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.