Pool

It was cool and windy last night, so I closed all the windows, and we slept under comforters.  It was pretty cool today -- in the low 70s -- and it rained a little bit, but nothing like yesterday. 

I called the condo manager because we still had not paid our rent.  Came came right over and we had a nice visit.  Actually, he is responsible for the building and grounds, but his wife handles the rental side of the business.  This condominium  consists of 2 4-story buildings, which are angled slightly so that they are further apart at the street.  A koi pond meanders between the buildings and the pool and BBQ area is in front with a fence providing privacy from the busy Ali'i Drive.  There is a small park with an open ocean view across the street. It is 3 miles south of Kailua. The complex was built in the 1970s and is not posh by any standards, but since we were here 2 years ago, it is obvious that a lot of work has been done on the grounds.  Most notably, the koi pond has been cleaned and the swimming pool is now heated.

We took it easy this morning and after a lunch of leftover pizza, we went up to the small town of Kainaliu, which is "up country" and only a few miles from here.  We wanted to stop at Showcase Gallery and Beads, which is one of the nicest shops of locally made jewelry, art work, pottery, etc.  They also have a really nice selection of beads, which was what I was interested in.  We remembered visiting with the owner two years ago, so renewed our acquaintance. He is originally from the Seattle area and once owned a pet shop in the U-District - I think the name of the shop was Feathers & Fins.  He had originally moved to Hilo, but when he realized how much it rains over there, he moved over to the Kona side where it is drier.  I guess if he wanted rain, he would have stayed in Seattle. Well, it rained hard while we were in his shop, so we went next door to the Donkey Ball factory.  Donkey Balls are macadamia nuts covered in a very thick layer of chocolate.  Mauna Loa chocolate covered macadamia nuts are about the size of a marble, Donkey Balls are about the size of a walnut! One macadamia nut encased in a thick layer of chocolate! It was still raining, so we decided to fore go further exploration and headed back to the condo, making a couple of stops on the way.

I decided to try out the heated pool, and it was really nice.  Not close to the 85 degrees I was told it was, but it was warm enough.  I remember before that it was so cold that it practically sucked the breath out of me.

The kitchen in this condo is very well equipped and we have a very cute little crock pot.  So, for tonight's dinner I used it to make chicken teriyaki, which turned out very well.  I used boneless, skinless chicken thighs, some Aloha teriyaki sauce, and added some pineapple juice.  Since it didn't need to cook all day, I stored it in the fridge - chicken separate from the sauce.  I reheated the sauce, added some more teriyaki sauce, some more pineapple juice, some onion, and grated fresh ginger.  I boiled it down for awhile before adding the chicken and some pineapple chunks.  Served with brown rice, it was really good.

I haven't posted any pictures because I have yet to take any...

All in all, a relaxing day.  Looking forward to the possibility of sunshine tomorrow, but it sounds like the high surf warnings will continue through tomorrow.

Day 1 - Arrival and Malasadas

It is raining in paradise! Big storm is expected tomorrow, so this is probably the forerunner.

Connie took us to the airport yesterday and we got through security quickly - thanks to the fact that Mom uses a wheelchair, so gets expedited service.  We boarded on time, but we were about an hour late taking off due to sleet/freezing rain that occurred while we were boarding.  They had to check the wings for ice before leaving.  The pilot announced that due to head winds we would aim for Honolulu to save fuel, but would veer off to Kona.  When we got off the plane it was about 82, but there were ominous clouds hanging about.  It was about 4:30 by the time we were leaving the airport with the rental car. 

Before getting our luggage, I found a spot for Mom to wait near the curb with our carry-on bags.  I went to claim our suitcases, grabbed two of them, and while I was dragging them to where Mom waited I saw a woman with our other suitcase!  I said, "Lady, you have one of my bags." She looked a little shocked, but realized right away that was the case, so she dragged it over to where Mom was waiting.  Years ago I tied pieces of red fabric to the handles of our suitcases and that is what I spotted.  Apparently, our suitcase as well as the woman's both had yellow belts around them.  I dread thinking what we would have had to go through to get our bag back.  Mom wouldn't have had clean underwear.  Fortunately, all her meds and valuables were in her carry-on.

