March!

It comes after February, and my time here will be shorter than it was in February.

March 1, 2026

I will be returning to Arizona on March 9, so this will be a short month – at least, as far as my time in Hawaii is concerned – so I need to start thinking about wrapping things up . . . but not today!

Instead, I need to add blocking and bracing to the roof structure of the bathroom. Blocks that extend through the last 2 x 4 rafter directly above the exterior walls out to support the barge rafters (commonly called “lookouts”) have been added. I have enough H2.5 framing anchors for one side, so I install them to hold down the rafters on the shower side of the roof. The rafter tails on the shower side overhang are marked and cut off to the correct length, and the fascia is put up. The barge rafters on the street side are cut and installed, then the ones for the porch/entry side, which is slightly more complicated because of the different roof slopes. But all-in-all, the bathroom roof is pretty much framed.

Last month, I had to decide where to have the sand/gravel delivered – to Holowai, or to Ahi. At both locations, the need for this material was much the same – I have projects at both sites that require this material. But at the Ahi site, it can be dumped in the road, but not be blocking traffic. No matter where I thought of dumping it ar Holowai, it was kinda out in the traffic area. Also, there is less through traffic at Ahi (being a dead-end), so less likely to have others helping themselves.

That means that I have to haul it over to Holowai to complete the projects there.

First, I setup the mixer and the generator, then bring over a load of sand/gravel. I get out a bag of cement, and mix up some concrete.

Using the wheelbarrow, I take it back to the rock wall at the front of the house, and shovel it into the space between the rocks. The driveway here at Holowai is not nearly as steep as the one at Ahi, so I can fill the wheelbarrow.

At the kitchen gazebo, there is an area that I have prepared for a concrete lanai. I formed it up a few trips ago, but I have not been able to get around to pouring the concrete! Well, I have decided it is time to work on this. I have set up a form to separate a small portion of the lanai, so I can pour this part..

The floor of the other lanai has flat rocks embedded in the concrete and flush with the surface. I want to continue this style of cobblestone effect in this concrete floor as well. I have gathered enough flat rocks to do this section – that’s how I decided how much of the floor to pour.

But first, I gather today’s crop of tomatoes. They are not large, but there are about a dozen of them. And they taste great!

The Northern Red Cardinal stops by to check things out.

He even comes down to the feeder for a bite to east.

The portion of the lanai I had sectioned off has been poured. It turned out great! Just like I wanted it to, and I had a few flat rocks left over to start on another section.

The ocean was calling. Past Whittington Beach, and past the turn off to Honuapo, there is another road that goes out to the ocean. It is definitely a four wheel drive road, and I would not want to drive here when it is raining, as it is in the lowlands where it floods when it rains heavily.

There is a lagoon out here that they call a fishpond. Like every other thing in Hawaii, it is sacred, because the ancient Tongan and Polynesian original invaders – I mean settlers – did something here! They used to catch fish here or something like that!

Anyway, there is an interesting rocky beach here, and I should feel priviledged that they will allow a haole like me to even come here!

The road back to the highway is just as difficult as the road out – probably because it is the same road!

After returning to Na’alehu, I stop off at the transfer station and fill a bunch of empty water bottles I had in the truck.

A few nights ago, I was in bed and the bed started shaking. It shook for a few seconds – maybe ten seconds – and stopped. In the morning, I checked online and it was an earthquake over 3.0. I was a bit more qurious today about earthquakes here, so I went to the US Geological Survey website and found that in the past year there have been over 8,000 earthquakes in Hawaii. Most of them are below 2.0, but they still are earthquakes. And apparently, a vast majority of them are centered on the big island!

And a large portion of these are centered around the town of Pahala – less than 15 miles away! Life is a choice!

At the street side of the kitchen gazebo, the area was quite rough and tumble. I spent some time rearranging the rocks and hauled some sand and gravel over from Ahi to smooththis out. I have to carry buckets/containers of water past here to water some coconut tees that I had planted there a while ago. Making this easier to walk on is great! I also carry my propane bottles for the stove over this pathway.

So, I poured a small concrete pad for my propane bottle to sit on.

And another section of the walkway leading to the gazebo.

Back at Ahi, I had placed a larger and longer piece of pipe over the one that was poured into the rock column at the property corner marker. At the top of this pole, I installed a pulley and a small ball. I now have a flagpole!

Back at Holowai, I finish installing smooth round rocks as the flooring tiles for the shower. Now I need to grout them.

The siding goes on to two walls of the bathroom at Ahi. I am following the same pattern I used on the bathroom at Holowai. At the corners, the 1x boards I salvage from the pallets are installed at a diagonal to add lateral strength to the walls. In the area between the corners, I am usng 1 x 6 cedar fence slats installed vertically.

Then I started installing 1x boards to the roof, and covering these with osb plywood.

March 9, 2026

After a bus ride from Na’alehu to Kona airport, I get a paper boarding pass from the airline agent and check one bag.

The congressmen and women of the US Government are continuing their blatant fraud, by collecting their paychecks and not doing the job they are paid to do. The government has been shut down for a couple of weeks, so I was concerned what the lines would be at TSA.

As I get my boarding pass, and check my bag, I look over at the T?SA checkpoint.

There is no line at the TSA checkpoint.

When I go through the checkpoint, I walk right up to an agent checking ID’s. There are agents at four stations checking ID’s so there is no wait. I walk right up to the conveyor belt and begin to put my carry-on bag into the plastic bin. there is no wait! The bin follows two others through the x-ray machine and comes out the other side. 9 out of ten times, my bag is pulled aside for “further inspection”. Not this time. And I look at the other two conveyors operating and see that none of the bags going throgh are being pulled aside for further inspection, and I wonder – “Are these x-ray machines even turned on?” I guess that if the TSA agents are not being paid, this s their way of not doing the job! As if it really ever has made any difference!

TTFN

February is a short month

February 2, 2026

What type of bird is this? It is about the size of a sparrow, and is mostly yellow. There is no visible difference between the male and the female, as far as I can tell, but the young are a dull yellow – almost a drab khaki color! I don’t think it is a canary! I have seen them around the island and I was glad when they first started to come to my feeder.

I tend to think of the birds at my feeder in terms of the old feudal system in Europe in the 1400’s.

The Northern Red Cardinal male with his dark red plumage and laid back almost standoffish behavior, I tend to equate to being the Baron or the Count- the top of the local class system. The female who is brown, is even more reserved and regal. She is the Baronness, or the Contessa! The Red Headed Cardinals are what I would call the Vicomte – one step below the Count, but above the commoner! The green Honeycreepers are the courtiers, the business owners, or the townspeople – the middle class. Then come the small green birds with the long sharp beaks who inhabit the hedge- the commoners – who rarely make an appearance at court or at the feeder.

The yellow birds, I have not been able to classify. They tend to rule the feeder when they are there. Even though they are not much larger than the smallest green birds, and are smaller than the Honeycreepers or the Red headed cardinals, they dominate the activity – pushing all else – even the Northern Red Cardinals – out of the feeder until they are done! Maybe they are the court jesters?

And maybe I have been reading too much of the works of Alexandre Dumas?!

I have been gathering up pallets where ever I can get them. I’m going to need quite a few for the 1x boards to be used as the diagonal siding on the house.

The pile under the house was all gone at one time – now I have another pile. Someone needs to spend some time disassembling them! I guess that “someone” will have to be me!

The old generator has been giving me trouble. Today, I needed to top off the solar system as it has been overcast for the past few days and the panels have not been able to generate enough watts. The old generator would not start. So, I got out the new one. I have had it for almost six months or so, and purchased it when the old one would not start. While I was waiting for the new one to arrive, I spent some time on the ignition system of this generator and got it to run. Maybe I need to spend more time on it once again!

After running the generator while I had breakfast, I went over to Ahi. I removed the forms from the column cap at the front west corner of the property.

Using the form material from the other cap, along with more of the same, I built forms for the column cap at the front east corner. With some sand and gravel from my pile in the road, along with some water and cement, I mixed up some concrete in the wheelbarrow to pour the cap on this column. This was not a large enough project to warrant dagging the concrete mixer and the generator over here.

Back at Holowai, the porch at the shed has deteriorated to the point where I might step through the flooring boards. This has been an ongoing issue – even during the last part of my earlier time here in December, but “don’t do today, what you can put off until tomorrow” has been a good motto – so far!

Well, I could not put it off any longer.

When I disassemble a pallet for the 1x boards to use on the roof, or as exterior siding, there are also the 2x supports. I use these as the floor boards on my shed porch as well as for other projects.

Now that the shed porch is repaired, I can pickup Alanah at Kona airport.

