This post is a rather long post. It is a daily log of my three plus weeks in Hawai’i.
Monday – March 22, 2021
So far, so good – no major mishaps so far on this trip – only a few minor ones.
This morning I woke up and went on line to the Delta app and paid for two checked bags. I weighed them at home with the bathroom scale. One weighed 50 lbs and the other was 48. Both are a bit close to the 50 lb limit, but it should be OK.
The line at the service counter at the airport was rather long, but it moved quickly as they had every booth manned with an agent to assist. I would guess that there were about 100 people in front of me in line, but my wait was only about five minutes. Before getting in line, I weighed both bags on the provided scale – 50.5 and 49.5. A little juggling and I was set. With both bags checked, I headed off to TSA. No problems here. Usually they pull my bag aside for further inspection, but this time both bags came through just fine. I was worried about having two pipe clamps in the carry on, but they didn’t say a word. They pulled both bags for the lady behind me – I think they were after mine, but missed.
The flight from Phoenix to LA was uneventful, but the terminal area we pulled up to looks like a major construction project. I would think that this pandemic would have slowed down air traffic to the point that the future of air travel would not justify the millions they are spending. Further evidence that this entire pandemic is a political ploy. We got off on an exterior stairway and rode shuttle busses to the terminal.
The gate for my flight from LAX to Kona is within 100 yards of where the shuttle drops us off. I have time to grab a greasy burger and fries. One pleasant note about the flight from Phoenix was the boarding process. They boarded according to seat number – from back to front. Meaning, they called for the passengers in the last three rows to board the plane first. Then the next three rows, then the next three, etc. There was no crowd inching forward to be first in line when their “zone” was called, but more importantly, the person in seat 10C was not blocking the aisle in the plane when the passengers in the seats behind were trying to board. What a novel idea! I imagine that they are doing this to comply with “social distancing”. So far, one of the few positives to come out of this pandemic.
They followed this same procedure in LA. Again, it was much more orderly, more calm, and by far easier.
According to the flight tracker on the screen on the seat in front of me, we are about 45 minutes from Kona. We have filled out the Hawaii Agriculture forms that no one will ever read. I have my negative test result from my covid-19 test, my QR code from the Population Control website reminiscent of the George Orwell novel 1984 (aka Hawaii Travels)
Everything is in order – everything is going according to plan – so why do I have a feeling of dread? Why am I filled with anxiety over this trip?
Arrived in Kona at 4:00 PM. Went through the Covid-19 gauntlet. Every time I come, it appears a bit more sophisticated. They have really learned that spreading the panic is beneficial to more governmental control.
They now have their own testing lab set up on site and everyone who arrives gets the same new form of “Aloha” greeting – “Welcome to Hawaii, now let me shove this cotton swab up your nose . . . twice!” The next thing will be “Drop your trousers and bend over so I can shove my fingers up your ass while I grab your balls with my other hand and tell you to turn your head and cough!” The new “Aloha”.
Stopped off at the lumber store for concrete, spray paint, 1/2″ plastic pipe and elbows, 20′ rebar, 2 – 2x4x8 and 1 -2x6x8. The concrete and the rebar is for gate posts; the plastic pipe and elbows are for a solar water heater; the lumber is for more doors for the shed. Using the hacksaw I brought, I cut the repar into lengths I could haul in the rental car.
Stopped off at KFC for dinner.
I had contacted someone on line who was selling a Kohler undercounter sink and faucet. I called the phone number when I was leaving the lumber store – told them I was going through South Kona in about an hour and asked if we could meet and I could purchase this sink. The woman said that she was actually closer to Ocean View than Kona – told her that I was headed to Naalehu and would be going right past. She said that would be fine and we discussed a location on the highway out in the middle of nowhere to meet. She arrived a few minutes after I did. It was quite dark as it was about 8:00 PM. I got out of my car and approached her as she was walking to the back of her truck. She got rather hysterical and said, “Stay back! You aren’t wearing a mask!” She put the sink in the truck of my car and I handed her the money. She grabbed the money and made a beeline for her truck to get as far away from me as quickly as possible. I didn’t have time to warn her that the Presidents on the bills I gave her weren’t wearing a mask either!
