May 16, 2023

Tuesday

Today is my “pack-up” day.

I put away everything that I will not need from my kitchen into the plastic tote boxes in the gazebo. Tomorrow, I will put the stove in the back of the Escape with the generator. I put away all my tools under the shed, and packed up any loose clothes. I watered everything one last time. 

I have organized all my lumber (2 x 4 x 8, 2 x 6 x 8, 1 x 6 x 6 cedar fence boards) over at the Ahi lot and hauled two single mattresses over there. I put these on the pile of lumber under the gazebo and covered it all with a tarp, tying it up with ropes. hopefully, this will deter any thefts and keep out some of the rain.

I hauled the generator and the cement mixer back to the Holowai lot. I put the mixer at the back of the driveway with the table saw and covered them both with a large, heavy tarp; again tying it all up with ropes to keep out the rain and deter thefts. I will put the generator in the back of the Ford Escape.

I made one last trip down to the shore to say goodby to the ocean. While I was there, I saw an area on a side road where someone had dug up the dirt on the side of the road with a tractor; it looked like they had scooped out a few scoops to take somewhere else. I had some empty buckets with me, so I filled these with loose dirt to use in my planter boxes. I have picked up eight old used tires that were discarded along the side of the road, and used these as planters; filling them with mulch, leaves, and what dirt I can find. I grew some potatoes in one of these tires. I took the old soft potatoes that have sprouted and put them into the mulch in the tire. Potato plants came up and grew to about 2 and a half feet tall over the course of a couple of months. When I pulled out the plants, I found that I had grown baby potatoes in the roots. I also planted some turnip seeds and actually grew one turnip! I put three tires one on top of the other and I dump the stuff from the composting toilet into here along with some cardboard, grass, leaves, etc. I think that if this all sits in these tires for six months to a year, it will break down all the pathogens and turn it into some good mulch/fertilizer.

On the trip back to the property from the ocean, I filled up about 30 bottles with water.

I pulled the car into the driveway behind the gates and closed them, using a 1 x 4 screwed down across the top of the two gates to secure them closed.

My suitcases are packed, with the exception of the sheets and pillowcases, which I will pull off the bed in the morning. I have one smaller carry-on size suitcase inside of the full sized one. I will stuff the sheets and pillow cases into this in the morning, and will check this one. I will put some snacks along with my journals and computer and tablet and associated cords into my backpack. Anything I take back to AZ, i will have to bring back later. I just want to give the sheets and pillow cases a good washing in the washing machine at home.

I used some water from my “water heater” (2 liter soda bottles of water set out in the sun on a piece of metal roofing) to take a shower. As it was a bit late in the day, the water was beginning to cool, so my shower was a bit on the brisk side!

I heated a can of spaghetti and meatballs for dinner, then took down the solar panels from the roof of the shed.

For better or for worse, I think I’m ready.

TTFN

May 15, 2023

Monday

For the past week, I have been sorting through everything and separating what I want to take back with me to Arizona on the 17th – if not physically, at least mentally. The main things will be my journal, and the dirty sheets and pillowcases from the bed.

Today, I poured the 5th section of concrete between the columns at the Ahi gazebo. The 6th section still has some large rocks protruding above the surface of the new concrete, so I will need to find some way to remove them – a hammer and chisel? a large prybar? a jackhammer?

I also hauled more of the sand and gravel from the pile in the driveway. I have been stockpiling it at the base of the driveway for use in mixing concrete later. I have left only about 4 or 5 wheelbarrow loads at the top of the driveway. This clears the driveway so I can now back the car down. It does not slide quite as much going down, but the loose fill makes it want to sink in and lose traction. With all-wheel drive, it is still do-able though!

After spending a few days on Maui, I did not see my bird friends I call Bert and Ernie for a few days. They have returned to coming to the feeder.

Other birds are also coming in to grab a bite to eat.

