And Into December

December 1, 2024

The blockwork for the walls of the bathroom at Holowai has been completed.

I wanted to build the first two feet out of concrete block to get it above the level of the surrounding ground. I’ll grout the cells and pour a concrete cap on top of these walls. Then build frame walls up from there.

December 2, 2024

The pump truck arrived at 7Am and set up for the pouring of my neighbor’s driveway. I had agreed to help him with this. Their son, the one who had asked me to help, has spent the last week setting up the forms and laying down some wire mesh and a few strategically placed pieces of rebar.

The pump operator stretched out and connected the hoses, while we did a final check of the forms and reinforcing.

The Motley Crew gathered at the top.

In spite of the fact that the concrere was batched out of the plant at 5:30 in the morning in Kona, and arrived a little after 8:00 AM, we were still able to get it out of the trucks and pumped up the hill where we were able to knock it down into some semblence of a flat driveway. This concrete had already started to set up – even while it was in the trucks. Concrete that has been in the truck this long would normally be refused and sent back to the plant – at least that is the procedure on the mainland. I don’t know about the procedure here on the south end of Hawaii, two hours drive from the nearest concrete plant. But yet, others seem to be able to pour concrete that has come from Kona and has been in the truck way too long, and they end up with a very smooth finish. Experience in dealing with this issue has obviously taught them some tricks that I don’t know!

Anyway, I did the best I could with my knowledge and experience. Not the best finish in the world, and not what I was hoping to provide, but it is definitely useable as a driveway. The rough finish may be a blessing in disguise in rainy weather!

For those interested in a bit of the financial aspects of this, a local contractor quoted them $25K to pour this driveway. They paid the concrete company $320 per cubic yard for 20 yards of concrete – a cost of $6400. The pump truck cost $1310. Form material, reinforcing wire, and a few pieces of rebar cost under $1000, and he gave a few bucks to those who helped pour it – again, a cost of under $1000. For about $9500, they have a $25K driveway that will add much more than that to the value of their home.

Ater the pour, Alanah and I went for a drive down the coast to Honuapo.

The sky was clear. and there was only a very slight breeze. Kilauea was easily seen with very little cloud cover.

A beautiful day to be in Hawaii!

Deember 3, 2024

Alanah painted the roof deck boards for the bathroom. I knew that it would be easier to paint them before they were in place, and this gives them a protective coating even where one board crosses another. When painting them after installing them, it is not possible to seal them with even this one coat of paint in the areas between the boards where they cross.

I built forms on top of the block walls for the concrete caps.

I will need bolts to imbed in the wet concrete for fastening the frame walls down. Like eveything in Hawaii, just a bit expensive. Or maybe I’m just getting cheap (frugal) in my old age.

Coming out of the lumber/hardware store in Kona, we say an image of Smaug the Dragon from the Hobbit in the clouds at sunset! Yeah, I have a vivid imagination!

Alanah caught the 9:00 PM flight back to the mainland, leaving me alone once again!

December 4, 2024

I slept late today after returning late from taking Alanah to the Airport in Kona last night.

The major accomplishment for the day was to haul some block over to Ahi for the walls of the bathroom. I will be doing the same thing there as I am doing at Holowai, namely, building block walls up 2 foot high before transitioning to wood frame walls.

December 5, 2024

Today’s task is to build the walls at the bathroom at Ahi. This is a good start!

December 6, 2024

I set up the generator and the mixer out near the front gates to use the last of the pile of sand and gravel to pour a few sections of the cap on the bathroom walls. I knew I could not mix enough concrete fast enough to grout the cells and pour the entire cap in one setting, so I broke it up into four pieces and poured them in an alternating pattern.

Basically, this first pour took care of the four corners. Later, I’ll pour the center sections to complete the cap.

Then, it was back to the ocean. Not a cloud in the sky left the entire Kilauea volcano fully visible again today.

Upon returning to the property, after a quick “swim” in the swimming pool in the lava field at the edge of the ocean, I staked up the tomato plants. There are six or eight little tomatoes on the plants! They may not be ripe before I leave for the mainland on the 16th!

December 7, 2024

When they delivered my lumber the other day. they forgot to bring the rebar I had ordered. Ten pieces of rebar 20 feet long is not something I can easily transport from Kona. I had them add some 2 x 4’s that I will use in the second floor structure on the bungalow at Ahi.

December 8, 2024

I did a little bit of laundry today, and hung it out to dry. Some of it here at Holowai, and some I hung up inside the bungalow at Ahi.

Holowai Street also needed a bit of sprucing up.

Setting up the mixer at the sand/gravel pile by the bathroom, I was able to complete the cap for the bathroom walls.

December 9, 2024

More block were hauled over to Ahi and used to build up the bathroom walls to the 2 foot height.

Debating on one more course, due to the slope of the hillside next to the bathroom. The purpose of the block walls is to raise it above the danger of rocks tumbling downhill and crashing through a frame wall.