Tuesday – March 23, 2021
I set up my “kitchen”. I got out the propane stove and placed it on the pile of pallets, got out my cooking pans and dishes. I installed the tarp over the area where the pallets were stacked. I placed the two individual inflatable solar lights out in the sun to absorb energy. Had a bowl of cereal for breakfast. After I unloaded the lumber and concrete from the rental car, I went for a scenic drive.
There is an upper road between Na’alehu and Pahala. It rises to about 2,000 feet in elevation and in many places you can see down to the south coastline.
To get to this road, I turned off the highway in Na’alehu on a road that passes between the hardware store and the Punalu’u Bakery. This road goes up past the Na’alehu cemetary where they have a sign warning about an epidemic of Dengue Fever. From there it winds up the side of the mountain past the old sugar cane fields that now are grazing pasture for cows.
There are odd clumps here and there in the pasture land of what looks to be sugar cane. This was a nice easy leisurely drive along a country road with some nice scenery.
Upon returning to the property, I proceeded to get the rental car stuck as I backed it too far down the driveway. I didn’t think the slope was too much, but the combination of loose material, slick surfaces, and too short of a distance to get enough momentum to get up out of there was too much for the two wheel drive Nissan Rogue. I called up a neighbor down the road a ways and he said he wasn’t very busy today, and he could be there in just about ten minutes or so. I had heard that somewhere before as it has a familiar ring to it, but sure enough, he and his oldest son came by and pulled the car out with a four wheel drive truck.
I took the solar panels out of the shed and placed them on the roof, tying them in place with some small ropes. I drilled a hole through the roof for all the wires. Hooked up the batteries to the charge controller and the solar panels to the controller as well. They started producing electricity for the batteries instantly. I hung up the lights I had brought in the corners of the shed and ran the wires to the switch box, and hooked up the switch box to the batteries. I tested them and they all worked. Success!
Later, I drove in to Hilo to purchase some more concrete for the gate posts. I would find as I build these posts that it will take more concrete than I had initially thought. I also picked up the lumber to build the framework for the gates. Then I contacted an individual who was selling used solar panels on line. I went to Hawaiian Paradise Park (HPP) and picked up two panels originally rated for 75 watts each. Not bad for $40 each.
Wednesday – March 24, 2021
I retrieved the Ford Escape from the neighbor’s back yard. Removed the tarp I had covered it with, climbed in and inserted the key. It started right up. No dead battery. I put it into drive and it moved out from under the tree where I had parked it and onto the level higher area of a driveway. I got out and looked at all four tires. None of them were flat. I was worried that one or both of the rear tires would be flat and that the battery would be dead. Worrying for no reason. Need to stop worrying.
I worked on clearing out the branches from below the first deck. Previously, I had trimmed the branches from the trees above this area and just let them fall helter skelter into a huge pile. After clearing out the branches, many I moved out to the end of the driveway to use as fill, I started pulling out the rocks. I want to create a garden here by building a series of rock walls to create a terraced effect.
Around noon, I drove the rental car into Hilo and returned it to the airport. Then I called Uber for a ride to WalMart to catch the bus back to Na’alehu/Waiohinu. I got off the bus at the Wong Yuen Chinese store in Waiohinu, that is no longer operating.
Then I proceeded to walk back to the property. I figured it was about 2 miles. It took me an hour and 15 minutes – most of it up hill.
Upon returning to the property, I worked a bit more on moving rocks from the new garden area, and then fixed dinner.
When I went to bed, it was comforting to have lights I could turn on with a switch.
