Before leaving for Hawaii at the end of April, I went golfing at a 9 hole Executive course in Mesa.
Green for 2nd hole
This course is quite inexpensive and fairly maintained – definitely not in the class of the Phoenician, the Biltmore, Gainey Ranch, or the TPC, but then the greens fees are much more affordable – for me anyway!
3rd fairway from the tee
There are lots of gum trees that line the fairways making for some interesting challenges.
Looking over the 4th green towards the 4th tee and the first three fairways
The last half of the fairways wind their way around a lake at one end of the course.
Lake between the tee and the green for the 5th hole
The level of the lake fluctuates with the seasons. It has been a bit rainy so the lake is pretty full. I have been here when the lake was much smaller, and of course the grass was a bit drier then as well.
I was not the only one out enjoying the spring weather.
I had not seen turtles before in the lake, and was suprised to see so many.
There have been ducks on most of my other visits, but this time there was a family of geese.
Gardening
The radishes I planted in the front flower garden have begun to produce. I pulled these before I left for Hawaii.
My corn is growing, but it will be a while before it produces anything, if at all!
Alanah sent me photos few weeks later. It makes a big difference:
A photo of my corn back on the mainland on the first of June
And the squash that Alanah is harvesting.
And the tomatoes
And the rose bush is just loaded!
When I returned in June, the 100 plus degree heat had caused the tomatoes to all dry up. The radishes had long ago gone to seed. But we still got some squash.
When I planted the corn, I had planted some seeds and after they had come up, there were gaps where the seeds had not sprouted, so I replanted in these empty spots. Therefore, I had some corn that was a week younger. The older stalks produced ears that were just that – they tasted a bit “older” – but the ears from the younger stalks were sweet and fresh and juicy. I let the older ears dry out and then removed and saved the kernels. I’ll use these to replant next February/March.
Below the kitchen gazebo, there are two rock lined gardens – three including the one at the edge of the lanai. In two of these, I had placed some cucumber seeds. They have sprouted.
Above the garden where the cucumber seeds have sprouted, is another tier of garden that has an orchid plant with a plumeria.
The plumeria has struggled since I planted it there a few trips ago, but now it is sprouting leaves! Yeah!
On the lanai, there is a pot – maybe two gallons size – I tried to plant citrus seeds here but got no results. I planted a tomato that had gone squishy and I didn’t want to eat in the pot and now it has sprouted and there is a good sized tomato plant there.
The tomato is large enough that it needs to be tied up to some sort of support, so I tied it to the handrail of the lanai. There are eight little green tomatoes on it.
Over at Ahi, I put together the drain lines for the toilet in the bathroom
Now I can finish pouring the concrete floor.
I poured concrete in the footing forms for the kitchen gazebo extension at Holowai.
Monday May 20, 2024
I stripped the form from the concrete footings for the gazebo extension.
I think that these are a good start! Now I need to remove the old tree stump and do some leveling before pouring a concrete floor, and some steps.
Today, the weather is very overcast. The view of the ocean from Holowai is clouded over.
The view is not any better at Ahi.
So, I decided to go see what the weather was like down at Honuapo at the ocean’s edge.
It is just as cloudy and overcast here as it is up the hill at the property. Sometimes it will be rainy at the property but sunny here at the ocean. I guess the 800 foot elevation change makes a difference.
The rainy weather has caused the tide pools up on the lava to be full.
The rainy weather has extended all the way down the coast towards Kilauea.
Tuesday May 21, 2024
I stayed around the Holowai property today and layed a bit more block.
I am in no hurry. It is still overcast today, but at least I can see the ocean from here.
Wednesday, May 22, 2024
It probably isn’t the best day for this, but when IS the best day for doing laundry?
I guess the best day is when you have run out of clean socks and underwear!
The wheelbarrow was half full of clean rainwater, so I added some laundry detergent and started with socks, and underwear.
I grabbed a couple of buckets and filled them with water to rinse in.