We leave Kona after doing some shopping. The vegetation along the highway opens up for just a short span after we have past Kealakekua Bay – the place where the natives killed Captain Cook – and we get a nice view of the sun reflecting off the ocean as it heads towards a sunset. Something we will not see because in ten or fifteen miles we round the corner of the island and leave the west facing shore for the shore facing south and east.

The next morning is a clear day. Hardly a cloud in the sky in the morning.

We head down to the ocean at Honuapo – just to say that we actually went to the ocean while we were in Hawaii.

A bit of maintenance and yard work is required on Holowai Road.

The lawn mower makes quick work of maintaining the grass on both sides of Holowai Road.

We set up the computer to watch a Wildcats basketball game. Unfortunately, the internet crapped out on us early in the second half!

The signs at Ahi are a bit faded, so I removed them to make it easier for Alanah to touch them up.

Setting them up on an easel made repainting the lettering easier.

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…Sitting there they could see the whole world spread out until it reached the sky, and whatever there was all the world over was with them in Galleons Lap.

The repainting and repairing of the frames was a bit more of a chore, but we got it done!

“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.

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

“Oh!” said Pooh.”

― A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh

After taking Alanah back to Kona for her return trip to Arizona, I set to work on the pile of branches near the chipper.

It is always surprising how much the pile reduces in size when it gets run through the chipper.

And the area is sporting a much cleaner look.

I build a bit of a rock wall above the area where the chipper is and stash the chipped material behind the wall to help level off this area.

The next project is to finish the floor in the shower. Using smooth, round rocks, I set them in mortar to create a sort-of flat surface. Once there are rocks all set in the floor, I will pour grout over it all to lock the rocks in place and fill in the voids between the rocks. This is a beginning – not a finish, as I will need to get more of these round smooth flat rocks to finish.

The signs get reinstalled at the Ahi property.

Some days are better than others:

Today was a good day. One of the items on my “to do” list for this trip was to grout the walls in the bathroom at Ahi. Today, I built forms for a concrete cap for the lower half of the walls at Ahi. As I grout the walls, I can pour this cap. Now, I need to find some anchor bolts to put into this concrete cap to bolt the upper frame part of the walls to the lower masonry part!

Alanah has sent me pictures of the tomatoes we have planted in the gardens in Arizona.

These were some old roma tomatoes that had gone “squishy” in the bottom drawer of the refrigerator, so I planted the entire tomato in garden in the backyard.

There seem to be quite a few larger roma tomatoes growing here.

In a pot at the front door, there are tomato plants. We aren.t sure what type of tomatoes these are. They might be hold overs from the smaller yellow gourd shaped tomatoes that keep voluntarily coming up from three years ago.

Meanwhile, back in Hawaii, I watch as the adult yellow birds do a bit of “parenting”.

The yellow bird parents actually have three chicks they are raising. The young birds continue to squalk and flutter their wings, begging to be fed – all the while standing in the middle of the feeder with lots of food at their feet. The parents are teaching the young to fend for themselves by refusing to feed them. A bit of tough love!

I check my email, and find a message from the USGS – Episode 43 has begun!

February 15, 2026

I get in the truck and make the hour long trip to the caldera in the park.

click twice on the picture to play the video.

The best drive-in-movie I’ve ever been to!

click twice on the picture to play the video.

Grouting the walls at the Ahi bathroom, and pouring the cap will be a bit larger project than mixing concrete for the corner column cap, so I hauled the generator and the mixer over to Ahi. I set these up on the road next to my sand/gravel pile. I could only put a small amount of mixed concrete in the wheelbarrow at a time. The weight in the wheelbarrow tends to make it want to roll too fast going down the driveway – faster than I can control it – unless I reduce the amount for each trip. Also, once I get to the bottom of the driveway, I then have to push it up hill to the bathroom. This will require lots of trips, but I would never be able to push a full wheelbarrow up the hill!

I have built a short rock wall at both sides of the back wall of the bathroom at Ahi to be able to pile up rock and debris behind the bathroom wall. I want to level this area off for a water storage tank. Leveling this area is one of those items on my “to do” list!

Also – not on the list – I am pouring a front porch for the bathroom entry! Another reason for having the mixer over at Ahi.

I am also building a rock wall to support a front porch at the Holowai house! I stack up rocks 6″ apart and will fill the void with concrete when I bring the mixer back from Ahi.

The scraps from installing the 1x boards on the house roof are piled behind this rock wall – just to have someplace to contain them.

February 17, 2026

In peparation for making some doors for the upper section of the house, I used the table saw to cut a notch out of the edge of some 2 x 4;s. As I was making my last cut, the saw motor overheated and quit! I think that the capacitor has given out. Too much overloading, too much prolonged use, and perhaps not enough constant electrical power. I may have to buy a new motor. Maybe I can buy just a capacitor???

Another project for another day – searching the internet for repair parts for the table saw!

Something easier – changing the oil in the truck!

Yesterday I poured the other two sections of the porch floor for the bathroom at Ahi! I think I will leave the forms on for a few days to protect the edges until they dry a bit more!

But I can begin the framing of the upper portion by cutting and drilling the wall plates! I have some of the brown treated wood for subterranian use (supposed to be treated to resist rot) for this!

February 18, 2026

The upper frame portion of the bathroom walls are taking shape.

The branches of the trees above the bathroom are going to be in the way of the roof. I use my power tools to cut through these branches and remove them.

I drag them away from the bathroom and cut them into smaller pieces. Then I pile them up next to the driveway. They will rot and fill in this low area.

A fruit stand in town has some bananas. I haven’t had any for a while, so I picked up a hand of bananas, They are a bit green now, but in a week . . . ?

The town of Captain Cook is between Kona and Na’alehu. The town extends up the hill from Kealakekua Bay, and past the highway some 2,000 feet above the bay. At one side of the bay, there is a monument – erected on the spot where the natives killed Captain Cook. Along the highway, some 2,000 feet above the bay, there is another obelisk – similar, but smaller than the one on the shore of the bay. The inscriptions on this monument are in Japanese, or Chinese – I don’t know which, as I don’t read either!

This monument is in a small park on the grounds of a buddhist enclosure. They might be totally unrelated to Captain Cook.

We have had a bit of rain the past few days, some of which has collected in the wheelbarrow.

With the overhead branches removed, I have been able to move forward with building the roof over the bathroom. The porch area will be an integral part of the roof, and will have two posts from a large tree trunk that I salvaged when the neighbors were clearing their property!

The framing is easily seen from Ahi Road, but yet it is still partially obscured by the large trees on the edge of the hill.

The roof framing is more visible from down in the property than from up on the road.

The overhang section of the roof continues unchanged across the one side of the bathroom- the side closest to the property line – and this extends to cover the porch.

In order to position the post and beam that is on the side of the porch away from the property line, I needed to remove the upper section of the outhouse. I have not removed the entire outhouse yet as I am using it as a place to store my tools out of the rain. I have cutoff the rafter tails on the overhang on the “long” side of this structure and installed the 2 x 6 fascia board. I need to do the same to the opposite “short” side that is nearest to the shower.

As I was positioning myself to start cutting the rafter tails on the shower side of the bathroom roof, I caught something strange over the shower. There, on a large branch are two fully grown Jackson Chameleons – a male and a female. The male is the lighter colored one – the one with the horns. The darker green one is the female.

It appeared like the male was trying to mate with her, but she was sayng, “Not now! There is a human over there . . . and he is watching us”

I assume the male didn’t care as he kept approaching her, and she kept rebuffing him.

Finally, she turned and walked away, down the branch, leaving him there with a look on his face as if to say, “What did I do” Where are you going? Did I say something wrong?”

And so, February draws to a close!

TTFN

Starting Off 2026 Right – With January

January 18, 2026

For most of my adult life, I have had the desire to always be busy. I think this trait was instilled in me from my father – at least, I want to blame him for this inability to simply exist. I cannot just “Let it be” as the Beetles recommended. I must always be doing something, thinking that by doing something, I am making progress. A concept that I am questioning more each day. I wonder if busy-ness really does not equate to productivity and progress, and if I am equating simple movement with progress?

Anyway, I feel that I have to have something to show for each day – some kind of an accomplishment. So, I look around the site and see the last corner of the roof overhang that needs the 1 x boards finished. Once I have this corner completed, a matter of only three or four boards, I can move on to installing the OSB plywood over the two long slopes.

In order to install these three or four boards, I must first HAVE them. That means I need to disassemble another pallet.

After successfully completing the roof 1x boards on this last section of overhang, I find that I cannot install OSB plywood over these two remaining roof slopes. I do not have any OSB plywood. That requires a trip to Kona!

Where I fill up the truck gas tank for the low price of $3.84 per gallon! Two weeks ago, when I left Arizona, I had just paid $2.49 per gallon.

