June 15, 2025
The need to go downtown to Naalehu today prompted me to fill the back of the truck with my empty water containers. I take every opportunity to make each trip into town well worth it by hauling water back with me. I stop off at the trash transfer station where there are six water faucets for getting water, and fill my water bottles.
Back at the site, I begin installng metal roofing on the roof of the storage shed.
I have been able to pick up – here and there – pieces of metal roofing that were used on other buildings and subsequently replaced. These used pieces will be more than sufficient for the roof on the storage room. Recycling at its finest!
June 16, 2025
Another trip into town, another load of water.
I begin installing some pallet boards on the exterior of the storage shed as the siding.
Some black building paper is placed over the pallet walls to provide a moisture barrier, and then the pallet 1x’s are being attached at a diagonal to give added strength to the structrure. It also looks cool!
June 17, 2025
As long as I have enough salvaged 1 x’s I will continue with the diagonal siding.
The mauka side is done. It just needs corner trim!
June 18, 2025
The load of lumber I had delivered last week has been sitting by the side of the road – just inviting someone to help themselves.
It is time to move it and remove the temptation.
The plywod and the 2 x 4’s are stacked in the area of the garden steps which is just past the house and the gazebo.
I move the 2 x 6’s and 2 x 8’s that will be the floor boards up onto the floor framing.
And then, I go back to installing the diagonal siding on the shed.
The front around the door is done, so I start on the makai side.
Not all the floor 2 x’s were moved from the road, so I parked the truck over top of the pile as a deterrent.
June 19, 2025
The makai side of the storage shed is now done. . . . except for the trim.
June 20, 2025
The flooring installation has begun. I will be installing 2 x 6’s and 2 x 8’s in an alternating pattern. One 2 x 6, and then, one 2 x 8. Then a 2 x 6, then a 2 x 8. I place them as tight together as I can, knowing that as they dry, they will shrink and leave small gaps between the boards.
June 21, 2025
Work on the property is interrupted by a trip to Oahu.
I park the truck at the airport and catch a plane for the 30 minute trip.
There doesn’t seem to be many people flying today.
I get a view of the other islands as we fly past them.
Maui with the ever recognizeable Haleakala volcano.
Arriving at Honolulu and the weather is much like what I left on the big island.
I pick up a rental car and I’m off on another adventure!
I find my way out of the airport and onto the freeway. I’m headed to the north shore.
The highway goes up through the central part of the island. A bit further down the road, I pass the entrance to the famed Schofield Barracks. The Army Air Corps base made famous by the attack by the Japanese that brought the US into WWII.
Up in the central part of the island, there are acres of pineapple fields.
They are part of the Dole Pineapple Plantation.
I’m not 100% certain that the pineapple is being grown as an export crop. I suspect that it is more as a backdrop to the tourist trade! There are various gift shops, restaurants, and guided tours of the grounds to purchase.
That’s enough commercialized tourism for me.
You’re welome!
My destination quickly approaches. The town of Haleiwa on the North Shore of Oahu.
My neighbor in Na’alehu is an artist. His family owns a house on the beach just outside of Haleiwa. He has come here to be a part of the annual Haleiwa Art Festival and invited me to come over and spend a few days at the beach house.
Haleiwa is a smal town, and the road through town is single lane each way, and traffic is absolutely horrible. Especially when they have events like the Annual Art Festival!
The Festival is being held at the Beach Park on the west end of the old town.
I meet up there with Scott and follow him down the road to the beach house. We pull off the highway and go down a lane between other properties.
The house is indeed, right on the beach!
An interesting sunset welcomes me the first night.
June 22, 2025
The main house has three stories. Actually, there are many, many stories that could be told about this house, and property. What I mean, is that there are three levels. On the ground level is the garage, workshop, storage, and laundry. Going up one level is a three bedroom two bath unit with a full kitchen and living room/familyroom that open out onto a patio, or porch, known in Hawaii as a lanai. This lanai looks out onto the ocean.
The top level has another living area with bedrooms, bathroom, and kitchen. I stayed in a bedroom on the second level over the garage, and away from the ocean.
There is also a second home on the property that they rent out as a short term vacation rental.
When the tide goes out, there are rocks/reef that gets exposed.
A real nice place to relax and take it easy for a few days.
Haleiwa is a couple of miles down the beach, past the tees and around the corner.
The beach is quite a bit lower than the house. Scott tells me that there have been times during many storms, when the ocean has spilled past the huge salt cedar trees and flooded the garages of both houses.
I decide on a little road trip and drive on around the point to Kahuku.
One of the major sites in Kahuku is the high school. Across the street are what remains of an old sugar mill where there are now shops sellng souveneirs to the tourists as well as food stands, a bank, and the Post Office.
I imagine the High School is much the same as it has been for many years! With the exception of the addition of about a dozen large windmills behind the sports fields.
Past Kahuku, I come to the town of Laie. I lived here for two and a half years back in 1960, 1961 and 1962. You can never go back!
I am surprised at how close the two towns are. Five to ten minutes is all it takes to get from one to the other. I seem to recall thinking that going to Kahuku was a major road trip, that it was a long way away. Interesting are the impressions of a six year old!
The elementary school administration building is not what I remember it to be either.
I seem to recall there being a number of large steps leading up to the entrance. Either I am mistaken, or things have changed in 60 years.
In Laie is the Mormon Temple.
And the Polynesian Cultural Center. They were just starting the Polynesian Cultural Center when we were here, and it was still under constrution when we left.