After washing the socks and underwear, I dumped the wash water into some empty bottles to use when mixing concrete (when you haul water, you use it to the best advantage). Then I used the rinse water as my wash water and added it to the wheelbarrow with some more laundry detergent. Then I washed my tee shirts.
Repeating the process of changing the water, I then washed my levis and shorts. I tied some ropes between some trees as my clothesline. They may have to stay there for a few days to truly get dry, and if it rains while they are there, it will just rinse them a bit more!
Saturday May 25, 2024
I got up with the sunrise because I had decided to go to Kona today and do some grocery shopping. Also, just a chance to get away for the day and have an adventure. I wanted to try going on the bus and learning about the possibilities. I’ve ridden the bus many times before, but never tried to do a round trip to Kona and back in the same day!
I drove into Naalehu and parked my truck in the parking lot across the street from the hardware store, and caught the 8:29 am bus. This should get me in to Kona around 10:30 am.
The bus is actually quite comfortable.
The ride is much less stressful even though it makes many stops. There are scheduled stops. but if nobody is at the bus stop, the bus does not always stop there. Also, if you flag the bus down as it is approaaching you, it will stop and pick you up wherever there is somewhere for the bus to safely stop. The best part is, . . . it is free!
There are a few options on the schedule. One that goes through Naalehu around 3:00 am, one around 6:00 am, this one at 8:30 am, and one at 12:45 pm. The return trip has a bus around 10:00 am. one at 12:30 pm, one at 3:00 pm, one at 4:30 pm and one at 6:00 pm. I hope to catch the one at 12:45.
The highway follows the coast for the most part, and you can see the ocean as you go along. Taking pictures through the bus window is difficult, and not always successful!
There is a famous bay called Kealakekua Bay where Captain Cook ws killed by the natives.
When he first arrived, they thought he and all the white men were gods and showered them with gifts and honors and huge feasts. When one of the sailors got sick and died, they realized their mistake and Captain Cook and the rest of the crew barely escaped with their lives.
They headed up the coast, but realized they were low on water and provisions, so they returned to the bay in hopes of replenishing their supplies, but were met by large groups of warriors and a battle ensued. killing Captain Cook and several other members of his crew.
There is a while obelisk type monument erected on one side of the bay at the location where he was killed.
At least . . . that’s the story I’ve heard!
Photo taken from the internet!
You cannot get to the monument in a car, but there is a rather long and strenuous hike down to it. Or, you can rent a kayak on one side of the bay and paddle over to it, or you can sign up for one of the many snorkeling tours that go into the bay. This is one of the favorite snorkeling places on the island.
While in Kona, I saw the local revenue agents shoring up the local government’s finances (police stopping a car)
After doing my shopping I found out that there is no 12:45 return bus, so I had to wait for the one at 3 pm!
I returned to the property a little before 6pm. A long day, but I learned that it is possible for me to go into Kona and return all in one day!
Spraying my vegetable plants with insect repellant wasn’t such a good idea.
It seems that the insect repellant is having more effect on the young plants than on the insects. They have all turned brown and are whithering up!
I grabbed some water and put it into my garden sprayer and tried to wash the plants, but I don’t think it did any good. DANG!!!
You can be sure that the word I used was not Dang!
In the meantime, I have started to add more layers of block to my corner walls for the “house”
I started with the corner closest to the kitchen gazebo.
And continued with the corner by the driveway.
This probably could have been done quicker if I had stayed and worked instead of going down to the ocean.
Fortunately, the draw of the ocean is stronger than the draw to work.
I can’t seem to get enough of simply watching the ocean waves
as they crash against the lava shelf and send plumes of water into the air.
Today, these plumes are not as high as they have been on other days.
Also, the swimming holes seem to draw me in!
But, eventually. I have to return and get some work done.
I borrowed a small electric chipping hammer from my neighbor and chipped out the rocks protruding between the corner wall and the column.
