Story Aunt Gus and Little Bear's Adventure Book 3 (Complete)

Kathy in FL said:

Might be Tuesday before I can add to story. We are here at the BOL for about 48 hours and there’s trouble with the Wi-Fi And my docs are too big to work on my phone. Will do my best but, yeah, likely Tuesday. Sorry.

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Dinna fash... we'll survive. Hope you are continuing to heal well. Enjoy your time there.
Lili

Lake Lili said:

Dinna fash... we'll survive. Hope you are continuing to heal well. Enjoy your time there.
Lili

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The wound has filled in, but it is going to take a long time to close according to doc and nurses. May never close on its own but may have to have plastic surgery to get it done. Not if I can help it, but may have no choice. Right now they have added Medi-Honey to my dressing protocols. I’ve got to find a way to make it more spreadable. At the moment I am using a dressing that is impregnated with Vaseline and thera-honey but only because one of the nurses snuck me some. Our insurance doesn’t cover it. I can get the Medi-Honey online with Amazon. Another possible treatment is something that has silver in it. And beyond that is the oxygen chamber or whatever you call it. At the moment my wound is still too raw for the silver whatever stuff.

I am not complaining. They are doing what they can. The diabetes taking a dump has complicated the healing process. But I have faith that I will get there, just not in my time but in His.

Have a look at ointments containing comfrey. It's not nicknamed "knitbone" for nothing.
I've had it fill in a full depth burn on my calf in less than a month. (Deep as in I could see the muscle fibres move when I wiggled my foot.)
Sending prayers for your swift healing.

Many professional sports teams have hyperbaric chambers to speed healing in their athletes. From personal experience they work on diabetic sores.
Be sure you use a hard chamber the soft sided ones offer minimal help they don't develop enough pressure. There should be hyperbaric chambers in towns/area's where lots of scuba diving happens. Good luck precious Lady.

Oct 24th: Hiking and a Train Ride​

I turned back into a Gus overnight. LOL. Up early, dressed before Diego and Chan knocked to come in. I think everyone, including me, was relieved. Especially as we were scheduled for a couple of hikes first thing.

Manoa Falls Trail[1] is called a hike but for Benny and I it was more like a walking trail. It went through the Manoa Valley rainforest in an easy route accessible to most hikers.

A nice thing about the trail is it was shaded most of the way by eucalyptus, mountain apple, and banyan trees. Jimmy explained that Hawaii is full of microclimates, and Manoa Valley is a good example as it is considered a rainforest. What he meant by that is that even if it is bone-dry and sunny just a few miles away in Waikiki, you can expect Manoa Valley to be drizzly or downright rainy, and chances are you'll spot at least one or two rainbows while you're there. Both were true as it was dry and sunny at our rooms but as soon as we turned off to go to the trail it turned drizzly. As you would expect that meant the trail turned damp and muddy, especially as we crossed the small stream to reach the 150-foot falls. The amount of water coming over the waterfall was above average due to the rain but it wasn’t ferocious. It slid down a rockface that was covered with greenery and algae where the water didn’t keep it washed off. The hike was barely two miles round trip but took almost two hours due to stopping and filming. One thing I need to note for the blog, this is a place you need to wear mosquito repellent. They were small but vicious.

The next trail we went on was the Wa’ahila Ridge Trail in the Wa’ahila Ridge State Recreation Area. For once we weren’t fighting to find a parking space so instead of just dropping us off, Jimmy decided to come with us.

This hike is about 2.5 miles roundtrip. The Waahila Ridge hike trail ends at a junction that leads into the hike up to Mount Olympus. Jimmy told us that that segment of the trail is much more difficult, requires bouldering and is very steep compared to the original Waahila Ridge trail so we gave it a skip because while I could have done it, and Benny as well for the most part, the guys carrying their equipment would have found it a little too challenging. There was evidence that the hike could get a little muddy, but it wasn’t right then. This hike isn’t any more difficult than the other hikes we’ve done and it was at least pretty. There were some points that had steep inclines, but they were very short segments of the hike and weren’t that frequent.

The beginning of the hike was covered in pine trees, ironwood, and guava trees. Definitely green, almost to the point of feeling cut off and in another world. Jimmy said pine trees aren’t that common in Hawaii, certainly not in the number we saw at the beginning. After the pine trees, other trees filled in their absence. Whenever there’s a break in the trees we got an incredible view of the valley.

The only complaint I had about the trail – if you can call it a complaint – was … pigs. Yes, I said pigs. Feral pigs are a real problem in Florida. They root up and cause a lot of erosion. You can hunt them all year long, as many as you can take, but they reproduce so fast it is hard to keep up. Hawaii has the same problem … pig trails … and even though they are smaller than the ones that I am used to back home, they are at least as nasty tempered. I don’t include the piglet that I saw. It was obvious – and Chan stepped in some “obvious” – that the pigs use the streams, trails, and grassy edges of the road to migrate from one place to another. I spotted a couple of “wallows” and a couple of girdled trees right off the trail and it made me nervous. The hamster kept imagining one of us getting ripped up by the tusks those mean suckers can have. After some noise in the underbrush I noticed Jimmy keeping an eye out as well until we were back at the vehicle.

Our next stop was at Puu ‘Ualaka’a State Park, primarily so that the guys could get some film from the Tantalus Lookout[2]. First we did the ‘Ualaka’a Trail. Try saying that a couple of times fast. Fun but I kept getting tongue tied. The trail begins in Pu‘u ‘Ualaka‘a State Wayside. It is a short loop (a little more than a half-mile) through thick forest canopy. At the uphill end of the trail, you come to a 4-way intersection with Makiki Valley, Moleka, and Maunalaha Trails. It is little beyond the intersection that you get sweeping views of southern O’ahu from Diamond Head to Pearl Harbor, including Honolulu and Manoa Valley.

