Pumpkin Palooza IV

Chris and I had the pleasure of attending Joe and Carolyn's annual Pumpkin Palooza Halloween party. Pupus and pizzas were eaten. The pool was splashed in. Dogs and kids chased ping pong balls. And when it was time to carve pumpkins, the powertools came out and everyone got messy.

Some of the night's art:

Chris and I show off our work:

Carolyn and Joe, the funest hosts you ever want to meet:

Warning: Construction Zone. God at Work.

I've been itching to get down to volcano since March when a huge steam vent opened in Halemaumau Crater. I finally drove down there last Saturday to see the spectacular steam pouring out of the vent. I also drove to Kalapana to watch lava flow into the sea. It's pretty incredible, heat from the lava hitting the cool water causes explosions that was throwing lava at least 50 feet into the air. Occasionally, the heat would create a small waterspout that would twirl over the ocean for a minute or so before dispersing. Lava travels from Pu`u O`o vent through a lava tube down to the ocean, but some surface lava was visible up on the pali (cliff) after dark.

Earlier that day, I visited the Imiloa Astronomy Center in Hilo and watched a movie in the planetarium about black holes. I learned about a huge vacuum in the center of a galaxy that something like 15 billion suns could fit in. (I may be off a bit on that- the point is, it's big) I stood back, watching God build the island I call home and I was amazed at his power. He can simply pull a solar system out of his pocket and toss it out into the sky, yet he cares for each one of us.

Lava from Pu`u `O`o enters the ocean. Notice the red glow in the cloud.

Steam started pouring from Halemaumau Crater in March. We've had few blue sky days in Kona since.

Score!

Chris and I have friends in high places, literally. Cal and Stacey own Paradise Helicopters. When the phone rang one Friday night with the news of a last minute cancellation on their delux tour, you can bet we were ready to make ourselves available for an early morning tour of the island.

We left from Kona and flew between the largest mountains in the world (in volume from sea floor to summit) Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa, then over to Kilauea where lava is flowing. We saw steampouring out of Halema`uma`u and Pu`u `o`o vents that's creating Kona's vog. We could also see lava breakouts on the surface. One of these flows destroyed one of the last remaining Hawaiian Gardens homes the next day.

We also flew over Hilo and into the amazing valleys along the Hamakua Coast, and landed in the incredible Honokane Nui Valley. I've always wanted to hike into all of these valleys, but the 2004 earthquake has destroyed the trail into many of them. I've now been in four of the seven valleys and I think Chris has a kayak trip in mind that will get us into the others.

Next, we checked out the crystal blue waters of the Kohala Coast with its resorts and white sand beaches. We also flew over triathletes competing in the Ironman.

What a day! I am reminded that we're blessed to live in such a beautiful place and to have many amazing friends. God is surely blessing us.

The incredible and remote Honokane Nui Valley:

Steam pouring from Pu`u `o`o Vent. So that's where all this vog is coming from!

The best helicopter tour company ever. Paradise Helicopters


Hamakua:

Funky Fruit

Karen gave us a sugar apple to try. The inside is really sweet, you suck the mushy stuff out of the fruit and spit out the seeds. The outside is lumpy and gritty and not good to eat. The flavor was a little like a lychee but overall, the fruit was unlike anything I've had before. And it was yummy. Also on the plate is a starfruit from my folk's tree.

The next day, Karen gave us a Naranjia. It reminded me of a bitter kiwi.

You go, girl!

Chrissie Wellington, the female winner of Ironman, leads the race as she passes our subdivision on Alii Drive. She completed the 2.1 mile swim, 112 mile bike ride and 26 mile run in 9 hours and 6 minutes. She also set a record for the run course in Kona.

Preparing for Ironman

It was the day before Ironman and the excitement sucked us in. Chris made a last minute decision to throw his hat in the ring and started training in the pool pictured below. He was all set to for the 2.1 mile swim, but when he found out he couldn't use his dirtbike for 112 mile bike portion of the race he changed his mind.

We did have fun at the Ironman village where they let us try their Endless Pools and even gave us a few pointers on our stroke and they gave us a an underwater video of us swimming. We were sold on the pool, but it's hard to justify spending $10,000 on a "treadmill for swimmers" when you live a block from the ocean.

I love Ironman time. Big Islanders complain about the traffic and rude triathlets, but it brings business to the island and it's exciting. Thousands flock from all around the world for the annual event and I'm proud to live on the island that hosts it.


Setting up for the big day. The swim starts from the bay pictured here, and the 26 mile ends at the finish line to the right.

Chris gets some tips on his stroke while testing an Endless Pool.

Night Light Delight


Four of us went snorkeling with the manta rays last week. The Sheraton in Keauhou shines lights on the water to attract plankton which draw the filter-feeding mantas. These seemingly alien creatures hoover in the water like space crafts, gracefully gliding through the dark ocean and playfully performing backwards somersaults in effort to scoop as much food as they can into their giant mouths. Some mantas have a wing span of over 15 feet, but the largest we saw of the five mantas was about 6 feet across. The mantas are harmless but I have heard their skin can be abrasive. I'm glad I was wearing a wetsuit. As you can see from these videos, mantas aren't shy.

E Komo Mai - Welcome to Any Town, USA

Petco Kailua-Kona opened yesterday and residents flocked to get a taste of this mainland chain store. Coming soon are Office Max, Sports Authority, Circuit City and Target. When I moved to the island eight years ago we didn't even have a hardware store. (Kailua Ace had just burned down, which made moving into a new house pretty frustrating- you couldn't buy ANYTHING)

Kona is changing and I can't decide whether I should celebrate or mourn. I admit I'll make full use of Sports Authority. As it is now, there is nowhere to purchase sporting goods, outdoor clothing or camping equipment, and the only place on the island that stocks fuel for my camp stove is an Army surplus store 90 miles away. Many of these new stores will provide products and services not yet offered here.

I do worry about small businesses such as Kona Coast Office Supply and Stockley's, my beloved fish supply store down the street. Bill has been serving Kona for than 25 years (I think) and he and his staff have been delighted to help the customers they have come to know on a first name basis. I sure hope they continue to thrive with Petco down the street. But the situation is too familiar to me, my mom owned a video store in a small town in Indiana. Despite her better service, larger selection of titles and cheaper and less confusing pricing, residents chose to drive across town to visit the polo shirt clad employees at Blockbuster.

Here's what else I hate about chain stores. Standing outside our new strip mall today felt like I could be anywhere in America. There is no personality and nothing unique about these box stores. They are not a part of the community and they don't strive to meet their customers' needs. Circuit City on Oahu had a whole rack of lock de-icers last year. WalMart discounts their patio furniture each fall because summer has ended. They don't know much about Hawaii's seasons, do they?

On the other hand, I have noticed customer service is ridiculously poor in Kona and many shops charge exuberant prices. When Lowe's and Home Depot came in, HPM shaped up. Before competition arrived they often discriminated against my dad's white skin, and they once tried to sell him a garden hose to hook up a refrigerator. I used to refer to the store as Haoles Pay More. Maybe this town could use some healthy competition. I just hate to see the little guys get clobbered. And I hate to see the town I love slowly morphing into Anytown, USA.