February 15, 2023

Wednesday

This morning at about 7:30, I was laying in bed debating on whether to get up when the bed and the shed started to vibrate, similar to one of those vibrating massage chairs or one of those vibrating beds you can find in a cheap motel room. It lasted for 15 to 20 seconds and then quit. About an hour later, I felt it again, only much softer.

I checked the USGS website and there was an earthquake measuring 4.8 magnitude about 10 miles away from here. It was a kilometer off shore, near Whittington Beach/ Honu’apo.

It had rained overnight, everything was wet, and about 8 am, it started to rain. It was overcast and it rained all morning.

In the early afternoon, I went down to Honu’apo. There was no wind and the ocean was flat – very calm – as opposed to the last time I was here, when the waves were crashing against the lava throwing up sprays of water 40 to 50 feet in the air. The tide was really low and the area I call the estuary was empty.

The wading pool at the point was almost empty, with about 6 ” of green yucky water in it.

What I call “the swimming pool” had only about a foot of water in the bottom. It normally has 5 feet of water inside.

As I walked along the shoreline, I got to where there is a rock bridge. The water is normally crashing against this so that it is difficult to see.

Also, just past this rock bridge, I saw three or four large ocean turtles bobbing back and forth in the waves as they gathered whatever they could to eat.

On the way back to Holowai, I stopped at the hardware store and bought some screws.

I used these screws to fasten the window screens that I had brought from Arizona in place. The windows are next.

TTFN

February 13, 2023

Monday

Dark, overcast sky this morning.

The rocks that come in the 2 1/2″ minus sand/gravel mix I had delivered last week is too large to use in the grout for filling the cells of the columns. I need something to screen the material. I found some animal fencing at the local hardware store with openings measuring 1″ x 2″ in the welded wire fabric. I have attached this to a wooden frame I made using the 2″ support material from a wooden pallet. The frame is 2′ x 4′. By proping it up at an angle and then shoveling the sand/gravel onto it, the larger rocks will roll off while the smaller material will go through the openigs. I spent much of the morning building this screen. I’m glad I’m not being paid for my work here . . . I would starve!’

I turned on my computer and using the hotspot on my phone, I signed on to the County of Hawaii building permit website. The status of my application is “under review”. The next action by the county is scheduled for 5/12/2023 – three months away!

The old lie of “I’m from the government and I’m here to help you!” is being quickly replaced by “Due to staff shortages caused by the pandemic, it will take longer than usual for someone to respond to your request!” This is the catch-all salutation that is added to every government email from any County of Hawaii employee!

Went back to work hauling sand and gravel down the driveway to the gazebo. I dumped it in a pile against one of the columns and used my screen to separate the larger rocks, leaving me a pile of material to use in making concrete for filling the cells of the columns.

It started to rain in the afternoon.

TTFN

February 14, 2023

Tuesday

Valentines Day

I mixed concrete and filled the cells of two of the columns in spite of the fact that it was a rainy day.

I made a water run to the water fill station at the transfer station in Waiohinu by the solid waste transfer station. I took all the bottles from the Ahi lot that I had emptied to mix mortar and cement as well as the empty water bottles from my “kitchen” at Holowai. I figure that I use two 2-litre bottles of water for each meal for cooking and washing up.

TTFN

February 12, 2023

Sunday

Hauled more sand/gravel down the driveway to the gazebo. Moved enough to level the floor area between the columns. I finished with the pile dumped in the driveway and began working on the larger pile on the road.

I tried driving the car down the driveway over the new gravel. I had difficulty gaining traction as the gravel was like ball bearings. When backing down, the car tended to slide a bit. I did not want to drive frontwards down the hill for fear that I would not get enough traction in reverse to get back out. I need it to rain to settle the new fill or I need some dirt to fill in around the gravel.

I’ve been here a week. It is time to go down to the ocean at Honu’apo.

The wind was up, the tide was in, so the waves were really crashing!

This is not a place for swimming, but I really like it here. I could spend hours just watching the waves crash against the lava.

TTFN

February 11, 2023

Saturday

Gathered up some scrap pieces of 1″ and 2″ boards to use as forms for the caps on the columns at Ahi.

The load of sand and gravel was delivered today. I had most of it dumped in a pile on Ahi Road near the driveway, and about a quarter of it dumped on the driveway.

A truckload cost $500.00

I started to pull some of it down the driveway as well as haul, some back to the gazebo to fill and level the floor area. A full wheelbarrow will go speeding down the hill, so I can only fill it about 3/4 full. I also place most of the load in the back part of the wheelbarrow and drag the metal support legs through the gravel/dirt to act as a brake. A couple of times, I lost control and the wheelbarrow would tip over and dump the load down the hill – helter skelter! When I did get a wheelbarrow load to the bottom of the hill, I would shift the load towards the front onto the tire to make it easier to push. I cannot just wheel this material straight to the gazebo as the pathway is quite rough. I have to place a few loads in places on the pathway to fill and level it so the wheelbarrow will move through.

At the beginning of the path, near the bottom of the driveway, there is a large rock in the pathway. I took my small sledge hammer and a steel stake and tried to break it up. I was able to remove enough of it so the wheelbarrow will go past.

Also, just before the gazebo is a small gully. The path drops down about a foot and a half in a distance of about 8 feet, and then there is a steep up-hill slope for about 4 feet. I have dumped 3 wheelbarrow loads in this area to raise this gully and build up the path. I have succeeded in dumping 2 wheelbarrow loads in the middle of the gazebo. I’ll probably only need 20 more!