I also used it in the bathroom excavation area.
The work of laying up a few block and chipping out rocks along with going to the ocean has occupied me for a few days . . . but hey! I’m supposed to be retired!
While I had the electric chipping hammer, I took it over to Ahi and removed some of the rocks in the trench for the plumbing drain lines.
Friday May 17, 2024
Today, I took apart the lawnmower and found that there was one wire that came loose . So, I crimped the connector a little to help it stay on the blade terminal. This fixed it so I could do some mowing.
I mowed the grass on Holowai Street in front of my property. From the gates, down to the corner at Scott’s place (towards Hilo).
And the other direction towards Lorenzo’s (towards Kona)
Saturday May 18, 2024
To finish out the week, I set up some rough forms for the bathroom at Holowai.
While I was in the mood to do some forming, I set up some forms for footings for an extension to the gazebo. I did a bit of excavating under these forms for the footings. Then I used what 1/2″ rebar I had and installed it in these footings.
I had used some wood filler on my little kitchen table at Holowai. The other day, I took it over to my neighbor Scott’s place – he has a larger solar panel and battery system – and used his electric palm sander to sand the top.
A little over a week ago, I had ordered some lumber and block and rebar from a building materials supply company in Kona. It was delivered today.
It was the same delivery company, but a different driver. He told me that the other driver no longer worked for them. The company had increased his hours and decreased his pay, so he quit.
The building supply company had called me yesterday and told me that they did not have any 1/2″ rebar – I had ordered 15 pieces twenty foot long – but they could send 5/8″ rebar instead! OK! It will be harder to bend and cut and heavier to handle, but it will make my structure stronger!
The driver unloaded the block and stacked it in the driveway, using his forklift.
Then he unloaded the lumber and rebar and stacked it on the side of the road in front of the walk-in gate.
When he unloaded the 10 bags of cement, I found that they were all wet. In the past, they had covered the cement materials with plastic to keep it dry. This time, they didn’t bother and the truck must have gone through a rain storm on the way from Kona.
He said that he could leave it on the truck and return it, but I decided to have him unload it figuring that I could call and complain, and maybe they would give me a discount. Also, I kind of figured that while the top five bags were wet, the bottom five were probably dry, and even the top ones might possibly be OK because the bags have an inner plastic liner. But, why chance it? He was driving on to Hilo to do another drlivery, and I gave him a can of pepsi for the road!
Then I covered the cement with a tarp.
Wednesday May 8, 2024
I called the lumber company to complain about the wet cement bags. Along with the paperwork for the delivery. I was charged a deposit for 6 pallets at $25 per pallet, but there were only 4 pallets on the truck! The woman I talked with (she said her name was Sunshine) said that I only need to bring back 3 pallets. She told me that the software has a pre-programmed price of $25 per pallet, but they charge a deposit of $50 per pallet, so they double up the number of pallets. I said, “But when I bring in three pallets, you, or some other clerk will refund me $75.” She said, “Oh, no!” We are all on the same page with this!” We shall see!
I told her about the bags of cement that were not covered and got rained on during the trip from Kona, and she put me on hold, obviously to talk with her supervisor about the wet cement bags. After a bit of more discussion, she said that they would send out 10 new bags of cement tomorrow to replace the wet ones and pick up the ones that had gotten wet! Can’t beat that with a stick.
Then I began moving the materials from the side of the road, and stacking it a bit further away. Hopefully, this will make it more difficult for it to disappear.
I started with the rebar. I was right, substituting 5/8″ for the 1/2″ made it heavier to carry.
Next, I moved the top layer of 2 x 6’s and stacked them down by the garden steps. but above the area where the chipper is at.
This got me down to the 4 x 12 x 16 foot long beams. Heavy suckers! I tried to carry one – NO WAY! So, I tried using the wheelbarrow, but with only one wheel, it was top heavy and would tip over to the side. I couldn’t keep it upright.
