Vicky Durand’s Adventure Blog #64

May 18,2024

Welcome to Blog #64

It has been another great week finishing projects and organizing building materials so they are not everywhere. Feels like I am still living in a construction zone, We but this should end in July. We survived the flood alerts with wind, some overcast and not to much rain here on the property. I am very glad not to depend on Hawaiian Electric after hearing about their power outages.

Sunday a couple of my new lovely friends Cheryl and Jan came for lunching to see the property. Jan took white native hibiscus cuttings and I shared greens from the garden with Cheryl.

Monday I made the merathon trip to Kahalui for food and building supplies. Hopefully I don’t have to return there until a few weeks until I fly to Oahu for our 65th Punahou High school reunion and the Pacific Arts Festival. The coconut convention will take place within the big festival June 12-14th. It is going to be very exciting!

Wednesday is water aerobics at Jan’s house high on the mountain above the airport. She has a grizzly long dirt and gravel driveway and the pool water is really cold, but the group of women are great company and they say cold water is really good for you.

AJ came and put the metal roof on the cat house patio and tool shed. No more struggling with tarps and water. I love his design and he is an amazing carpenter from Kipahulu.

Yesterday Chris my weed eater man was able to get the beautiful lipstick palm up to my entrance patio. It is very heavy and two Hawaiian men said they could’nt move it-too heavy. Chis wrestled it on a dolly and tied the pot to the dolly. The last part was up a hill where he was pulling and I was pushing and voila, after a lot of huffing and puffing and several stops for catching our breath we made it. The next challenge is getting the two big hunks of old growth cedar wood into place for benches. I will sand and refinish and maybe carve the seats out. These projects are really hard but, at the same time lots of fun to make happen.

Last night was Hawaiian music night at the local pizza place. Besides my step daughter Sarah A whole gang of new friends were there-Mary a retired American Airlines pilot, Nancy, an agriculture adviser, Jan, her visiting cousins, and husband Ricky, Terry and Michael from Entaben Gardens, Rebecca and significant other an amazing textile artist. A great group and I feel so lucky to have met them all and live in this community.

After all our picnic table friends left six Hana policeman joined us and were gobbling up pizza. Most of them were young recruits who are sent out here to start their careers. One of single men was trying to pick up Sarah-which was hilarious, but funny conversation.

Here is another Hana story. The bank does not open till 3:PM. After the Friday Farmers market I went up to the bank and was sitting on a bench waiting for the bank to open in ten minutes. One of the friendly bank tellers came up, said “hi Victoria” and asked what I needed. I said just going to cash a check for some cash. She said, “do you have a pen to write a check and I will get it for you.” I didn’t have to pen so she brought me one and I wrote the check, gave it to her and she went inside and brought me the cash. PRETTY amazing service!!

The garden is doing great, potatoes have covered the berm and the cats are pretty happy. That’s this week’s news and time for me to get to work.

These cats know how to relax.

Thanks for tuning in and hope everyone has a great week.

Aloha nui,
Vicky