Hawaii? Again?

So, I had a wonderful adventure on the Big Island of Hawaii in November with my friend Lynn. One more place on my list of places to visit crossed off.  Check!

So when my sister, Erin said, "let's go to Hawaii!" I was less than enthusiastic.  However, she had a place for us to stay in Kauai, I had an Alaska Airlines companion fare available, so I thought, why not?

So here we are, staying at the Point at Poipu on the southern end of the island of Kauai. This is the oldest island in the chain, and claims to have one of the wettest place on earth.

The active volcano on the big island of Hawaii is about 200 miles to our south, and there don't appear to be any issues related to that here.  However, I would like to add that my friend Lynn and I stayed not far from the village of Kalapana and the Leilani Estates that have been evacuated recently (see previous blog posts in November 2017).  It's kind of eerie to know that we were there not too long ago.

We arrived on Monday afternoon.  Nice flight as we were bumped up to first class.  I love being an Alaska MVP, as occasional complimentary upgrades happen.  After gathering our bags, and getting our rental car, off to Costco and Safeway we went to stock up the kitchen.  Unloading and putting things away, we then spent the rest of the evening making our plans for touring the island.

After a leisurely morning, we took off to the west toward Wiamea Canyon, with the intent of stopping wherever we felt we wanted to go, and making a list of places to go that looked interesting on the way that we didn't stop at.  We are on island time, so we didn't make a schedule.

Wiamea Canyon is a ten-mile long 3,000 foot deep gorge that was cut by 6 million years of stream erosion. Known as the "Grand Canyon of the Pacific," The canyon is a mere baby at only 4-5 million years compared to the grand canyon in Arizona, which is 200 million years old.

The next day, we drove north toward Hanalei

The island was hit with a torrent of rain in April (49.7 inches of rain in a 24 hour period) that caused flooding and landslides on the north end of the island near Hanalei that closed roads for a while.  They are still cleaning up, and one can now drive to Hanalei, but the road is closed  just west of the town.    We drove to Hanalei to contribute to the economy by buying yarn and enjoying shave ice.  Yes, we did find the only place on the island to purchase yarn, "Strings and Things," which also sells ukuleles!  And, I had no idea that shave ice done the Hawaiian way includes ice cream on the bottom.  I had lilikoi (passionfruit) with macadamia nut icecream, Erin's was a mixture that was called the "blue Hawaiian.

Hanalei bay was lovely, but the road was closed beyond the town.

On our way to Hanalei, we stopped at the Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge. There we saw Red-footed boobies, Red-tailed tropicbirds and Hawaii's state bird, the Nene, or Hawaiian Goose.

There were so many tropic birds nesting in the trees along the cliff, they looked like white flowers.








We have been enjoying the time together.  We are both getting a lot of knitting done, too!

More adventures to go....

Volcanoes, Farmers Markets, and Clumsiness

Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park
We drove to the park to do a bit of exploring, and wow, what a site.  We started out at the Kilahea Visitor center to get the lay of the land, then we took off for the Jagger Museum where I was able to get a good picture of the crater.  I spotted white tropic birds soaring around the smoke/steam emanating from the crater.  I was puzzled what they found attractive there.

There are a bunch of short trails that take you along some steam and sulfur vents, which we took advantage of. We also took the short hike of the Thurston Lava tube. We got there kind of late in the day, and fully expected to return the next day to do some more hiking around the area, but that was cut short, as I will explain later.



Uncle Robert's
We had heard a lot of good things about Uncle Robert's Night Farmers market at the end of the red road in Kalapana. Uncle Robert Keli'iho'omalu was the patriarch of the old Kalapana village where the market is located.  In 1990, lava from the Kilauea volcano buried the old village, but the village has been rebuilt, and Wednesday night it transforms into a place for food, drink, art & crafts, and music. Truly a Hawaiian cultural experience.

We went, and it was just as advertised. We enjoyed it thoroughly.

Hilo
The next day, we decided to drive into Hilo to do the last of our touristy shopping so we could spend the rest of the time exploring the area.  We had lunch in a lovely restaurant called Pineapples that was recommended by the clerk in one of the shops we were in, so we went and had a lovely lunch. Our drinks were garnished with orchids.  Funny, but those little flowers have natural little clip-like stems that hold them to the rims of glasses.