Thursday 3/25/2021
Went to Ocean View to buy ice and sugar. Stopped at the county water station on Lehua Street to fill up my jugs with water. When I got back to the property I began to dig out the footings for the gate posts. I cut some rebar pieces for reinforcing in the footings as well as for uprights. After digging the holes for the footings, I started mixing the concrete for the footings. As I reached into the car for the water I had collected this morning, I saw my bag of ice sitting in a puddle of water! DANG! (OK, I didn’t really say dang)
After putting what was left of the ice in the ice chest, I continued mixing the concrete and poured the footings. Then I gathered together some cast off boards to be used as forms for the columns. I tried to build boxes 18″ by 24″ that were 16″ tall to be used as moveable forms. My idea was that after pouring one 16″ tall section, I could move the form up to prepare for the next section.
I then continued clearing out the branches below the 12 x 12 deck and building rock walls for the tiered gardens. I used the power inverter attached to the batteries in the solar system all afternoon to charge the batteries for the cordless tools. Having lights at night that turn on with the flick of a switch is wonderful!
Friday – 3/26/2021
Breakfast – scrambled eggs and sausage.
Finished moveable forms for gate posts – posts to be 18″ square – form is 16″ tall. I will pour the posts in 16″ lifts. I’ll let the concrete cure overnight then raise the form. Once the form is in place, I line the inside of the form with rocks and fill the area inside the rocks with concrete. The rocks will be/should be visible when the form is removed. I set up my computer and was able to answer emails etc in the evening.
Saturday – 3/27/2021
Spent most of the day working on clearing out dead branches from below the original deck. Started on building rock walls.
Sunday – 3/38/2021
Continued moving old branches to driveway area where I cut then into 6″ pieces. More rock wall building.
Monday – 3/29/2021
Put the starter pull assembly back on the chipper. Put in gasoline and started the chipper. There was a loud banging noise coming from the chipping wheel area. Shut off the chipper, and proceeded to disassemble it.
One of the hammers in the chipper has come loose. The set screw has fallen out and it is hanging at an angle, flopping and banging. I was able to get it off and took it in to the hardware store in Ocean View. They didn’t have a screw that would work, but I was able to get a heavy cotter pin that I slid into the hole in place of the set screw and through the pivot. This held the hammer in place. I ran the chipper for a couple of hours creating quite a pile of wood chips until it quit. I could get it to start, but it acted like it immediately ran out of gas. I need to clean the carburetor. Not today, maybe another day. Maybe I can just install the new one.
Tuesday – 3/30/2021
Worked on clearing out the branches piled up downhill from the original deck. Previously, on other trips, I had cut branches from trees in this area to increase the view and maybe get a view of the ocean from the deck. I had just cut them and let them fall helter skelter into a huge tangled mess. Today, I continued trying to clear out this mess. My intent is to build rock walls to make terraced gardens in this area.
As I was pulling on some branches, I saw something moving very slowly within the branches.
It was a Jackson Cameleon. He is about 8 to 10 inches long, a bright green body with a darker green tail and with other colored markings, and two horns on his head pointing forwards and one on his nose. FABULOUS! I worked around him to remove the branches so I could get closer to him. Luckily, they move very slowly, so I was able to keep an eye on him. As I was working on the branches around him, I saw something else that I didn’t expect – but I should have.
It was a female Jackson Cameleon. WOW! She was a little smaller, maybe 7 to 9 inches long, with a bright green body and darker green markings much like a giraffe. I was able to get the branches cleared from around these two, and capture them by grabbing the branches they were hanging onto. I transferred these two to a large pile of branches in the northwest corner of the property where they would be safe. Then as I was finishing, I saw a third one. This was the baby. It was maybe 4 inches long and light grey with darker grey markings. He blended in so well to the branches, that I lost sight of him, and could not transfer him up with momma and papa.
Wednesday – 3/31/2021
Found baby Jackson Cameleon. Caught him (it has horns, so I assume it is a male) and placed him up in the pile of branches where I had released the other two yesterday. These two are nowhere to be seen, so I can only hope for the best.
Thursday – 4/1/2021 – April Fools Day
This morning I had malasadas from Punalu’u Bakery in Na’alehu. They are basically sugar donuts without the holes, or in reality, they are large sugar coated donut holes. They also slice these open and insert filling – strawberry, apple, custard, etc.
I had an easy day today. I worked on removing rocks from my new terraced gardens and reinforcing/building the rock walls directly below the original 12 x 12 deck.
