My aloha dream

I think other people’s dreams are pretty boring. If they show up in a book, I skim the passage. If someone tells me his or her dream, I usually don’t listen closely (sorry, I’m an ass!) If it is a dream sequence in a movie, I am usually annoyed.

So, let me tell you my dream last night. It started as a general anxiety dream – I was running down a road to my parent’s house, as I had no car. I had to get to the airport to fly to Hawai’i but it looked like I would be late. I barely made the plane and I realized that I hadn’t brought luggage; I hadn’t arranged a place to sleep; no one knew I was coming. As I entered the plane, the stewardess said that if I wanted a drink, I had to give her cash right then. I didn’t have any cash, though I had a credit card. She wouldn’t take it.

So, yep, I was in a full-blown anxiety dream.

But, then, I said to myself – well I have a lot of clothes at our house on Alae. I could buy a bag at the Salvation Army for next to nothing. John and Jessica, our tenants, would surely let me take the car back early. Bud would put me up. Or Dick and Carol. Or Casey and Bill. (Edit - learn about these wonderful folks here.) When I arrived in Hilo, I called Bud and he said come on over. He fed me a cocktail and said I could stay as long as I liked. I called Jessica (who I had never met) and she insisted that I come over for breakfast the next morning and said I was welcome to stay with them, too. I let all my other friends know I was in town and they all said that I simply must stay at their respective homes sometime. All my anxiety melted away.

So, turns out that anxiety is just no match for aloha.

Bye Hilo....

Well, we head back to Santa Cruz tomorrow. Last night we had a lanai-warming and goodbye party. We thought it might rain, so we put up a canopy (thanks John and Adam!). It didn't rain but it did give the lanai the proper feel. (Without a roof, it is really just a deck).

Today we woke up to a glorious, sunny day. It was nice to see Mauna Kea one more time in all her glory.

One thing I haven't mentioned is the sound at night. Please listen to this 17 second video I took yesterday night. This is what we hear every night, all the night. It is the sound of the invasive coqui frog. There is a war on these little, horny guys (the sound is a nightly mating cry of the male coqui). They came in 1988 from Puerto Rico and completely changed the soundscape. Leslie and I like the sound, but others cannot stand it. Just a little warning for those who might want to visit us next time we come.

The last lanai post

It's essentially done. At least as done as I am going to do it this trip. Next trip, I will put a roof over it and build another section (that will not have a roof). But, it is now ready for use. Too bad we won't be the ones using it. (Well, there is our "lanai warming" party on Sunday.) But I am very happy that our tenants, John and Jessica, will be able to use it. Anyway, here is a last construction picture from Hawaii:


And, a little video surveying the new lanai:

I'm all wet

With only five days left here, I have to work in the rain when it comes. It came. I took the following picture after of about 15 minutes of rain... But, I am making progress with the lanai. Really. I think I will finish the thing tomorrow. So, please await the final pictures. And, yes, I will be getting my hair cut when I am back in Santa Cruz.

Here is what my hair looked like 3 1/2 months earlier (with a slightly fuzzy photo ...) I think shorter is better. (Update: Adam says I look like Bill Clinton here.)

95% of the lanai is done

Voici:


I just have to install rails for the stairs and and trim out the railing on the lanai. I am so glad that the rain held off long enough to get this, essentially, done.

Leslie is on the deck with our friend, Adam, who just flew in today. Yesterday and this morning, we had a great time with two other friends, Jill and Dave. And, later in the week, our friend Enda and his dad are coming for a night. Just a whirlwind of activity for our last week.

So, where is the damn lanai?

I know I keep saying things like, "time to work on the lanai." But, I have shown no proof that progress is being made. I am sorry. I have had to work around a lot of rain - which has finally abated. Also, I really have no secure idea of what I am doing. I sort of feel my way along. You know that old adage "measure twice, cut once"? My variation is "measure six times, cut two or, at very worst, three times". So, I am very slow. But, I have made progress! Leslie is doing the painting while I do everything else necessary to prepare for the steps and railings. I promise they will magically be on the lanai soon (rain notwithstanding) and I will be really done. I better be as we only have a week left on the island. Plus, we are having a "lanai warming" party on the 11th. That is more motivation, don't you think?