We stopped at a food truck run by a family member of Jimmy (see what I mean about keeping it all in the family?) and got lunch. We sat and took a break with the sound of the beach in the background as the waves crashed. Jimmy said it was getting close to the serious surfing season and that we would be getting out of town just in time. When the surfing competitions are going, traffic is horrible and it is hard to get a reservation for anything – including the beaches – any place on the island.

Benny was getting a little wound up. Our next activity of the day was the Hawaiian Railroad[3] riding in a car that hauled sugar cane back in the day pulled by a locomotive that may have hauled ammo and military supplies during WWII. The train ride was 2 hours long, round-trip, and fully narrated. The top speed was 15 mph so it isn’t like we could missing anything as we rolled by.

We heard the story of the OR&L train line as well as stories about how sugar cane trains were used on the sugar plantations. Occasionally we’d have pointed out sites of historic interest, such as the site of a sisal plantation, and the "ghost town" of Gilbert. At the end of the line they stopped the train for a few minutes so passengers could admire the beautiful view of the ocean at Kahe Point. There was also an ice cream parlor at about the half-way point (in Koolina) that everyone was encouraged to grab something from.

Seriously, you are going to put that kind of temptation on families with kids? Or in my case one kid and three adult-sized eating machines. Oh brother. And no, I didn’t mind. Not really complaining. But the train held 180 people so it meant spending time in line while the guys kept an eye on Benny and took pictures. I already had to screen the temptation of hot dogs that were being sold on a folding table as we got on.

Back at the beginning the guys admitted they had a lot of work that needed to be done so they could send some to the drop box. So Benny and I spent the rest of the day down at the pool area. The kid is part fish. Really. He’s now asleep but Lev and the others are still at it. I think I am just going to put this log away and see if I can meditate or whatever it is the hamster needs.

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[1] Manoa Falls, Oahu
[2] Puʻu ʻUalakaʻa State Wayside
[3] The Hawaiian Railway Society - Oahu, Hawaii

Thanks Kathy!

Wow! Mother Hen there's not much you missed on Oahu. You did your homework and got 99.9% right. The .1%? That was the downfall of the Hawaiian Monarchy.

Aunt Gus and Little Bear's Adventure Book 3​

"Queen Liliuokalani, Hawaii’s last remaining monarch, was overthrown by her people because a significant number of the elite were not in agreement with the social and legal changes she attempted to make. The biggest change was a new constitution that returned the power to Hawaiian monarchy."


Hawaiian history:
Several US business men and plantation owners backed by a small contingent of US Marines took control of the palace and imprisoned the royals there. The US business interests controlled shipping in the islands so the royal family had no way to communicate to international allies they had diplomatic relations with for help. UK, Japan, etc. One of the businessmen was Sanford Ballard Dole. Familiar?

The Hawaiian Monarch was forced to sign the Bayonet Constitution limiting native Hawaiians voting and property rights.

The islands were illegally annexed using US eminent domain laws from the US. These are the laws that allow a US municipality to use eminent domain to take privately owned US property for public use or what the local US Municipality's PTB determine a more important use. Like turning a derelict industrial park into a sports stadium or public park. Since the US never had legal domain over the Kingdom of Hawaii it was totally illegal and still is.

The Hawaiian people's petition including 21,000 signatures to Congress to have the monarchy restored was ignored. Yes the Hawaiians had a written language and news papers. US President Grover Cleveland offered help Queen Lili get her thrown back. Dole blocked the President's attempt. Congress did nothing to correct the wrong.

The Hawaiian People are still pissed.

Americans over throw Hawaiian Monarchy
The Hawaiian people's petition of 1897

Old Gray Mare said:

Wow! Mother Hen there's not much you missed on Oahu. You did your homework and got 99.9% right. The .1%? That was the downfall of the Hawaiian Monarchy.

Aunt Gus and Little Bear's Adventure Book 3​

"Queen Liliuokalani, Hawaii’s last remaining monarch, was overthrown by her people because a significant number of the elite were not in agreement with the social and legal changes she attempted to make. The biggest change was a new constitution that returned the power to Hawaiian monarchy."


Hawaiian history:
Several US business men and plantation owners backed by a small contingent of US Marines took control of the palace and imprisoned the royals there. The US business interests controlled shipping in the islands so the royal family had no way to communicate to international allies they had diplomatic relations with for help. UK, Japan, etc. One of the businessmen was Sanford Ballard Dole. Familiar?

The Hawaiian Monarch was forced to sign the Bayonet Constitution limiting native Hawaiians voting and property rights.

The islands were illegally annexed using US eminent domain laws from the US. These are the laws that allow a US municipality to use eminent domain to take privately owned US property for public use or what the local US Municipality's PTB determine a more important use. Like turning a derelict industrial park into a sports stadium or public park. Since the US never had legal domain over the Kingdom of Hawaii it was totally illegal and still is.

The Hawaiian people's petition including 21,000 signatures to Congress to have the monarchy restored was ignored. Yes the Hawaiians had a written language and news papers. US President Grover Cleveland offered help Queen Lili get her thrown back. Dole blocked the President's attempt. Congress did nothing to correct the wrong.

The Hawaiian People are still pissed.

Americans over throw Hawaiian Monarchy

Americans overthrow Hawaiian monarchy | January 17, 1893 | HISTORY

On the Hawaiian Islands, a group of American sugar planters under Sanford Ballard Dole overthrow Queen Liliuokalani, the Hawaiian monarch, and establish a new provincial government with Dole as president. The coup occurred with the foreknowledge of John L. Stevens, the U.S. minister to Hawaii...

www.history.com

The Hawaiian people's petition of 1897

The 1897 Petition Against the Annexation of Hawaii | National Archives

www.archives.gov

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That's what we got when we went to the palace a few years ago. LOL. No doubt it was from the non-Native perspective despite them being all about the Queen being a tragic figure. I loved the quilts that she and her companion made.

