Leaving

Managed to get all suitcases in. Spent the morning moving things from bag to bag trying to stay within the 50lb limit. Can you believe the shower curtain fabric weighs 7 lbs! Kyr thinks we were triumphant due to his genetics on the Cunningham side, some ancestors responsible for loading the Cutty Shark. I think I played a role as well.

Yesterday at Hapuna. Mostly boogie boarding for the masses. I snorkeled. I must enter into a trance like state because I seem to have no knowledge that I've been in too long. My movements just seem a bit slower, and when I finally emerge from the water I am so weak and low blood sugar that I can hardly move, but this sensation is not that apparent in the water. Weird.

We all ate at the mexican restaurant - tiny little place that it is. Serenaded with an electric ukulele. (Kyr wanted one of those, I said no). Turns out that Elton John has patronized our little Tako Taco. Oh if only we were there at the same time.

Antiquing

We started the day at Waimea farmers market where I was pleased as punch to find the Hawaiian Red sea salt for sale. I was so pleased that I ended up in an unwitting confrontation with the purveyor of said salt. "Oh wow, Where does this come from?" "I made it." "You made it?" (innocently asked as I have no idea how or where to get salt.) "Of course I make it lady. What do you think, this is a farmers market. Do you think people buy things to bring here to sell?""Well of course not," tripping over myself to clarify,"I just wonder how to you make it."That was another admission of wing-dinger ignorance. "Well I get it from the sea. What did you think lady?" I just hurriedly purchased and got out of there before things could really deteriorate. The only thing I learned was that they dry the water in little coves and then grind up the red lava soil and add it. Apparently only too full of nutrients. Lets just say you don't want to get the guy started again.

We then toured an antique store trying to find Paul the perfect gift. The kitchy bare breasted Hula lamp from the 50's was a little out of my price range at $1200. The thing didn't even hula. But we all managed to find wonderful things. Joop a antique delft tile, Mist a doll chair for the great stuffy wedding, Kyr and amazing pair of cowboy boots, me some antique photo prints and a large globe shaped piece of corral.

Feeling quite marvelous we headed to a beach south of Kona to meet up with the Arthur clan. The guide book said it was the most easily accessible best snorkeling on the island. It looked okay. Not as full of snorkelers as one would expect. I have decided to be wary of those areas that have a long reef (either natural or man made, who knows) that runs parallel to the shore and perpendicular to the waves. Despite their calm looks, and false sense that the reef is buffeting the force of the waves between the shore and the reef, they are actually little churning caldrons of currents. Dreadful. Scary and too much work. I prefer to suss out the situation of a somewhat open ocean because it seems like a much more straight forward equation - big waves equal potentially big currents.

Little Pip has become quite a hula girl. Somewhat demo'd in the photos above. After our sojourn at the beach we had a quick trip to Walmart to pick up yet another suitcase. (How on earth will we make it to the airport? - We might have to try to tempt Peter into assistance.)

Then a frantic race to A beach to finish the stuffy wedding photos with the setting sun (6:30pm precisely). We had to share the beach with an actual human wedding and so when a couple wandered up and saw us wildly setting up the photos - Fuzzy's veil cascading ever so beautifully behind her, they remarked how funny we were. I informed them very seriously that they were in the midst of some very big internet stars. They were quite rightly taken aback.

Then back to Morning Fire to quickly fabricate a meal of all our remaining food. I enjoy the challenge of cooking with limited resources under pressure: stir fried steak with green onions and bok choy, spinach ravioli with asparagus alfredo sauce, italian egg noodles with mushroom marinara sauce, salad with papaya and home grown avacados, and garlic bread. Yum.

69 beach

Frolicking at 69 beach yesterday with the Arthur clan. I can't believe Mist, Tabs and Pete. Even though my pictures don't reflect it, they did not leave the water all day. They were all mesmerized by the force of the waves at the shoreline. Even Tabs. Her confidence has skyrocketted and she bobs around sans lifejacket. Melissa probably would have been in as long as the rest of them but she took breaks to see little Pip who could dig her way to China on the beach sand. Kyr played for awhile but then dug himself a pit to read in - until a wave came in and saturated his chamber, luckily he was boogy boarding at that moment. Pete must have boogie board abs. I've never seen anyone go at it so relentlessly, flinging himself on the board.

Joop was having to babysit me. I need assistance to get past the shore line waves. Especially this time. I have zero ability to navigate when the wave is pulling back from the shore in its retreat. I actually felt my tibias disengage from my knees and head out with the wave - minus the top part of me. You can see a picture of Joop holding tightly to the top part of me while the bottom part leaves for deep water.

I had remembered this beach as the one where a small boy found a gigantic conch shell last year - almost a foot long. I am getting desperate in the acquisition front. Just nothing to show for all the beaching. Even diligently searching these shores yielded nothing but two small shells. Where have all of the shells gone?