Voici the bulk of the railing parts.

Voici the stringers for the stairs. (I didn't know the word stringer before I started working on this thing which proves, I believe, that I have no idea what I am doing.)

Voici some holes in the ground for railing posts.


And, I do have a long list of other tasks that I continue to work on. In this case, I caught an hour between rain to re-glaze the basement windows. (I do know what I am doing here, by the way.)

Happy New Year!

Voici the finished snowman

Aren't those girls with their slippahs so cute? (Slippahs = thongs, flip-flops, go-aheads, zories, rubber sandals - what word did you use growing up? I used thongs.)

This morning, this is what was left. Note the firecrackers surrounding our melted man.

Last night was a semi-bust at Coconut Island as the rain came back when we got there. I held on outside with Valerie for a bit.

But, I headed under cover soon after. I am talking here to our tenant, John. He and his wife, Jessica, are moving in for a year as soon as we leave. Actually, John is moving in today. We thought a period of overlap was a good idea since we are leaving him a furnished house, the car and other things. He is a swell guy and the co-head brewer for a local brewery. But, his wife doesn't come in until January 13th, the day we leave. So, we won't get to meet her - at least in 2009.

I couldn't hang on for the big fireworks spectacular that is the Hilo New Year. I just conked out at about 9:00 pm - late for me. I was semi-roused at midnight as the sound did penetrate my deep sleep, but really I missed the whole thing. Leslie, however, was forced to tend to Rosie. We had given her a chill pill that the doctor prescribed but it didn't work. Leslie then tried to get her a bit drunk with a concoction of vodka, milk and honey. It did work, eventually, but Leslie had to spend about a hour on the floor with our traumatized dog. Sorry, Leslie, that I am such a bum, sleeping through it all.

The storm seems to have finally passed and we are back to normal here on January 1, 2009. From the back yard, looking toward Mauna Kea's snow. Yes I am in my shorts and tank top and knee pads and heading off to work on the lanai....

Snowman in Hilo

Yes, a snowman in Hilo. More tomorrow. We must run off and watch fireworks today. They are still making the snowman. Perhaps another picture tomorrow...Happy New Year

Still raining

Hilo is making up for the lack of rain earlier in the year. We are up to more than 20 inches since Christmas. So, what to do? A jigsaw puzzle, of course! Ken started it before he left and we (a visiting friend Valerie and I) finished it during a 4" in two hour downpour. It was one of those puzzles with only two different types of pieces so you have to match everything by color. Very hard on the eyes...

Leslie headed over to the dry side today so our friends could actually see sun. But, for me, more deck....if it doesn't rain all the time. So far, so good. I've put in three hours so far today without rain. Just taking a blog break.

What rain! Quell pluie!!

After over three months living here, we actually got a real Hilo-style rain! In a 24 hour period yesterday, there was over 10 inches of rain (25 cm)! That is more rain than Hapuna - which is about 1 1/2 hours from here on the other side of the island - receives in a full year. Impressive!

And the more impressive fact, there are no puddles this morning. No mushy grass. I could drive the car on the grass without hurting it now. If there is no rain today, I could mow the grass later today! This is, of course, because all the rock is volcanic and pourous. It is so wonderful! I love Hilo!!!! At cocktail hour, we watched the rain. In this particular hour, it rained 1.67 inches (4.2 cm). As you will hear, I guessed on the video that it had rained 6-8 inches in two days. I got that quite wrong. It actually rained 13.72 inches (34.8 cm).

And, yes, here I am singing you-know-what just like Gene Kelly. (Pour mes français amies qui ne connaissent pas Gene Kelly, voyez ici.)

The storm started on Christmas Day with a mere 2.8 inches (7.3 cm). We were able to find a period with no rain to dedicate the deck.

In the night, it rained almost 5 inches (presque 12 cm). Perhaps, the gods were mad as Smiley and Ken were leaving the island to return to LA in the morning? The storm was fairly quiet, though, as they flew off. However, the rain, thunder and lightning returned in the afternoon. Smiley, sorry that you missed the finale! You would have loved it.