My father supervised the construction of this church. That is the reason we were here!
This large, modern house sits on the corner where we lived in a much smaller wooden house.
The corner of the highway where we lived.
The next door neighbor’s property has not had the old house removed and a large home built in it’s place. The rock columns of the fence to the right is at the back of the church property.
The beach at Laie Bay is straight across the highway from the house and down a lane past another property.
The beach area is much smaller than I remember. But then, everything is so much larger to a six year old.
Beyond this open grassy lot are the buildings of the Polynesian Cultural Center hidden by the wall of vegetation/trees.
The back side of the elementary school, is seen from the road that leads to the entrance to Temple.
The main entrance to the Mormon Temple grounds.
A place called the Hukilau Cafe.
And on the way out of town heading back towards Haleiwa is the Hukilau Beach.
On the highway, heading in to Haleiwa.
One of the displays at the Arts Festival.
Near Haleiwa is the Waimea Valley. The Waimea River runs through this valley and a short walk will bring you to a waterfall.
Of course, it is monetized to capitalize on the tourist dollar.
June 23, 2025
Between Laie and Kahuku there is a large state park beach.
The sandy bottom is swept by the waves.
A view down the shore towards Laie Bay.
In the other direction is a small flat island not far off shore. I may be mistaken, but for some reason, I seem to recall this island being called goat island.
Going in the opposite direction from Laie, heading south along the eastern shore of the island, there are numerous small towns, with Hawaiian names. It is difficult for me to know where one ends and the next one begins.
Nestled within these small towns is another state park beach.
The water is a bit muddy for quite a ways out from shore. Not exactly inviting me to go swimming.
Not far past this beach, is a rock formation nestled up in the hills that overlook the highway.
A closed inspection begins to bring into focus a distinctive figure.
That of a lion crouched on top of one of the hills and looking towards the interior of the island.
Hence, the name, The Crouching Lion.
With, of course, a complimenting restaurant!
June 24, 2025
Back in the 1960’s the main store in town was called Goo’s, after the family that ran it. I think it was a church owned store, but Mr Goo and his wife and daughters operated it.
All that is left now, is a commemorative plaque on the original site – which is now someone’s property with a modern house.
This is the corner where the store was located.
At the opposite side of town, the Polynesian Cultural Center now sits.
Either next to, or as a part of, the Polynesian Cultural Center, there are a collection of stores, shops, restaurants, and other type eateries. It is called The Hukilau Marketplace.
There is a store there named “Goo’s Plantation Store”.
Somehow, I think the merchandise is a bit different than what was sold in the original version.
However, there also as a store called the Laie Cash and Carry, that still exists, much the same as it did then, but it was called “Sam’s Store”. Located in the same building as the Hukilau Cafe.
I drive from Laie, back past the Dole Plantation and Schofield Barracks, to arrrive at the airport in Honolulu.
After returning the rental car, I board a plane to return to the Big Island.
Oahu quickly fades behind .
Molokai, Lanai, and Maui also get left behind.
And we approach the Kohala Coast of Hawaii island.
June 25, 2025
Back to work on the house. I cut some 2 x 8’s to fit in the center part of the floor framing, and paint them white. Then I install them, connecting and straightening out the floor joist on the two sides, while installing solid blocking at each end of these shorter joist.
June 26, 2025
The fountain seems to be losing a lot of water, so I add a bit of watrproofing. I tried painting with elastomeric paint, but I’m not sure how effectiv this was. So, I am using a bit of black roof cement.
Then back to installing floor boards.
My tire garden seems to be flourishing. There are tomato plants growing in most of the tires, even though I don’t remember planting tomatoes here.
My tomatoes in the tomato planter have really taken off. The plants are very greem and healthy. Intresting what a steady supply of water will do.
There are quite a few tomato blossoms on the plants. When I look closer, I see that there are little green tomatoes on the vines.
The onions are a bit thicker and greener as well.
And in the planter that has a papaya, there are cucumber vines with flowers on the vines.
I take a drive over to Ahi just to check it out since I was on Oahu.
No changes. The grass on the road where I mowed, hasn’t grown.
June 28, 2025
Making progress on the floor boards.
One of the pineapples I had picked up before going to Oahu was quite ripe, so I cut the outer rind off. Very good.
The birds are getting used to me being around and are coming a bit closer.
June 29, 2025
Click on the above photo to view a short video.
The USGS sends me updates on the status at the volcanoes on the
Big Island. his morning, I received an email that said that episode 27 of the ongoing eruption had started this morning, and the lava was shouting out in a fountain over 1,000 feet high.
I had to go look for myself. After passing the entrance sign to the National Park, I got a glimpse of the lava fountain.
The trees got a bit taller as I got closer.
Then I began to see ash all over the ground.
Someone had parked their car along side of the highway for some reason. The top was covered in ash and soot and bits of lava and pumice.
I could really see the lava fountain now as well as a plume of smoke and dust and ash. The air was thick with ash and dust and bits of lava up tothe size of a ping pong balls was falling from the thick cloud overhead.
The entrance into the visitor center was packed,
People were parked along side the road in any available spot.
I was able to find a place that someone had pulled out of and parked the truck.
As I walked up to the caldera edge, there was smoke and steam and heat rising from holes in the ground. I wondered about the intelligence of walking around on the edge of the caldera when smoke was coming out of the ground. What is to stop the lava from following the smoke?
June 30, 2025
I have all the floor boards installed.
TTFN
TropicalCastaway 