The story of our transition to a tropical lifestyle
Thursday
I installed the brake pads on the car.
Then I returned the wrenches I had borrowed.
I went on line and ordered a set of box wrenches to be delivered to me in Hawaii.
Poured the concrete in the second step at the shower entry at Ahi.
Also poured 8 more squares in the floor under the gazebo . . . 4 in row 2 and 4 in row 5.
TTFN
Wednesday
I woke up too late. I’ll never be able to catch the 7:00 am bus! So, I went on-line and checked the bus schedule. There is another one that leaves at 10:45 am and gets me there in Hilo around 1:15 pm.
I can have breakfast. Then I grab my backpack with the brake pads inside, along with a drink, a book, and some snacks and start walking to the bus stop in Waiohinu. As I go past Ahi Road, another neighbor of mine named Brian is pulling out of his driveway. We chat, and I tell him my tale of woe, about my brake problem. He says that he is going to Fern Acres to do some work on a house for a friend of his and offers to take me to Mountain View. Surely, from there it will be easier to catch a bus into Hilo, so I put my backpack in the back of his truck and off we go. As we are driving, I call the bus company to check on bus connections from Mountain View. There are a couple of options, so that is good.
He decides that he needs to go into Hilo for a fuel pump and a fuel filter for his truck, so he might as well do that today.
He is working on building an un-permitted cabin in Fern Acres. He is setting the post piers today for the floor beams to rest on. I offer to help him today and then I can just ride back with him later this afternoon and I won’t have to mess with the bus!
We get our auto parts in Hilo, and go back to Brian’s cabin project.
The property is a three acre parcel of mainly forest/jungle. Near the subdivision road, there is an old cabin that has been there for years. Brian says it is about to fall down, but yet there is a guy staying there – kind of like a caretaker. He is named Greg – who watches over the property.
They have bulldozed a driveway about 300 feet long and 40 feet wide through the trees toward the back of the lot, where they bulldozed out a building pad about a hundred feet square by pushing the trees into piles.
Then they covered this all with 2″ to 3 ” gravel.
It is sprinkling very lightly, so we fasten a couple of pallets together and throw a piece of corrugated roofing on top to cover the generator.
Brian has layed out his pier blocks and has the floor beams (4 x 12 x 24′) temporarily in place. He needs to install 4 x 4 posts between the pier blocks and the beams. Each one will be a different length. He also has some sheet metal termite shields to go over the piers. He is debating on using them because it would require moving the beams to place them over the piers. Also, they need two clots cut into them with a grinder for the metal straps that stick up from the piers and tie to the beams. I tell him that moving the beams will not be difficult with the two of us. He says that maybe Greg might even help.
So, Brian begins measuring and cutting the 4 x 4 posts and I use his angle grinder to cut two slots in each termite shield.
We get the termite shields all in place, the 4 x 4 posts and the beams installed and head for home. We arrive back at Brian’s driveway where he picked me up this morning at 5:30 pm.
TTFN
Tuesday
Called the auto parts store in Oceanview. They had three options for brake pads for my car. Good ones for $43.95, Better ones for $59.95, and Best ones for $89.99. They could have them by friday at 3 pm if I ordered them today . . . but wait . . . the $43.95 ones are no longer available, and neither are the $59.95 ones! ”Do you want to order them?” the clerk asked. Hmmmmm . . . “Let me check with the auto parts stores in Hilo” I said. ”I’ll get back to you”
AutoZone in Hilo has them for $47.95 for standard, and $57.95 for better ones. Both are in stock in the store right now!
So, . . . how do I get to Hilo? I call the bus line. A bus leaves Waiohinu for Hilo at 7:00 am and gets to Hilo at 9:20 am. Then a bus leaves Hilo at 3:30pm and gets me back to Waiohinu at 5:45 pm.
I got my tools out to take off the brake pads. I wanted to take them with me to compare them to the new ones to make sure I was buying the correct parts.
I jack the car up and put it up on cement blocks.
There are 2 bolts holding tha brake calipers in place. Looks like I will need a box wrench. My 3/4″ wrench is too big. 5/8″ is too small . . . so is the 11/16″ wrench. Almost fits, but not quite! I was expecting them to be 9/16″. Why does Ford think they need to be so big? And why metric?!?!?! I cannot get a crescent (adjustable) wrench in. I don’t have any metric wrenches that big. Actually, I do! but they are back in Arizona! So, I proceed to ask my neighbors. The neighbor at Ahi has metric wrenches. I borrow a 17mm, an 18mm, a 19mm, and a 20mm wrench. The 18mm one fits perfectly! but the bolt is on really tight! I had to beat on it with a hammer to get the bolts loose!