Unfortunately, as we were doing the last of our shopping after lunch, I realized that I had left my bag at the restaurant.  I knew that they would have noticed it and put it somewhere safe until I came back for it, but I was still walking rather briskly.  Just as I got to the restaurant, I turned my foot on the uneven sidewalk pavement, and heard a "pop." It wasn't my ankle I had turned, but the metatarsal bone that took the blow.  By the time we got back to the car, I could barely walk, and Lynn drove me straight to the Hilo Medical Center.

After checking in, they got me an ice pack for it, while I waited to be seen.  The x-ray confirmed what I feared: I broke the metatarsal. They called it a Jones fracture. Rats! This is my first, ever, broken bone.

So, they splinted and wrapped the foot, gave me a prescription for crutches, an "unfortunate traveler" note to give to Alaska Airlines for preferential seating so I can elevate my foot during the 6 hour flight back to Portland, and orders to follow up with an orthopedic surgeon when I get back.  All taken care of by the next morning.

Jeeze! This has really put a damper on what I can do, now.  But just as well, the rain started last night and is expected to be pretty heavy today and tomorrow.  Luckily, I'm in a lovely place where the rain sounds are soothing, and the views out the windows remind me that I'm on vacation.

I will make the most of it while I'm here.  I've got a book that I have now started to read.

Pahoa & Kalapana

Moving from Kona to Pahoa

So ended the first week of our stay in Hawaii. We packed up the night before, and took off early on Monday headed for the east side of the island. We drove south along the Hawaii Belt Road (Hwy 11), stopping at the coffee shack for breakfast. From the little village of Captain Cook, we had a lovely view of of Kealakekua Bay where we had kayaked and snorkeled earlier in the week.

Continuing down the road, we ended up at South Point.  It is the southern most point in the United
States. We passed by ranches and farms, and windmills along the way.  At the end, there is a cliff with some rickety ladders.  While the signs clearly say don't jump off the cliff into the water, that's exactly what some people were doing.



Continuing down the long and winding road, we stopped to inspect the black sand beach and have lunch before traveling on to our new place for the rest of our stay.


Cool New Digs
We are staying at an Air BnB called the the Li'l Red Farmhouse near Pahoa for the rest of our stay.  It is very different from the condo we stayed at in the very touristy Ali'i Drive in Kona. This place is in a little neighborhood called Seaview near a village called Kalapana.  While we don't have a view of the ocean, it is within walking distance, and that's all that matters.

Our host, Joe, built the place.  We are essentially glamping. We have comfortable beds, a kitchen and living room, but it is mostly open air, with screens to keep the bugs mostly out.  However the house geckos help with the bug population. The bathrooms have toilets, a shower and a big bathtub, but I am lovingly calling them indoor outhouses, as they are really open air.

My loft bed is near the roof, and the rain at night wakes me up, but cools the air enough that I actually have to use the blankets on the bed.  It really is a lovely place to hang out.  With chickens free roaming, other lovely bird sounds, and the wind rustling the vegetation surrounding the house during the day, and a cacophony of frog and insect calls along with sometimes heavy rainfall at night.



The beach is at the end of the street, so we walked to view our first sunset in our new location.




Lava Boat Tour

So we booked a tour with a recommended tour operator here to view the lava flowing into the ocean. Well, flowing wasn't really a good descriptor, but we saw the molten rock creeping its way across the top of previous flows making its way toward the ocean.  It was a cool trip, really. They loaded us into the boat in the parking lot of the Isaac Hale Beach park, then the truck hauled us to the boat ramp and put us in.

We spent about 30 minutes getting to the sight, then we shared viewing space with another boat out there as well. The captains of each boat did an amazing job of making sure that both sides of the boat got good viewing opportunities. and we did.  At the end, I captured the most exciting lava event of the evening in the video below!

More on the source of that lava from Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park later!