Afterwards we went to Harmon and Donna's for supper. It is so amazing to be sitting on their lanai and hearing the whales, even their cries. Imagine living somewhere where you sit looking into the blackness of the sea and hear the whales talking.

Place of Refuge

Yesterday we went to the Place of Refuge. The one place on the island where if you managed to make it there you were absolved of any crimes (including stepping on the king's shadow) and could escape certain death. Before hand we were caught in quite a downpour and decided to accept being wet and just snorkel. We entered in where the waves were surging on the lava outcroppings. It feels and looks dangerous but it isn't too bad having done it on many occasions. Many school children were bobbing up and down in the water just a the point of entry and made it difficult to get in and avoid them with all of the wave action. The kids were swimming back and forth to a large hawaiian canoe where they were taking turns getting instructions on how to operate these large canoes. A guy leaving just as we went in said he saw a reef shark. Joop says it was probably a large Jack fish. The snorkeling was lovely. Just a moon scape of coral with some interesting angle fish with long pointy noses.

Wandering around the place of refuge wasn't too serene with the wild teenage shinanigans of Mist and Kyr as they chased each other wildly around. I like the picture of them that looks like American Gothic.

Afterwards we raced to Waikaloa to attempt the sunset beach photos of the stuffy wedding. The crew looked dapper in all their beautiful handmade wedding attire, including Yatta with the fuchsia bougainvillea stuffed in her slit. But unfortunately the sun had set and the beach was windswept. Melissa and I were all for continuing the photo shoot but the bossy teenagers made it impossible. We'll try again today.

We were tired and it was late so we decided to eat Mexican just 2.5miles from Morning Fire. It was just like stepping into a taverna in Greece. It was open mike night so that the place was filled with locals delighting us with their musical talents. I got quite a kick of a brother duo Jeese and Jake. Jesse had the blond surfer dude hair with a fake Ausie accent and advanced to the mike saying that his brother was visiting from Wyoming and they thought they would get together and show us what they are about. It just kills me that saying. People are always promoting themselves in Nelson the same way. What does that mean - "show you what we're about"?Such presumption that the audience is just waiting with baited breath and filled with curiosity. Anyway they were quite enjoyable. Good old Jesse travels the island attending these open mike sessions. And he sheepishly said quite often it doesn't work out, he forgets the song. With his brother Jake looking on indulgently, Jesse managed to finish the songs. Jake appeared to have real talent on the saxaphone and some homemade pole he used for percussion with beer bottle caps. I was left with the sense that Jesse is quite a troubled handful and that his brothers great love and support helps keep him going. All in all it was entertaining. And then we arrived home to our own open mike session with Kyr serenading Misty with the ukulele and his version (based on the famous Hawaiian Isreal's version) of Somewhere over the Rainbow. Which he has managed to perfect in less than a day.

Ukuleles

Hilo was its marvelous, crowded self. The market teaming with wild shoppers. Almost finished my gift shopping. Funny how it didn't occur to me earlier. Usually I love purchasing presents. Kyr and I bought ourselves a beautiful ukulele to share. It is hand made with Koa wood and has the most beautiful sound. I imagine a banjo - ukulele duo. Although heading home, before we even got to the picnic area, Kyr had already taught himself several chords. Whereas diligent attempts by me this morning yielded very recalcitrant fingers on the frets. And here I fancied myself having great finger dexterity. It is hard to have a musical genius for a son when one can barely grasp a ukulele fret board.

We stopped for a picnic lunch at a park by the ocean. Mistaya received a huge jaw workout trying to eat my Le Brea bagettes. She valiantly struggled even picking out large pieces of bread that were interfering with her ability to get to the filling. I told her that she'll return home with a huge bulgy jaw having spent two weeks eating my food.

We attended Hapuna for a brief late afternoon boogy session. I tried to snorkel but terrified myself with the swirling sand obstructing the view. We met the Arthurs at Tommy Bahama cafe for supper. I loved the waiter because he was not condescending about us trying to order cheaply before the 6pm happy hour cut off. In fact he was super concilatory and offered us many warnings. Unfortunately my love for the waiter didn't translate into love for the food. Exactly four hours after eating I was violently ill - repeated vomiting. I was really in good form until moments before so I think it was staph. A bit achey this am. But good to go to the Place of Refuge for a bit of serenity, a tiny snorkel and best of all purchase of beautiful hawaiian fabric for our shower curtain.

Made a conditional offer on the vet clinic building in Nelson. The last thing I want to be thinking about on my holiday but the timing of the landlord's listing has backed me into a bit of a corner.