I get the brake pads off, and sure enough, they are worn out!
I put them into my backpack along with some snacks to take to Hilo tomorrow.
TTFN
Monday
Poured concrete in the second set of four squares in the 1st and 3rd rows under the gazebo at Ahi, and the first four squares in the 5th row.
Drove over to Oceanview for milk and eggs. Milk in Naalehu is $12.99 per gallon. The same milk at Oceanview is $6.99. (and a gallon of milk back in Arizona is $2.99)
It has been lightly sprinkling all morning. On the way back from Oceanview. I saw this rainbow.
Instead of taking South Point Road, I drove on into Waiohinu and stopped at the transfer station to fill up some water bottles. I had about 40 of them in the back of the car – assorted sizes, 2 gallon, 1 gallon, 2 liter, etc. – there has gotta be a better way of getting water!
As I was returning to the property, I heard the brake pads on the front of the car making a grinding noise. If I can hear it (the old deaf guy), then it must be bad. . . metal on metal!
Dropped the water bottles off at Ahi.
Tomorrow I will have to look into the brakes!
TTFN
Sunday
Removed the forms from the step I poured at the shower at Ahi and set up forms for the next one.
Removed / readjusted the forms from under the gazebo for the eight squares that I poured yesterday. Set up forms for pouring more squares.
Drove through town and down towards the ocean at Honuapo.
As I came around the edge of the cliff overlooking the ocean, Whittington Beach and pier, and the shore line towards Hilo my cell phone beeped. I have cell service. Have not had service since yesterday afternoon. Only have service because of the difference in area and getting signal from the towers on the hill.
Spent the afternoon down by the ocean. That peninsula that sticks out that you see in the picture is the location of Honuapo. In the 1800’s this entire area from the point to past the highway and halfway up the hill, used to be the developed village of Honuapo. In 1868, an enormous earthquake in the area preceeded a volcanic eruption from Mauna Loa with rapidly flowing lava and the accompanying tsunami that engulfed many coastal villages in the area, followed immediately by an enormous tsunami. Most of the remaining villagers relocated further inland to Naalehu and Pahala. In the ensuing decades, sugar cane cultivation in the hills above the old village became profitable – to the point of opening a mill at the site of the old village of Honuapo in 1881. A wooden pier had already been built on the site in the bay in 1883 to load the sugar onto ships. This wooden pier was replaced with concrete in 1910.
The harbor continued to operate until 1942 when they began trucking the sugar to the port at Hilo. In 1946 a hurricane destroyed the pier and many of the warehouses along the pier. In 1973, the mill at Honuapo was permanently closed, as sugar production on the mainland made shipping it from Hawaii less profitable. The concrete pilings of the pier still exist in the harbor.
The ruins of the sugar mill are still there on the left side of the highway up against the hillside.
TTFN
Friday
Got a ticket for not wearing my seatbelt – Damned Government Leaches!
My seatbelt affects nobody but me! All this does is provides revenue for those who wish to control other people’s lives.
Benjamin Franklin once wrote: “Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.” He was writing in regards to government taxation – specifically the American Government wanting to tax the Penn family on lands they controlled when the Penn family wanted to give a smaller amount to purchase safety from this taxation. So, even though the context under which ole Ben wrote this, is exactly the opposite of what it seems to be saying, it can also mean that those who let others dictate their every move, thinking that these “others” have their safety in mind, really don’t deserve liberty or safety! Unfortunately, as this law (which I have to admit is not endemic to Hawaii) demonstrates, there are enough people who feel that having the government peeking into your car from behind the bushes promotes your personal safety.
That’s what happened to me.
I had gone to the park in Waiohinu to fill up some empty water bottles. I am preparing to pour concrete so I need as many full bottles of water as I can get. After filling the bottles, I thought that the glass of Pepsi with ice yesterday was soooooo good, that I would go to the strore in Naalehu and buy a bag of ice. It is cloudy today, so I cannot make my own. The distance from the park to the store is less than 3 or 4 football fields. Less than 100 feet from the store, I passed a cop hiding in his car behind some trees, and he pulled out behind me and turned on his little blue light (they don’t have red and blue flashing lights in Hawaii, it is a single blue light on top of the car – and most of the police cars are unmarked) and followed me into the parking lot of the store.
I cannot help but feel that if I had a Hawaiian name, or a Hawaiian driver’s license, he would have given me a warning, but I am one of those hated mainland haoles who have come here to steal their island, so I get a ticket! - $102.00! Plus $3.00 to the store, makes this a $105.00 bag of ice!
