USA 2012

John and I said goodbye to Kristen and Chris on Tuesday morning, Sept 18.  They were leaving shortly for Japan, where Chris was being reassigned as a Navy Officer.  They had taken us out to dinner the night before, and we shared a toast to the many adventures that awaited us both.  We left shortly after our goodbyes for our 6-week road trip.

SIOUX CITY, IOWA

We drove lots of miles, across many corn fields (very dry) to get to our first major stop, which was Sioux City, Iowa.  His mother grew up in Sioux City, and he has heard some of the stories, but had never been there.  We found his mother's senior picture in a high school yearbook in the genealogical libray, as well as some other interesting tidbits; found the grocery store his grandfather owned (now a seedy bar), and the older apartment complex where his grandmother lived in her later years, and probably the home his mother lived in, although we weren't sure if it was the same home, even though it was the correct address.  We found the Graceland Cemetery and the Griffen family plot where his grandmother, grandfather and other relatives are buried.  All of this was a real high for John.  We only wish there were still some relatives alive who could fill in the stories.

 

We also went to a museum and learned more about that part of the country, including the huge corn palaces they had built earlier -- all out of corn cobs!

 

 



Leaving Hilo

We flew home on Thursday and are now back in our Santa Rosa home. It is good to be back, but we have some precious memories of our time in Hilo, Hawaii. They include:

1. The people in the church were so very friendly and welcoming, and made us feel special. They completely furnished the parsonage with just about everything we would need to make it feel like home, and often gave us small gifts or food items.

2. The diversity of ethnicities was refreshing; we white-skinned people were in the minority.

3. The spoken Hawaiian language is beautiful, and the culture is imparted often through the hula dances, drumming and chanting -- all of which adds flavor to who they are.

4. It rains a lot in Hilo, particularly during the months we happened to be there, but for the locals, it didn't seem to rain enough. We would often be awakened at night because of the loud downpours on our metal roof.

5. We were lulled to sleep--or kept awake!--by the coquis (small frogs that would come out at night with their all-night mating calls; they sounded a lot like birds.)

6. We didn't mind the small geckos that inhabited the house with us, but we didn't enjoy the cockroaches, or the small flying termites that were drawn to the light at night (they lost their wings when flying around) but somehow they would disappear about 8:00 every night.

7. We will miss the beautiful beach parks where we would picnic, or just sit and read, and watch the waves and the local people having a good time.

8. We will miss the wonderful seafood meals, and the fresh pineapple and papayas and other fruits and vegetables at the open-air market every day of the week.

9. We will miss all the gorgeous flowers and lush vegetation.

10. Lots of lava everywhere -- but then without the volcanoes, the islands wouldn't exist! If we wait around another 15,000 years, though, we could stand on a new island being formed now under the sea near the Big Island.

10. We loved having so many guests share the experience with us.

It was truly a special time for us.


We leave with memories, and gifts. Tom Olcott, the pastor of the Church of the Holy Cross (UCC), is a wonderful artist. He gave us several of his paintings before we left; we will proudly display them in our Santa Rosa home to remind us of Hilo: Mauna Kea; downtown Hilo; floral bouquet...

We had a difficult time packing up our 3 suitcases to come home. We ended up leaving some things behind because we exceeded the 50-lb per bag weight limit.

We took a couple days R&R on the Kona side of the island after I officially ended my work at the church, again staying at the Sheraton Hotel in Keahou. We had hoped for a lot of sun, but it rained some even on that side of the island. But we did get to snorkel and sit by the pool some. In the evenings at that hotel, they shine a light onto the ocean, and the manta rays feed on the plankton just off the rocks by the hotel. They are a joy to watch, but even more entertaining this time were 3 crazy guys who climbed over the rocks to get in the water and swim with them.

We also went into the Hulilee Palace in Kona, with the beautiful furnishings from around the world, and were again given some of the history of the monarchy before statehood. Very interesting.

We also enjoyed meals out at Huggos, an open-air restaurant on the water with music. We had lunch before leaving at the Fish Monger in the busy part of Kona. A nice ending to our Hawaiian work/holiday!

On our last full day in Hilo, we were given a tour of Green Point Nursery by Eric (pictured), and his father. His father started in the anthurium business 30+ years ago, and now has a multi-million dollar operation and large staff. I have never seen so many anthuriums -- and more colors than I ever realized! The plants grow in a lava rock mixture, not soil, and are kept at a certain temperature and moisture level due, in part, to the mesh screen overhead and their irrigation system. They are using very progressive techniques. Quite fascinating -- and beautiful!

We ate at the Hilo Bay Cafe, rated one of the best on the islands, for our last night -- we had to use the gift card there that one of our guests (thanks Alan & Sue) had given us! Another terrific meal -- ono is our favorite seafood, and the presentation there is always beautiufl. We don't usually have dessert, but we splurged with a piece of decadent lava cake with java ice cream.

John kept up his exercise program at the YMCA that was just down the street from our house in Hilo. I didn't, so with all the food we've eaten, and lack of exercise for me, I'm looking forward to more exercise when we get home.