Kona coffee and more water adventures

Kona Coffee

We spent some time at one of Kona's oldest coffee plantations and coffee processing operations.  Greenwell Farms was established in 1850. They have cultivated and experimented with coffee plants that whole time.  We took a tour of the coffee processing operation with Kewana, who picked coffee as a boy, and now works on the farm.
     In addition to cultivating their own coffee plants, the farm also purchases coffee "cherries" from local farmers, and process it mostly for export.  They do roast some of it for sale in their small gift store where they also provide short tours of the operation.
     At the end of the tour, they provided a coffee tasting opportunity.  Kona coffee is truly tasty!

Kayaking on Kealekakua Bay

I am so fortunate to have Lynn with me, otherwise, I wouldn't have even thought about the snorkeling, let alone kayaking.  We rented a double kayak from a little mom & pop enterprise, Ehu and Key Adventures, just south of the bay.  We then pointed the kayak around the point at Napoopoo Park, and toward the monument on the north side of Kealakekua bay. The map below shows our kayak route.

Google Maps: https://www.google.com/maps/@19.4721252,-155.9350245,3877m/data=!3m1!1e3?hl=en

When we arrived at Captain Cook Memorial, Lynn jumped off the kayak, then had to encourage me to do the same. After a moment of hesitation, I did jump in!  We snorkeled for about a half mile dragging the kayak behind us because our permit to be there did not include landing.  I did not take the phone, which is my camera, as I was worried that I would drop the thing in the ocean. so, pictures are courtesy of the internet with appropriate citations.

After snorkeling for about a half mile, we climbed back in the kayak, re-applied sunscreen, then

Courtesy of Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spinner_dolphin

paddled to the middle of the bay in hopes of seeing the spinner dolphins up close.  We had stopped at the bay a couple of days before to scope it out, and saw many dolphins.  Today, we only saw a momma dolphin with her baby surface a couple of times.  We sat there enjoying the view, hoping to see more dolphins, but we had to be content with our one sighting. We encountered a paddle boarder and visited for a bit, before heading back.

http://plainadventure.com/2011/08/07/honaunau-bay-aka-two-step-%E2%80%93-big-island/

Once we got the kayak returned, we got in the car and went back to Honaunau Bay and the Two-Step snorkeling area, which we enjoyed the first time we went. After another short snorkel, we packed up to head back.

The picture to the left was courtesy of a website that had underwater pictures of the Two-Step snorkeling area. This is pretty representative of what it looks like. So beautiful.

Diving Tour for Lynn, more snorkeling for Lori

We purchased a dive/snorkel tour when we were at Jack's dive locker renting my snorkeling gear. So, the day had come to go out.  I bought a dive shirt for my poor sun-kissed (read: sunburned) skin.  Good investment.

So while Lynn went on her dives, I snorkeled around the boat, watching the divers and admiring the seascape below.  Again, I have no pictures, as I had no camera to capture the moment, but you'll just have to trust me, it is beautiful under the water.  A whole new world. The rocks providing an anchor for corals, crevices for urchins, and holes for fish to hide in.

Plus, the sunlight, having its red wavelengths absorbed by the water, leaving only the lovely cyan color that deepens with water depth.  And really, it is a bit disconcerting when you look one way and see all of those interesting rock features with the assorted fish, then looking in the opposite direction, and see only that deep blue drop off into the ocean. Amazing, and humbling at the same time.

As we were getting off the boat at the Marina we spotted a sea turtle.  Pretty cool, no?

So, today is our day of rest and preparation for the move to Pahoa tomorrow morning.




The sunsets here in Kailua-Kona have been pretty spectacular.  Tomorrow, we drive to the east side of the island, so we'll report back on whether the sunrises are as spectacular.  Stay tuned!

Hawaii Adventure

Kamoa Point State Historical Park is our backyard.

After four months of pretty intense work for OSTA and STEMscopes, it is time for a break.  The work is rewarding, and gives me a sense of giving back and supporting science education, something I am very passionate about.

However, the constant go, go, go, now matter how important and enjoyable, there is a need for recharging. This is that time, and I am grateful for this opportunity.  And, I am very happy that my good friend, Lynn, who recently retired from science teaching agreed to join me!

Lynn and I have traveled before, with our husbands, George and Steve. And while those trips have been wonderful adventures to cherish, we have longed for a trip that wasn't as well planned out, nor that moved around every 2-3 days.  Something a bit more mellow and relaxing.  This is our chance!  The only plans we made were the plane reservations, and lodging.