I also saw a pair of different lizards – different than geckos, and Jackson Chameleons – out in the driveway at Holowai on the pile of lumber and pallets. 

By researching on-line, I find that these are Green Anole lizards. 

They apparently are territorial, and these two do not seem to be getting along.

TTFN

May 14, 2023

Sunday

This morning, I went down to the ocean to watch the waves.

The tide was in and the waves were crashing against the lava.

The water even was flowing over the initial lava at the shore into an area that typically has very little water.

My wading pool was full and overflowing into the overflow pool

The swimming pool was engulfed and unrecognizable due to the churning water filling it above it’s normal level.

After returning to the property, I poured more concrete in the forms I had set up yesterday,

Then I dug into the pile of branches/stumps/rocks/debris at the side of the gazebo. I hauled the large branches and logs up to the side of the driveway.

TTFN

May 13, 2023

Saturday

I set up the forms between the columns of the gazebo for two more sections to be poured with concrete. 

I poured one section and needed more sand and water, so I did a sand/water run into town. When I returned, I had the materials for another section, maybe tomorrow This makes three of the six necessary sections are completed.

I also worked some more on moving the pile of delivered gravel and leveling the driveway.

TTFN

May 12, 2023

Friday

Set up the forms between two of the gazebo columns at Ahi for another concrete pour.

Using the generator to produce electricity for the electric cement mixer is much easier than mixing it in the wheelbarrow. After pouring the concrete in this formed area under the gazebo, I worked on creating steps into the shower.

I hauled some sand and gravel from my pile in the driveway to spread out and create a flat base for the shower floor. Then, at the entrance to the shower, I built a small rock wall about 7 or 8″ tall between the rock columns. I backfilled behind this wall and leveled the area above and behind the rock wall. About 16″ behind this rock wall, I built another. Backfilling and leveling, I repeated this to create yet another small rock wall. I now have three tiers creating steps into the shower. 

These will be the base for concrete steps – each step overhanging the rock wall by about 3 – 4″. I plan on pouring a concrete floor in the shower, but have not decided on a pattern yet, or if I will install a drain, or let the water just flow over the edge.

TTFN

May 11, 2023

Thursday

I spent the day shoveling, raking, and hauling a 15 ton delivery of sand and rock at the top of the Ahi lot that came yesterday. By no means, am I finished. I made a big dent in the pile, but it will take more work to distribute this pile to where I want it. The driveway is quite steep – my all wheel drive Ford Escape handles it nicely (except where it is lose gravel) but it would be much better if it were not so steep. I have been adding the branches and shrubs I have cleared on the property to the bottom portion to raise it up and lessen the slope. Then I cover it with this material.

It would be much quicker to have someone with a tractor - something like a bobcat – move this, but I never do anything the easy way. Especially when it comes to saving a few hundred dollars.

TTFN

May 10, 2023

Wednesday

I put the last piece of roofing on the gazebo roof – I should say that I “placed” it there, because I have no more tar to glue it down with. I will have to depend on boards I will lay on it to hold it in place until I can get some more tar.

I stripped the forms off the “seat” I poured in the shower.

Since I have used all the sand and gravel that I have in mixing my concrete, and I want to raise the level of the driveway to lessen the slope, I ordered another truck load of 2 1/2″ minus sand and gravel mixture. This means that it will contain anything that will pass through a screen with 2 1/2″ holes. I hung around the Ahi lot all afternoon waiting for the delivery. It came around 4 PM. I had him dump it at the top of the driveway. 

Because the driveway is so steep, I did not want to risk getting the truck stuck at the bottom. For the next hour and a half, I shoveled and raked sand and gravel down the slope of the driveway.

TTFN

May 8, 2023

Monday

Raining this morning. Left to go to Hilo about 1 pm after hanging around in the gazebo hoping the rain would quit.

The main reason for the trip to Hilo was to go to the cell phone carrier store to have them re-install my phone number on my (new to me) phone I purchased on Maui.