At this point, I drove into Naalehu to the post office and picked up some screws I had ordered – it was less expensive to order them online and have them delivered to the post office than buy them at the hardware store locally. I also got a solar powered water pump for my fountain.
Then I stopped at the bakery for bread, and a farmers market and fruit stand for vegetables (squash, papayas. tomatoes, bananas).
When I got back to Holowai, I remembered that I had two small 8″ inflated wheels on an axle
Placing this under one end of the beam, and tying it on securely, I then picked up the opposite end and in “wheelbarrow” style, I wheeled it slowly and carefully, down the driveway and to the stack I was creating by the garden steps.
It was slow, but it was effective.
All I had to do was repeat the process, and eventually, I had the beams all moved.
Then I continued with the rest of the lumber and before the day was over, I had them all moved from alongside the road.
I ended the day by sorting through my pictures on a thumbdrive.
Thursday, May 9, 2024
Started off the day by continuing to sort through pictures on a thumbdrive and working on my blog posts.
My composting toilet consists of a wooden box with a toilet seat on top and a 5 gallon bucket inside the box. All of this sits on top of a wood pallet.
The wood pallet had begun to rot and fall apart. The wooden box is wobbly and rotting. I am concerned that one of these times, it will collapse when I sit on it. This seems to be something that will happen sooner than later, so today, I tore it all apart!
I put down a newer pallet and stood up one at the far end of the pallet as a wall, and one on each side, to create a small enclosure with a wooden pallet floor. I fastened this all together with the screws I picked up at the post office yesterday. Then I built a seat/bench across the back from one side to the other and installed the toilet seat in the middle of this seat/bench. I put a couple of braces under the toilet seat and pushed the bucket underneath.
A new and improved composting toilet!
On one side, I built an enclosed shelf large enough to hold four rolls of toilet paper with metal on the top and the back and a sliding door, all to keep the toilet paper out of the rain.
My delivery of the 120 bags of cement to replace the damaged ones arrived.
The driver picked up the original pallet of cement and put it on the truck . I put the tarp over the new cement and tied it in place.
Saturday May 11, 2024
THe four wheel drive in the truck does not function, so I have not driven down the driveway at Ahi. The surface seems to be quite stable and firm, and there are not a lot of loose rocks. There are even a few places where the tall grass has started to grow. I hope that this will hold the gravel in place when I drive on it.
So . . .
I decided to give it a shot today!
Big mistake!
I was able to back down without it sliding, so I thought it would be OK. I thought wrong!
As I tried to drive up the driveway, the front tires sank in and the back tires just spun until they dug holes. I was stuck!
I had purposely waited until a saturday, thinking that my neighbor Brian would be around and I could get him to pull me out with his truck. I have three tow straps that are each about fifteen feet long. I hooked them together and hooked one end to one of the hooks at the front of the truck. Then I walked over to Brian’s and told him my dilemma. He doubted that his truck could pull me out because it is not four wheel drive, but he suggested using his ATV, which IS four wheel drive.
It was a struggle, and we had to do a bit of digging out to give the wheels room to climb out of the holes they were in, We even used a couple of small pieces of fibreboard siding. It took us about an hour, but we finally got the truck up on Ahi road.
It left two deep ruts in the driveway. I guess it is not as firm as I thought!
Afterwards, I climbed on the roof of the bungalow to look at the view of the south coast!
Back at Holowai, it appears that something is eating the sprouts of my vegetables in the garden, so I sprayed them with insect repellant.
While fixing breakfast (french toast) I glanced down at the bird feeder on the Lanai.
There was one of those green/yellow/orange birds (I wish I knew what they were) licking out the bottom of the bird feeder.
OK, . . . It wasn’t actually licking it, as I don’t think they have a tongue and can do that if they did, but it was trying to get to the scraps in the cracks and joints of the feeder. So I crushed two Ritz crackers and put the crumbs into the feeder. 10 seconds later, the bird was back (or one like it), followed by two more, two red headed cardinals, and a Northern Red Cardinal. At first, they each took a turn at the feeder, but then the Northern Cardinal began bullying the red headed cardinals trying to chase them away.
