May 20, 2025
The female Northern Cardinal is getting bolder, and showing up more often at the feeder. She is not as agressive as the male, in that she will wait her turn, . . . but once she is in the feeder, she will not allow others to join her – except the male Cardinal.
The road construction on Kama’oa Road has continued past Discovery Harbor and they are currently working on the section that goes past Mark Twain Estates.
They block off one side at a time to work on and divert the traffic to the other lane. Using flagmen, they let the traffic through in an alternating pattern.
The have large machines that grind up the top three inches of asphalt and throw it into a dump truck to be hauled away.
Then these same dump trucks bring in the new asphalt and they lay it down where they have removed the old.
At some point in the process, there is a small amount of this ground up asphalt that doesn’t get into the dump trucks , but gets piled up along side the road.
I have been gathering up these small piles and spreading them on my driveways.
This material will fill in around the course rocky material I paid to have hauled in and make the surface of the driveway smoother to walk on, and easier to get traction than the loose gravel.
May 21, 2025
Using some of the material I gather from the road construction on Kama’oa Road, I spread it on the path from the driveway at Holowai, towards the gazebo.
I figure that I had better gather this material while I have the chance, before others beat me to it.
This pile is along the road as it passes Discovery Harbor.
The construction has passed Mark Twain Estates, and they are working on the section going down the hill towards Waiohinu and Naalehu.
Back at the Holowai property, I continue with the floor beams. I am painting them now as it is easier, and this way I get paint on all the surfaces.
May 22, 2025
Hello, Charlie!
In a surprise move, Charlie has begun to come up onto my hand – as long as I am sitting down.
Click on the picture below and you will see a video of Charlie coming to get me while I am painting. If I am not in the gazebo when Charlie wants food, and the feeder is empty, well, . . . Charlie comes looking for me. He/she will not hop onto my hand away from the gazebo, or if I am not sitting in my chair, but is definitely trying to get my attention!
Here is a video of Charlie following me over to the gazebo.
Here is a video of Charlie eating out of my hand.
This is Soooo cool!
The beams are up and in place, and painted!
May 23, 2025
I have started working on a new project – a fountain/waterfall that is more permanent than the three tiered plastic containers I have set up at the end of the lanai.
First, how about some bacon and eggs for breakfast! It was more appetizing than this picture shows!
I line the hole I created for the fountain/waterfall/pool with plastic, and then pour some concrete to form a small pond.
The weather has turned overcast, and each day it sprinkles often. I noticed this rainbow out towards the ocean.
It is a full rainbow from end to end. No pot of gold, though, and no leprechaun!
I stack rocks up and cement them in place to form the waterfall.
Back to the house floor, I position the floor beams, plumb up the posts, and install some metal straps to hold them all in place! As I am working on the beams, once in a while, I will lookup and there will be Charlie – in a tree a few feet away, or on one of the beams, as if trying to get my attention. So, I stop and go over to the gazebo and feed the birds.
May 24, 2025
The baby red headed cardinals are no longer babies. They are now feeding themselves.
Charlie will come to the table and wait while I put food in the feeder for the others, and then I put some in my hand and sit down, and Charlie hops up onto my hand and gets a beak full, then flys away. A minute or so, Charlie is back for more. This repeats six or seven times. I suspect that Charlie has babies in a nest nearby!
I have all the beams up in place and positioned on top of their posts.
As I am finishing up the beams, I notice something down in the rocks at one end of the house. It is a Hawaiian Honeycreeper! Dead! Oh, NO! Not Charlie?
May 25, 2025
I spread out the 2 x 8 floor joist and begin painting them prior to installing them.
I put one joist up at each side of the house floor and run a string from one to the other to line them up as I install them.
Because I am doing this all alone, this is a slow and tedious process, but as I am working, Charlie shows up!
That makes the work more enjoyable. But I still wonder what happened to that other honey creeper! I’m not alone anymore with Charlie around, but it does not make the work go any faster!
I can only paint five or six boards at a time. But it is progress!
It is starting to look more like a structure.
A slow and tedious process, but I am in no real hurry!
The blocking is being installed as I put up the floor joist. At least, it is at one end, over one of the beams! The view from on top of the floor joist is awesome!
May 26, 2025
Another day of painting and installing floor joist.
Yesterday, I finished the east? side, and today, I start on the west? side, which is actually at the southwest, but I’ll call it the west side!
The compass headings have me a bit confused here. The side of the property along Holowai Street, “feels” to me to be north, but it is actually more like northwest. Holowai does not run true east to west, but more like southwest to northeast, so everything is a bit “off kilter” – compass wise!
The Hawaiians have a different way to identify directions that would work here. They give directions in relation to the direction to the ocean. Mauka is their word for “away from the ocean”, anf Makai is thr word for “towards the ocean”. Therefore, the side of the house facing Holowai would be the Mauka side (away from the ocean) and the side facing the ocean is the Makai side (towards the ocean). I don’t know about identifying the two other sides! – Maybe the Hilo side, and the Kona side?
Once again, I put up the floor joist at each end of the floor (the north? and south? sides) and put up a string between them to guide me where to install the rest.
As I put up a board, I also install a block between it and the previous one – at least, directly over the beam at the far northeast end! Then when I install the joist on the southwest end, I install a block over this beam between the joist as well!
A view of the new floor structure from the gazebo.
May 27, 2025
The paving of Kama’oa road is about completed, and they are doing a good job – making it so much smoother than it was, but the centerline marking leaves a bit to be desired!
I spend a bit of time down by the ocean. After all, . . . that is the whole reason for being here – the ocean!
May 28, 2025
More of the leftovers from the road construction.
I have the floor joist installed on the two sides of the floor.
Now I need to concentrate on lining up the joist from one end to the other, and installing the center section. The center section is half the size of the two sides, so I cut one 2 x 8 x 16 floor joist in half to make two for this section. But I still run out of material!
May 29, 2025
Since I am needing more lumber to continue with the floor, I’ll switch tasks, and haul some more of the leftover material from the roadwork.
After gathering some in the bed of the truck, I try to start the truck. The key will not turn. So I end up having to have it towed into Na’alehu to the ONLY repair shop in this end of the island! This is going to be expensive. Thank goodness I am a triple A member, so the tow will not cost me anything!
May 30, 2025
While the truck is in the shop, I decide to catch the bus into Kona for some grocery shopping!
A view of the ocean from the highway.
The road follows the coast and most of the time, there is a good view!
We turn off the highway and head down towards an area called Keauhau.
On the way back, this is the view about ten miles from the town of Oceanview! It is a bit drier along this section of the coast, but the ocean view is still great!
Soon I’ll be back at the property!
TTFN
TropicalCastaway 