It's been so long since it's been here.... (George Harrison)

Ron and I walked outside this morning and looked to the sky. We shaded our eyes, squinting, rubbing them with wonder and awe. What, pray tell, was that foreign object in the sky; an orange orb lighting up the world? It was the sun, of course! We just hadn't seen it in so long.....

Happy St. Patrick's Day, ya'all. Even in Hawaii, everyone is Irish on St. Paddy's Day. We're headed downtown this afternoon, to a bastion of Haoli-ness. It's an Irish Pub called Nichols Public House. They promised to open at 8 a.m. this morning to be serving cornbeef and cabbage all day. It'll be a nice change from all the sushi, saimin and stir fry we've been consuming lately. We did find a tasty little gourmet pizza at the Kiawe Grill in Volcano a few nights ago. Anyway, we're going to the pub early so we can still make our bedtime. That's important when you get to be our age.

The rain has brought out some beautiful wonders around the yard. Yesterday, I discovered this orchid blooming in a pot on the driveway. The anthuriums, those cool red things, are loving all this cloudiness and dampness. They are one of those rainforest floor plants that abhor dry, sunny days.

I hope to produce a new episode #2 of the podcast this weekend or early next week at the latest.

They're still digging out of the mud and debris on the island of Kauai. Five people are still missing. They were washed away by an 18 foot wall of water when a dam broke due to pressure from too much rain. Mt. Waialele (the tallest peak on Kauai and the wettest spot on earth) has receive more than 100 inches of rain the past three weeks!
Meanwhile, here on the Big Island, they are forcasting six inches of snow at the summit of Mauna Kea. Kauai is still under flash flood watch, as are we, Maui and Oahu. They're now telling us it might begin to dry up starting Wednesday. They've said that at least a half dozen times over the past three weeks, so I take it with a big fat grain of salt.
That's it for this entry. I'm headed outside to relish in the dry weather. It's no longer sunny, but it's not raining, and that's a start. And it may only last another moment of two. Aloha!

Comments

Born and bred

The creature stared at me, wide-eyed through the florescent glare, Saran Wrap stretched tight across its broad back. Alone in the seafood cooler, he was the only one of his kind, there among the farmed, color-added Atlantic salmon and mud-flavored tilapia, perched on a blue foam tray, legs tucked 'round him like a comfy kitten. He didn't blink. He was dead, red, cooked and chilled, ready to eat. Such a find is rare in the City Market fish department in Gunnison, Colorado. What if nobody takes him home? I thought. This beautiful animal will have died needlessly, ripped from his home, family and friends (Dory, Nemo, Crush and Gill?) only to be tossed in the trash when his expiration date came and went. I lifted him for closer inspection, checked that date, felt the heft of him, scanned his surface for cracks and blemishes. The creature was perfect. I lowered him back into the cooler, nodded farewell, turned to walk away, took one step, and stopped. Shoppers strolled past, stud

Fruity booty

It was a long drive from Glenwood to the northern tip of the island -- three hours -- so for sustenance, we stopped at Baker Tom's for malasadas on the way. My pal Kathy and I were headed to Kapa'au for a hike, one we'd read about in the local newspaper. The couple who run Baker Tom's (not sure if the husband is actually Tom or not) are delightful, with enduring stamina. They're as old as radio, yet they're always on duty, ready to serve behind the counter, as they have for many years, frying, baking, brewing and smiling, there in Papaikou , gateway to the Hamakua Coast. The malasadas are enormous, cheap and delicious, the coffee OK, the tourists all happy to have discovered this place, buzzing with sugar and caffeine. They make a killer pumpkin cheesecake at Baker Tom's, too. It's always a pleasant stop. Ahapua'a . It's a Hawaiian land division, usually a strip or wedge, stretching from mountain to sea. Hawaiians lived in villages wit

On Tennis and Writing and Being Too Nice

I've recently been recruited to play tennis for a local 4.0 ladies tennis league team, referred to as either "Team Debbie" for the nice woman who manages us, or "Have Fun," which is our pre-match chant. We're still looking for a proper name. But we do have fun, despite getting creamed most outings. Last Saturday, we played in the Edith Kanakaole Tennis Stadium in Hilo. Good thing, too, since outside it was pouring, complete with thunder and lightning. It's a substantial structure, covered, yet open all around, most famous for hosting the annual Merrie Monarch Hula Festival in April. It was about 85 degrees outside and 100 percent humidity, air so thick it took three sucks of my albuterol inhaler just to breath. Several of us arrived early to warm up, but after twenty minutes' steady rallying with my teammate, Keiko, the human backboard, I was drenched. I played doubles with a nice, extremely fit and excellent ground-stroker named Cynthia from Pahoa.

Mountains and Islands

Search This Blog