Sunrise in our backhard

We are spending our fist week in Kona, staying at a condominium with a pool and common area with a lovely view of the ocean. And, outside our condo within 10 feet of our lanai is Kamoa Point State Historical park.  So our mornings are greeted with the interesting sounds of native bird calls, along with the sunrise through its vegetation.

After settling in to the condo, the next day we went out to do some grocery and equipment shopping.

At Jack's Diving Locker

First we went to Jack's Diving Locker, a dive store that Lynn has worked with on a prior trip to Hawaii with her husband, Steve.  They are divers, so I am in good hands for challenging myself with snorkeling.  I've done it before when I was in the Galapagos....almost 30 years ago!  As Lynn is a marine biologist, I will also be able to get the taxonomy on all of the marine life and features I am sure to see.

The Poke display at a local KTA Grocery Store

The local KTA grocery store chain provided a cultural experience, as we chatted with the Hawaiian on the other side of the Poke display in the deli.  As I have seen a couple of Poke (pronounced POH-keh) places pop up in Portland, I was curious.  It is a Hawaiian dish, that has been described as deconstructed sushi, as it is cubed raw fish, often served over rice.  It is cubed, raw fish, with sauces, herbs and spices that reflect both Hawaiian and Asian cultures.  So, as traveling adventures must include culinary adventure, we just had to try it.  It is delicious!  I am now going to have to check out those Portland Poke places to do a bit of comparison tasting.


My first snorkeling adventure was out of a small beach park not far from the condo.  A popular place, and good for a first timer, as it was easy to walk out and just get started. I do know how to swim, but it isn't something I do often, so it is definitely pushing me outside of my comfort zone. But, how do you grow if you don't say "yes" to things that challenge you?  I rented a vest for a bit of added security, which was helpful.  Maybe by the end, I'll eschew it?  We'll see.

Pu'uhonua o Honaunau National Historic Park to the left,  & Two-Step beach to the right where snorkeling commenced

Anyways, its another world below the water. We drove south to the Pu'uhonua o Honaunau National Historic park. This is the royal grounds where the leaders of the native people gathered for governing and spiritual activities, and the Place of Refuge for those who had broken laws in hopes of being absolved by a priest.

Just north of there on Honaunau Bay is a set in for snorkelers and divers.  So many yellow tang fish gathered near the set in, that they were visible in the surf, and the yellow butterflies flying around to match the yellow in the air.  It was lovely.  We also saw Hawaii's state fish, the Humahumanukunukuapua'a, which translates to "fish with a pig's snout."  I don't have an underwater camera, so this picture of the fish is courtesy of Wikipedia.

So, as I'm getting more comfortable with playing in the water, we are getting ready to rent a kayak at Kealakekua Bay, then paddle across to the Captain Cook Monument on the other side along with the spinner dolphins. More on that adventure later....

Travels with Mom

Been so long since I used this blog, I had almost forgotten I had it. Time to start it up again!

So what do you get your parents when they pretty much have everything they need and most of what they want? Experiences.

So that's what I did.  Instead of getting my Mom a Christmas or Mother's Day gift, I will be accompanying her to South Dakota to visit her siblings. Not only do I get to help her go see them, I get to see them, too.  They are all in their late 70's and early 80's and who knows how much longer they will be with us? I also get to see some cousins I don't get very often. And, I get to spend some time with my Mom, too.

We did this trip a couple of years ago by car, when I had more time on my hands.  This year, I have more independent contracting gigs lined up, so we go by plane. And, when we get there, I'll be renting a car and chauffeuring her around South Dakota.

Let the adventuring begin!

Annual Holiday Letter to Friends and Family

Happy Holidays!  This is the annual letter that George composes every year (except last year).  It is too big a file to send via e-mail, so my blog is a great way to share!

There is much to be grateful for from 2013 and to look forward to in 2014!

Is it December already? Again? Yes, I was negligent last year, and did not send an annual report. So please accept our apologies, and let us now get on with it. There is much to tell.