I do get a rare glimpse of Hualalai Volcano. Typically, it is shrouded in clouds, but today, there is not a cloud in the sky!

And another surprise is waiting for me in the parking lot of the lumber yard, where I spot a flock of peach faced love birds – a species of birds that is definitely not “native” to Hawaii! Over a dozen of them that have escaped from someone’s aviary!

Upon returning to the property, I proceded to lift the OSB plywood sheets on the roof. One at a time, I leaned them against the extension ladder and then raised the sheet up to where it rested on my chest, with my arms extended to the ladder. Then I climbed the ladder, pushing the sheet up the ladder, one step at a time. I have a video of doing this in a previous post:

It required some blocks fastened to the roof to keep the pile from sliding off.

The key was to only lift a couple at a time before installing them.

As a rest from pushing plywood up the ladder, I checked out what is left of my tomato plants after being gone for a month.

There are some tomatoes there, and they appear to be ripe.

Well, there is one!

My plumerias are still blooming. They started to bloom a week before I left to return to Arizona in December. Unfortunately, I cannot eat plumeria flowers!

With a couple of rows of OSB cut and screwed down to the roof, I began installing shingles.

Before installing the OSB plywood, I saturate the salvaged 1x pallet wood with a borate solution to attempt to control the bugs like termites from easting the wood.

I spray this on the 1x boards as well as on the OSB. At least it is an effort – better than doing nothing!

My truck registration is due to expire at the end of February, so I should begin to gather the documents needed for the safety check. Here is the current registration, now I just need to find where I put the insurance card. It is supposed to be in the glove box of the truck, but, . . . well, maybe I can get the insurance company to mail me one!

The different types of birds are beginning to make their appearance at the feeder. I’m not sure what kind of bird this is – he is smaller than the red headed cardinals and the green honeycreepers. There are quite a few of them that come and go through the shrubs that form a hedge between the gazebo and the neighbor’s property, but few of them come to the feeder. They do like the fountain/waterfall though!

For the first time since I returned, I saw a northern red cardinal. It is a full red male one. I have yet to see the brown female.

January 24, 2026

My truck insurance is set to expire at the end of January, and my insurance company notified me that the company that wrote the policy has decided not to continue doing business in Hawaii. Therefore, they are looking for a new company and a new policy. That was two weeks ago. I get no response to my emails to the insurance agent. So, I decided to go on-line and see about vehicle insurance on my own. Many of the larger insurance companies believe that it is not possible to have a vehicle in Hawaii if you do ot have a job, a house, are going to school, or any other similar situation that would provide documentation that you really are in Hawaii, such as a pay check stub, a w-2 form, homeowner’s insurance policy, etc. After all, you and your vehicle might be in Pittsburgh, or Miami, or France, or Fiji, and trying to register your vehicle in Hawaii when it really isn’t in Hawaii! 🤔🙄

So, I gather my past property tax bills, and the current vehicle registration. The tax bills might not be acceptable because they need to be within the last 60 days, and these are from October – over 90 days ago, and the new ones do not come out for another 30 days! Bureacracy exists everywhere!

So, . . . I need to get the safety check done – where they verify that my vehicle is safe by seeing the headlights work, the windshield wipers work, the turn signals work, . . . and currently, there is something wrong with the back-up lights. So, I need to fix or resolve that. I inspect all the wiring and the bulbs and the fuses, and cannot solve it, so I take it to the repair shop. He keeps it for a day and all the time he is checking it out, it works perfectly! The next day, when I have it, it blows the fuse!

His suggestion is to install a seperate circuit and switch to turn on the back-up lights at any time, and abandon the factory circuit. Unfortunately, he does not have the needed materials and it will take a week to get them, so the best thing to do is to put in a new fuse five minutes before pulling into the inspection station, so the back-up lights work for the inspection, and then deal with the new circuit later!

Success! Using the current registration that expires in a month, the insurance card the insurance company mails to me that expires in two weeks, and the back-up lights that “expire” tonight, I pass my safety inspection! And the tax bills that are past the required time frame are accepted by the new insurance company, and they issue a new policy to start in two weeks. After two days of back and forth on the internet with the insurance company’s autonomous information system, I call the company and sit on hold for two and a half hours until a human actually picks up. This agent cannot help me, as the computer system does not cooperate for her either, so she transfers me to her supervisor who resolves it in less than five mintes, and my computer spits out the proper auto insurance card! Bureaucracy circumvented!

A fruit stand down the road had a half a dozen of these. I thought I would try one. I’m not really sure what it is, but I think it is some kind of a vegetable – some kind of a squash.

It has the outside texture of a squash, but when you cut it open, it looks like, well, it looks like a pear!

I cut it up and cooked it into my spaghetti sauce along with some bell peppers and onions and mushroom pieces. Still not sure what it is!

Between rainstorms, I got back to work on the roof shingling. Like the OSB plywood, the bundles of shingles are a chore to get up on the roof. I throw a bundle of shingles over my shoulder and slowly climb the ladder. Sometimes, I only take a half a bundle at a time – whatever works!

No nail gun, no staple gun, just the old fashoned hammer and roofing nail!

Up early the next morning. It is lightly sprinkling. Glad the roof is covered. Pretty red sunrise!

The rain dissipates and the sky clears. Turns out to be a pretty good day to be in Hawaii!

The honeycreepers seem to agree. One appears and enjoys the crumbs in the feeder.

And it is not long until there are two of them.

Let it rain all it wants to. The roof is shingled. The main shingles are all on, and now it is just a matter of installing the caps – over the four hips and the center ridge!

I cut a bunch of shingles into four pieces about 10 inches long to use as the cap! They make special cap shingles to go on this type of roof – and they cost about $50 per bundle – which covers about 10 feet of ridge – It would only take five bundles for a total of $250. Two bundles of regular shingles at $45 per bundle will give me enough pieces to cover my hips and the ridge – for a total cost of $90!

I had planted some of the seeds from the bell peppers I had bought. I planted them into a small flower pot and placed it on the lanai. They had sprouted back in December, the last time I was here, and when I returned, the top of the pot was totally engulfed in pepper plants. I split them up into four different pots to give them room to grow. This has been successful, as there are four or five strong, healthy pepper plants in each pot. One of them has even sprouted a couple of small peppers, so I transplanted them to the garden in front of the fountain.

Ahi road began to look a bit ragged, so I mowed it today. . . in preparation for a delivery.

A load of 1 1/2″ minus sand/gravel – delivered to Ahi for the price of $565!

Another thing to cross off my list of things to accomplish this trip!

This load appears to be more sand and fines than rock – so much better for mixing concrete!

Cutting the shingles and using them for the cap worked out just as well as I anticipated! I thought of getting the old three tab shingles and cutting them into three pieces for the cap. This would give me a wider cap, but only three pieces per shingle. By using the same dimensional shingle for the cap as for the field, gives me four per shingle. Also, the three tab shingles are not as readily available – I would need to order them – at $55 per bundle! Standard dimensional shingles at $45 per bundle which gives me four pieces per shingle is preferrable to the three tab bundle at a higher price, giving me fewer pieces!

Everything in Hawaii has been transported here at some point in the recent history. Nothing is truly “native” – except for the ocean and the lava. Some things are given the term of being “native” simply because they have been here a short time longer than others – at least, a short time in comparison to the 6 billion year life of this planet! Or even the million year life of the islands!

I tend to think of it more in terms of being preferred, or politically accepted, than being truly native. Anyways, there are a few animal species that are truly unwanted even though they were brought here previously on purpose.

The mongoose is a good example of this. They were brought to Hawaii to control the rat population that was harming the sugar cane. Unfortunately, the mongoose is active during the day, while the rats are active at night, so the two rarely came in contact with each other, for the mongoose to have any effect on the rat population. Instead, the mongoose became an even bigger problem.

The chicken has also become a problem with flocks of wild chickens in Maui, Kaui, and on the Big Island.

On Oahu and the Big Island, feral pigs have also become a nuisance!

They too were the initial inhabitants of the island along with the polynesian settlers between 500 and 700 AD. Then, when the europeans came, they also brought a different type of pig that has interbred with the polynesian pigs. But their behavior has made them an unwelcome nusiance. Their rooting behavior disturbs the vegetation and leads to soil erosion (we won’t talk about the way that humans have disrupted the environment in Hawaii), so they have been targeted as a species that has gotta go! In fact, in the early 1900’s there was an eradication program by the Kingdom of Hawaii that removed over 170,000 pigs by 1958.

On a road in the south end of my subdivisision, I came across this guy out roaming the steets!

The pile of sand/gravel has been calling to me, so I set up a screed to sift and remove the larger rocks. These have been used to backfill behind the back wall of the bathroom at Ahi. The smaller material with a lot of sand will be used to mix concrete!