We returned to our wonderful home, lovingly cared for (part of the time we were gone) by Jennifer Weil and Jerry Wilhelm. Everything was sparkling clean and ready and waiting for us when we arrived in the wee hours of Friday morning. We thank God for such a marvelous experience, safe travel, new friends, precious memories.

Mahalo (thank you) for being one of our blog readers. Farewell for now!

11th week in Hilo

Our last full week has been somewhat uneventful. One day we went back to Volcano National Park with Stan and Karen, hoping to finally get in a good hike. Alas, it was the stormiest day yet --rain, thunder and lightning and quite cool. No hiking. And to think the prior week had been warm and sunny most of the week!

Since they have a lot of contacts here, we invited one of their friends over for lunch one day. Keliko is a professor of Hawaiian language and culture at the University. Very interesting to hear his stories. He was the MC at a community event we went to on Sunday afternoon.

On Karen and Stan's last day here, they took us to another beautiful area on the island that had great snorkeling, but we were too late in the day to get in the water. And we were on our way to a "last supper" with them at a restaurant in Pahoa -- a funky little town not too far from us. Great dinner!

I was privileged to be part of a welcoming lunch for a missionary from Japan who flew into Hilo this week. She and her husband are Filipino but she has served at a University in Japan for 25 years. Another great global exchange.



Friday evening we invited Geoff and Lyn over to dinner (the former Harvest for the Hungry gardeners in Santa Rosa who now have an eco-farm in Hawaii. -- We did a field trip to their place with members of the church here.) It was a little unnerving as to what to serve for dinner, but I think the macadamia-nut mahimahi, eggplant-tomato-pasta, soy bok choy and salad did okay. They brought wine they had made from their farm products, so we were all happy. It is so great to re-connect with them here.


On Sunday the Church of the Holy Cross congregation did a great farewell for us. We were given leis (homemade), gifts, coffee, paintings (Pastor Tom Olcott is a wonderful artist), framed art--so many things, including a reception with more food! One of the women made a haku lei (head ring) for me that was gorgeous. I just wish I had long brown hair and darker skin to make it look as gorgeous on me as it was just by itself! The whole congregation sang the beautiful farewell song, Aloha Oe, to John and me at the end. Very touching. This congregation has been super welcoming and gracious.

Mother's Day afternoon we went to a "Mother's Day May Day Mele" at one of the theaters -- lots of hulas, guitars, ukeleles and singing. Such beautiful voices and graceful dancing. We planned to close the afternoon out at one of the beautiful beach parks, watching the waves crash, drinking a glass of champagne and eating macadamia nuts. It looked like it was sunny when we started, but by the time we left the theater, it was cloudy and threatened rain. Oh, well--that's been our Hilo experience!

We have a couple days of R&R before flying home on Thursday. I'll do one final wrap-up, and then this will all go into the "precious memories" file!

10th week -- Merrie Monarch week

Our friends, Karen and Stan Johnsen, were our visitors this week. They have led many Sierra Club outings to the islands, and know how to get around better than we do. Their first stop: the Island Candy place that makes and sell cookies and candies, including hand-dipped
chocolate macadamia nut shortbread. Yummy! Free samples are a draw!

That evening we had a barbeque at one of the beach parks -- a beautiful way to start their trip with us.

They planned their time with us to coincide with the Merrie Monarch Festival -- the annual hula competition week in Hilo. There were hula demonstrations and competitions every day Wednesday-Saturday. Many free demonstrations at the hotels, (with ocean-view backgrounds) and craft events throughout the community.

We were able to get tickets to the evening competition events through someone in the church, even though the tickets are sold out the day after they are put out for sale -- the end of December!

The evenings began with the conch shell blowers each night, then the royal court (elected king and queen) procession. Each of the hula competitions begin with an ancient Hawaiian chant and drumming by musicians, then the dancers themselves chant out the story. Some of the dances are from the ancient Hawaiians; some are the more modern graceful dances. The first night there were 12 beautiful young. Friday and Saturday evenings are women or men groups (up to 32 dancers), with amazing skill and precision. Their outfits and leis are beautiful -- all researched for authenticity and made by the dancers. The sound, aroma, and sight is something to behold. It is quite a cultural event. The audience also dresses up with floral pieces in their hair or around their neck, with many aloha dresses and shirts.

On Saturday there was a big parade -- it included 91 entries. We heard 10,000 people come into Hilo for the week-- not sure it was quite that crowded, but it is a big deal!

One of the special treats this week was being invited to Rev. & Mrs. Yamane's home for a Japanese meal. Rev. Yamane is a former, now retired, minister of Church of the Holy Cross. Mrs. Yamane made the most delicious tempura dishes, cooking some of it at the living room table. We feasted! It was very interesting to hear some of her stories of growing up in Japan during the war. She remembers, as a child, they were afraid when the American soldiers came after the war -- afraid they would take all the women and children and rape them, because that was what she had learned the Japanese soldiers had done to captives in other lands. They were so surprised at how kind the Americans were. When she was in high school, her grandparents who lived in Utah, and who had lost a well-paying job in the States because he was Japanese, somehow got enough money together to send for her so she could be educated in the States.

Early in the week John and I had a chance to go to the north coast of Kohala. for a day-- beautiful views. And the best white sand and swimming beach on the island is at Spencer on the Kona side. Another great day in Paradise!