For 3 weeks during this past July and August, Lori and I traveled through Maine and some of Atlantic Canada. We went with our friends Steve & Lynn, the same couple we went to South America with in 2006. We sailed on Penobscot Bay in a rented 2-masted ketch for four days and nights. We visited the Bay of Fundy, and spent a week exploring Prince Edward Island by bicycle. We sampled traditional food and music during the festival of the blessing of the boats in Caraquet, on the Acadien Peninsula. And then we spent 3 days in Quebec City, which must surely rank as one of the most beautiful cities of the world. I even got to use some of my High School French, which many of the locals were kind enough to tolerate.

Lori is in the process of trying to reinvent herself professionally. In the third year of her tenure as President of the Oregon Science Teachers Association, she has worked hard to make that organization more effective in serving the needs of its members. What's more, she is trying to take a leadership role in the dissemination and implementation of the Next Generation Science Standards, a new approach to science and technology curricula. She was the local-area coordinator (or, as I call it, clipboard-in-chief) for the National Science Teachers Association Area conference, held here in Portland in October. She has traveled to conferences in San Francisco and Mesa Arizona, learning about programs that help science teachers, and searching for leadership opportunities. She is working half-time this year, teaching 3 sections instead of 6. Consequently, I get to see a little more of her...not twice as much, to be sure....but a little more.

On a personal level, she has been spending more time in the garden, and in the kitchen. She has a perennial garden in a raised bed outside the kitchen door. We've got kale that will probably survive the winter, and with our new Vita-Mix, we have healthful green smoothies (mmmmm!) whenever the mood strikes her. She has also found time to take up an old skill: knitting. She's making me a new sweater, to replace the one that was attacked by South American moth larvae.

I've been singing in two different groups for the past year. In addition to the barbershop chorus, where I have been involved for the last 14 years or so, I joined a mixed choir. The music, mostly classical and jazz, is much more challenging. I am singing with some very skilled musicians....and managing to keep up. We have completely new material every 9 weeks or so. All in all, I spend about 4 hours a week in rehearsals, which is a wonderful thing. I'm singing more now than I have since High School, and loving it. Between now and the first of the year, I have 15 performances scheduled. There is something uniquely gratifying about making beautiful music with others.

For the last couple years, I've been doing volunteer work in schools. I spend two mornings a week as an assistant in an elementary library, and coach Middle School students in speech at 2 other schools. It is a continuing reminder of all that I loved about schools, and all that frustrated me. Its a total of about 12 hours a week, and it's enough.

Ben is now a project development leader at his software firm. He and Abby and their baby boy Maddox (he'll be 2 in May) live in a beautiful home in Tempe, outside of Phoenix. They've just had their kitchen rebuilt. Ben continues to play mandolin with his consort of contributors, and their house is full of instruments. Maddox loves to sing and dance.

Miriam and Skye are both taking some big steps professionally. Along with her work as a doula and Nia dance instructor, Miriam is the new Executive Director of United Way of Eastern Oregon. Skye has left the Forest Service and is now a licensed Landscaping contractor.  And Asher (I gasp as I write this) is in kindergarten. His fine motor skills are quite amazing. Some of his drawings are displayed proudly in our home and other places. He has started piano lessons.  His little sister Eden Pearl turned 2 a month ago. She has developed powers of concentrated effort, communication, and persuasion. She can dress herself, feed herself, speak in complete sentences, and listen attentively.....when she wants to. Skye built a field-stone retaining wall for the front yard of their cozy home, high on the hillside overlooking La Grande.

In March of this year, we traveled to New England to help celebrate the 90^th birthday of my father's sister, my Aunt Lisl. She is the oldest member of our family. Although she doesn't hear as well as she used to, and has difficulty moving around, she is as sharp as ever, cracking sarcastic jokes and keeping everybody on their toes. We will be back there again next summer, as there are a couple of weddings on the agenda.

It is very good to be back here in Oceanside, as I write this, the weekend after Thanksgivinuka. It is very quiet here. The place is consistent and familiar. It's like a nest. I find old unfinished crossword puzzles, and listen to KLCC. There are one or two pink rosebuds left. The kids were all here at the end of the summer, when it was warm. We want them to come every year.

We send our love and best wishes for a healthy and prosperous New Year.