By gathering larger rocks, I built some retaining walls behind the back wall of the bathroom. Then I hauled the larger sifted rocks down the driveway, and then up the pathway to the bathroom, where I shoveled them beind the rock retaining walls to create a level area for placing a water storage tank. This is another of my goals I listed at the beginning of this trip of things I wanted to accomplish .

During my last trip, I had built a rock column at the front west corner of the Ahi property.

I set up forms for pouring a concrete cap on this column, and then using the sifted material, I poured a concrete cap.

The other front corner is where I had begunb uilding a much larger and taller rock column. This one must be larger and taller because it starts off in a hole!

Both of these two corner columns are inside the property corners, on my property, with the established property pins right at the outside corner of each column.

As more rock are stacked up to make the column, the interior is filled with concrete and other smaller stones. As I near the final height I desire for this corner column, I imbed a piece of metal pipe into the center of the rock column, and secure it in place with the concrete and rocks poured into the interior!

As January comes to a close, I get a bit friendlier with the male Northern Red Cardinal who visits my feeder.

TTFN

Rinse N’ Repeat

January 13, 2026

Here we go again! Off on another adventure, back to Hawaii!

I have started to pack my bags for my return on January 13. I will get one carry-on and one personal item, as well as one checked bag.

My carry-on bag will have kitchen utinsels, dry food packets, new sandals, etc. No need to pack clothes, as I have plenty already over there. My checked bag will be an ice chest with frozen food like hamburger, bacon, sausage, cheese, eggs, frozen milk, etc! Things that are expensive there and food that I will need before I can get to a grocery store in Kona or Hilo.

I am starting to contemplate the projects I want to complete on this trip.

OSB plywood on both long roof slopes

Shingles on both roof slopes

2 1/2 inch minus gravel and sand delivery

Grout bathroom walls at Ahi

Level off the area above Ahi bathroom for water bladder

build rock wall for stairs at Holowai

build Doors for gazebo

water line for bathroom

I am also monitoring the activity at Kilauea. The vents are bubbling and flowing lava, so there might be a fountaining eruption again soon. I only hope it waits until I get there.

Knowing that I won’t have a chance for a few months, as I will be concentrating on my projects, I went golfing. Sometimes alone. Last Saturday I played nine holes with Tommy and Josh.

Then on Sunday, I played nine with Chase. He has a better swing than I do, so I videoed him on the last hole.

A nice par four!

Then on Monday, episode 40 happened!

I missed it by that much!

On Tuesday, I was at the airport at 5:00 for my 6:30 flight. There was nobody but a dozen TSA agents at the security gate, So I went through the document check part without any delay. At the conveyor belt, there were three TSA agents with nothing to do and one lokoing into the xray machine monitor. Both my bags (the ONLY bags in sight) were pulled aside for further review and searching. The agent took half the stuff out of my roller bag and put it into a plastic tray and then re-ran them both through the machine. Then another passenger showed up and their bag was also pulled aside for more searching! After finding nothing in my roller bag they could complain about, the agent did the same with my backpack. She took out half the stuff and put it into a plastic tray and then re-ran both through the machine! By now, there was another passenger, and their bag was pulled aside as well. By the time my backpack and the plastic tray had been scanned, (with nothing suspicious in either one) there were four other passengers waiting in line to have their bags checked! I think they were just trying to find something to do to pretend that they were busy, and therefore of some value! NOT!!!

My flight from Phoenix went through Sacramento, and I guess that not many people in Phoenix want to go to Sacramento because the plane was only about one third full.

We landed in Sacramento amidst the morning fog

The flight from Sacramento to Kona was over 90% full, but I still had an empty middle seat in the row I was in!

After five hours, the volcanoes of Hawaii island came into view.

As we passed, I could see a little bit of snow on the top of Mauna Kea!

I tried zooming in, but it doesn’t help to show the little bit of snow there!

After flying over the northern tip of the island, the plane turned south and we followed the Kohala coast towards Kona.

Just north of Kona is this series of horseshoe bays with tan colored sandy beaches!

After a thirty minute wait at the airport, I catch the bus for a two hour trip to Waiohinu, where I get off!

Arriving at Holowai, I see that the grass on both sides of the road has recently been mowed. My neighbor Brian who picked me up from the bus stop, said that he saw Lorenzo out mowing earlier! Thank you, Lorenzo!

I checked on my gardens and my tomatoes have survived and grown. Just not up, but down towards the ground. I’ll need to tie these up tomorrow!

The plants on the lanai have all survived. When I left, there were flowers on the bell pepper plants, so I was hoping to see some bell peppers. Nope! Hmmm! I wonder why!

The next day, I go check out the property on Ahi. The road needs to be mowed.

So I brought over the lawn mower and went to work!

I’ll need the weed whacker as well!

After mowing and trimming:

Yesterday, I was fixing something for dinner when I looked up and saw one of the yellow birds on the hand rail of the lanai. I only saw the one, but I’m sure that its mate was somewhere closeby. I had not put anything into the feeder yet, so they flew off.

The next morning, I was visited by a pair of red headed cardinals. I’m definitely back!

TTFN

And Into December

December 3, 2025

Yesterday, I went into OceanView and did some laundry.

The wet clothes sat in the back seat of the truck until this morning when I hung them out to dry on some ropes strung up between the trees!

As I was making breakfast, the little green birds were coming and going, past me. Probably trying to get my attention so I would put something in the bird feeder.

Instead, I tried to coax them to come eat out of my hand!

The above is a video. You may need to click on the picture two or three times to get it to play!

The same is for the following videos as well.

Close, but not up on my hand

They continued to fly around, but refused to come any closer! so, I gave in and put the food in the feeder!

One little guy came close. I tried to video him/her in the picture above.

But this is as close as any of them would come.

I shouldn’t spend all day with the birds. I need to work on salvaging more pallet material!

December 4, 2025

The birds are regularly using the fountain to get drinks or to take a bath!

The plumeria is blossoming very nicely. the other branches look like they too will blossom . . . most likely, when I am not here!

After cutting off all the dead branches, my tomatoes are making a come back. Unfortunately, it will be too little, too late, as by the time they grow and start producing tomatoes again I will be back in Arizona!

Since I have added more boards on the roof, I have made it impossible to cimb up from the floor, so I had to move the ladder. I fastened a 2 x 3 to the ends of a few rafters to lean the ladder against.

The overhang on the makai side ( the side towards the ocean) is ready for me to cut the rafter tails all the correct angle for installing the fascia! They are all the original square cut and need to be a plumb cut so that the fascia is not on an angle! Also, they are not the same distance out from the wall and need to be so the fascia is straight up and down! This will make it easier to install gutters.

The roof sheathing is getting finished, slowly, but surely!

The side towards the street and mountain (the mauka side) needs the most work.

The view from on top of the roof is fabulous!

I notice the full moon over where downtown Na’alehu would be!

How about a slow panoramic view from on top of the roof?

It ight take two or three times clicking on the picture to get the video to play!

December 6, 2025

Another e-mail from the USGS leads to another road trip! So, off I go. Past the town of Na’alehu, and down to the overlook at the ocean. As I look towards Kilauea, I think I can see the smoke from the eruption – – – of course, it might just be my imagination!

Ten miles down the road is the turn off to the Punaluu Black Sand Beach, where there are almost always large turtles sleeping on the beach! The turtles are on the beach . . . not at the turn off!

One of the differences between the road to Kona and the road to Hilo is the fact that the road to Kona is full of lots of twisting, turning curves; where the road to Hilo is pretty much a straight shot most all the way!

A few miles past the Punaluu Black Sand Beach, is the turn off to the town of Pahala.

This is an old plantation town left from the days when this area was a huge sugar cane plantation! The only grocery store here has milk at $12.99 per gallon – the exact same carton of milk that you can get at WalMart in Kona or Hilo for $6.99 and for $2.99 in Phoenix, Arizona!

Outside of Pahala, are large macadamia nut orchards.

As the road goes on past the mac nut orchards, the landscape becomes more sparse and rocky, There are lots of  ʻōhiʻa lehua trees- a native tree that only grows here. (or so they say) Along the road, there are lots of guava trees/bushes. I get my first real view of the smoke from the volcano eruption.

Looking away from the ocean and the volcano, I get a rare look at Mauna Loa with few clouds obscuring the top!

And of course, the road closures. You can always count on there being at least one area where one lane of the two lane highway (one in each direction) is closed due to highway maintenance, utility work, or tree trimming!

I get lucky today and come across three places where there is a lane closure and we need to pass through by a flagman!

As I drive past the entrance sign telling us that we are entering the National Park, I can see the cloud of smoke coming from the volcano.

After passing the entrance sign to the National Park, the black column becomes more prominant as I get closer.

It looks like there is a huge fire burning over there!