You might have noticed that more French is creeping into the blog. The reason is that my best French friend, Judith, is on break from school now. I know that she will have more opportunity to check my blog during this period, so I want her to see that I am considering her needs! Her English is good, but I didn't think she would understand the Gene Kelly reference and I am sure she hasn't bothered to learn by heart our stupid measurement system. Why should she? Go metric now!!

I had planned to take Christmas and yesterday off from doing the deck. The storm was nice enough to fit into my schedule. Back to the deck today! If you examine the deck closely, you will note that I still have a lot of screws to put in. I will admit that my Lanai Day 6 - Voila! was a teeny bit deceptive....

Le tour d'Hawaï en français

J'essaie d'apprendre à parler français, mais je ne suis pas encore bonne à ça. Mais, j'ai fait cette vidéo quand même. C'est un tour de la Grande Île d'Hawaï avec beaucoup des accessoires. Oui, elle est un peu absurde. Pour la version anglais, va ici.

Mele Kalikimaka (Merry Christmas)

I am wishing you a blog Christmas with these offerings.

First, our Hawaiian creche made of coral, a coconut and a seed pod. (Leslie and Smiley's creation.)

And, the Karst family singers (aka the Krapp family singers) bring you the Christmas Luau song, which Robert taught us.

And, our special gift is a two-part introduction to the Big Island brought to you by me, Smiley and Leslie. Whether you know the Big Island well or not at all, I think you will find it a very enjoyable summary. (Pour mes amies français, une version français viendra bientôt.)

Lanai Day 6 - Voila!

Our President

I put this picture on my blog as a service to my readership so you don't have to search the internet. Aren't I considerate? Also, bonus boogie-boarding (update: oops, I meant body-surfing...) from last August.

Lanai Day 5

I almost completed my lanai plan for the day. The boards to the kitchen door are in, but not completely screwed in. Also, I didn't have the time to create a step for Rosie. But, she successfully negotiated the front steps. As long as the rain stays away, I should be able to finish enough of the lanai so that we can actually use it on Christmas!

After the work of the day, we had a rendezvous with our friends, Bill and Casey, at Coconut Island. It was beautiful as always.

Part of the fun in going there is to watch the locals enjoying themselves. These girls were lots of fun.

Lanai Day 3/4

I wanted to give a lanai update. For those who want the step by step building process, I offer these photos.

On Saturday, I graded the deck area so that the water would flow towards the driveway, then poured the footings.


Here is how it looked after creating the footings.


On Monday, we had a paint factory with Ken, Smiley and Leslie putting a prime coat on boards that will be part of the railing or stairs.

Meanwhile, I was installing the beams (with Leslie's help on occasion). This is what it looked like at the end of the day.


Tomorrow, I plan to install most or all of the joists and put the deck boards down in one area so we will still be able to access our kitchen door. The deck boards will lay right over the old porch you see pictured. I have also got to create some sort of temporary stairs for Rosie so she can make her way into the back yard. (The front steps are difficult for her to negotiate.)

Another lava day

I took yesterday off from working on the lanai so Leslie and I could go out to see hot lava. There is virtually nothing better in the world in our view. It is just so awesome to see the movement, feel the heat, hear the sounds. Pictures are great but they don't do it justice. If you have never seen hot lava up close, please put it on your to do list.

But, before the lava, I want to mention our Friday evening. It was a beautiful, warm, rain-free day in which I worked happily on the lanai. After the work of the day, we went out to our favorite cocktail spot - Coconut Island - and were treated to wonderful views of the two dominant mountains on the Big Island - Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea. They are both about 14,000 feet high (or about 4,250 meters). It is hard to really appreciate how massive they are from photos. In fact, Mauna Loa is the largest volcano on earth with Mauna Kea close behind. During the winter, there is sometimes snow on Mauna Kea, as there is in this photo. But, while snow falls on Mauna Loa, it rarely lasts long enough to see because....my brother Russ will have to explain that. Anyway, voici.


After this gorgeous, clear day - as we slept - we received about an inch of rain. By the morning, it was again clear and beautiful. I love Hilo. Ok...onto the lava.