Friday – 4/2/2021
Changed oil in the car/ Ford. Oil drain plug was stripped. The shoulders on the bolt were rounded off so a wrench would not turn the bolt. I raised the car up on cement blocks so it was stable enough to get underneath it. That was a chore in itself! I tried different sizes of wrenches, different types of wrenches, I even tried a small pipe wrench, but the bolt would not budge and every wrench kept slipping off. So, I used a hammer and a chisel. No, I did not cut the bolt off with the chisel . . . I used the chisel to create a niche in the outside of the bolt. Then, with the chisel in this niche, I was able to drive the bolt in the direction to loosen it. I was able to get the bolt to turn, and then to unscrew. I drained the oil and used a screw driver driven through the oil filter to unscrew the oil filter. I installed the new oil filter and reinstalled the bolt. I wish I had a new bolt to replace this with, but I’ll have to get one from the mainland the next time I am there. Then I filled the crankcase with oil. Success.
I also found a new place for obtaining water in Waiohinu. At the park, there are only two spigots. At this station, there are 7 or 8. It is at the garbage transfer station as you are going out of Waiohinu towards Ocean View.
I also took a shower. I have filled eight to ten 2 liter soda bottles with water and placed them out in the sun.
They heat up and in the afternoon around 3:00 PM I have water hot enough to take a shower by pouring the water from the bottles over me as I stand on a wooden pallet.
Saturday – 4/3/2021
I worked on another lift of the gate posts. I was one pipe short for the hinge pivots – I actually had the pipe, it just was not threaded, so I had the hardware store in Ocean View put threads on both ends. Then I used two elbows – one buried inside the post so the pipe cannot be pulled out through the concrete. I also planted the onions and the potatoes I had left from my previous trip – they had sprouted. I planted them in the corner of my new terrace garden.
Easter Sunday – 4/4/2021
I worked on the gate columns. One is at about 5′ tall. All it needs is the cap.
I have been installing 1/2″ pipes in the concrete with an elbow sticking out of the side of each column, one about a foot off the ground, and one about 8″ from the top to be used as the pivots for my gate hinges. I will install two eye bolts in the side of the gates at the correct heights to pivot on the tops of the elbows. The one post that is 5′ tall only needs a concrete cap. The other one is about 4’6″ tall. I need more concrete.
Monday – 4/5/2021
Went to Ocean View and picked up one more bag of concrete to finish the top of the second gate post, and a bag of ice. I stopped along the road and gathered up 4 buckets of cinders for the driveway. When I returned to the property, I poured the final bit to bring the second gate post up to the 5′ height. I spread the cinders in the driveway and tried to wash the excess cement from the gate posts. Started to build the frames for the gates.
Tuesday 4/6/2021
Neighbor Scott brought over some “ant soup” – the concoction of peanut butter, vegetable oil, and a control substance called Tango that makes the queen sterile so she cannot produce more worker ants. Sprayed this on the trees.
Finished the frames for the gates. Now I need slats. Also need reinforcing for the corners of the gate. Took some corrugated roofing pieces and hammered them flat. then cut them into triangles about 14″ on a side and 18″ on the long side (the hypotenuse). I then created a hem on all three sides by folding about 1/2″ over on each side. I then painted these black with spray paint. I installed one triangle on each corner of each gate using 2″ long screws.
I did some laundry. washed a pair of levis, a shirt and some socks.
Wednesday – 4/7/2021
I wanted to get a better idea of the lay of the lot and the state of the slope of the property. So far, other than the house pad clearing, the driveway, the far northwest corner and the west side of the property for about 30 feet from the property line, the rest of the lot is still untamed jungle. At the northeast corner of the shed, I began creating a path through the jungle. I tied the end of a 100 foot long tape measure to the fence at the west property line, and extending to the east in a line that seemed perpendicular to the fence line, I began measuring. The corner of the shed is approximately 15 feet from the property line. This makes the north east corner of the deck next to the east side of the shed some 30 feet from the line. Following this direction which is as best as I can tell, to the northeast, I began cutting into the jungle. From the shed, the ground goes uphill as I go northeast in a line that I think is parallel to the street. There is a small knoll or hill about 80 or 90 feet from the fence line, then it drops down again.
