Tuesday Thoughts

East shore of the Big Island of Hawaii January 2019

“What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.”
― Ralph Waldo Emerson

Fruity

Found a new fruit in the grocery store.  I paired it with some blueberries.

It is golden kiwi, specifically California Golden Kiwi.  Far Guy thought the flavor was more intense.  I thought it was about the same.  The fruits seem a bit smaller than regular kiwi.

This is a fruit we had in Hawaii.

These are half peeled.  The white part is the part you eat, there is a small brown seed inside the white part which you should not eat.  This is a Rambutan and it is very rich in Vitamin C.  It has the texture of a grape and kinda tastes like a tangy grape.  Needless to say our grocery store does not have them.

Far Side

Hawaii: Day Eleven

Our last day in Hawaii began with a breakfast of various meat, eggs and fruit...oh and a bit of Passionfruit Jam!   The lanai was a perfect place to eat.

Goodbye Ocean View Condo

We headed out to visit some different beaches.  Our flight did not leave until 9:30 in the evening so we had all day. 

Kukio Beach

We watched turtles in the water and sunning themselves on the rocks. 

We headed out to The Lava Lava Beach Club for a late lunch.

We played Giant Jenga whist we waited...well Andy, Logan and I played.  I lost, I had my board removed but as I was placing it on top the whole thing toppled.

The table next to ours was vacated and the birds moved in...birds must eat too!

Me, Jen and Far Guy (Photo by Andy)

Jen loves Hawaii, the sun and the warm weather. 

We headed to the old Kona Airport Beach to watch the sunset before we headed to the airport.  Just as we got there a whale was sighted just off shore...we watched and watched but we didn't see it again. 

Andy, Adam and Jen

Goodbye Ocean, Goodbye Sun, Goodbye Hawaii

Off to the airport to get checked in with just one tiny glitch that was quickly corrected.  I think Far Guy had visions of another paperwork/oxygen nightmare.  

We got to Los Angeles in the middle of the night and then from there to Minneapolis in the afternoon and home in the evening of day number twelve ( or day number 15 if you count blizzard days in Fargo in the motel.) 

The change in weather was drastic.. but it was good to be home safe and mostly sound...Far Guy had a bad cold that he is still recovering from. 

We cannot thank our daughter, son in law, grandson and grandson's friend enough for putting up with us old folks.  It was a wonderful multi generational vacation!

It was a trip we had always planned to do after we completed our pet responsibilities.

Far Side  

Hawaii: Day Ten

We got up early and headed north for a Whale Watching Tour. Since we were up early I thought perhaps everyone would see The Southern Cross but it was cloudy.

Whales are active early in the morning.

A fin

Water spout 

Whale breaching

Big splash

Tail flip

Why they are called Humpback Whales

Spinner Dolphins near the harbor.

Adam and his Grandpa

Andy, Jen and Adam

We went out on a boat called the Lady Ann

It was a fun outing we all enjoyed spending the morning out on the water. 

Later that day, we went by the Farmer's Market and enjoyed some shaved ice (grape) and walked around.  Far Guy purchased a Christmas ornament for our collection.  We bought some ribs for supper from a vendor.  All the kids went on a Manta Ray adventure that evening.

I spent some time repacking suitcases ...the next day would be our last day in Hawaii.

Far Side

Hawaii: Day Nine

Far Guy finished his book and gave it to me so I read it until I got so sleepy I had to take a nap. The book was called The 50-year Secret.  It was about a gal that was adopted and later in life discovered she had Alpha One Antitripsin Deficiency.

The kids were jumping off some cliffs or something that older folks wouldn't want to witness.

After they got back we went to the shopping district in Kona and I bought a small summer purse at a small shop owned by a fellow named Tony from Minnesota originally.  We met a fair amount of people that were originally from Minnesota or Iowa.  Some came, burned their return tickets and stayed.  Most said their family moved over also after a visit or two.

In the evening we played Cards against Humanity.  Much funnier than the sedate card game of golf that we had played the previous evening.

View from the lanai

One time during the afternoon Far Guy was trying to get his steps in for the day...he walked out on the south walkway...came back saying there was no way anyone could walk barefoot on that side of the building...even though the tile was a beige color it absorbed the heat.  We could see people barefoot down at the beach hot footing it to the shade.