After breakfast, it clouded over like it was going to rain . . . but it didn’t! Since the lawnmower is still out of commission, I proceeded to cut the grass and weeds out of the garden areas below the gazebo and down past the shed.
Then I went out to the road and began cutting the grass along the road in front of the walk-in gate and along the property towards Lorenzo’s property.
Doing this with hand clippers took most of the day!
Thursday – May 2, 2024
Watered the tire gardens. Lettuce, turnips, radishes and squash have all sprouted.
Worked at the Ahi property at the top of the driveway.
I started at the north corner (the one closest to the peak of Mauna Loa).
Using my hand clippers, I cut the tall grass along the side of the road from the property corner to the rock column at the driveway, across the front of the driveway, and about fiften feet past the rock column with the address sign.
Then I cut the grass and weeds on both sides of the driveway as it slopes down. The driveway seems to be quite firm – not as much loose gravel as before. I haven’t tried to drive on it yet though! I’m not too confident without four wheel drive.
Spent the rest of the day digging into the debris pile near the bungalow, on the opposite side of the pile, away from the bungalow.
I have separated a pile of rocks and large branches that I want to move to the sides of the driveway. – maybe tomorrow.
It was mainly overcast and cloudy for most of the afternoon.
Friday – May 3, 2024
It is overcast this morning and lightly raining with the typical slight breeze.
Rain hiding the ocean
Two Northern Red Cardinals are coming to the feeder on a rergular basis along with a half a dozen or so of the green/yellow/orange birds – I wish I knew what they were – I think they are a form of the Hawaiian Honeycreeper, so that is what I will call them!
Over at the Ahi lot, I worked on the plumbing drain lines for the bathroom. I am excavating through and under the concrete “footing” I have poured. I am going to need a chipping hammer to remove some of this rock.
I dug out more from the debris pile at the back part of the lot, then moved rocks and branches to shore up the sides of the driveway.
Saturday, May 4, 2024
Lazy morning – checked emails and news on the internet.
Watered the tire garden. The lettuce, turnips, radishes squash and beets are doing well. It looks like the cantaloupe (aka rock mellon), carrots and onions are starting to peek through the ground.
There are also lots of little plants in the tomato planter – at least 25 or 30. I can only hope that they are tomatoes. Time will tell.
The handle on my small sledgehammer broke, so, I cleaned out all the wood from inside the metal head and shaped the end of what was left of the handle to go into the head. Now I have a short handled small sledgehammer – 8 to 10 ” long!
It is raining when I get up and go outside of the shed. . . a light misting kind of rain.
In spite of the sprinkling rain, the first thing I do is to put the solar panels on the roof of the shed and hook them up to the controller and the batteries.
After breakfast, I sit in the gazebo and write letters and postcards.
Around 10AM, the rain lets up a bit so I plant a bunch of tomato seeds in the wooden planter where I had the tomato before, some onion, carrot and radish seeds in the other wooden planter, and some rock mellon (cantaloupe), squash, radish, turnips, and lettuce seeds in the tire garden.
Using my small hand clippers, I cut out the weeds from around the tire garden.
I walk over to Ahi and plant some rock mellon (cantaloupe) seeds in one of the tiered gardens on the front hill side. Then I dug out more rocks and dirt to create another planter area in the corner of the frontslope and the driveway and planted a mango tree I bought from a nursery on Kamaoa Road yesterday. It is a raposa Mango – whatever type that is.
I returned to Holowai, clearing out the little ditches I had created along the side of Palaoa Road to drain a couple of areas where the water puddles during the rain. The property at one of these larger puddles slopes away from the road on one side, but there is a slight berm on the side of the road. So, the last time I was here, I used my pick to cut a couple of ditches through the berm to drain the puddle. Today, I cleaned out and widened these little ditches.