Kathy in FL said:

That's what we got when we went to the palace a few years ago. LOL. No doubt it was from the non-Native perspective despite them being all about the Queen being a tragic figure. I loved the quilts that she and her companion made.

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The quilt Queen Lili sewed her fears, hopes and prayers into is still displayed at the Palace. The silk looks shattered and it's being conserved. The historic narrative, it's perspective has dramatically changed.

I was told the story of Queen Lili and the US interests overthrowing the Monarchy back in college on the mainland. I'm surprised other narrative survived as long as it did in certain circles in Hawaii and was still offered for consumption by tourists. The Aunties and Uncles tell the keikis their history.

I love my country and yes I admit to my ethnocentric attitudes. That doesn't mean I overlook her faults and history. I hope with the truth can come justice and healing.

Oct 25th: Hiking, Beach, and Hula​

Finally, finally, finally. We went on the Diamond Head Hike. It is one of the most popular Oahu hikes for a reason, despite the climb up which was often steep. At the end? Or should I say at the top because there was the return trek, what was our reward? Unparalleled views and World War II-era bunkers and platforms. And yes, unparalleled came from Mr. Thesaurus.

The trail to the summit of Leʻahi (Hawaiian name for Diamond Head Crater according to Jimmy) was built as part of Oʻahu’s coastal defense system. I, like most people, thought Hawaii’s military history started around the WW2 era. Apparently not. Started in 1908, it was completed in 1911, and the Fire Control Station at the summit directed artillery fire from batteries in Waikiki and Fort Ruger outside Diamond Head crater. The walk was a glimpse into the geological and military history of this part of the Hawaiian Islands. Much of the trail is natural turf surface with a bunch of switchbacks from the base all the way to the top of the crater wall.

Today Diamond Head is a state national park. The walls of the crater are nearly shear in places so you can only enter it from the eastern side, through a short tunnel that takes you into the center of the crater. It is from there we started our 560-foot ascent. The beginning of the trail is on the west side of the crater, and starts slowly up a sidewalk path that turns into a switchback pathway. The switchback trails took us up to the first lookout. We took a moment to catch our breath while the guys took film of the outstanding ocean views.

The next section of the trail involved narrow, long stairs – lots of stairs. Lots and lots of stairs; this led to a lit 225-foot tunnel that we had to pass through. It was narrow and awkward in places, especially for Lev who not only was carrying his gear but is even taller than me and while I’m not six-foot, I’m not necessarily that far from it either. We finally exited the tunnel to see a double headed painted arrow on the wall pointing 2 ways to the top. If you turn left, it's a long path with a series of stairs leading to the top platform. If you turn right, it's a straight, ninety-nine step straight up. Either way you end up at an old military bunker room with a spiral staircase leading up to the top. That's right happy campers, more stairs that will finally led us to the top of the pillbox lookout.

While the spiral staircase signifies the end of the climb, there are more stairs and platforms up top to explore. The backside stairs gave us an amazing view of the Diamond Head Crater, and the coastline leading down to the Koko Crater. Most climbers take this route back down to the bottom which is what we did to avoid some of the narrow staircases only in reverse.

The 360-degree views from the decks took my breath away. I mean not literally … it … oh shut up you stupid hamster. The views were breathtaking. There, you furry monster. And not because I was out of breath or anything; plenty of oxygen still in the brain. It was just the views … Waikiki to Waianae, the vast Pacific Ocean, the Ko’olau Mountains, and views reaching out to the Koko Head Crater. Jimmy said Diamond Head Crater also holds the record for the longest recorded land views in the world.

The return hike down wasn’t anticlimactic but I was hoping to spend a little more time up top climbing around. That’s when Diego said they had a surprise for Benny and I. I didn’t like the look in his eyes. I looked at Lev who tried to look innocent. Lev doesn’t pull that look off very well, he’s too transparent.

“Lev?”

“I promise it isn’t bad but … let it be a surprise. For both of you.”

I looked at Benny and he snickered. “Do you know?” He shook his head and then laughed out loud when I gave him suspicious face.

“Honest Aunt Gus. Lev just told me not to freak out or anything so they could talk you into it.”

Turning back to the guys I put the breaks on and gave them I’m-thinking-of-going-CPO Barrymore-so-you-better-not-be-screwing-around face.

Lev came over and gave me puppy dog eyes of all things. Puppy dog eyes! Doggone it, that’s not fair.

“I promise it’ll be okay.”

I opened my mouth then closed it. “Fine. But I get right of first refusal … just in case.”

Diego snorted and said, “Listen Abuelita, you worry too much.”

“I’m not real fond of that name Diego.”

“Fine. Abuela.”

You know there are just days that the testosterone is almost visible as it wafts on the air. On the other hand the world would stop turning without it so just whatever.

We pulled up to the Hawaiian Hilton and then headed for the beach side of the hotel. I thought it was another catamaran but all Lev would say is, “Trust me.” Then he did the dang puppy eyes again. Him and I are going to have to have a talk. I do not want to be known as a sucker or pushover. I also don’t want to be known as that person that had to be talked in to having an adventure. I am Aunt Gus of the blog called Adventures. I’m just not really big into surprises no matter how they come or from who. It makes the hamster unruly.

It was when we were pulling away from the dock that I found out what the surprise was and as Meemo would say, “My stars and garters. I nearly swallowed my dentures.”