Pololu Valley

Yesterday the waves at Mauna Kea were wild. Mist and Kyr tried to rent some boogie boards from the hotel because Joop had them in the car and he had gone off to try and meet his nephew Harmon. The hotel refused to rent them on days like that because they wanted them to be able to come back next year. So that meant Mist and Kyr just body surfed them. Initially I thought the currents to wild to go out snorkeling. But after watching the motley crew that headed in I changed my mind and attempted it even though I was apprehensive about a few of the types snorkeling around. While I sat there on the beach contemplating a group of what I term the ruthless russians strode by. Ruthless in the sense that they appear to be the successful type that has become flush since the end of communism. With all of the corruption, I'm sure some of these types are quite ruthless. The group that passes me certainly seemed it. It was headed by a guy with expensive snorkel gear and wielding a large spear gun. He was attended by a guy in a white outfit that followed in his steps 1&1/2 paces behind, tentatively speeding up every once in awhile to catch up. They both were attended by a woman in a sarong and a blond boy. The young boy watched the two men gear up in giant waves, the guy in the white suit staring at the head guy mimicking his movements several minutes behind. After the masked hunters entered the water the young boy scampered up over the volcanic boulders and was lost to sight. The woman just watched the hunters bobbing about in the waves. The whole thing perplexes me. I don't know about the fishing rules but it doesn't seem right to hunt with a spear gun at a crowded public beach. And I could tell all of this equipment was foreign to them. They hadn't the slightest confidence putting it on or how to even hold the gun. I was determined to stay way away from them and headed out into the corral. The waves were so strong you just bobbed around like some flotsam and jetsam so I got out. A tiny bit sorry to witness the masked hunters return somewhat later, with no bounty. I was pleased about the no bounty part but I felt they should have looked worse for wear from their stupidity.

After the beach we headed to an old historic town Hawi (pronounced haavii) on the north west coast. It is an incredibly beautiful area, to my mind the most beautiful on the island. Not as wet as Waimea but still the undulating ranch lands. Just north of Hawi the highway ends at the Pololu lookout. I wan't able to do the hike down 4 years ago, but this year thanks in no small part to reef shoes - just socks with rubber soles, I was able to navigate down. I rarely feel vulnerable to kneecap luxation if I'm in bare feet and these shoes mimic the feeling of bare feet so I am able to go down small inclines. Such a huge triumph for me psychologically. I still require the security of Joop's arm for most of it and my knees begin to swell just from the quad contraction, but it works and I have no lasting pain. Down on the black sand beach we were treated to the sight and unbelievable horrific smell of a dead whale in the shallow water on the beach. The whale had been dead three weeks and sometimes up to 17 tiger sharks were witnessed to be feeding on it. In one of the pictures you can see the grey undulating mass near the shore that was the whale. Aside from the whale it is a spectacular beach. Very isolated. Some hardy souls try to stay there awhile, you can tell by the plethora of rope swings scattered everywhere. The most disconcerting thing though was the amount of beach plastic everywhere. Just small pieces that are reminiscent of sea glass but they are only plastic. Is this the new wave of collecting? I certainly hope not.

Afterward we attended Melissa's gourmet feast. It was very tastey although Melissa encountered the pitfalls of cooking in a kitchen with out any staples and it necessitated multiple trips to the grocery store in the midst of preparations.

Little Pip was in very fine form thank god. And Tabs was wildly practicing her golf swing. For some reason I can picture her a champion golfer.

Today we're off to Hilo again to the market. Just can't stay away.

Beaching around the island

Saturday we went to the market in Hilo. A very thrilling experience. All of the vendors are very pleasant, most of some asian background. You really feel that it is a treasure trove of kitchy items that you must have. I finally purchased a hawaiian quilt after coveting them for months. My most exciting purchases are the vases of tropical flowers. Just too beautiful to imagine. Just old coffee cans lined with banana leaves and filled with delightful flowers. Only $5 . If I lived here all of my rooms would be filled weekly. As it is the bouquets I bought and augmented with even more glorious types are still going strong providing a colourful epicentre to the rooms of Morning Fire.

After the market we took a most delightful windey road lined with tropical vine laden trees to the tide pools. The tidepools are treacherous to get in with their lava lined shores. A wave pushed me back as I was getting in and a piece of lava jammed far up my fingernail. For the rest of the day it was irritating and by nightfall it was a raging bacterial inferno. I practiced as much surgery as I dared and then fortified myself with antibiotics and salt water soaks and then diligently watched the progression of the lava for the next three days until its triumphant removal on Monday night. Once in the tidepools it was an amazing array of multicoloured coral. Who would have dreamt it comes in so many spectacular colours.