After clearing this path, I worked on the porch framing on the east side of the shed. Then I pulled all the nails from the pallet 2 x 4’s so that I can install them closer together. I think I am going to need more pallets.
Thursday – 4/8/2021
I nailed the pallet 2 x 4’s to the porch framing on the north side. I almost have enough to complete this side. The east side is 1/2 framed.
I worked in the driveway; trimming more trees to extend it into the property. Worked on digging out large rocks without much success. I need a larger prybar. . . or perhaps a backhoe or an excavator:)
Friday – 4/9/2021
Worked on building another door for the shed. I took the last few 2 x 4’s and a 2 x 6 to Bill’s to use his table saw again to cut a kerf lengthwise in each board. This will make it possible to inset a panel into each door – one above the lockset and one below. For now, these inset panels are 1 by boards from pallets. I may change out the upper panels for glass later.
I met another neighbor who lives on Palaoa Road two lots south of (makai) Scott. Her name is Elaine.
I got another door done.
Saturday – 4/10/2021
Drive in to Hilo to the lumber yard. I needed fence slats for the gate, 2 x 6’s for the porch, nails, wooden dowels for the doors, and concrete for the caps on the gate columns.
When I got back from Hilo, I unloaded the lumber.
Then I went for a walk towards Palaoa Road. As I walked past the end of the 2nd lot, I saw what looked like palm trees growing in the jungle about 20 feet from the road. Then I remembered that I had planted three coconut palms at what I thought was the far northeast corner of this lot. These were about 2 1/2 feet tall – not as tall as the others. I assume it is because they don’t get much sunlight. I got my clippers and climbed up into the trees above these coconut palms and proceeded to cut out a bunch of the branches directly above the palms and to the south of them so that they could get more sunlight.
Sunday – 4/11/2021
I needed to pour a cap on the top of the two gate columns. I don’t want it to look like concrete, but more like a square chunk of lava. This means it needs to be black, and it needs textureing similar to natural pahoehoe lava.
To start with, I went to the hardware store in Ocean View to see if they had any coloring agent to add to concrete. They do . . . but they only have red and green . . . they are all out of black, but they did have charcoal grout. I’ll give that a try.
I wanted the cap to overhang the column a little so I made a frame with some 1 x 4 scrap material that would fit snugly to the top of the column. I made this flush to the top of each column and then took some old corrugated roofing and cut it into pieces about 8 or 9 inches tall. These, I screwed to the 1 x 4 frame. I then took some scraps of corrugated roofing and hammered it as flat as possible and cut pieces to cover the gaps between the wood frame and the rock columns so that the concrete would not just run out all over the face of the rocks. I had rebar sticking up from the columns, so I bent it over to be inside the cap. I also cut some rebar to be placed in the caps – two bars each direction.
I then mixed my concrete. One bag at a time in a bucket, with one small can of charcoal grout in each batch. It took two batches per column cap.
On a television reality show I had seen a few months ago about a construction company in Kona, I watched a woman go out onto the lava fields and pour a liquid plastic/rubber substance on the lava. After it cured, she peeled it off and had an imprint of the surface in a large rubber stamp about three feet in diameter. She was going to use this as a stamp to simulate lava on a concrete sidewalk in front of a home in Waikoloa. I wanted to do this, but I didn’t know what the material was that she used, and I did not want to have some local accuse me of desecrating some sacred Hawaiian site. So, I took an old window screen and some tubes of silicon caulking and I attempted to recreate the patterns I had seen on the lava. I then used this to stamp the top of the column caps as the concrete was setting up.
At the driveway, there are three coconut palms growing that we planted about a year ago when we planted all the others. I had pulled a bunch of rocks out from around them and created a small garden area where i was throwing the kitchen scraps to create compost. I had also placed some avocado seeds here. Two of these avocado seeds have sprouted and are growing. I dug out more rocks in this area, expanding the garden area and making it deeper. The rocks were used to create a rough rock wall at the bottom of the driveway by the walkway towards the house clearing as well as a rock wall from the east gate post along the driveway back into the property.