A submarine. Well, sorta submarine. It was called a submarine anyway. We were nearly ninety minutes on this craft called the Atlantis Submarine. From the dock it took about ten minutes for us to transfer from the boarding zone that took us to the submarine dive zone. Technically it wasn’t a submarine, it was a submarine-style glass-bottom boat. It allows a crystal-clear view of Oahu's underwater area. It had panoramic windows that allowed us to gaze out at clusters of bright coral and schools of tropical fish. Our guide gave a spiel about the animals and plants that live in that marine environment. We saw sea turtles, Hawaiian tropical fish, and living coral. We also saw real sunken ships, airplanes, and other artificial reef features. The submarine carried about sixty-four people in a spacious air-conditioned interior. It had large view ports, and comfortable seating. What more could you want?!

Okay fine, it was a crazy surprise and it wasn’t Benny that had to control their freak out. Oh my gosh. How cool. I couldn’t even ask how much it would have cost has we been paying for it. They were a sponsor and it would have been rude. But I heard what it cost other people and … gak. I almost croaked and had to institute my resting face to keep Lev or the other men from knowing that I knew. But Benny knows me too well.

Tonight he pulled me into the bathroom and shut the door and I thought there was a problem. Well there was, a little.

“Aunt Gus was it expensive? You had your ‘uh’ face on.”

I wouldn’t lie to him. “It wasn’t cheap,” I told him quietly. He was going to say something but I got to it first. “But, I think we are going to have to just let this one go and just make sure we are appreciative and all that. Because we are. Right?”

“Oh yeah. It was sooooo cooool. The Crew can hardly believe it and only because they know I don’t lie to them.”

“Good example Bud,” I told him to take some of the pressure off. “Now, I don’t want to be entitled about anymore surprises …”

“What does that mean?”

“It means expecting them instead of understanding we are working for them.”

“Oh. Like all that stuff we did in Alaska. We were doing our job, but it was okay to have fun too.”

“Exactly. And the same thing here. But we also need to remember to be … hmmm … appreciative for things we get even though we are working and helping out Lev and the others.”

“I am. I am apprick … appresh … I am thankful that we get to have fun while we are working.”

“Good. So am I. I … Little Bear … when this is over I might not be able to do things like this for you. We might be able to keep doing adventures and stuff sometimes. But sometimes I’ll have to work too even if I might not have as much fun. We need to appreciate these times and store up the good memories.”

“Oh that. I already explained all that to The Crew. But it's okay. We’ll still be together. That’s fun too.”

It isn’t just adventures that are cool. Benny is just too cool all on his own. The way he looks at things helps keep me the hamster from going hamzilla.

After the submarine we took a break and walked along Waikiki Beach again. Jimmy warned us there had been trouble with pick pockets in the area so we were careful. The other thing we had to be careful about were the Box jellyfish. Part of their life cycle is to mate eight to ten days after a full moon. Apparently they were pretty bad today and some people were getting stung.

I’d been watching some Parasailers and suddenly caught Lev and Diego trying not to smile. I was going to ask them what was up when I found we’d stopped in front of the booth for the company doing it and …

“You’ve got to be kidding me!”

It was Lev that said, “Er … Benny is too young.”

“You have to go Aunt Gus. I wanna take a picture of you and then draw it. Pleeeease!”

I looked at Lev and he moved towards Benny telling me that he’d look after him. Chan surprised me by saying, “Don’t sweat it. We’ll cover him.”

So guess what I got to do? And it was one of the Extreme Lengths version. I eventually got it out to a thousand feet of line. And I had the Go-Pro on the helmet I was wearing. It meant I had to pay attention to what I was doing and not just have my head on a swizzle stick.

Wow. The views of Diamond Head the South Shore were beautiful. I wish I could have taken him with me but, no I probably would haven’t have had as much fun because I would have been too worried about his reaction or fear. You know what we did get to do together? Surfing lessons. I already knew how to surf. My friends and I would sometimes rent boards and surf on the East Coast of Florida. But Hawaii was a different level of surfing.

Nothing is more iconic to Hawaii than surfing at Waikiki Beach. From goofy teeny bopper movies from the ancient times like the 1950s and 1960s to television shows like the opening of Hawaii Five-O to the sports channels covering the latest surfing competition on those giant curing waves. It was way fun. This is the place where surfing was born, and the spot where watermen like Duke Kahanamoku helped introduce surfing to the world. I found out from our instructor that the reason why this south facing coast is so perfect for learning to surf, is that the bottom is soft, sandy, and the water is relatively shallow.

The lesson was only about twenty minutes long but we had the board for a full hour. Just like Benny could read me in the tandem kayak, he was a perfect partner on the board as well. Plus I’d taken him surfing from the time he was a baby. I have mentioned he was born part fish … or maybe part Mer-Boy. Lev got some bodacious pictures. I mean we weren’t “riding the curl of a big one” but we can now say we were really surfing in Waikiki.

Benny and I ran back to the guys after turning the board in to find that Jimmy had left and take Diego and Chan back to the hotel.

“What’s up?”

“I shoulda asked but do you feel up to biking? Little Bear has to ride with you but …”

I looked the question at Benny and his response? “Can we? For real?!”

So that’s what we did for our last four hours before returning to the hotel. We were in a group tour but it was still okay because that made it easier in traffic and we mostly went the less travelled back ways to get from place to place. We started near the statue of Duke Kahanamoku, Hawaii's world-class surfer and actor who was filled with the Aloha spirit and introduced the sport of surfing to the World. Then it was on to the Waikiki shell outdoor concert venue to learn about this open-air music venue. We stopped for a minute at Kapiolani Park, the largest park in the state. The Diamond Head State Monument was another stop where we rode along the base of the Volcanic crater. We made a pit stop and also got to indulge in a buffet of Hawaiian and local cuisine. We needed to work off the goodies, enough of which were gluten-free, and we did that by riding through the Ala Wai Municipal Golf Course where a lot of famous golf tournaments are held. We stopped at the Canoe Hale (house) of the Waikiki surf shop to take photos next to the Canoes. Last place we stopped was for the Waikiki Hula Show at the hālau hula school. Benny and Lev both were daring me to give it a try but nope, not in public. I’m not sure some of my body parts wouldn’t have a nervous breakdown trying to move like that in public.