Before going into town, I had spent the morning cutting up the smaller branches on the Ahi driveway to fill in around the gravel. I am hoping that this will help to keep the tires from sinking in and pushing the gravel down the hill or off to the sides of the driveway.
When I returned from getting the ticket, I was backing down the driveway as I normally do. If I back down, it is easier to drive out than trying to back up the driveway. Anyway, As I was backing down the driveway, I was looking at the front to see what the tires had done to crush the branches I had cut earlier into the gravel. There used to be a flat area at the bottom of the driveway – a place I refer to as my “parking area”. As I back down, I can tell when to stop as the car begins to level out in this area.
Since I have lessened the slope by adding more material and gravel to the driveway, the slanted portion has extended to halfway into this flat area, so there is no flat spot where the cat begins to level out. As I was looking forward at what the car had done as far as crushing the branches, I was not paying attention to the rear.
Suddenly, there was an explosion at the back of the car.
I had backed into a tree limb and busted the back window of the lift gate. The window exploded into a million little pieces.
All I could do was drive forward a few feet so I could clean out the glass from the back as I unloaded the water bottles.
Then I went to the Holowai lot and had a glass of hundred dollar Pepsi!
TTFN
Saturday
Took the cement mixer and the generator over to the Ahi lot.
Mixed up some concrete and poured the top step at the entry to the shower.
I have formed rows of square boxes under the gazebo. I am going to create a checkerboard pattern in the floor of the gazebo. Instead of alternating black and white, they will alternate, smooth and lava textured.
I can pour every other square in a row of eight squares. Then I will remove the forms and pour the four between the ones I had already poured. I also have to alternate rows. I have the first and the third rows ready with four squares ready to pour in each row.
My flock of birds is increasing. Now there are five pairs of red headed cardinals coming to the feeder.
Sometimes, the darker headed ones (of which there is only one pair) try to keep the dirty looking ones away by getting into their face and chasing them. One of the “dirty” ones will come in followed by the dark red headed ones and one of the red headed ones will immediately start chasing the dirty one. They fly up into the branches above the lanai, then down the hill towards the shed, then across the yard, then back to the trees by the shed, then back to the branches above the lanai, then to the trees out front by the road. Meanwhile, the other “dirty” bird of the pair comes in calmly and begins feeding at the feeder, along with another pair of “dirty’ ones. The other dark red headed one sits on the handrail and watches, or comes down and joins them at the feeder. After a little while, the one “dirty” headed one that was being chased, flies down to the feeder, having lost the dark red headed one that was doing the chasing!
I’m sure there is a moral to that.
I had no cell service in the afternoon or evening.
TTFN
Thursday
Sunny day today
My solar system was putting out enough electricity to be ablr to turn on mini fridge and put ice cube trays into freezer compartment.
Went over to Ahi and moved more gravel. Driveway is graveled all the way to the back of the “parking area” at the bottom.
The slope of the driveway is better – less of a slope – but still a good slant. While driving up is easier, there is much loose gravel in places for the car to sink into. The first 20 feet is pretty solid and compacted, but after that, it gets loose.
I still have a small pile of material at the top of the driveway for periodic repairs.
At the bottom of the driveway, towards the pathway to the shower, I have piled a good sized amount of smaller rock and sand that I separated as I moved the pile. I plan to use this to mix concrete for the floor of the gazebo. That could be why I have loose gravel in the driveway – all the small stuff is in this pile.
I was able to have a glass of Pepsi WITH ICE! I have been able to put some into a 12 ounce water bottle into the fridge and get it cold, but it is better with ice.
TTFN
Wednesday
Moved gravel in the morning at Ahi.
Early afternoon went into Naalehu to the post office. The new chains I had ordered on saturday for the chainsaw arrived.
Went to ocean at Honuapo for a dip in the pools.
Filled water bottles at the transfer station as there were people in line at the park to use the two spigots there, but at the transfer station there are six.
Back to the Ahi lot where I unloaded most of the bottles. A few of the cleanest soda bottles I keep for use in my “kitchen” area at Holowai. I moved more gravel.
I have moved enough to be able to back the car down the driveway. There is one section where there it is mainly loose gravel and the car tends to slip and slide here. I need something like sand or dirt to fill in around the gravel – maybe wood chips.
TTFN
Tuesday
Worked all day at the Ahi lot.
Worked on clearing more of the large debris pile at the bottom end of the lot. Dug out the larger logs and carried them up to the pile on the side of the driveway Put the smaller ones on the pile at the bottom of the driveway where I call the “parking spot”.
I also cut some limbs and smaller trees that I want to get rid of and piled them on the parking spot as well.
Moved more gravel from the pile at the top of the driveway.
TTFN
TropicalCastaway