Hawaii second

I'm home. It's Monday night. I am sleep deprived but not feeling it yet. So let's wrap up the trip:

If you want to see the pics first (repeat of album from 1st Hawaii blog entry), or just plain skip my narrative below, go to
https://get.google.com/albumarchive/102259876019428056805/album/AF1QipME3htQxfNtj_JAJDk-n4-B9Yy1NzfdMjM-DMGH

Saturday morning notes: I knew the week would go quickly. Yesterday morning we returned to the beach next to the Place of Refuge. A friendly local, Dede, instructed us on the best place to get in and out of the water (My knee wound is healing nicely). We were early enough to get an excellent parking spot and a great place in the sand, in the shade of a palm, for Mom and Juliet. No swimming turtles spotted this time, but we got some great pics of one, feeding in the edge of the surf, on the lava shoreline. You can't tell its size from the picture. I'd guess its back is about 15” wide.

On the way back to town we stopped at a coffee roaster. The young man was very informative, trying to defer the price of his products, while priming us with chocolate-coated beans. The non-organic lb. was a mere $36, while the primo organic was $48/pound! What passes for Kona coffee really only has a small percentage of lower quality Kona beans in it. Did you know that darker roasts have less caffeine? The longer roasting takes some of the caffeine out. Mary bought a half-pound. I'm holding out to see if Jenny and her husband have beans for sale.

Last night we attended a luau. On the shoreline, walking distance from the condo. Very well done. 'Began before sunset. The buffet was excellent, as were the musicians, the MC (great singing voice too) and the dancers. Two of the male dances were real hunks, including the fire thrower. Far from having stranger shyness, almost 6-month Juliet is a shameless flirt. She took to several of our table companions. See pic of her and the dancer (too bad it isn't sharper). Can you read the dancers’ minds: “HOW long is this creepy old man going to leave his hands on our backs?—Get this picture-taking over!

Saturday was Mom's 92nd birthday. We didn't go far—to the farmer's market, really an artisan market, to pick up gifts. We went to Quinn's for lunch, a place recommended by Monet and Mark, volleyball buddies of mine. Great lead—the Ono fish was fantastic. While not fancy, the setting was more real than Rain Forest Cafes, with an open-air hillside next to our table and a little bird jumping by without being a pest.

Sunday the check out time is 10 a.m. Our flight was a red eye about 10:30 p.m. After two calls to give the okay, condo security let us leave our bags. We loaded up Jenny's loaners and headed north about half an hour to check out Haulalia, the 4-Seasons resort that Tracy says is beautiful. She could have got me a reduced rate (How much less than the usual $300 she didn't say) at the Nicklaus course there. If I had my game more together...Nah, I can't imagine my game good enough for resort green fees. Indeed, the resort is a beaut. We ate our packed lunch on the edge of their pool stocked with lots of fish, including several manta rays.

Jenny and Rich's coffee farm is up the slope a couple of miles from the Place of Refuge. They have quite a story. Several years ago the owner's of the farm were caught for falsely marketing Latin American beans as "Kona" and ended up in prison. The next owners mis-managed in a big way, leaving the place a dump. They have been working hard to turn it around and have become a major processor of green coffee on the island. We were treated to a tour and then a roasting of some super fancy beans, bringing home a big bag for ourselves and a bag to deliver to Katie.

One more sunset at the beach, by the Place of Refuge, dinner at a Mexican place in Kona, back to the condo to cram in all our luggage. If the plane had left on time, it would have been a very close call. Since it was an hour late, we were okay.

It was a plucky vacation, this 4-generation group, staying in a one-bedroom place, fitting in to a rental car that I intended to be mid-sized (an upgrade from compact), but in fact wasn't very spacious. We pulled it off. It was a splendid week. Even with her first 2 teeth coming through during the week and lots of time in the car seat, Juliet was a trooper. She is so alert, responsive to new acquaintances that show an interest in her. I look forward to taking her along on travels in coming years. Mom, of course, was her enthusiastic, appreciative, adaptable self. Mary, my traveling buddy, was her thoughtful, fun-loving self, so happy to take a break from her grueling job keeping Oregon's most challenging citizens out of institutions. And Kate, who lovingly helps me laugh at myself.

Once again, the pics:
https://get.google.com/albumarchive/102259876019428056805/album/AF1QipME3htQxfNtj_JAJDk-n4-B9Yy1NzfdMjM-DMGH

Until next time,

John

Hawaii first

It's Tuesday morning. I'm at the round table on the patio, just over the fence from the pool, which is just over the fence from the lava beach and surf here at Kona Reef.. A little bird, bright yellow, with orange head, is jumping around next to me. Taking off my light-colored tank top (Now don't worry where this is going...) helps reduce the glare on my laptop screen (Not that I've gotten THAT dark a tan already). We did kick back by the pool for a while yesterday, taking it easy after our 3 hour flights down the coast to LA, 6-hour layover and 5-hour flight in to Kona, on the west side of the Big Island.
Kate, Juliet and I started in Seattle; Mom and Mary left from Portland. We ran into each other right away, in the Alaska terminal at LAX, where it took 2 bus rides, including driving out on to runways, to get to the American terminal, where time passed fairly quickly, including entertaining 5 & a half-month Juliet and frequently interacting with her admiring public.
The Kona airport is a casual open-air Hawaiian village-looking place. No doubt they still manage security requirements. We shuttled over to the Alamo car rental, where we picked out a cruiser-type Chevy. The luggage, including the stroller, was a tight fit, some of it on laps, but we got it all in. The drive from the airport is only about 15 minutes. But there are few addresses on buildings on Alli Drive. We stopped to ask a uniform standing out front of the Hard Rock Cafe. He didn't know the address where he works. But he found someone who did know that we were about a block from our destination. Busy place, Kona Reef. Not a parking place to be found. The after-hours security guy (We arrived about mid-night Hawaiian time--2 hours earlier than Pacific Standard) instructed me where to double-park. We got settled quickly in to our 1-bedroom with a Murphy bed plus a couple of couches in the front room, Mom and Mary in the bedroom, Kate and Juliet on the Murphy bed, one couch pushed next to the Murphy bed, to be ready for when Juliet becomes more mobile than rolling only from back to front or front to back, which may be this week, John getting the last couch and finding it plenty comfortable.