I’m glad that we caught a Lyft back to the hotel and we did it by way of a food truck to get some Spam Musubi[1]. It was as close to poke’ or anything close to it. It might have looked similar but I could definitely handle it without gakking. Spam, rice, and nori (seaweed) is the basic recipe but there are a bunch of variations like adding egg or bacon or even avocado. We got the basic, a couple with egg, and then a couple teriyaki flavored. They were all yum.

No work for Lev tonight, he’s beat and Diego and Chan didn’t need him for what they were doing which was mostly sound boarding and making sure that the sound on the film that Diego took was good enough though they’ll likely tweak it on the production end, Chan said they always do.

I should be exhausted but I’m the opposite. I love the days I can really expend some energy and boy did we expend some today. Lev and Benny are snoring. I better put this log down and try and get some sleep myself. Tomorrow is another day.

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[1] Spam Musubi, A Hawaii Snack! - Onolicious Hawaiʻi

Great one! Thanks Kathy!

Thank yo Kathy, this was great to come home to more chapters.
My brain decided to have a TIA yesterday morning with full numbness down my whole right side including my face. Dh rushed me down to the hospital in the valley. I got home this afternoon.

Oct 26th: Dole Plantation and More hiking​

First thing was we stopped at Keaiwa Heiau[1][2]. Benny pointed out the sign-thingies that remind people that you aren’t supposed to touch the stones as they are considered sacred. Jimmy was our guide for the day and he was actually leery of taking us to the location. Jimmy isn’t superstitious. He also isn’t a practitioner of the traditional Hawaiian beliefs. However, he is a respecter of those that do and he is also a respecter of the places where those belief were practiced.

“Don’t worry Mr. Jimmy. Aunt Gus explained it. We wouldn’t do anything naughty in a church like turn over the benches …”

“Pews,” I whispered.

“We wouldn’t turn over the pews in a church. So this is sorta like a church so we won’t play with the rocks.”

Jimmy nodded at him and said, “Good Little Man.” He also gave me a nod for explaining so he wouldn’t have to be the bad guy.

From Keaiwa Heiau we headed to Aiea Loop Trail[3] for our morning hike. It was still inside the Keaīwa Heiau State Recreation Area, a 384-acre park. The trail was just under five miles, and I was thankful for the shade and relatively flat pathways along most of the trail because the humidity was pretty high despite the time of year. Along the loop was a grove of lemon eucalyptus groves, Norfolk pine, native koa, and ʻōhiʻa trees. I love the smell of eucalyptus. There was a tree outside the porch of Groucho’s property were we lived when we first moved to The Keys.

Halfway along the trail, a lookout point offers an awesome view of the Hālawa Valley. There was a matching trail that veered off the easy trail, the four-mile Kalauao Trail which leads to a cascading waterfall where you can cool down. However, because of the guys and all the equipment they were carrying we kept to the easier trail because we would have been facing an uphill trek on our way back.

For Diego and Chan (Diego needs to watch the carbs) we stopped for a slice of the famous lemon-crunch cake at The Alley Restaurant three miles down the road. I love lemon, all sorts of citrus really, but if Benny and Lev can’t have it I’m not just going to nosh away.

We followed the Windward Coast watching the Koolau Mountains and the beautiful coastline as Jimmy drove before making a stop at Tropical Farms Macadamia Nut Farm. You guessed it. It wasn’t just the nuts they were after but the coffee. They had samples of the caramel macadamia nuts and they were really good. Lev went behind me and grabbed a bag and tossed them on the counter with the other stuff he was buying to send back to his drop point, excuse me our drop point. We’d already gotten some fancy salts but to go with that he got a bottle of macadamia oil, some Hawaiian flavored spice mixes, mango butter, lilikoi butter, Pineapple Spicy Pepper Jam, hibiscus infused honey, pineapple infused honey, pineapple herbal tea, coffee of course, and then some body oils made from something called noni. I’ll figure those out another time. As it is I had to close my eyes to the cost of them, and everything added together. Diego and Chan were doing something similar and I wondered what I was missing. I still haven’t figured it out.

I helped carry the bags back to our vehicle to put in the back when I nearly went splat when a bird swooped down on me. The thing was squawking like I’d done something to it. Jimmy said, “Don’t mind them, they must have a nest in the tree.”

“Them” turned out to be green parrots. We had similar noisy monsters in Key West. We were pulling out and one nearly flew into the windshield. Ha! Jimmy wasn’t quite so amused anymore. He did say at least it wasn’t the peacocks. Apparently they’d been imported decades ago and some had escaped into the wild. They were as feral as the chickens you see all over the place. Chickens I could understand, apparently those escaped during a hurricane and could never all be caught, especially when they hide their nests. It is illegal to mess with them even. But wild peacocks? Now I’ve heard of everything.

We stopped for a few minutes at the Banzai Pipeline to watch some professional practicing but the waves aren’t their biggest just yet.

Our next real activity was at this place call Shark's Cove[4] (one of Oahu's marine sanctuaries) for some snorkeling fun. Oh and … no sharks. It is called that due to the shape of the cove. There were a lot of divers in the area exploring the old lava caves. A lot of sea life, including Sea turtles and colorful fish, were plentiful. Before we took off into the water I had Benny read the rule sign-thingie. Visitors are asked to keep in mind that Shark Cove is a part of over 80-acre marine life conservation district, and as such needs to be treated with the utmost respect of not only the above grounds but the underground sea world. We were scheduled to be there two hours but the surf started to get really rough. Most of the snorkelers got out almost immediately but so did a bunch of the divers. It was cool, but wasn’t worth being smashed against the rocks for.