The same little lady walked two dogs everyday...their feet must be really tough...although she let them walk in the grass part of the time.

You need sunscreen, hats and sunglasses on a Hawaiian vacation.  No need to pack many clothes either just go to the thrift shops or The Markets and buy muumuus!  Target had a huge selection of swimsuits and beachwear.

Eggs were $3.50 a dozen (no wonder we saw chickens in the country.) Bread was $9 something in smaller stores $5 at Walmart.  Milk was $5 for 64 ounces.  2  cups of shredded Cojack cheese was $3.99.  Fruit;  Apples $1.79 a pound, Oranges $1.99 a pound, Pineapple 94 cents a pound, Red Grapes $2.99 a pound, Cantaloupe $1.39 a pound, and Potatoes were $1.29 a pound. Bacon was $10 at smaller stores and $5.99 at larger grocery stores.  You get 5 cents credit per bag for bringing your own bags, not sure what they charge per bag if you don't have your own.  Hawaii does not use plastic bags.

Far Side

Hawaii: Day Eight

I was up very early in the morning (before dawn), the sky was clear and I was able to see the Southern Cross just above the southern horizon….that was a real treat for me.

Flowers

I caught up on blog reading while doing laundry, had several naps after a cool off in the pool.  The kids went Parasailing.

Far Guy rested, read and just enjoyed the breeze on the lanai.

We watched people down at the beach. The palm trees swayed in the breeze.

  It was a lovely sunset. We enjoyed a day of relaxing!
Far Side

Hawaii : Day Seven

We spent the morning at a nearby bay watching the teenagers on kayaks and the parents on paddleboards.

Far Guy took this photo with his phone.

We checked out of the Sheraton and went to lunch at Longboards Pizza, possibly the best pizza I have ever tasted...Adam agreed with me.

We headed out to the old Kona Airport to a public beach.

Most of the beaches have lava rock which is hard to walk on and sharp on your feet.

We headed over to the Kona Joe Coffee Company.

They give away samples of coffee, it was excellent.  We bought some Kona Joe Coffee Jammers and some coffee dry rub. Coffee jammers are a chocolate covered roasted coffee bean...worth about a cup of coffee.

 Far Guy and me.

Coffee Beans

It was a beautiful place sitting high on a hill above the ocean.

It was check in time at our condo so we headed over there and then went to the grocery store to stock up for a few days.  Far Guy rested on the lanai and I went to the pool...everyone else went to the beach.

Sunset and beach view view from the pool.  Time to RELAX!
Far Side

Wistful Wednesday: Passionfruit

I discovered a fruit in Hawaii that I enjoyed very much. ( I thought I had died and gone to fruit heaven!)  We stopped at a thrift shop and right next door thay had a fruit stand.  The fellow there sliced open a yellow passionfruit and gave us a sample.  I was sold, I bought some fruits and a jar of golden jam.  Andy enjoyed it …the rest of the group made funny faces.
I will describe the taste as a cross between rhubarb and a tart pineapple.  The Internet describes the flavor as musky, guava like, sub acid to acid.   Well I have never tasted guava so I cannot compare.
I slathered that golden jam on my toast every morning…it was not toast with jam it was jam with toast.
Here is a look at the fruit.

The yellow outer skin is sliced open to reveal a white pith and those glorious seeds.   The small black seeds are wrapped in a orange juicy membrane…you just take a spoon and eat them.  If you look under my plate you can see the jelly jar almost empty.
Passionfruits can be yellow or purple….the only ones I ate were the yellow ones.
Have you ever tasted passionfruit?

Hawaii : Day Five

This was a wonderful day spent in and around Hilo. We dropped the teenagers off at an arcade in the mall.  Then we stopped by a famous woodcarvers shop.

David and the canoe that he is carving for someones home.

He is a very talented woodcarver.  Far Guy and Andy had a really good visit with him. Jen and I met his three year old daughter Olivia who entertained us drawing smiley faces.

After picking up the boys at the mall we headed north to Hawaii Tropical Botanical Gardens.  Far Guy and I toured the gardens while everyone else went for a long hike to a beach. The gardens are fantastic!  There are a mile of trails throughout the gardens.