I then cut more branches and trees in the direction I want the driveway to go towards the two house pads. My intent is for this same gate to serve both lots. After cutting about 5 or 6 feet of jungle 12 or 15m feet wide, I had a huge pile of branches. I used my clippers to cut these into pieces about 6 inches long.
Monday – 4/12/2021
I removed the forms from the gate post caps. and hung up the gate frames. Then I screwed the fence slats to my gates – only to find that I had mis-calculated and was one slat short. DANG! (once again, I didn’t really use the word dang!) I think it turned out pretty good, other than the fact that the charcoal grout did not make the concrete as dark as I would have liked.
I took a shower in the afternoon, then went in to Ocean View for water and ice. went to the hardware store to see if they had any cedar fence slats – nope. Gathered three more buckets of cinders and spread these out on the driveway. I cut out some of the vegetation that is growing back in the house clearing, and worked on the framing for the east side porch on the shed.
Wednesday – 3/14/2021
Last full day here. Spent most of the day putting things away, and storing stuff. I put away all my dishes except what I would need to cook a can of spaghetti tonight, and cereal for breakfast in the morning. Took a shower in the afternoon. Took down the tarp over the “kitchen” area. After the sun went down, I disassembled my solar system and removed the solar panels from the roof of the shed.
Thursday – 3/15/2021
It was early when I got out of bed. A necessary evil. A day for mixed emotions. Going back to the mainland today – leaving this paradise behind. A paradise where I have done nothing but work. A glance backwards in time makes me wonder if
I’m doing this wrong. Maybe that is the feeling of anxiety I had at the beginning of this trip. However, I do enjoy staying busy – doing things, building things. I should be spending more time at the beach or the ocean. Later. There will be plenty of time for that later. Too much that needs to be done now. Thoughts of a more pleasant toilet. Perhaps an enclosed shower instead of in the middle of the clearing standing on a pallet dumping bottles of water over my head. A better, easier kitchen. But it all takes time. One step at a time. My objectives for this trip have been accomplished – oil changed in the car; gates for securing the car behind; additional solar panels; doors for three sides of the shed; floor boards nailed down on the porch on one side; and the second side framed and ready for floor boards; the garden terraces created after the removal of the eyesore pile of branches; extending the driveway a few more yards. Finding the Jackson cameleons was an added benefit, as was the road trip from Na’alehu to Pohala through the back country.
My ride came just as I was walking out to the road after putting away the last items in the shed and locking the door. There isn’t a cloud in the sky, another beautiful morning; perhaps I should just stay. The bus will be in Waiohinu in 30 minutes. If I miss that, I might have to stay. Hmmmmm.
Bill and his oldest son dropped my off in front of the Chinese store where the bus would stop. There was no one else there, the bench on the porch was all mine. My carry on roller bag had my duffle bag I had used as a checked bag on the way here, folded up and stuffed into it along with my computer. My backpack had a towel, board shorts for swimming, khaki shorts and a Hawaiian shirt, along with two oranges and an oatmeal raisin cookie I bought last week in the market at Ocean view, two small bottles of Pepsi and one of POG juice (Passion fruit, Orange, Guava).
The trip to Kona was uneventful, scenic, and thoroughly enjoyable – except for the thought that I was leaving – and not sure when I would return.
The bus pulled in to the park and ride lot at Ocean View, and there were at least ten people lounging around waiting. The view of the ocean was magnificent, and Mauna Loa was lounging in the middle of the island, the clouds nowhere in sight to obscure the mountain top. The town of Ocean View is situated in a huge lava flow from Mauna Loa in 1868.
The stark dark black jumble of lava surrounding Ocean View is directly in contrast with the thick, lush, multi shades of green 10 or 15 minutes down the road around the town of Captain Cook. At mile marker 100, I saw the white pickup truck that had crashed over a year ago, laying on its side about 30 yards from the road, leaning up against some trees. Further on, there are three or four houses on then ocean side of the highway (makai) that have almost been totally reclaimed by the jungle.