At Holowai, I dug out the rocks from an area about 10 feet away from the house foundation. I plan on building a bathroom here similar to what I have started at Ahi. I can drain this right into the septic tank.
I used the rocks to build rock walls between the block walls and the center columns of the house along the side closest to the road. Then I used the dirt from this area and backfilled behind this rock wall. This rock wall will be the wall of the lower level of the house.
Monday April 29, 2024
Moved more rock and dirt from the bathroom excavation area.
Went into Naalehui to post office to mail letters and postcards
Stopped at transfer station and filled up a bunch of water bottles.
Later, I went back into Naalehu for a single stick of butter. I didn’t know that I could buy just a single stick ($1.79). I thought you had to buy the entire package of four sticks! I guess anything is possible in a small town market!
Tuesday, April 30, 2024
Each day, I have been putting crumbled up crackers in the bird feeder, and they have been gone when I returned to the gazebo, so I know that something is coming and eating them. I think it is the feral cats, because I haven’t seen any birds around the gazebo or at the feeder! I have seen two black cats. One looks older and is more gray . I can’t wait until the cat trap I have ordered arrives so I can relocate them!
This morning, my old friend, a northern Red Cardinal with ruffled feathers and a scruffy look came in and grabbed a few bites. I call him “Animal” after the drummer on the Muppets!
Yesterday, there was a bit of sunshine, and it started to dry out the soil in my tire gardens – so, I watered them. I also had a half a bag of steer manure, so I sprinkled a few handfuls on each garden. As I did so, it looked like my turnips and my lettuce has sprouted. Wahoo!
I walked over to Ahi and watered everything there –
the breadfruit tree,
the citrus seedlings, the new mango tree,
the macadamia nut tree
and the papayas on the front hill. I also dug out a few more rocks and stacked them on the wall I am building next to the driveway to contain the gravel.
I took a bucketful of dirt/mulch/leaves and added it to the papaya and poinciana I had planted on the Hilo side of the driveway. I took some rocks and built a well around them to help contain the water rather than just let it run off.
When I got back to Holowai, it was around 1 pm and the clouds had rolled in. It started to rain. Just a sprinkle, but nonetheless, rain! The rain continued throughout the afternoon. I spent the day under the gazebo.
Two of my kitchen totes containing my kitchen stuff did not have the lids on tightly while I was on the mainland. One of them had water get into it and it was a stinky mess. This tote had some self-contained waterproof items along with two boxes of saltine crackers. the cardboard boxes were soft and squishy, but the individually wrapped packets of crackers were dry. Nonetheless, it is now just birdfood. I took everything out of the tote, washed it all and dried it before putting it back in – making sure the lid was on tight!
The other tote held mainly canned goods along with four small plastic bags of instant mashed potatoes.
Apparently, I did not snap the lid down tight, and a mouse had gotten into the tote and chewed holes in all four of the mashed potatoes bags. There were potato flakes and mouse droppings all over everything! YUCK!!!
I heated some water. Lots of it! Very hot – boiling hot! Adding dish detergent, I washed each can thoroughly along with the inside of the tote. I let it all dry and then reloaded the tote! I need more mashed potatoes!
After dinner, spam, canned corn, and pineapple, I was sitting in the gazebo watching the sunlight fade away when two of the green, yellow and orange birds flew down to the feeder. Then came a bright red Northern Cardinal! They know I’m back!
The first week of March saw me returning to the mainland. The entire month of February I had the greatest peace there can be – totally disconnected from the insanity in the rest of the world!
Swimming Pool Maintenance
Two of the valves in the pool plumbing are broken making it difficult for Alanah to vacuum the pool. Luckily, in the winter time the pool can go for quite a while without much attention!