Sunday was spent in a confusion of time change. We forged ahead an hour. The rest of the island didn't. It didn't become apparent to us until our dinner guests were all an hour and a half late. My pineapple chicken was drying out. The early part of the day was spent on Hapuna beach with the rest of the big island. The snorkeling was the best I've seen. It is quite a trek out to the corral reefs but once there it was like an aquarium. Joop and I followed a sea turtle that appeared to be flying in the bright deep turquoise water. It is the first time I have seen them in clear deep water. With the sun beating in above it appears that they are flying gracefully.

Our small group(aside from Mistaya - assidious in her application of sunscreen) is fighting a losing battle with the sun. Despite vigilant reapplication everyone is burnt. I forced gallons of water on Kyr last night and still dreamt he needed reviving throughout the night. He was fine, it was just my anxiety. Which had probably been piqued by Pip's horrible ear ache at the beach we went to yesterday. While Mist and Kyr and Joop boogie boarded, Pete went in search of medication, Tabs and Melissa and I tried to doctor the crying Pip. Some helpful woman on the beach told Melissa of her cure for her surfing children and that is hot socks filled with sand. Tabs and I diligently searched the beach for a rotation of hot rocks wrapped in napkins to hold against the dear girls ear. She finally fell asleep on Melissa's chest and woke up fine. The rest of us were worn to a frazel. We toured the Arthurs condo. Very posh and wonderful.

Today I will try to rally the worn out troups to meet the Arthurs at Mauna Kea. The boy and girl lie in bed reading in the morning and Joop rustles to get out just as the coffee maker gurgles its last perk. Kyr claims to be nauseated. I forcing green iced tea on him. Mauna Kea is hard to get into after 10 am. They only let in 30 cars a day. We might not make it. I should phone and warn the Arthurs.

Waipi'o

We trudged down and up the 900 foot drop in less than a mile (americanisms have seeped into my psyche) into the sacred Waipi'o valley where the guy on the top admonished us to not take anything up or leave anything down, not even a rock. The valley is still used for Taro farming. But judging by the derelict sheds and sort of secret feel to the place you wonder if Taro is a euphemism for pot. The ocean is very powerful on this north eastern tip. You wouldn't even dream of venturing in. But you can imagine just a line leading from the edge of the cliff all of the way across the ocean to BC. The black sand is very fine and feels nice. There is nothing to be seen on it though, no shells, no vegetation, no sea creatures except the occasional small jelly. At the edge of the river leaving the valley and meeting the ocean Kyr and Mist built an inukshuk with volcanic rock which is always surprisingly light to lug around.

There is a small feeling of triumph when you finish the climb, enough to let Joop share his turkey sandwich with a stray cat that had a lame hind leg. I couldn't tell if it was a fracture or infection. The poor thing had a voracious appetite. Hunting is not so great when you are ill.We thought we'd finish off the day with a snorkel on the west side and a trip to visit the Hart-Arthurs new condo. We were thwarted by a brush fire that had blocked off the ocean highway. I hope it is under control today so the Arthurs can join us on our trip to Hilo market and the lava tree park. Plus I don't want to be kept from our beaches. A day without snorkeling can feel like a poor day indeed.

Clouds

The clouds gallop around Waimea. I've never seen the likes of it. Perhaps because you can see their shadows on the hillsides you really appreciate how quickly they sprint across the sky. Because of their speed I am never too defeated by foul weather as we approach Morning Fire in the car enroute from the intense heat of the beach. It seems normal and okay because the worst storms could be gone in seconds. It is a wierd lack of investment in the local weather.

I took a little walk this morning hoping to find the trail in the forest that leads to the beach we will be going to this am. It is a 2 day hike and I had no intention of actually going, I just wanted to find it. Unfortunately all the trails are closed since the earthquake, deemed too dangerous. I couldn't have scaled the barbwire coated gate if I wanted to. It is a bit sad because some of the comments in the guest book at the ranch suggest that this trail was beyond any description of loveliness. It had access to the other side of the Waipi'o valley where we will descend this morning to access the lovely windswept beach on the east side of the island. This is not a beach for swimming, just one for observing the windswept power of the east side ocean. The top picture is where the gate was. Black dots on the hillside are the ubiquitous angus cattle that cover the landscape.

The lowest of the landscape photos is view down our driveway. Usually there are cattle grazing in the pasture. Every piece of property lining Whyte road this morning had at least 2 dogs, sometimes up to four. The lots are city sized so you can imagine the cacophony of barking. Add to this rooster crowing. Shockingly everyone has roosters. Just roosters. One lot had 8 cages and 6 free ranging roosters that perched on wooden teepees filling the yard. They are beautiful roosters just like my Cecil. Could they be for cock fighting? Isn't that illegal?

The newlyweds - that is what Joop calls Kyr and Mist because of their complete delight in eachother have been having a good time. The bottom shot is of their Dr. Pepper floats. Who would have thought the beverage was so fortified that it lead to shrieking and racing around the house all evening.