For pics, go to
https://get.google.com/albumarchive/102259876019428056805/album/AF1QipME3htQxfNtj_JAJDk-n4-B9Yy1NzfdMjM-DMGH

After viewing the photo album, you should be able to get back to this narrative by hitting the back arrow on your browser...

It's now Wednesday morning. To recap Monday, besides pool time we made store runs to fill up the fridge, hearing that restaurants are expensive here. Indeed, local coffee at breakfast was $5/cup! But it was a wonderful view. Outside Costco, I sat will Juliet,decked out in a white bonnet. Of course we had a steady stream of admirers and she knew it!
Jenny came by and dropped off some toys and beach things. She and her family have migrated here, have a coffee farm south of Kona. Jenny is a good friend of Katie, my dental hygienist.
Chicken and pasta salad was delicious, here on our patio. Temperature is ideal, a freshening breeze most of of the time,
Yesterday (Tuesday), we went to Kahlalu'u Beach, about 4 miles south. Mom and Juliet got a place on the beach, mostly in the shade but also with umbrellas. Kate, Mary and I snorkeled. Lots of bright fish, some with different colors than I've seen in Mexican and Cuban waters. Some pretty coral. I happened on to a turtle. It didn't seem concerned, as I swan along side for a couple of minutes. After we got jut of the water we walked along the shore and took pictures of several turtles in the edge of the surf. Misfortune: Mary's underwater digital camera opened while she was snorkeling, so she fears it's ruined, after taking many wonderful pics, under water and above.
Wednesday is cruise ship day here in Kona. So, we figure it's the day to get out of town. We plan to drive to the Hilo side of the island, noted for it's greenery and rain.
Thursday morning. Our vacation is already about half spent! I knew it was going to be a long day, making the whole island circuit. At 9 a.m. we stopped by Costco on our way out of town yesterday morning, to see if they open earlier here, hoping to pick up a new digital camera for Mary. We then headed north. Following the guidebook (Hawaii--The Big Island Revealed) suggestion, we had breakfast at the Hawaiian Style Cafe in Waimea. The author got that one right--huge portions, including meat. Ranch country, pretty and fresh at 2500 ft. elevation.
We continued through lovely country, including vast stands of eucalypti. We took a short walk through rain forest to Akaka Falls, a 420-footer. Then to the Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden, a lush preserve that borders the beautiful ocean. While this part of the island is so green due to lots of rain, yesterday it was beautiful--sun and blue skies. The garden is on a steep hillside. Mom got lots of admiration for trooping around it. We'll be celebrating her 92nd birthday on Saturday!
Knowing we had a long trip back, we just skirted Hilo. It was a pretty town. We reached Hawaii Volcanoes Nat'l Park at about 5 p.m. We drove to 3 viewing places. Part of the crater rim drive is closed due to current volcanic activity and high levels of sulfur dioxide. It would have been a much longer trip if we had visited the Puna region, where hot lava can be seen, sometimes plummeting in to the ocean. Kate and I walked through a lava tube, a cave created when molten lava suddenly quit flowing, after the top had cooled and hardened. The below ground, hotter liquid magma flowed out, leaving the tube.
Back on our clockwise trip around the island, we skipped Black Sand and Green Sand Beaches, as well at South Point, as night was approaching. In the dark, it was a long 50 miles on curvy road back to Kona. We were all troopers but especially little Juliet, stuck in her car seat. Mercifully, after miles on NO signs of civilization on this only road around the southwest part of the island, we came upon a pizza place about 20 miles south of Kona. We got back in time for a dip in the pool/hot tub, before the 10 o'clock pool curfew. I previewed and saved pics to the laptop before another restful night on my couch-bed.
It's now Thursday afternoon. Mom is visiting the University of the Nations, a missionary endeavor,while the girls shop. I'm sitting with my right leg propped up—to discourage a new bleed. We went snorkeling today at Honaunau Bay, formerly known as the City of Refuge. Beautiful coral. After following a turtle for a while, I decided to go to shore with my underwater camera, as I'd taken the last picture and I didn't want to have to worry about dropping it. The lava shoreline looked okay and I thought I had only a slight bump climbing out. But, then I noticed a stream of blood running down my leg. Whatever I bumped (coral or lava) was very sharp—it filleted my knee open for about an inch. So, I get to play invalid. I hope it heals enough to go back in the water tomorrow.
I purchased internet access at the desk for the week. The signal isn't good enough here in the condo unit. After the sunset, I plan to hobble out by the pool, get on line, add this to my blog.