December 10, 2024

After stacking the roof deck boards that Alanah had painted, I began painting the ceiling joist/rafter boards.

They are being painting a contrasting color, which is easier done before they are put in place.

December 11, 2024

One of the Hawaiian Honeycreepers came by to the feeder. This is the first one I have seen at the feeder since I returned from the mainland. That does not mean that they haven’t been coming to the feeder when I wasn’t around. . . just that I had not seen one before.

The studs for the walls will be a different color that the roof/ceiling deck boards and the ceiling joist/rafters. Just to be different. And, . . . this is the color of the paint I have on hand.

The property is oriented more towards the east than to the west. I get fabulous sunrises, but cannot really see great sunsets. Except for this one, where the clouds to the north are colored red and orange with a bit of purple and yellow.

December 12, 2024

After painting the studs for the walls, I cut them to length, and then painted the cut ends. Hopefully, this will help to protect them from deteriorating.

There are two doorways and there will be two windows in the bathroom walls. For these, I will need some 2 x 6 headers, which I cut and painted.

Using some full length 2 x 4’s, I laid out the stud placing for the walls. I still need some pressure treated sill plates for the bottom of the walls.

And, I had another visit from either Bert or Ernie – or a substitute! They seem to be a bit more stand-offish this time aroound!

December 14, 2024

One last trip down to the ocean was the order of the day, today.

The swimming pool was overfull and the waves kept trying to pour in more water.

The view from the swimmng pool out to the west towards the two wading pools out on the point showed a lot of water up on the lava shelf. Many of the depressions were full of water.

The two wading pools were overflowing to the point that they looked like one pool.

Next to the main wading pool, a depression about 6 feet in diameter and three feet deep was full of water. Whether it was salt water, or freshwater, I didn’t know, but I was hoping that being surrounded by black lava, the water will be a bit warmer than the ocean. I have found that the sweimming pool, being larger, and frequently replenished by the ocean, is just about the same temperature. On a calm, sunny day. it is maybe a few degrees warmer, but not much. The wading pools, being shallower typically are about five to ten degrees warmer. Today was a bit overcast, with a breeze and a bit of wave action creating cascades of water splashing up onto the lava surrounding these tide pools.

I hoped this 6 foot diameter depression would be warmer, but it wasn’t. I wanted to take a bath.

But this area a bit further back from the ocean was a few degrees warmer, and sufficed as my bathtub for today.

After drying off and while changing clothes at the truck, I saw some movement through the branches of the trees and out on the lava towards the ocean. I was a bit startled as there were no other cars about, and I thought I was alone.

Stepping arond the truck and out from behind the trees, I got a better view. Menehunes DO exist!

December 15, 2025

My nickname of Galleons Lap for the Ahi Road property comes from the last Winnie The Pooh book.

 “… Christopher Robin, “but what I like doing best is Nothing.”

“How do you do Nothing?” asked Pooh, after he had wondered for a long time.

“Well, it’s when people call out at you just as you’re going off to do it, What are you going to do, Christopher Robin, and you say, Oh, nothing, and then you go and do it.”

“Oh, I see,” said Pooh.

“This is a nothing sort of thing that we’re doing now.”

“Oh, I see,” said Pooh again.

“It means just going along, listening to all the things you can’t hear, and not bothering.”

“Oh!” said Pooh.

They walked on, thinking of This and That, and by-and-by they came to an enchanted place on the very top of the Forest called Galleons Lap, which is sixty-something trees in a circle; and Christopher Robin knew that it was enchanted because nobody had ever been able to count whether it was sixty-three or sixty-four, not even when he tied a piece of string round each tree after he had counted it.”

In keeping with this theme, I have created a door and house front resembling where Pooh lives, under the name of Sanders.

Once upon a time, a very long time ago now, about last Friday, Winnie-the-Pooh lived in a forest all by himself under the name of Sanders.
What does “under the name” mean? asked Christopher Robin.
‘It means he had the name over the door in gold letters and lived under it.’

(Thanks to A.A Milne)

Much of the day today was spent getting everything put away, in preparation for my leaving the island tomorrow.

December 16, 2024

My ride back to the mainland. I caught the 6AM bus from Na’alehu to Kona – arriving at 8:30AM at the airport. After checking in with the airline and passing through security, I waited with the other passengers to board the plane.

As we walked out onto the tarmac, I could see Maui in the distance, beyond the airport control tower.

Looking back over the terminal buildings, Hualalai volcano was clear and unobscured by any clouds. A rare occurrance.

I had a better view of this volcano that is at the edge of Kona, from the airplane.

As we took off, the coastline orth and west of the airport was clearly visible.

And then Mauna Kea became visible as we climbed higher and flew past the edge of Hualalai.

There was no snow on top, and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky to obscure my view of the observatory perched atop Mauna Kea. We left the volcanoes behind as we headed out over the ocean towards the mainland.

Hold that thought, I’ll be right back!

TTFN