Since we moved on a little faster than expected Jimmy took us to Haleiwa Town to get something to eat. I finally got a real, live Hawaiian burger with teriyaki sauce and a slice of pineapple on it. Yum. I love pineapple on my pizza but this was even better. After our food we stopped for more shave ice. It’s like eating flavored snow.

Jimmy was so impressed with how respectful Little Bear had been this morning that he gave him a surprise. We stopped at Laniakea Beach see the Hawaiian Green Sea Turtles that hang out at a place called Turtle beach. We were there only a few minutes, but Benny was thrilled. I’m determined to give a good review for Jimmy’s family’s tour company.

Our last stop of the day was at the Dole Plantation[5]. It has honestly got to be the most touristy thing on the island but … yeah, fun. First thing we did was the Pineapple Train Express Tour. There’s actually four trains and all four run when the crowds are at their worst. There were some tourist busses there the same time we were but I heard the crowds weren’t too bad. Seriously? The four trains are named Pineapple Express (the original), Lady Liberty, Aloha Express, and Ohana Express. It was just a two-mile chug out to the original gardens and looping back but I enjoyed it because Benny did.

We strolled through the gardens with all of the native plants of Hawaii and all the different kinds of pineapples growing in experimental patches. Some of the bromeliads were gi-freaking-normous. Then there was the Ti plant. The ti plant isn’t “tea” at all, but I read was a member of the lily family with a distinctive cluster of large, glossy, dark green leaves on a stalk that can grow up to ten feet high. Ti is a “canoe plant,” or one of the few plants the first Hawaiians brought thousands of miles across open ocean to their new home. The leaves and roots of this plant appeared everywhere in ancient Hawaiian life. If it rained, you might put on a ti leaf cloak. You might have eaten food cooked inside the leaves, or been blessed with a ti leaf in a sacred ceremony. And I had no idea there were over 5,000 varieties of hibiscus. One of the yellow ones is the state flower of Hawaii and was on display but there were a lot of other ones in colors I’ve never seen despite hibiscus bushes being common in Florida.

I could have spent more time wandering around the garden but I also wanted to see the pineapple maze before things started shutting down. In 2008, Dole Plantation’s giant Pineapple Garden Maze was declared the world’s largest maze. And they’ve kept it that way, only losing the title a few times over the years as they continue to expand it. The maze stretches over several acres and includes nearly three miles of paths crafted from thousands of Hawaiian plants. There are eight secret stations that you are supposed to find to be able to get out of the maze. I never got lost, one of my few useful talents from the Barrymore side. Benny doesn’t have it, Dad didn’t either but Lawrence and Grandfather did. Just for the heck of it I used the app the plantation has for tracking the secret stations and my time. Pretty good and I wasn’t even trying. I annoyed Diego however by having to go in and find them and lead them out when they got lost.

We decided since this was the last place on today’s itinerary to grab dinner there. I was still full from “lunch” and the shave ice but I knew better than to skip or I’d have to listen to the guys lecture that they couldn’t eat if I wouldn’t so I ordered a kalua pork quesadilla. Lev and Diego got the teriyaki chicken plate. Chan got … you guessed it … Fish & Chips. The kids meals all had gluten so I got Benny a Pineapple Chili Dog without the bun. He was more than happy with it … chili with pineapple bits in it, what’s not to love?

Benny and I finished before the men so we into the plantation country store just to look around. When Lev joined us I asked him to watch Benny while I stood in line for the lady’s room. Oh brother, I should have known. I came out, after a long wait for my turn which I just couldn’t put off, to find them in line to get to the register.

“Gus …”

“I know. Same as in Alaska, just don’t look.”

He smiled so big I knew I’d done the right thing even if it did make the hamster want to give me a swirly.

Chocolate covered pineapple
Chocolate covered macadamia nuts
Pineapple crunch
Pineapple hard candy
Pineapple chewy candy
Pineapple gummies that amazingly didn’t have gluten in them
Lychee chewy candy
Pineapple cotton candy (which Lev insisted I keep because it likely wouldn’t ship well)
Pineapple lollipops
Mango Lollipops
Waialua estate coffee
Pineapple preserves
Some dried tropical fruits
A few ice tea flavors like mango-peach, passionfruit, and pineapple
Plumeria- and pineapple-scented hand sanitizers
A “Sharka-Pine” stuffie (The Crew is expanding)

I snagged an empty box in the recycling pile as we were returning to our rooms to package up what Lev bought today. We need to find another shipping store but we are going to wait closer to the day we leave Oahu because there is still room in the box and apparently Lev is sure we’ll have more. OMG.

Lev and the guys are working. I need to get Benny to bed so I’ll close the log for the day. I can’t believe this is my life. How long it lasts I’m not sure. I trust Lev but all good things come to an end. I don’t think Lev and I will come to an end but this fantasy life we are leading will at some point.

Resources:
Dole Plantation Menu: DOLE20-950_MAY-Update-Full-Menu_letter-bw-6-3-21.pdf
https://www.doleplantation.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Brochure-1.pdf

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[1] Keaīwa Heiau State Recreation Area
[2] Keaīwa Heiau
[3] ʻAiea Loop Trail
[4] https://www.oahudiveguide.com/post/sharks-cove
[5] Pineapple Plantation - Best Attractions in Oahu - Dole Plantation

sssarawolf said:

Thank yo Kathy, this was great to come home to more chapters.
My brain decided to have a TIA yesterday morning with full numbness down my whole right side including my face. Dh rushed me dow to the hospital in the valled. I go home this afternoon.

Click to expand...

Are you okay?!