And I was right. There is a large fire burning over there! From inside the park, it looks more like a massive forest fire or a wild fire!

Parking inside the park is always a hassle!

This time, the flaming geyser of lava is shooting off at an angle.

I’m not the only one here to look at the eruption. And we are well rewarded for our efforts. Besides the columns of lava, there is a huge column of smoke and particles climbing up into the sky above us!

As I watch, the geysers of lava grow shorter, and shorter, and shorter. I guess that Pele is done for the day.

The geysers quit and there is just a little bubbling of lava for a few minutes, and then she comes back again!

It looks like there are two geysers erupting. One that is shooting off to the left and then a shorter one that is going straight up.

As I look closer, there are actually three!

I follow the path along the side of the caldera to other lookout spots. There are also places here where people have made their own path through the bushes to get a closer look at the edge of the caldera. The park service has posted warning signs for safety.

For me, those warnng signs are more of an invitation!

At another lookout further along the path, I get closer to the geysers of lava. . . along with another group of people doing the same thing!

I came. I saw, and I left. I need to get back to Na’alehu and get back to work!

December 7, 2025

More pallets to tear apart! A never ending chore!

I picked these up from the bakery as well as from the harware store. The bakery gives them away, but the hardware store charges a dollar for each one!

I’m faced with another challenge. There is beginning to be some fallout from the volcano.

Everything is covered with a very fine black powder. It is even supended in the air, but I do not feel any effects when I breathe, But it irritates my skin. Each little, fine grain has sharp edges and feels like it cuts into my skin. The boards on the roof are covered with it as well and so I am wearing long jeans and a long sleeved shirt when I work up there!

The plants on the lanai have a fine dusting on their leaves, and everything in the gazebo/kitchen is also covered in it. This forces me to wash any plate, pot, pan, glass, or piece of silverware before using it!

December 8, 2025

It hasn’t seemed to affect the little birds.

December 9, 2025

I was concerned about being able to cut the ends of the rafters. I tried to think of a way to do it from below, but everything I thought of seemed too complicated. So I resorted to the old adage – KISS! Keep It Simple Stupid, and just did it while sitting on top of the roof. Using the battery powered skillsaw, which is relatively light, I found this worked rather well. I would run a string from end to end on top and then mark a plumb cut on each rafter from this string line.

Success!

December 10, 2025

With the rafter tails cut with a plumb cut and all at the same length, my next stwp is to figute out how to install the 2 x 6 fascia. How do I hold it up against the ends of the rafter tails while trying to attach it with long screws? I don’t seem to have enough hands to hold up the board, as well as hold the screw and the drill!

I cut a slot in a piece of plywood. Then I screwed the piece of plywood to the side of two of the rafter tails so that these plywood pieces could act like extra hands to hold up the fascia.

This held the fascia up in place so I could mark it for the correct length.

I made enough of these “plywood hands” to hold up the fascia along one side of the building so I could line them all up straight and level, and attach them to the rafter tails.

Another success! Doing this made it much simpler that my imagination!

Deember 12, 2025

aMore pallets taken apart, more boards cut to width.

More flowers on the plumeria.

With the fascia on, I can finish the 1 x boards. The next step is to install 1/2″ OSB plywood over these boards. This will provide lateral support to the roof to resist the force of the wind!

But yet, how do I get 4′ x 8′ sheets of OSB up on the roof?

Probably not the safest way, but it works!

Adding a bit of “pre-treat” to the pallet boards used as sheathing may not exact;y stop the bugs, but it is worth the effort! I even spray a bit on the OSB before placing it and screwing it down.

December 13, 2025

Gotta have another taste of coonut before leaving the island.

And a few more guavas.

I finished the additional layer of OSB over the 1 by sheathing on the section of the roof facing the driveway..

December 14, 2025

It didn’t take very long to install shingles on this section of the roof.

And to finish the 1 x sheathing on the long section facing the street.

Now I need to get the shingles up on the roof. Each bundle of shingles weighs 80 lbs. Add that to my weight and the maximum 220 pound carrying capcity of the lader is exceeded. Oh, well!

December 15, 2025

I need more metal roof edge in order to install shingles on the other end of the roof, so it is off to Kona again!

Hualalai volcano is visible this morning! Usually it is covered with clouds and the top is not easily visible.

I picked up some more pieces of metal edge, some 2 x 6’s and some more pallets.

It didn’t take long to install the OSB on this section of roof facing the gazebo. It is ready for shingles tomorrow!

December 16, 2025

Shingles are quickly installed on the triangle at the gazebo end.

December 17, 2025

On my last trip, I had installed a street sign here! Two wooden signs attached to a metal pole, imbedded in concrete with large rocks. Someone has stolen the whole thing! I wonder why?

December 18, 2025

I built doors for the storage shed. No time to hang them on hinges – didn’t have the hinges anyway – so I simply stood them up and screwed them in place.

After getting a ride from my neighbor to the bus stop, I saw this truck with this license plate – Hmmm- I wonder if that really works . . . or if this is only available to the relatives of the police!?!?!?

I wasn’t the only one waiting for the bus.

While I was sitting on the wooden bench outside the store where the bus stops, this guy landed on the bench next to me!

There were the typical clouds surrounding the top of Hualalai volcano.

My first flight took me to Maui. We gar a good view of Haleakala as we approached the island.

I have a seven hour layover here in Maui, so I decided to go for a walk. (Who booked this crazy schedule?) I walked out to the entrance of the airport and back.

At 9:00 PM, I took off from Maui and landed in Phoenix at 6:30 AM the next day!

TTFN

A Roadtrip Diversion

November 19, 2025

I am noticing more guavas around the property at Holowai. There are more than I can eat.

And, they are good sized also.

The siding on the back wall of the tool shed has been completed and the corner and joint trim has been installed. I feel like it is more of a finished project – except for the doors on the front! The gutter I have installed on the roof at the back is collecting water and it is successfully being filtered via the bucket and barrel system. I have the downspout emptying into a bucket that sits on top of the 40 gallon storage barrel. Then from the bucket, it flows into the barrell. The bucket catches the debris from the roof before it goes into the barrel! A passive filtration system.

Now, I have to figure out how to use this water in the bathroom.

November 20, 2025

I drove in to Kona for some building supplies. I did a little sightseeing as well, and went down to the waterfront.

November 21, 2025

One of the things I went to Kona to get were framing anchor nails! These anchors are called H2.5’s They are hurricane ties. I have the ties, but I did not buy enough nails when I bought the ties. I could buy the nails from the local hardware store for $36.00 per box, or $26.00 at the big box store in Kona! These need to be installed in a difficult to reach place. Basically, I either need a 16 foot tall ladder that I need to fight with on uneven ground, or I hang over from above, trying not to fall off the roof 18 feet above this same uneven, rocky ground! Another example of being like the turtle – slow and steady!

November 24, 2025

Most of the day was spent installing these H2.5 anchors.

I took time out for another coconut break!

November 25, 2026

I received an email from the USGS telling me that it is time for a road trip. So, I head down highway 11 out of Na’alehu.

Past the turn off for Punaluu Black Sand Beach.

To the Volcanoes National Park.

Not too long after I pass the rock sign a the entrance to the park, I can see the volcano spewing smoke and fumes.

From here, I can see just a little bit of the lava spouts coming out of the caldera!

A little further down the road gives me a little better view!

The entrance to the visitor’s center is not as crowded as I expected, and I get right in without much of a wait. My National Park Senior Lifetime pass is helpful!

Just past the guard booth at the entrance off the highway, there is a roundabout. Now I need to make a decision! Which side of the caldera do I want to do? When I as here in August, I went straight ahead. Today, I think I’ll go off to the left!

As I get closer to the overlook, there are cars parked on both sides of the road.

I probably need to be more serious about finding a place to park!

Once I park the car, I join the crowd of people walking down a side road that looks like it has been closed to traffic for quite a while. I can see the glow of the lava up ahead of me on the left. Further on, the road takes a turn to the left, so that the caldera is now on the right.

The clouds and the sky reflect the setting sun as it glows through the stuff tossed up into the air from the volcano. It almost looks like the sky is on fire as well!

Then I see the lava fountain off to my right, through the trees.

Once past the trees, there is an open area with the lava fountain beyond. I head off the road and across a flat, level area, that does not look to be appealing to vegetation as the ground is covered with ash and small chunks of lava from many past eruptions.

But the main attraction is still further down the road.

Most everyone else is continuing on down the road, so I follow!

The Park Rangers have cordoned off an area for the tourists to stay in “not just for your safety, but for the safety of all those around you”!

Most obey, but there are those who take that as a challenge!

And go wandering off to areas that are “unsafe” but offer different views of the eruption!

click on the picture to see the video

But not me! I always obey all the rules, and stay behind the barriers!