So, to find the surface flows, it is best to go out before sunrise. The red glows show where there is an active flow. To aid our search, I climbed up this little outcropping. I am pointing out where the flows are to Leslie.

This is what I saw (sorry it is a bit blurry but you can get the idea).

Here is another shot taken from the other side of the outcropping showing the plume from the lava flowing into the sea (via a lava tube beneath the surface). FYI, it took us about an hour to get the ocean entry and about 1 1/2 hours to get to the surface flow.

When we arrived at the lava, I got to work. First, I laid out the kitchen utensils.

I taped on one of the utensils to a paint extension I brought for the job.
I dipped it into the lava.

We repeated these steps until all our utensils had a rock on them. Here are the utensils (and a few other rocks unconnected to metal...)

Here is a couple of videos of the process: one a failed attempt; one more successful.

For those not interested in our "work", here are just a few pictures from yesterday and a video of the lava.

After our trip to the lava, as usual, we went and watered our palms and grabbed a bunch of rocks for our garden.

Lanai Day 2 (bonus: Robin shirtless) update: kind of

So, on my first full day on the lanai, I was able to lay it out. Our lawn goes uphill, so the lanai will be basically at ground level on one side and about 3 feet high on the other side. I am going to slope it very slightly away from the house so the rain runs off it. Here is a picture showing the grading. The two joists coming from the wall are in their proper slope and square to each other. (Thank you Pythagoras! Without his theorem, I would have no idea how to square a structure. Math is so useful in life.) The board across is level. It all looks a little wonky, but really it is level.

I started to ready the footings in the areas that don't need grading. Basically, Leslie and I dug the holes to put tubes in. Then, I will put concrete with an anchor in the tube. Voici. (This is a very useful French word which, in this context, means "here it is - take a look". Ok, Laura R. you have just learned another French word - that was painless, n'est-ce pas? I will teach you how to pronounce it in January....)


Today, I must do some grading of the area that is near ground level and then I will, weather permitting, pour the footings. But, it is raining now so I am doing the blog right now.

Yesterday, after I worked, my hair looked a sight (and I was quite dirty, of course). Voici the hair.

So, I took a shower. To show you all my tan, I look a picture after my shower. For people who know me well, you can see that there is tan in places that almost never see the sun in Santa Cruz. I rarely wear anything sleeveless at home. It is the opposite here. I was going to crop it so you couldn't see my little stomach bulge and fat lines in my back. But, I talked to my friend Judith today and I told her that I had gained a little weight. She doubted the truth of my claim. So, Judith, voici! (update: Judith did laugh but was worried about me advertising my shirtlessness to the world. She thinks that there are bad people out there and the fact of the picture would lead to something bad. Now, this is coming from a French woman! There are beaucoup the shirtless women on TV ads and on billboards there. But, I promised that I would change it. Voilà.)

If you like construction...

...well, then, the next month of posts might be interesting to you. If not, oh well! It is just that I am going to be doing the deck (lanai in Hawaiian). When I do a project, I tend to be obsessed. Now, I do have plans for a couple of volcano-related posts. So, watch for those. And perhaps I will get the energy to put on a picture here and there of something else. But, beyond that, I think it will be a whole lot about the lanai.

So, let's get started!

Here is a computer sketch of the lanai. I will be adding another section of the lanai to the right next time I come. But, I will not be coming next year though Leslie and her folks will be. Leslie and Smiley both really, really want a lanai for the next visit. So, voilà, there will be one. I put a few of the decking boards in the sketch over the structure to show the layout of them. The kitchen door will open onto the lanai.
Yesterday, the deck materials were dropped off at 7:30 am. (One of the many great things about Hawaii is that you can drive over a wet lawn without harming the grass. )

The hardest job of the day was taking apart the pallet that the supplies came on . They attached six 16' 2x6 boards to six 2x4s with a ridiculous amounts of nails. Since I can use the 2x6's in the future, I didn't want to just hack them up. I don't own a crowbar here and it wasn't worth buying one just for this. But, between my hammer and my sawzall, I did get it done. But, it was about 80 degrees out and I was sweating buckets...