TTFN

February 10, 2023

Friday

Finished the block work on all six columns for the gazebo at Ahi.

The next step is to grout them (fill all the cells with concrete) and pour a concrete cap with anchor bolts to hold the metal post bases that I made in Arizona. I brought them in my checked bag (a cardboard box).

Ordered a truck load of 2 1/2″minus (sand and gravel that measures 2 1/2″ in diameter and smaller) for the driveway. It will be delivered in the morning. I will spread it on the driveway to reduce the slope and make it easier to drive up and down. I will also sift some of it through a screen I made to remove the larger rocks (anything that is larger than about 1″) and use this material and add cement to make the concrete to grout the cells of the columns.

TTFN

February 9, 2023

Thursday

Very windy today. All day, the wind blew from the south.

Worked on the columns for the gazebo at the Ahi lot. Four of the six columns are up to the 4’8″ height I want. This is a deceiving figure, as some of the columns are six foot tall from the footing level. The 4’8″ height is above finished grade. I hauled more block – enough to finish the other two columns. Not sure if I have enough sand and mortar cement.

Also worked on the pile of disgarded limbs and branches that were dumped here many years ago. Used the chainsaw to cut some of the larger ones (some as large as three feet in diameter) into pieces I could carry. Of course, in order to do this, I had to put on a new chainsaw chain. I only hope there are no rocks imbedded in this wood.

I am still stacking them on the Hilo side (south? East?) of the driveway. Gathered some of the downed branches from along the fence line towards the ocean (rhe makai side). These, I piled at the base of the driveway slope and used the chainsaw to cut into 4″ pieces.

Back at the Holowai lot, I heated water on the stove to add to the water from my soda bottle solar water heater and took a shower.

TTFN

February 8, 2023

Wednesday

Bright and sunny. Very few clouds on the horizon. Good for my solar system – I saw 12.1 volts at one time during the day!

Worked at the Ahi lot most of the day. Moved the pile of lumber I had stacked on top of the partially built columns for the gazebo.

Using my clippers, I cut the grass along the sides of the driveway. It had grown to almost two feet tall. I threw the grass I cut onto the driveway to give more traction in the gravel.

I hauled a few more large branches/logs from the pile at the back of the lot to the new pile I am making along side the driveway. Delivered 16 block for the columns.

Very windy today – had difficulty keeping the burner lit on the stove.

TTFN

February 7, 2023

Tuesday

I hauled some of the branches from next to the road, back to the wood yard area above the septic field. Using the chainsaw, I proceeded to cut them into 4″ to 6″ pieces. One of the larger logs was a root that had some rocks imbedded inside the root. Now I need a new chain for the saw! 😦

After destroying the chainsaw chain, I tried to start the chipper. There was gas pouring out the throat of the carburetor, so I took it apart. The float bowl had a layer of brown gunk that looked like rust. I don’t see any evidence of any rust in the rest of the carburetor, but I sprayed it all with carbutetor cleaner and wiped it with a cloth. Then I adjusted the needle valve and put the carburetor back together and reinstalled it on the chipper. It started right up!

There was a pile of branches next to the chipper. The pile is about the size of a Volkswagen bug (a small car) The pile was almost all gone – it had been chipped up into a smaller pile that would fill 3 or 4 five gallon buckets – when it started to rain. Within a minute, I was soaked to the skin!

The solar system is struggling because it has been overcast all day. It never got above 11.8 volts!

Later in the afternon, my order of block and lumber and corrugated roofing came. Now I need to remember what I was going to do with this! Oh yeah, I am going to build an outhouse. Need to decide where! The block is for the columns on the gazebo at the Ahi lot.

I got an old rusty table saw from my neighbor Scott. I have seen it sitting out in his yard the past two times I have been in Hawaii and I have been covetous! I asked him about it. He said that his brother had gotten it at a yard sale. He had never used it, didn’t know if it worked, and I could have it! I gave him twenty bucks for it and a 55 gallon plastic barrel. I can use the barrel to catch rainwater off the shed roof (need to put up some gutters) but the table saw will need a lot of work.

TTFN

February 6, 2023

Monday

Off to the market in OceanView for milk, juice, ice, eggs – Eggs cost $8.99 per dozen! I’ll do without the eggs!

Unpacked my two checked bags (cardboard boxes), my roller bag, and my backpack. Put up my solarpanels on the roof of the shed, and connected the batteries – got my fingers crossed. It was cloudy and overcast much of the day, but in spite of this, after a few hours, I had enough solar power to be able to turn on the refrigerator. It got to 39 degrees. At about 4 PM, the voltage in the solar system dropped to 11.2 volts and the power inverter for the refrigerator went into overload – OK, it probably should be called underload instead of overload, but whatever you call it, it quit working, and turned off the refrigerator. I was glad that I had the ice. I was able to charge the battery in my laptop giving me about 20 minutes, and my cell phone got a full charge.

The last time I was here, there were tomatoes growing in a small wooden planter. The tomato vines are almost whithered up now, but there are a dozen tomatoes ripe and ready to eat.

I cut down most of the branches and tree stumps under the power lines and phone cables in front of the main lot. I carried the branches down to the chipper and some of the larger branches to the area above the chipper. Then I got the chainsaw and proceeded to cut the larger branches into 4 to 6″ pieces. There are still more to carry back but the property is quite open in the front along the road, and the area behind the rock wall next to the concrete steps is getting filled in with the small pieces of branches.

TTFN