We are at 4300 foot elevation above sea level, and there is a steady breeze blowing.

It is interesting to observe the different attire of the tourists. Some are wearing long sleeved jackets and coats, while others are in shorts and tee shirts! I guess it’s a matter of prior planning, and the area of the country/world they are from. Those from Minnesota would find this weather as a nice summer day, while those of us from Arizona find it a bit cold!

click on the picture to see the video – you might need to click two or three times

As I pan the camera (my phone) from the erupting geyser down along the caldera, I see the red hot lava flooding out onto the floor of the crater. There are white/grey clouds of steam and smoke that are comng out of cracks between the rocks. I cannot help but wonder, “What would happen if the volcano were to erupt through all these smoking cracks around us?”

Just a few more videos of the lava.

After the sun goes down, the flowing lava on the caldera floor becomes more visible.

And the clouds above become a glowing mass of red and orange!

click on the middle of the picture to watch a video

This episode – the 37th episode of the current eruption – has been going on since early this morning. Most of the past episodes have lasted abour 12 hours. It is getting close to the time that this one will end as well, and I have a half hour’s walk back to the truck, and an hour’s drive back home. Time for me to be heading out!

As I walk away from the caldera, I can still see it between the trees as I look back.

I get a different view from a different lookout viewpoint closer to the entrance to the visitor center.

Here is a video from this viewpoint:

As I drive along the highway from the park entrance, headed back to Na’alehu, I can still see the clouds and flames of the geyser!

A last video of this roadtrip – but probably not my last video of this volcano!

click on the picture to see this video

November 27, 2025

On my lanai (patio/porch) I have a few pots with plants growing in them. One pot has a mango tree that started from a seed I had thrown into the mulch pile. I went to add to the mulch pile and saw the sprouted seed, so I planted it in the pot. This was a few months ago. Now it is almost two feet tall!

In the other pots, I have bell peppers growing from the seeds of bell peppers I have eaten. I put the seeds into one pot before going back to Arizona and when I returned, the pot was very crowded. So, I transplanted the seedlings into four other pots. I had also placed some seeds into a couple of other pots. These have grown to almost two feet tall, and now have blossoms and small peppers growing on them.

Also, the plumeria tree has what appears to me to be the beginnings of flowers!

My neighbors up the road have invited me to share Thanksgiving with them.

November 28, 2025

This morning, the flowers on the plumeria have opened up.

I go back into the pallet disassembly mode.

This is a pile of pallets that I brought back from Kona, the last time I was there!

November 29, 2025

The plumeria flowers are just getting better and better!

As I continue installing roof boards on the roof, I am “painting myself into a corner” so to speak! I have one ladder from the ground to get up on the floor deck. From there, I have another ladder leaning against the outside wall to climb up through the roof to get on top. I can see that one of these times, I will install roof bords so that I cannot get to the ladder to get off the roof. So, I need to make some changes in my methods.

Also, I have worried about the rafter tails being all the same height so that when I cut them off and install the fascia, they will all fit together. I used some 2 x 4’s to check that the short rafters at the corners will lne up correctly. Now would be the time to make any adjustments in the way they are attached to the hip rafter and to the exterior walls.

I am treated to a relatively nice sunset as the sun sets on the other side of the hills.

The roof is looking more finished as I continue installing boards.

The end facing the driveway is completed down to where I can mark the ends of the rafters and cut them all evenly. I’m not sure, exactly, how I’m going to do this yet! As there is nothing for me to stand on, I cannot do it from below, so I will need to do this from above. How do I hang over the edge of the roof and cut the rafter tails without falling off the roof?

I’ll have to think about that some more. But for now, I need to finish the roof sheathing boards on all four sides down to within a foot of the end of the roof. This last foot will give me room to use the skilsaw to cut the rafters – as opposed to a hand saw!

TTFN

Another Go-Around

November 6, 2025

Like Dr Seuss’ Marvin K Mooney,

The time had come so David went!

Unlike the suggestions offered by Dr Seuss, I simply choose the method preferred by Peter, Paul & Mary, and I went by jetplane!

Well, maybe I’ll be leavin’ on a jetplane . . . but unlike Peter. Paul, & Mary, I do know wnen I will be back again. I’ll be coming back to Arizona on December 18.

As I look towards the front of the plane, there doesn’t seem to be many passengers on the first leg of my flight out of Phoenix to Sacramento.

Not many sitting in the seats behind me either!

The flight out of Sacramento, heading to Kona was a little different, but still not a full plane.

Right on time, we were able to see the tops of Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea as they peeked through the clouds. Another 30 minutes, and we will be on the ground in Kona!

After the two hour bus ride from Kona to Waiohinu, I arrive at the property. I hook up the batteries so I will have lights in the shed tonight.

Then it is time to take stock of the plants. My tomatoes look like they produced lots of fruit while I was gone, but unfortunately, there was nobody here to tend to them.

The tire garden is pretty much bare.

But the onions are doing good!

November 7, 2025

In the morning, I set up the solar panels on the roof of the shed to power the batteries.

I tried to bring some of the more expensive foods with me. For instance, I can get eggs in Arizona for around two dollars a dozen, but here, they are $6. Unfortunately, I did not pack these sufficiently, and it looks like two got cracked on the way here! I’ll have to do a better packing job next time! Meanwhie, it is scrambled eggs for breakfast!

My pond/fountain has water in it. Dirty water, but still, it is water!

So I get out the solar powered pumps and stick them into the water. Maybe some circulaton will clean it up!

The next item was to open the tool shed by removing the plywood I had screwed over the opening.

I noticed there were some good sized guavas on the guava plants nearby.

Then up on the roof of the gazebo to turn over the solar panels. Not sure if this is even neessary, but when I leave, I like to turn the panels over so they are not making electricity that goes nowhere! I seem to think that this might damage, or wear out the solar cells. . . . and maybe I’m just crazy!

I bring the refrigerator and the solar power station out of the tool shed and plug them in.

I got some crackers and crushed them for the bird feeder.

And it wasn’t too long before I had my first visitor – a red headed cardinal!

I went over to the Ahi property to check it out. The grass on the road is a bit tall.

The driveway is not too bad, but it could use a bit of trimming!

as well as the “front yard” area.

So, I got out the weed eater and the lawn mower and went to work.

It didn’t take long to have the grass on Ahi road all mowed!

November 8, 2025

A bit of a treat – fresh guavas!

I’ve been away for about three weeks, but the grass along Holowai Road isn’t as tall as I would expect.

It is a bit shaggy in both directions, but still tolerable and not what I would term as “abandoned” and overgrown!

Down at the corner, around the signpost is a bit different.

A few minutes with the lawn mower,

from the neighbor’s driveway and all the way to the corner, on both sides of the road. This used to take me three or four days when I did it by hand!

Now, it looks like someone actually cares!

But yet, there is trouble in the storage shed! Time to set a few rat traps!

November 9, 2025

Gotta be careful with those traps though, I don’t want to catch those “rats with wings”!

For some reason, I decided to do some work around the corner rock wall.

November 10, 2025

Once I got started with cutting out the tall grass and removing the “bean type” trees I do not like, I got involved with stacking up the rocks to continue the rock wall along the front of the properties!

A trip into town with one bladder in the truck and I filled the bladder in the driveway.

Then I got busy with the table saw cleaning up the edges of the pallet material.

I group the boards together into their different widths to use on the roof.

Before leaving Arizona, I ordered some new, larger solar panels. They were supposed to arrive on the 7th – the day after I arrived. I received a text that told me my order had been delayed. Then I read about a UPS plane that had crashed on takeoff in Louisville, Kentucky. According to the “tracking” of my pakage, it was coming through Louisville!

I wondered if I would ever get them!

Well, they arrived today

and the packaging looks like they have been through a plane crash!

November 12, 2025

Work on installing roof sheathing boards continues. This is a slow process – re-using pallet material takes considerable time disassembling the pallets in such a manner that there is actually material to salvage. Sometimes, the boards are split so I use glue and clamps to put them back together. I even save the nails. Initially, I was putting the nails into the large plastic jars that my screws are shipped in simply to keep them from falling into the driveway and causing flat tires! I realized that many of these nails are exactly the right size for installing the roof sheathing. Most are a little bent and require a bit of straightening – some are really bent and require a lot of straightening. And some are simply not viable. But sorting and straightening the nails takes time!

I get tired of working on the pallets, the boards, and the roof; so I spend some time out in the road digging a shallow trench and burying the neighbor’s waterline. out of sight-out of mind!

That’s enough digging in the dirt – back to working in the sky

It is actualy looking better and better!

November 13, 2025

At the bakery in Na’alehu, they receive all their ingredients and packaging on pallets.

