Kailua

January 2, 2018

On the way, and glad of it. It was very cold and windy when we checked out of our condo this morning, making us excited and a bit awed that we’d be in warm, sunny Kona at the end of the day. The forecast for the next several days: highs in the mid seventies, mostly sunny, light winds. Sounds idyllic.

My reading project is going reasonably well. I’ve made it about half way through The Noise of Time, so I’ve picked up a third title to take along:

I thought I’d finish the Barnes first and leave it in Kona with our suitcasesbut I’ve been temporarily stranded here at the PDX airport without electronics or that book, because Rachael went shopping and took the rucksack with her. Tyler’s book was still with me though, so I cracked it open and fell into it immediately. I haven’t read one of Anne Tyler’s books in years, but I find her instantly engaging.

I especially like this quote, about the living room of the central characters: “an attractive room, spacious and well designed, but it had the comfortable shabby air of a place whose inhabitants had long ago stopped seeing it”. This especially resonates with me this morning, because it could describe our condo also; and it’s on my mind often now because of our recent decision to sell it and hit the road, starting with a five month ride this fall: From Venice to Lisbon. So much to think about all of a sudden - we’ll need to take care to not let it get in the way of our enjoyment of Hawaii.

I really love the Portland airport. Well run, a broad selection of eateries, live music. What more can you ask of an airport?

The flight was as good as you can hope for - nonstop and uneventful. Uneventful that is until we arrived in Kona and discovered that the handle of one of our suitcases snapped off. I wish I’d had the presence of mind to take a photo of the lonely handle circulating on the conveyer belt, our baggage tag attached. This is the second time this has happened to us. I think the baggage handlers must sling baggage around by the handle, but the fifty pound load is too much to bear.

We checked in at our hotel, and I set about assembling the bikes while Rachael ventured out fo a tour of the neighborhood. I had a bit of a scare with my bike, when I found the collar that attaches the seat post missing. This is the same thing that happened with Rachael’s bike in Tucson last year. There, I went out to a bike store and found a replacement; and then after returning to our room I found the missing one also. So, I had an extra that I’ve carried around since; and it saved our bacon today, because I needed a spare.

Not the best news -a missing seat post clamp. I can’t ride sitting on this for the next nine days!

Saved! I’ve been carrying around a spare for the last year.

A sight that always gladdens my heart -two assembled Fridays, ready to roll.

After assembly was completed we went up to our room to unpack and clean up, and then walked down to the waterfront to enjoy a fresh fish dinner followed by a stroll along the harbor. It was a beautiful evening - warm and calm, and of course a drastic change from the frigid wind we stepped out into this morning in Portland. The vegetation is amazing; I can’t wait for the morning so we can see it in the daylight.

Risking it all for a good shot. Always wear your helmet!

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Keith AdamsI think Hawaii may be my favorite place on the planet.
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2 years ago

Scott AndersonTo Keith AdamsI wouldn’t go quite that far, but it is a pretty wonderful place alright. We had a wonderful time and keep talking up a longer revisit one of these winters. Not this one, which is already spoken for, but maybe the next.
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2 years ago