Greetings from Hilo, Hawaii

John and Gayle were greeted by Rev. Tom & Lois Olcott and Sue Smith (minister and lay women) from the Church of the Holy Cross when they landed in Hilo, HI (the Big Island) on Monday, February 14. Gayle will be starting a 3-month part-time associate pastor position at this church on Tuesday, February 22.

A 4-bedroom, 2 bath parsonage (house) next to the church has been lovingly furnished by the congregation and provided for us. We feel blessed to have this opportunity. We have driven around Hilo a bit in the last couple of days and are starting to get the lay of the land. Not so many sandy beaches on this side of the island (Kona, on the other side, has more), but lots to do. We're looking forward to having time to explore.



Before officially starting the work, we took a several day trip to Kauai for a vacation. We love the snorkeling and beaches, the flora and fauna on that Garden Isle. My favorite beach, Ke'e, is at the end of the road on the north side of the island. Very crowded and overcast the day we were there, so not quite as idealic as I remembered. Not very good snorkeling, either, unfortunately. The snorkeling was best near where we were staying at Poipu area.

I didn't remember so many wild chickens. They are scavengers on the beaches and parks, like sea gulls might be in our area. We learned a new term for the hazy atmosphere -- "voggy." It has to do with the ash from the volcanic activity on the Big Island, we were told. The weather was mostly good, but cooler and cloudier than other times we've visited. The trip to the Waimea Canyon alternated between foggy, filtered sun and downpouring rain, so the visibility was not as good as we would have liked.

All in all, though, a wonderful way to begin our time in Hawaii.