I’ve been back in Hawaii for a week now.
April 29, 2025
Alanah and I left Phoenix at 6:30AM and flew to Las Vegas.
We flew over the Arizona desert north of Phoenix. We had a terific view of Hoover Dam, Lake Mead, and the highway bridge over the dam.
While waiting for the next leg of the journey, I put a dollar into a slot machine.
Since I have not disappeared, you can guess the results!
We arrived in Kona around 12:45PM.
We had rented a small low priced SUV for the weekend that Alanah was going to be here. Imagine our surprise when we found it was a full sized BMW SUV!
It took a while to figure out how to put it in gear, the rest of the gadgets went unused. We never did figure out how to turn on the radio, and it was only on the next to last day that we figured out how to adjust the air conditioning! I guess we should have brought one of the grandkids!
On the way out of Kona.we were met with some very heavr rain showers, but as we drove down the coast, the rains quit and we had dry roads.
When we got to the sign for Discovery Harbor, we knew we were almost there!
April 30, 2025
The property at Holoway was much the same as I left it.
The first order of business this morning was to set up the solar panels and get the refrigerator going. The batteries have enough electricity for the lights over night, but we will need to recharge them to continue.
The roof of the bathroom had leaked – something I expected as it only had one coat of elastomeric roof coating before I left. So, I applied another coat.
Alanah painted the verticle trim on the corners, and the battens.
The rest of the day was spent checking out the condition of the property and getting back into island life!
May 1, 2025
Today, we went for a drive down to the coast. Rather than stop in at Whittington Beach Park,or pulling off at Honuapo, we drove on down the highway a few miles to a turn off for Kawi Bay. This turn off is not marked with any kind of a sign, and there is an iron gate. I don’t think it is ever locked, but it is shut quite often. The road beyond is a four wheel drive required road – not that anyone would stop you if you tried to drive your small two wheel drive rental car out here, but you will soon regret it!
The road leads out to a beach area that is covered in black rocks of various sizes from the size of a baseball, down to the size of a pencil eraser. There is no sand, just these black, smooth, round rocks.
To one size is what they call a fishpond – basically a small lagoon about the size of a football field or two.
On the way back to the property, we stopped at a rod side fruit stand. The view of the ocean from here is great! This fruit stand is at a 12 acre property with a nice house, paved driveway, landscaped yard, garage, swimming pool, and fended in pastures with sheep and horses. The property sold a couple of years ago for 2.6 million.
May 2, 2025
I was up early this morning and caught the sunrise.
My friends know I’m back and started to come by to say hello!
It started with one lone red headed cardinal, followed by it’s mate.
Then came the Hawaiian Honey creepers.
But the Red Headed Cardinals weren’t going to give up easily.
When the honeycreepers chased them away from the feeder. the two red headed cardinals hung out in the trees above the lanai, waiting for their turn.
I set up the table saw and got the generator started so I could make window frames for the shower walls.
I had picked up glass at Lowes on the 29th when we got on the island, and made quick work of putting them together. Then I began installing them into the walls.
Once the windows were in place, I began with some board siding to complete the upper frame walls. I used some 1 x 6 cedar fence boards as the siding.
While I was working on these windows, Alanah was painting the trim on the bathroom.
Then she sat down to sort through some small round black rocks we had picked up somewhere.
She sorted them into different sizes. I plan on using these as the flooring in the shower.
The bathroom trim painting really helps! She aso painted the windows I had made.
Next, I will need to install glass in these and rehang them in place!
May 3, 2025
The birds are busy sorting out their pecking order, and the red headed cardinals seem to be getting preferential choice!
The female Northern Red Cardinal is coming to the feeder. On previous trips, I never saw her at the feeder, but she was always hanging around nearby.
Then there was this little guy. He looks like a Hawaiian honeycreeper, but he is yellow instead of green.
The view of the ocean from the kitchen lanai.
His wings are a little brown, and his body is a dull yellow!
The last of the five windows are installed around the shower.
May 4, 2025
A yellow honeycreeper shows up this morning. He is bright yellow.
He drops to the lanai and procedes to pick up some crumbs.
The yellow honeycreeper boldly hops up to the roof of the feeder to see what all the fuss is about!
But other birds show up and the yellow honeycreeper retreats to the cross bars of the handrail!
The two northern red cardinals take over the feeder, having chased everyone else away!
But one lone honeycreeper decides to intrude!
So the male cardinal goes on the attack. I’m not sure if the female is prodding him or if she is just being disgusted with his antics!
The honeycreeper is not having any of it! The bullying threats of the northern red cardinal don’t seem to phase him! And he sands his ground!
The cardinal is frustrated that his threats have not worked!
The honeycreeper decides that he has had enough of the cardinal’s chldish bullying and flys off!
Peace is restored!
Alanah waves goodbye as she drives off towards Kona to fly back to Arizona!
TTFN
TropicalCastaway 