I had dried, candied pineapple for the first time from a corner market in Manhattan in 1978. Bought and ate a bag every day we were there as I did my tourist thing. I have never eaten enough of it to become tired of it. Had field ripen pineapples in Belize, never enough of that either. Had to stop getting fresh pineapples because it interfered with some of DW's medicine.

Oct 27th: Waimea Bay, Falls, and Luau​

Another bodacious hike today. Koko Crater only not the outside of the crater with all of the stairs. This time we were hiking inside the crater where the botanical gardens[1] are.

The crater covers two hundred acres and the botanical gardens take up over sixty acres of that. Now I know sixty of two hundred doesn’t sound like much until you stop thinking of the two hundred and realize you are covering sixty acres of gardens[2]. Wow. And it is worth more than just one wow. This is not a lush tropical garden, but a dryland garden filled with a wide variety of flowering plumeria trees, bougainvillea, cactus and Hawaiian flora and fauna. Did I say plumeria trees? No, a plumeria forest. Jimmy told me that after the tree was introduced to Hawaii in the mid-1800s, they became so plentiful the blooms were used frequently for funerals; you could always count on them to be in bloom, no matter the time of year. Geez they smell so good.

The plumeria forest isn’t the only thing on the two-mile trail inside the crater. The garden is home to plant species from Hawaii and all over the world, including fat baobab trees from Madagascar and the henna plant, used in India, Asia and the Middle East for its natural dyeing abilities. And then there is one of the other top attractions: a South American cactus garden, filled with golden barrel cactus and curly octopus agave. I recognized most of them from our trek through the Southwestern states when we were doing the national park adventure.

And don’t even get me started on things like the African Sausage Tree or the Hawaiian Gardenia. I needed a book, a keepsake, something, anything. There were over 200 varieties of trees alone in the 60 acres. We were there over two hours and I could have wandered around in there twice that. There aren’t any. I’ve looked in all the stores and search the online book sellers. I found some postcards but they were really what I was looking for. I took a bunch of pictures with my phone and I actually remembered to tag them so I would remember their names. I think I’ll make a digital scrapbook with them. I’m also going to post a few unusual ones on the blog as filler between regular entries. I have all of these pictures, I should do something constructive with them. At least keep them organized.

After the gardens we went back to Waimea Falls. - On the North Shore just outside Haleiwa, the busy Waimea Valley[3] trail is an easy 2-mile roundtrip. It is paved the entire way, with gentle hills. There are several gravel paths off the main corridor, for more adventurous hikers to explore all our botanical garden collections that extends the length of your hike. Well of course we did, what do you think?

In addition to the gardens, we stopped at the Hawaiian cultural sites along the way, such as Kauhale, the ancient Hawaiian living site. At that spot we learned about the life and culture of early Hawaiian people. Then there were the artisans strategically located along the trail. Each had a unique traditional Hawaiian craft they were demonstrating. I would say that it was like the Polynesian Cultural Center except it wasn’t. That was a bit like Disney with most of the performers were students; these people were truly the real deal.

There was a unique program for Benny to participate in though it wasn’t strictly a children’s program. It was called Ka’apuni O Waimea. Guests are guided through three cultural sites: Hale Hoike, Kauhale, and Kahua Pa’ani. At each site there is something special to learn and do concerning Hawaii’s cultural values. The entire them is Ho’okipa, a kind of hospitality which reminded me of do unto others as you’d have them do unto you. Benny got a sticker for completing each area and then he turned that in to get a certificate at the end. He has it along with his new Junior Ranger materials in one of the plastic envelopes I brought along for that purpose. He is very particular how it gets packed as he doesn’t want them to get bent or folded so he can put them in his binder once we get back to the van.

At the end of the trail we were rewarded with a special treat. Swimming at Waimea falls is dependent on daily waterfall conditions but today was a swim day. We skinnied into our swim outfits and away we went much to Lev’s amusement. We were there about an hour but then we needed to get out and dry off. We were going to another luau and check in was a 4:45.

It was call the Toa Luau[4] at Waimea Valley (3 hours). It was very near where we had been on the trail so it isn’t like we had to go far, but my hair needed to dry at a bare minimum. I was a little irritated to find my clothes had gotten wet but that’s when Lev said, “Oh, then I guess it is a good thing that … er …” He handed me a bag and ran with Benny to a safe distance.

Okay, it’s not like I didn’t really like what he picked out, I just would have never picked it out myself, for myself. A bit like the dress I wore to the other luau only this one was purple, very purple, with bright yellow sunsets on it. I’m thinking I now know what Lev’s favorite color is.

I decided to surprise him and not make any noise about it. Do what they expect too often and they get complacent or so told me Grandma Barry and Meemo and they should know as they’d been married and it had stood the test of time. I came out and all I said was, “I’m glad my sandals match.” He just sort of stood there until I grabbed his hand and pulled him along. Benny was looking at Lev like he hadn’t learn his lesson the first time that Aunt Gus was a real girl.

The rest of the day was really fun. We got immersed in Hawaiian culture with activities, dance performances, and dinner. Each luau we’ve gone to has been a little different and this one was no exception. Yet there were similarities too.

After checking we had a half hour to watch the food preparation and participate in the lawn activities that included cultural crafts and demonstrations. Then came the Umu Demonstration (Rock Oven) followed quickly by the Kava Ceremony. Kava is considered a sacred beverage. Meh. Not my cup o’ tea … and sorry, no pun intended. I was still trying to get the taste out of my mouth when we were seated for the luau dinner portion of the night. I was happy that this time all three men were joining us and we were sitting in the VIP section. Apparently this company was a sponsor but they were a little territorial about their filming rights so they gave us a video of tonight’s dinner and performance and Lev and Diego are going to see what they can do with it. I heard Chan say something after we got back to the room for the night that it was a good thing he took some sound or the entire thing would have been a waste of time. Alrighty then.