The pallets that they cannot or do not ruse, are stacked in a pile in the back of the parking lot on a first come- first served basis. At a price I like – free!

November 14, 2025

I had taken the seeds from a grapefruit, some from a few tangerines, and a bunch from some oranges and planted them into seperate pots. Each of the four pots had two or three citrus plants sprout. When they got to be about four inches tall, I took them to Ahi and planted them in four spots near the outhouse at the property edge. Unfortunately, I did not keep track of which ones were which. So it goes!

The grass in this area has grown faster than the citrus plants, so I used the weed eater and chopped down the tall grass.

Then I had a coconut break!

November 15, 2025

The yellow birds are back!

November 16, 2025

Progressing slowly, but nicely on the roof. As Confucious says, “It does not matter how slow you go, as long as you do not stop!”

November 17, 2025

With the two ends having roof sheathing down to the walls, the two long sides are nearing this milestone as well.

Looking at the roof from above is like looking at a patchwork quilt.

The different colors and shades of the pallet lumber make the top side “prettier” than the underneath side.

It seems a shame to have to cover it up with shingles!

A bit of spaghetti for dinner.

TTFN

October

October 1, 2025

The rip fence for the table saw was a mickey mouse piece of . . . stuff! I had made two metal brackets that were attached to the ends of a board. One of the metal brackets had a nut welded to it and I had a block of wood with a threaded rod imbedded in the block that screwed into the nut and as I screwed it in, it pressed against the edge of the table saw. At the other end of the board, the metal bracket was bent to press against the back edge of the table saw.

Tightening the block with the threaded rod into the nut would hold the board in place as a rip fence. Since the block of wood was thicker than the board, it got in the way when trying to rip something, so I added another board to the side. This worked for a while. Eventually, I ended up using a clamp at each end to clamp this in place.

I’m not sure where I picked up an old rip fence from a different brand of table saw but I have had it laying around for quite a while. It was quite rusted and the lever would not work to operate the clamping mechanism. I covered every inch with some old used motor oil in hopes this would soak through the rust. One day, I tried to take it apart by removing the nuts on the bolts that hold it together. No amount of banging on the nuts would loosen them, but I found that I could get the lever to move just a little bit. I kept at it and this little bit grew a little bit more, then a bit more. So I added more motor oil, and worked the lever up and down, and I got it to work.

Unfortunatly, the brackets at the end of the rip fence did not correspond with my table saw so I had to do a bit of modifying. I had to add board to the end where the lever is located. The rip fence is a little longer than my table saw is, so I added a board to the back side of the table saw.

Dad always used to say, “poor men have poor ways”. I think he was describing me.

I prefer to think of it as making due with what you have, and using your brain instead of your wallet!

Anyway, I have been able to clean up the boards I have salvaged from the pallets by running them through the table saw at one width, then moving the rip fence over a tiny bit and running them through again – this second time cutting the other side of the board- I end up with straight boards. I am using these as the sheathing on the roof.

October 2, 2025

This morning, I got out the lawn mower and mowed the grass next to the road at the Holowai property. I mowed all the way down to the corner where my steet sign is.

Standing in the driveway and looking north east towards Mauna Loa volcano and Hilo beyond.

Standing in the driveway looking south west towards the Kona side of the island.

After mowing the grass at the road, I cut and fit some boards on the Kona end of the building roof.

October 3, 2025

This is the door for the bathroom. It looks pretty good for being a discarded bifold coset door. A bit of recycling!

October 4, 2025

I have been working on the roof boards. This is the end of the roof at the driveway. I almost have the sheathing boards in place to the wall. A bit more recycling.

The roof at the gazebo end is not quite as far along as the other end. It all takes time, and this is very time consuming to dismantle pallets and clean up the 1x boards for use as roof sheathing.

October 5, 2025

I was able to harvest a few tomatoes from my tomato plants. Now that I am preparing to leave and go back to the mainland, they are starting to produce. As Jim Croce said, “Isn’t that the way they say it goes?”

My mango seed has really grown into a very nice plant. I only hope it survives until I return.

I have both ends of the roof with 1x sheathing in place all the way down from the peak to the walls.

October 7, 2025

Now it is time to start on the long sides. I began with the “mauka” or mountain facing side.

I have a full moon tonight, peeking out from between the clouds!

October 9, 2025

The bottom of the driveway is one of the places I have designated as a pallet disassembly factory. I have hung up an old tarp between the tool shed and the house construction to provide shade. It has so many holes in it, that it doesn’t do much for keeping off the rain.

October 11, 2025

I have boards on the mauka side, about half way down to the wall. So, I started on the makai side, or the side towards the ocean.

With the different colors of the wood, the roof looks prettier from above than from below.

October 12, 2025

I have two piles of pallets under the floor. I had used these as my scaffolding when I built the floor. Again, poor men have poor ways. I prefer to call it ingenius engineering! As I tear them apart to use as roof sheathing, the piles get smaller.

October 13, 2025

My tomato planter is overflowing with tomato bushes.

And there are still quite a few tomatoes growing on the vines.

Even after I harvested another dozen or so.

One last look at the house before I pack up and head back to the mainland tomorrow.

October 14, 2025

There are always dark clouds hovering over the Hualalai volcano outside of Kona.

My ride back to Arizona.

TTFN

Life Goes On

September 16, 2025

Watered the plants at Holowai

Took apart three more pallets

Finished installing the blocks between the rafters on the makai side of the roof and started on the driveway side

September 17, 2025

Unloaded the pallets and the lumber from the truck. Disassembled 2 pallets. Took the bathrom door over to the neighbor’s property to use his electriciy and palm sander to sand the door. Returned to property and used 2 cans of spray paint to paint the door. Not enough for 1 side – need at least 4 more cans.

Put water bladder and some one gallon jugs into the truck and went in to town. Bought 2 bell peppers and a papaya at the farmers market and stopped at the transfer station for water. On the way back, I stopped at Ahi and watered the plants there. At Holowai, I drained the bladder into the other bladder that is in the driveway.

In the afternoon, I worked on the header framing on the opening at the driveway side.

September 18, 2025

Worked on the header framing over the opening at the gazbo end.

Watered the plants at Holowai and Ahi.

Experienced a great sunset.

September 19, 2025

When I tried to cook breakfast this morning, the stove would not light. The propane tank was empty. So I removed the propane tank and put it in the back of the truck. While I was there, I threw the empty water bottles (close to 100 of them) into the back of the truck along wth a garden hose. Then I removed the propane tank from the generator. It feels like it is about 1/4 full. I attached this to the stove and made breakfast.

Before beginning to work on the roof, I checked my email. I had a message from the USGS (United States Geological Survey) about Kilauea – episode 33 of the ongoing eruption began at 3:15 AM with lava plumes up to 500 feet in height.

It is now 10:30 AM. Most episodes last between 7 and 13 hours. Do I take everything out of the truck and go? – No – I decide to install blocks in the roof and then fill my water bottles and the propane tank first.

At noon, I try to check the webcams at the volcano (they have three cameras constantly monitoring the eruption that can be accessed through their website) but I cannot sign on to the internet. I have no phone service! I want to check that the episode is still going on before I drive over there.

I drive down town Na’alehu – still no phone service. I get propane and water – still no phone service. I return to the property – still no service. It is 2:30 PM. I unload the truck and take a shower. The water is warm, not hot, and not a lot of pressure. It still smells like PVC glue, but I have a good shower none the less!

At 3 PM I have phone and internet service. I open the web site and view the webcams. There are no plumes. It is just smoke coming out of the vent! It is not worth going. I missed another episode!

September 20, 2025

It is totally overcast this morning, and it lightly sprinkled rain on and off all morning. No phone service again this morning.

Started the generator and worked on the headers over the three door openings on the mauka side (the side away from the ocean, or the side facing the mountain).

I completed the installation of the blocking over the two side doors on this wall as well as the outer portion of the header framing on all three openings.

By 3 PM the rain had stopped and the clouds slowly moved off.

Two yellow birds showed up at the feeder around 11 AM and again around 5 PM. These little birds are not intimidated by the other birds.

They even hold their ground in the face of the threats by the Northern Red Cardinals which are twice their size.

September 21, 2025

I spent the day working at the Ahi property. Mowed the grass on the road in front of the property and in front of the next two properties. Used the weed eater to cut the grass around the waterlines at the top of the propeerty next to the road.

Using the long handled clippers, I cut the tall, heavy grass for about 30 feet southeast of the outhouse.

Up on the road, and at the northwest corner of the property, I located the property pin – a metal pipe – and moved the rocks next to the pipe to create a hole. I filled this hole with concrete and imbedded rocks in the concrete. Then I stacked rocks up on top to create a rock column that is just inside the property lines. This will help to identify this corner of the property.