When I built the pool, I knew that the valves I used would not last forever, but I thought they would last more than a few years. But yet, everything needs maintenance. We could hire a pool repair company to replace them at a cost of around $1200, or I could buy new valves and replace them myself for around a hundred! Adding a round trip plane ticket cost of four to five hundred dollars still makes it convincing to return and do it myself!
Opera
We also had tickets to go to the opera. We have always enjoyed going to the opera for a little bit of cultural enlightenment. At least until the pandemic when the opera required that you wear a mask and provide proof that not only you were vaccinated, but that you had also been tested for Covid within 14 days of the performance!
Anyway, we have returned to the opera now that the world has admitted that society has all been fooled by our governments, and their owners in the big pharmaceutical companies!
Back in October, we attended the opera named Frankenstein in Phoenix. We were unimpressed! In fact, we were downright disappointed! We had the impression that there were no actual songs written for this opera, but instead, they simply put the standard dialogue to music while the performers pretended that it was opera! With the computer generated scenery, it appeared to be nothing more than an opportunty for some computer technicians to showcase their abilities! While a few times, there was a decent ballet performance, the best acting was at the end, when they all stood on the stage and with hands linked, they all bowed to the audience and acted like it was a good performance!
In March, we attended the performance of Romeo and Juliet in Tucson at the Linda Ronstadt Music Hall.
On the way down, we noticed the snow on the mountains north of Tucson.
As we approached the entrance, one of the opera employees was walking past the line of patrons and telling them that only a small, clear bag was allowed to be brought in. Alanah’s hand purse was too large, so we went back to the car and left it in the trunk. Then we had to go through a metal detector and a gauntlet of inspectors. Are they thinking that a terrorist will try to take over the opera? in Tucson?
One of the employees told me that I could not take in my clear tupperware cup with a lid holding about a cup of jelly beans because “Food and drink are not allowed to be brought into the theatre.”
So I stepped out of line and walked out of their sight around the corner. Then I emptied the jellybeans into my suit coat pockets, and got back in line.
As I went through the gauntet again, I was only holding the empty tupperware container . . . and since it was clear, they allowed it inside. Once inside, I took the jelly beans out of my pockets and put them back into the tupperware container! Instead of a metal detector, maybe in the future they will have a sugar detector!
I seem to recall that Romeo and Juliet was a Drama. A Romantic Drama to be exact. This performance was closer to a comedy act. And a poor one at that. I expected the old line of Juliet at the balcony calling out, “Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art though my Romeo” with the response – “I’m in the bushes . . . quick, throw me some toiletpaper!”
They had “adapted” the story to make it more “applicable” to current times by setting it in the 1960’s! The costumes were from this era, but yet they still spoke in the Old English script of the 13th and 14th century! “Why didst though come hither in your lowrider?”
I had a hard time restraining my laughter during the death scene in the crypt! Not many people were placed in an open crypt in the 1960’s! And the acting was so predictable. I expected the actor to say to Juliet’s “dead” body, “Look what evil though hast wrought now, Bitch!”
An elementary school drama teacher would have been highly disappointed in this performance! And I expect that Linda Ronstadt will request that her name be removed from the building!
Oh well. It was a good excuse to get out and go for a Sunday afternoon drive! And like Steve McQueen said in the movie “The Thomas Crown Affair”, . . . “What else are we going to do on a Sunday?“
Gardening
I have planted some vegetables in my small gardens. Even though most of them will not be ready to pick before I return to Hawaii at the end of April, that’s not the point!
In one of the back yard gardens, I have planted summer squash and onions.
In the planter behind this one, there are two rows of turnips, and a row of cauliflower and a row of cabbage.
In the garden planter closer to the pool, I have a row of radishes and some rows of corn behind some onions that have been there for a while.
In the planter next to the driveway where we usually have flowers, I have planted 7 or 8 rows of carrots. The carrots were taking a long time to come up, so I planted radishes in the bottom of the rows.
There are also two large pots on the back patio with tomato plants.
These have flowered and have little small green tomatoes just starting to grow.
