The Night That the Lights Went Out in...Waiakea-Uka

    Aloha kakou!! Well, let's start with the title...many of you will say, "but Dave, don't you live in Hilo?" Yes we do...but we also live in Waiakea-Uka, to quote Wikopedia:

    "The name comes from wai ākea in the Hawaiian Language meaning "broad waters", and sometimes what is now called Hilo Bay was called Waiākea Bay. Waiākea is home to many and has its own schools. It stretches for miles and ends at Waiākea-Uka...the area on the slopes of Mauna Loa"

    Anywho, it is a lovely area...one that Leialoha likes to get up earlier then me to experience...usually MUCH earlier. So there I was in perfect peace, sawing logs on our VERY comfortable bed...when I was woken up by Leialoha tapping on my feet telling me:
1. "There is no power"
2. "I think someone is knocking at our door"
The first thing is no big deal...the second, not so much. Especially when I looked t the clock, (I always have a portable alarm clock next to my bed...for just such an occasion) and it read 5:45am. The Jew in me immediately think that if someone is knocking at your door, something has gone wrong or someone has died. (It is also our first reaction when the phone rings very late at night)

    So, to cut to the chase, I called HELCO (Hawaiian Electric Company), and was informed by a very pleasant, albeit prerecorded voice, that an accident had knocked over a a pole, and that we were the lucky section of Hilo to have no power. Jumping in the car, Leialoha and I drove about 1/2 mile down the street to see what used to be a fairly straight pole, (we do not have underground lines here ont he BI) leaning at a good 35 degrees. Eight trucks, two flagman and one spare pole were on the scene ready to go up. I promptly took myself back to the house, back to bed, and when I awoke at 9:00am, we had power and I was able to watch Tiger Woods not make a move at the BMW, (no surprise these days) and Vijay Singh stay on top of the leaderboard, (BIG surprise).

    The days here have taken on a lovely rhythm...working on music, working on the house, catching up on my favorite shows, (we have, to be kind, limited TV on the ships) and shopping for the house. I thought I would share a look at a typical section of Target here in Hilo. It seems that we are always on the short end of the merchandise stick out here...at elast for some things. So, here is a look at the shcool supply/paper shelf and one of the frozen food shelves:

    Leialoha had posted a few pics last week of WalMart which was looking the same. There is a saying here "lucky you love in Hawai'i"..and indeed we are...EXCEPT when it comes to having full shelves on a regular basis. But for this small thing, I can cope...because we also get to have this:

    This is the view of Waipio Valley from the lookout...Waipio Valley is one of the most beautiful places on earth, and we are lucky to have it here on the BI. Want to know a little bit more about it? Check it out here: Waipio Valley Leialoha's cousins Charlene and Russell actually work a taro patch in the valley. I know many of you have tried poi...and this is where that goodness starts. Working the patch is VERY hard work, and there are fewer and fewer patches these days. Do yourself a favor read this: Wikipedia-Poi...it will give you some good info. We always ask passengers on the ship, "how many of you have tried poi?" Invariably, 7/8 of the audience will raise their hands. We then ask, "how many of you actually liked it?" We may get three or four people. (Usually local transplants or people who have lived there for a while) As we always say, "good, more for us". Taro, (the plant that poi comes from) was, and still is a VERY important part of life in the islands.
     Last thing for the night...I posted something on FB today, and wanted to make sure that everyone was able to get the link. One of the great things we have on TV here is WeTV who have the good taste to run Twilight Zone episodes each day. Two of my favorite episodes happen to star Burgess Meredith, and they aired one the other day sday that I DVRd. If you have a spare 28 minutes, check it out on YouTube: The Obsolete Man It is just as topical today as it was when it was first aired, and the performances are grade A.
    Enjoy the evening all...and remember, if you ever have a question for me or Leialoha, feel free to drop an email, or a comment.

Malama Pono,
Dave