In a few places, the vegetation opens up alongside the highway for a view down to the ocean.
Once again, we turn down towards the ocean and Keauhau Bay.
Alii Drive follows the coast through Kona. This is where all the million dollar homes are right on the ocean – not one of them over a thousand square feet, and the lot not much bigger. Location, Location, Location. Just before getting into the business district of Kona, there is a bridge over a gully that most likely carries water when it rains hard up in the hills. They are trying to rebuild this bridge. The road is one lane each direction and the detour around the construction site is one lane. Flagmen are stationed at either end and they alternate letting a few cars at a time drive through from each direction. There was a good ten to fifteen minute delay to get through this bottle neck.
There is quite a steady flow of foot traffic around us going both directions on Alii Drive, mainly tourists, but there are others who appear to be locals – people transplanted from somewhere else and have settled here to live; out for their morning walk, or bicycle ride, and some jogging – living the good life.
Clear of the construction zone, and past the tourist areas of Kona on the waterfront, the bus stops at the shopping center at the west end of town, and most of the riders get off. This is my opportunity to talk with the bus driver.
“So, how is my fellow Lumberjack doing today?” I ask as I sit down in the row of seats behind the driver. The driver is the same one from a few months ago who told me that he played football for NAU.
His face brightens and he gets a big smile on his face,”Hey, how you do?” he asks.
“I’m trying to get to the Hawaii County Offices – where they issue building permits” I explain. “Where would be the best place to get off?”
“Well, you can get off at the courthouse, and wait at the bus stop.” he says. In a little while, another bus will come past that will take you right there.”
“That’s better than I expected.” I continue, “So, when were you at NAU?”
“1986”
“How long were you there?” I ask as we pull up to the bus stop at the courthouse.
“A year and a half” he says. “I got injured”
“You’re lookin’ good now.” I say over my shoulder as I get off. “Thanks for the help.”
There is a young girl at the bus stop when I get off, so I put my two bags on the ground at the opposite end of the bench. A few minutes go by and she makes a call on her phone. After which, she walks away from the bus stop, around the corner and down towards the highway, a few hundred yards away. I pull out my cell phone and find it only has 12 % charge, but yet it is plugged into them solar charger, and the charger is fully charged. I unplug it and plug it back in and it starts charging. Then it quits. I touch the cord where it connects to the phone and it flickers. It charges as long as I hold the cord into the phone, just right. Any movement, and it flickers off. The charge on my phone goes from 12% to 32%. then to 24%. I’m in trouble! Without my cell phone, I cannot check the bus schedule for the next bus. I cannot call uber for a ride into town, or for a ride to the airport later this evening. That is what I had planned to do. After the Building Department, I was going to spend the day at the beach on the waterfront in Kona, then call uber. I can’t risk being stuck in downtown Kona and not making my flight.
After a wait of 20 to 30 minutes, a smaller bus pulls up to the bus stop – more like a shuttle that they use at an airport to take you to get your rental car. We drove up the highway near the airport to a subdivision where we picked up two people with their bicycles. In a round about way, we ended up at the West Hawaii Civic Center – my destination.
I found the County Building Division and spoke with Maile. She looked at my plans and Engineering Specifications and had a few problems that I need to have corrected before I can submit. So, I went in search of an electrical outlet to plug in my computer and phone. By the time I found the bus schedule on my computer, I had missed the last bus pickup at the West Hawaii Civic Center, my phone still would not charge, I think it is the cord, so I could not call for uber. So, I proceeded to walk to the airport . . . 6 miles away. I was within a half mile of the airport, when a guy and his wife stopped and gave me a ride. I didn’t get their names, but THANKS!
My flight wasn’t until 10:30 pm and it was 5:30 when I arrived at the airport, so I opened my computer, answered a few emails and waited. The flight to the mainland was uneventful, and when I got to Phx, I grabbed a cab and was home.
TTFN
TropicalCastaway 