Birds
Hawaii is not the only place where I am going to the birds!
Every time I have come out the door to the carport, there has been a hummingbird hanging out there. It would just hang there in the air for about ten seconds, and then fly away. I wondered what it was doing there.
Today, I found out. There were all kinds of bird droppings on top of Alanah’s Mercedes. Not big droppings like from a duck or a goose, but little droppings. They were definitely bird droppings, and there were lots of them. Directly above them is a series of ropes and hooks that I installed to lift the top off the convertible. On the ceiling above the ropes there are more of these droppings. Nestled within these ropes is a very small nest made of grass and leaves and paper shreds, very tightly woven together. It is smaller than a golf ball.
As I looked real close at it, I could see movement at the top of it, two small beaks poking up out of the nest, moving back and forth.
Then after we had gone in the house, I looked through the window in the door, and there was the hummingbird, on top of the nest, feeding the baby chicks.
Golf
My dad used to say that he wished he had the time to play golf. . . not that he would ever play, he just wished he had the time!
When I am here, I like to go to a small 9 hole executive golf course over in Mesa near Alma School Road and US Route 60.
4th Tee looking towards the lake
It has a lake that is the center point of the property and the golf course winds around the lake.
Looking across the end of the lake towards the 4th green
In the past, the lake has been only half full, but due to the recent rains, it is now overflowing.
The 7th tee. Normally there is no water here . . . just grass.
I’ve only been playing golf for the past fifteen years, and then very sporadically.
The 5th tee.
I like to tell people that I am twice the golfer that Tiger Woods is . . . I get to swing my clubs twice as many times as him, I get to hit the ball twice as many times as he does, so I must be having twice the fun!
If only!
When the first Japanese people saw Americans playing golf, they told their friends that Americans play crazy games. They chase a little white ball around a grassy field trying to hit it with a stick! Game is called, “AAAH Shit!”
A couple of more weeks and I’ll be back in Hawaii!
I have started to build a bathroom at the Ahi lot.
I leveled off an area that was the proper distance from the property lines – 20 feet set back from the front, and 8 foot setback from the side.
I set up some forms and started to pour concrete.
I did not have the plumbing fittings necessary for the toilet drain, so I left that part undone. I will finish this section after I get the fittings.
Initially, the toilet will be a composting toilet, and the drain plumbing will not be necessary.
In order to install a standard flushing style toilet, I will need to also install a septic system. Maybe I can use the hole I have created by removing the large rocks to reinforce the side of the driveway!
Once I have this bathroom built, I will remove the temporary outhouse.
When I was here earlier this year, the last thing I worked on was the foundation for the “shack near the beach”.
The next step is to lay block walls to set the floor framing on.
I started on the corner near the kitchen gazebo.
I know this sounds crazy, but I’m not sure exactly how high I want to go with these block walls. I am thinking that I want enough room underneath to walk, but that makes the floor almost 8 feet off the ground. Which is not so bad, as this would maximize the ocean view.
With room underneath, I could store a lot of things. I contemplate this as I lay up blocks in each corner.
I find that there is a height difference in one of the corners, so I set up some forms and attempt to pour a riser to make up the difference
With the four corners built up to 2 feet tall, I start on the columns in between the corners on the long side of the structure.
I back fill around the first corner along the path near the kitchen gazebo to makre it easier to walk past. I have always worried that I would fall in as I walked past this corner.
I decide that I want to go at least one more course higher, but I have used all the block I had stacked up by the gazebo. The only other block I have is the block that are stacked as stairs leading up to the porch/lanai of the shed. If I take these, a set of stairs will need to built. Luckily, I’m a carpenter! But first, I really need to repair/replace some of the deck boards.
With the deck a bit safer, I can build some steps up to this lanai.
Now I can use these additional block to lay another course on each corner.
I am contemplating filling in between the two corners and the two columns on the side nearest the street so that I can backfill this area as well. That is an issue for another time!
TropicalCastaway 