We stopped at the market in Kailua-Kona where I bought a couple of papayas and some bananas for our breakfast this morning.  We brought coffee, peanut butter and a few english muffins with us.  The market is open Wednesday through Sunday and their fruit prices are much better than in the grocery stores. The coffee has made a round-trip to Hawaii as it is Kauai coffee we bought last year and have kept in our freezer.

We are at the same condo as we were in 2012, but in the unit next door.  This unit is in much better condition than the other one, but since it is further  back, we don't have the ocean view we had before, which is a disappointment.  We have to lean over the lanai railing to see the ocean.  The furnishings are nicer, though they are dark and heavy. 

Since our first trip to Kona our tradition has been to have our first meal of a calamari sandwich and mai-tai at the Kona Inn.  We kept to that tradition last evening and were there for the sunset, which wasn't spectacular, but showed some pink and the breeze coming in from the ocean was nice.

We unpacked the necessities and went to bed early.

Today we got up early and had our breakfast, then unpacked and got somewhat organized. Then we headed up "Hump Road" - that's what we call Royal Poinciana Drive, which has 11 or 13 speed "humps" - to the main highway, headed for Honoka'a, at the north end of the island, and Tex Drive-in for malasadas.  Only someone from Seattle would drive 53 miles in the pouring rain for a malasada, but they are yummy and worth the trip.  We brought home a dozen and put them in the freezer. They will reheat nicely in the toaster oven.

For the uninitiated, a malasada is a Portuguese donut made from sweet yeast dough and fried, but unlike a donut, they don't have a hole.  Depending on who is making them they can be round like a ball, or square and flatish, which is how they make them at Tex Drive-In. The ones at Tex are light and airy.  I think if you could eat a cloud, they would be somewhat like a Tex malasada.  We first had them here in 2011, and have since had them on Oahu, Kauai, and Maui - even some in Seattle - and we think the ones at Tex are the best.

The last time we were on the Big Island two years ago, they had been experiencing a drought and everything was quite dry and brown, especially up on the plateau driving to Waimea, but I thought everything looked pretty green up there today.  The landscape we crossed today varied from coastal, urban tropical foliage to lava fields to high country grasslands to eucalyptus forest lands.  The road to Waimea crosses Parker Ranch, which at one time was one of the largest in the US, and is still one of the largest.

We drove back on the coast road so we could see some of the wave action as there were high surf warnings today. Because of this many of the beaches on the west side of the island were closed.

First stop on the way home was Costco.  It was a madhouse.  You think Costco at home is bad, come to the one in Kona!  Even though things cost considerably more here in Hawaii than on the mainland, Costco still sells rotisserie chickens for $4.99 and hotdogs with a soda for $1.50.  Next stop was Target (I figure they have to have the best security in retail now).  I find prices at Target comparable to those at Walmart, but it isn't as busy and is a better shopping experience.  Then back to the market in Kailua for more papayas and other fruits and veggies.  Finally, good ol' Safeway - as a Safeway shopper, there are just somethings I want to get only at Safeway.  I spent an awful lot of money, but considering what we'd pay for a mai-tai and dinner out everything night, I think we probably have saved a lot. Not that we won't go out for dinner occasionally.  After all that shopping, then putting everything away, I was sure glad I bought a take-and-bake pizza at Costco for tonight's dinner, not to mention the fixin's for mai-tais!

So it rained today, and it was cold, and we didn't even take our sweaters with us!  I was beginning to think they only have AC on the cars here - I was freezing by the time I figured out how to get some heat going.  The outside temp according to the car thermometer was as low as 62 and didn't ever get higher than 74.  (I know many of you are thinking "what is she complaining about it is 29 and snowing here today," but we are in Hawaii for cripes sake!) It was windy and cold up at Tex and everyone else was bundled up in hoodies, and we didn't even have a sweater. 

So it rained - we still had a good day.  We're in Hawaii. Life is good.  Aloha!