The Orchids were stunning…I have many many photos of flowers.  Imagine that!

Spider Lily at Onomea Bay

Banyan Tree at Hilo…the Banyan trees are originally from India…they were brought here by missionaries.  Several homeless people make their homes by these trees…I believe that pile of “stuff” belongs to a homeless person. At some of the beaches there would be mattresses and belongings tucked away, people pushing shopping carts and people who lived in their cars or pickups loaded with stuff covered in rotting tarps flapping in the breeze.  I believe we met one such person…I will call her Shell Mary…she was born in Minnesota but has been in the islands for many years…first in Maui which was too expensive for her and now on the Big Island…she gifted us with some shells she had collected.

We enjoyed the farmers market at Hilo…the fruit market was awesome. We tried many new to us fruits.

It was getting late and we were all hungry, we dined in Hilo at a family restaurant.  We returned to the Military Camp for one last night…this time we had a three bedroom cottage with a kitchen.  Our last cottage was perfect…it didn’t smell and was very comfortable.

Far Guy was having a difficult time breathing, between the sulpher fumes and the altitude…so we decided to return to Kona and the west side of the Big Island the next day...

****

Far Guy survived the Infusion Port replacement, however the surgeon has concerns about how well this port flows.  Far Guy is tired and sore.  He is supposed to rest as much as possible and take it easy for the next 10 days.

Hawaii : Day Four

We took a quick ride with Andy to Kilauea Iki…it was close to the Military Camp. I was feeling much better especially after a breakfast of eggs, bacon and pineapple.

 

See the rainbow it is going into the pot of gold deep in Kilauea.

Kilauea Iki was a lake of lava in 1959, it is technically a pit crater located next to Kilauea which you can see in the distance…steam is rising.

The Government Shutdown closed much of Volcanoes National Park.

We headed out going through Hilo and North to a Vanilla Farm…the only Vanilla Farm in Hawaii.

We had lunch and a farm tour.

A cute gal we know from Minnesota!

Lunch was vanilla lemonade (wonderful) a salad with a vinaigrette made with raspberry and vanilla, a chicken breast marinated in bourbon and vanilla then topped with an mango vanilla chutney on a vanilla bun and potatoes roasted with a southwest vanilla rub. 

The plants are grown in net like long hammocks in a soilless medium of bark in a shade greenhouse, when the plants bloom they are all hand pollinated…leaving nothing to chance.

 

After the farm tour we headed back to enjoy Vanilla Ice Cream…hint for you serve your ice cream in a chilled bowl…it tastes heavenly on a warm day.  The afternoon was topped off with coffee and a trip through the gift shop.  Adam bought some vanilla beans in a jar and will make his own vanilla extract.

We drove further north…the end of the road or this road anyways.

Driving back south …Groves of Eucalyptus trees that were planted as the next cash crop when Sugar Cane production ceased on the island.  A Japanese paper company wanted to buy the Eucalyptus trees but the natives didn’t like their spraying practices to kill off the canes. So the Japanese paper company backed out of the agreement but not before many many groves of Eucalyptus were planted.  The trees were never used and are now old groves, soon they may be cut down and burned at energy producing plants…but it sounds like that is being met with some opposition also.

Next we found a beach with some crashing waves. Laupahoehoe Beach Park.

It was a lovely diversion… the power of the crashing waves was fun to watch…and it was cool there!  The teenagers did boy things there, climbing rocks etc…

Our next stop was …Akaka Falls State Park.  The kids all hiked down and up again.  Far Guy and I watched the day grow darker and the feral cats come out of hiding.

We had supper at Pineapples in Hilo.  An open air restaurant with wonderful food.  After that we headed back to the Military Camp this time to a two bedroom cottage without a kitchen.

***

I have almost caught up with the laundry and menu planning for the week.  Far Guy is scheduled for surgery to have his infusion port replaced early this morning.  The catheter that leads from the port to his vein has a crack or a hole…this was discovered on Friday and the surgeon wants it taken care of.  We plan to rest up and relax the rest of the week.  Far Guy is recovering from a bad cold…which he most likely got from me in Hawaii.