When I was on Maui, I had done this when I purchased the phone. They could not access my data because the SIM card was so badly damaged from being in the ocean. I had to buy a new SIM card. They were able to load my phone number on the card, but that was all. They told me that I had to call Apple Support and have them download my info from the cloud.

I called Apple Support and went through the obligatory computer generated nonsense about different languages, and different options for many different issues; all just to waste time so that you didn’t include this time with the further wait time until you actually spoke to a live human being who might be able to help you. When I finally got a human, they told me that I needed to go to their website and sign into my account. I did not remember my user id from when I set up the Apple account five or more years ago, and the password was anyone’s guess! The Apple Support technician told me that after I had created my new account with a new password they could transfer my info from the old account to the new one, but I would have to wait 9 days so that they could be sure that this was not a fraudulent scam. 9 days? What is magical about 9 days? 
Well, I decided to do this when I returned to the Big Island, hoping that maybe I could do some research and maybe come up with the old userid and password. Well, I was able to find this information in my little black book of passwords. The userid worked, but the password did not. I had three different passwords as I had changed it at least three times and I did not know which was the latest. Apparently, none of them were correct, so even though I had the userid, I still needed to change the password. So, I tried to change the password and the website said I still needed to wait 9 days, or I could call Apple Support and answer the “security questions” . So I did that. As part of this process, the tech from Apple support told me that I needed to erase all the programming from my phone before he could download the nes password and my old info. He told me that I would have to shut off the phone after erasing the programming, then wait 3 to 5 minutes and turn it back on. Then he would call me back and assist me in downloading everything from the cloud.

It wasn’t until after I had done this, that I realized that there was no way he could call me back. My phone had no programming . . . including any phone number! 

I was back to where I was when I first got the phone on Maui! I knew that I needed to have someone with more knowledge do this for me, and I found that type of individual at the store for my service provider. So, I decided to go to Hilo. When I get to Hilo, I find that my phone service provider store is closed for remodeling, has been for three months, and there is no indication of when it will reopen – if ever! So, I go to the store of a competitor. Within five minutes of my arrival, the sales guy at the competitor service provider has restored my phone number to my phone along with the basic programming.

So, I went to the lumber store, to the grocery store, got gas, and picked up some pallets at the back of the auto parts store. I also went to a plant nursery and got two Norfolk Pine trees, an Ulu tree (breadfruit), two macadamian nut trees, and a hibiscus. Then it was back to Naalehu .

What a day!

TTFN

May 3, 2023

Farewell to Maui

Wednesday

While we were here on Maui, I had picked up two boogie boards, and two beach chairs – along with 8 to 12 baggies of sand from the various beaches we had visited. I wanted to take these all back to Hawaii island with me, so, I needed a checked bag, as I didn’t think the airline would let me carry this all onto the plane. I put the baggies of sand in the pockets attached to the two beach chairs – each chair had a couple of zippered pockets. Then I sandwiched these two chairs around the two boogie boards and tied it all together with about 20 feet of 1/4″ rope. The agent at the check-in counter said, “I don’t think this is totally legit, but if you walk away real quick before my supervisor comes past, we won’t have any choice but to send it through.” So, I did just that.

When I arrived in Kona, there was a slip of paper in one of the zippered pockets of one of the chairs from the TSA telling me that they had inspected the contents, but all the sand was there – success!

I caught the early afternoon bus to the south end of the island and arrived in Waiohinu around 4:30PM. I had texted my neighbor asking for a ride, but he had npt responded, so I stashed the beach chair/boogie board “sandwich” and my carryon roller bag behind a rock wall in some tall grass, put my backpack on my back, and proceeded to walk up the hill. A little more than an hour later, I arrived at the property on Holowai Street. I put my back pack under the gazebo and got in the car and drove down towards town to retrieve my luggage.

Even when only traveling about a hundred miles away, it still takes all day!

TTFN