I started to pile up rocks behind the wall of block wall of the bathroom to create a level area. Here, I will place some water containers like barrels, or maybe a water bladder to hold the run off from the roof to be used in the bathroom for flushing the toilet. . . maybe even for the shower, if I add a filter and a pump.

September 22, 2025

Sifted the last of the sand/gravel next to the road at Holowai.

Worked on the corner rock column at Ahi. It is now 18 to 24″ tall

Grouted four cells in the mauka (the side towards the mountain) bathroom wall.

Located the opposite property corner pin – another 3/4 inch pipe – at the north east corner of the property – the corner closest to the driveway. And excavated to create a foundation for a corner column. This one is a bit more challenging as it is on more of a slope than the other corner.

Used the last of my sand/gravel from Holowai to mix concrete for this foundation.

Back at Holowai, I sprayed some termite treatment chemicals called borate, on the inside portion of the walls under the floor. Also coated the outside of the four columns under the floor level as well. Then I sprayed the outside of the west end of the front wall (the wall facing the street) from the floor to the roof.

Then I sprayed both sides of two sheets of plywood and cut and installed them on this corner of the structure!

September 23, 2025

The birds have started frequenting the waterfall/fountain. I have seen them using it as a birdbath, Cool!

When Alanah was here, she commented on how difficult it was to carry water to the front side yard to water the three coconut palms there. There was a large limb at the edge of the gazebo extension that you needed to manouver around. I removed this limb.

Also, there is a large pile of big rocks at the edge of the gazebo that were difficult to walk on. I straightened them and fit them together better to make it a little easier and flatter.

Sprayed more borax solution onto the exterior walls and plywood and installed it on the front wall.

I have needed to trim some branches in order to install the plywood. I have stacked these branches down by the chipper.

September 24, 2025

My neighbor Scott has lost his cell phone at his property. I spent the morning helping him look for it. I try calling it, but it goes directly to voicemail so there is no chance to listen for it ringing!

Went downtown to the post office, Picked up a package with two containers of screws and a letter from Alanah with two N-85 masks for me to use when spraying the borate chemicals.

Worked on miscellaneous blocking and straightening of the framing.

September 25, 2025

Again, I spent the morning trying to find the neighbor’s cellphone. If he lost it outside, it has most likely gotten rained on and is full of water now.

The little blue ribbon is tied to the survey marker for the property corner.

More work done on the rock column at the north east corner of the Ahi property – the corner near the driveway.

Poured two batches of concrete – mixed in the wheel barrow- on the corner rock column.

September 26, 2025

Beautiful sunrise this morning.

Cloudy all day with a few sprinkles. Almost 2 inches of rain yesterday and last night.

I use the tall extension ladder to go over the plywood I have installed and put the necessary screws in place – 6″ on the edges and 8″ in the middle of each sheet.

The yellow birds take over the bird feeder whenever they come by, which is not very often. But they do not let any other birds in the feeder while they are there.

September 27, 2025

It has been overcast the last few days, so the soar systems have not had enough sunlight to recharge. The one in the shed has 11.6 volts this morning and last night at 6 PM it got down to 10 volts, so I shut off the small refrigerator. As long as I do not open the door, the refrigerator will stay cold overnight. I only hope to get some sunlight to increase the voltage in the system so I can turn it back on sometime this morning.

The system in the gazebo was down to 11% when I got up this morning. When the refrigerator thee in the azbo cycled on, it pulled out so much power that it shut off the system. So, I cranked up the propane generator and plugged in the solar generator to recharge it.

While I had the generator running, I cut my plywood for the exterior walls. I am one sheet short!

Scott told me that he had found his cell phone. It was in his wooden hot tub, under the wood burning eater! e put it into a bag of rice to try to dry it out! I think it is too late for that, and a waste of rice!

September 28, 2026

I worked on installing an extra row of blocking that lays flat on the top plate of the walls between the rafters. Then the rafters are screwed to these blocks. This is an additional hurricane hold down, in addition to the H25 framing anchors I am installing. I finished the side facing the street and the end by the gazebo when it started to rain. So at 2 PM, I left for Kona. I went grocery shopping, picked up five more sheets of plywood, more borate termite chemicals, black spray paint for the bathroom door, and two wax rings for the toilet – one standard size and one thicker. I also picked up four more pallets.

September 29, 2025

As I disassemble the pallets, I just throw the boards into a pile. Kind a helter-skelter!

I spent some time sorting these boards and stacking them according to size. I made two piles. One that has boards that are at least 5 1/2″ wide, and another that is at least 3 1/2″ wide. OK, I actually made three piles. The third pile is those that are not 3 1/2″ wide.

In the pile that is 5 1/2″ wide, there are about a dozen that are almost 6″ wide. I separated these into a fourth pile. Then I ran them through the table saw, cleaning up one edge of each board. Then I moved the rip fence on the table saw over the thickness of the saw blade and pushed them through again, cutting off the other edge. Now I have boards that are the same width and are smooth on both edges. Using these boards, I began installing them on the roof as sheathing. I started on the side closest to the driveway – one of the two smaller parts.

I repeated this process with the rest of the 5 1/2″ boards, running them through the table saw twice. Each board has to be cut for length or cut on an angle to fit the hip. I use my cordless skillsaw for this. . . it is light and portable and has no cord to get tangled. Except – it is not running properly. When I pull the trigger, sometimes it runs, and sometimes it does not. If I shake it, or tap on the side, most times it runs. This makes me think there is a loose connection inside the saw. I can either take it apart and try to fix it, or just “bite the bullet” and buy a new one.

Even with the saw not working properly all the time, I was able to install boards about 1/2 the way from the peak to the wall.

September 30, 2025

The northeast corner of the two Holowai properties has turned into quite a project. Initially, I was just going to make a square pile of rocks 18″ to 2 foot tall to mark the corner. I have ended up building a double sided rock wall with concete in between, along the front of the property for about twenty feet, and down the side of the property for about thirty! Today I spent time stacking more rocks on the thirty foot section.

Since the skilsaw isn’t running properly, I decided to work on the oven walls. I have cut the block to fit around the counter, and mixed mortar and layed three courses of block.

This is the height I want for the oven. Next step is to install some stone on the inside as a heat barrier and complete the top.

It started to rain, so I covered the table saw.

And September comes to a close. See you in October!

TTFN

Alanah Arrives

September 11, 2025

No work today on any projects. I’m going to Kona to pick up Alanah from the airport. She arrives at 1PM via Las Vegas.

After picking her up, we stop for gasoline – $3.79 instead of $4.69 in Na’alehu – and at the lumber yard for more 2 x 6 rafters and some 2 x 4’s to make doors.

Then off to the grocery store before heading back to the property. We arrive at Holowai about 5 PM.

September 12, 2025

Continued to work on the roof rafters. All the larger rafters are cut and in place. The short ones in the corners that do not rest on the exterior walls are the only ones left.

Went to the post office – nothing there.

Worked on the header framing above one of the openings.

September 13, 2025

Continued working on the framing for the headers above the three openings on the makai side.

Went to the neighbors’ house (Randy and Lorna Jones) for a social lunch!

After returning from lunch, I put plywood sheathing on the columns on the makai side and near the center opening.

Click on the picture below for a short video.

I’m not as agile as I used to be!

September 14, 2025

Ran the propane powered generator to provide power for the table saw. When cutting the rafters, I cut the tails (the part that extends past the walls) to be 4 1/2″. So, I need to cut some 2 x 6 material to the 4 1/2″ width to be used as blocking between the rafters.

Today, I have cut and installed blocking in 3/4 of the makai side (the side toward the ocean).

It was overcast yesterday, so the power generator was at 0% this morning.. At 4 Pm it is only up to 39%, so I ran the generator to charge it to 90%.

I removed the door from the bathroom and laid it on top of a pile of pallets. Alanah used an artist’s paintbrush to apply glue to each end of each louver (angled slat) in the door. Some of them were falling out.

September 15, 2025

Watered the plants at Holowai, and then at Ahi.

Went downtown to the post office, and Alanah bought three loaves of apple cinnamon bread from the bakery to take home with her.

Went down to Honuapo to the ocean for Alanah.

Drove to Kona to take Alanah to the airport so she could return to Arizona.

Went to the lumberyard and picked up 20 – 2 x 4’s and five sheets of plywood. Then picked up 8 free pallets. Did a little grocery shopping, and drove back to Na’alehu.

Arrived at Holowai around 9:30 PM

Alanah texted to me that on her flight to Honolulu, everyone had a row to themselves. But her flight from Honolulu to Phoenix was totally full. You gotta take the world as you find it!

Having someone to help has been a real blessing, not to mention having someone to take pictures. It’s great to have company too!

I’m alone again!

TTFN