I’ll say the food was good but not everything was gluten-sensitive friendly. And it wasn’t a buffet, they brought your plate to you. It started off with a Pupukea Green Salad (Mixed Greens, Cherry Tomatoes, Cucumber, Candied Mac Nuts & Papaya Seed Dressing), then there was the Island Mac Salad (Celery, Onion, Carrots, Deviled Egg Aioli & Smoked Chili Flake), the main entrées were Kalua Pork, Lomi Tomato (Alaea Salt and Chili Pepper Water), Grilled Shoyu BBQ Chicken (Shoyu, Green Onion, Sesame Seed, Chicken Thighs), with sides of White Rice with Furikake and House-Made Haupia, and dessert was local fruits and White cake with coconut frosting. Since we had a driver, Kai had switched out with Jimmy, the men opted to use their drink tickets for something with a little tropical kick to it. Benny and I stuck with water and unsweet tea.

Promptly at 6:45 the show started. It was another Polynesian extravaganza featuring Hawaii, Tonga, New Zealand, Tahiti, and Samoa. There was a Fire Knife show at the end. Everything was over at 8 pm with an Aloha and Farewell. And a good thing too because I could see that the men were more than a little ready to get back to the room and work for a couple of hours. They are getting hounded for more, more, more.

I’m going to put this down and lay out our clothes. Tomorrow is … Pearl Harbor.

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[1] HBG Koko Crater
[2] https://www.honolulu.gov/rep/site/dpr/hbg_docs/kokoMAP.gif
[3] Waimea Valley
[4] Best Hawaiian Toa Luau l Authentic Luau escaping Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii

Thanks Kathy!
Lili

Oct 28th: Pearl Harbor (Part 1)​

I dressed carefully today. I didn’t wear the dress I wore to the luau, either one of them, but I did wear a navy blue ripskirt and a painfully white tank top with a matching white button down short sleeve shirt as an overshirt. On my feet were navy-colored boat shoes.

“Wow,” Diego said. “What’s the occasion?”

I sensed Lev giving him “the eye” from behind me but it was easily ignored. “Respect. We are going to Pearl Harbor today. My great grandfather was there that day.”

Startled he said, “What the hell?! You didn’t mention it before.”

“Like I said, respect. Those men aren’t tourist attractions to me.”

Chan asked, “Did he come home?”

“Barely. He was just a kid. Neither one of his brothers made it. One died late in the war in the Pacific during a kamikaze attack. The other drowned on D-Day getting out of his landing craft. He got shot and was too weak to get his pack off and it took him down before a medic could pull him back in. His buddy that was there told the family what happened.” I sighed. I’d come off a little strong. “My family has a long history of serving, most of them Navy. We have at least one in every generation all the way back to 1775. I’m sorry if I treated it a little … touchy.”

It was Chan that said, “Understandable. My grandparents were both born in the US, as were their parents. But when you grow up in a very strict community it leaves a mark.”

“And yet … a Chinese Mormon,” I said trying to lighten the mood a bit the same as him.

With a half-smile Chan explained, “My great grandmother’s second husband whom she’d gone to college with at BU was a white dude. They didn’t have any kids together, but Matthew raised my grandfather as if he was one of his own. And when my great grandmother died a couple years later after converting to Mormonism – her family disowned her because of it – his stepdad’s family fully adopted him and did their best to keep him in touch with his father’s biological family though there wasn’t a lot of cooperation until Grandfather’s ranch became successful. Yeah, go ahead and laugh. We all do. A Mormon Chinese cowboy who married a Chinese girl even though he swore he never would. Grandmother’s parents allowed it so long as my father’s generation was allowed to experience Chinese culture. Some embraced it, some didn’t want anything to do with it. Dad falls someplace in the middle but I’ve got a couple of aunts that are the definition of Tiger Mom.”

“I know one of those,” I told him. “Nice woman but she makes my control issues look like wispy little ripples on a calm sea.”

He chuckled and I plated up the spam, pineapple, and egg scramble the guys had wanted to try and then cleaned the skillet while they ate. When Lev opened his mouth I stopped him by saying, “Yes Papi, I ate.”

Benny thought that was a riot and Diego nearly inhaled some egg down the wrong pipe. I rolled my eyes and left to grab some leave-in conditioner for my bag just in case we hit the beach afterwards.

Pearl Harbor was in a word … amazing. We started with Orientation in Aloha Court. What that means is that visitors can receive information about planning their day at Pearl Harbor immediately upon entering the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center. I’d done a lot of research ahead of time but I was glad to have it confirmed. We also picked up Benny’s Junior Ranger program[1]. From there we headed to the Exhibit Galleries: "Road to War" and "Attack". These two exhibit galleries brought visitors closer to the sights and sounds of the events leading up to the attack on Oahu. There was personal memorabilia, dramatic photographs, artifacts of the battle, and more. There were also kiosks with sign-thingies available to hear history from actual participants of that day that shall live in infamy.

In the Pearl Harbor Memorial Theater is a 23-minute documentary that you really need to watch immediately preceding the boat trip to the Memorial. The next part nearly undid me. It was the USS Arizona Memorial Program which was a 75-minute program. It includes an introduction, a Navy-operated shuttle boat ride to the USS Arizona Memorial, time to experience the memorial itself, and finally the boat ride back to the visitor center. I wasn’t the only one affected. While Diego and Chan peeled off to do their thing, Lev hung around until he was sure I was okay.

“I’m … fine. Just my grandfather told me stories that his dad told him and … and this makes it all real.”

He gave me a hug and then peeled off to do his own list of photos that were needed. Benny and I headed to the Battleship Missouri Memorial. It was also known as "Mighty Mo" or "Big Mo." The USS Missouri was the last battleship commissioned by the United States and was the site of the Japanese surrender on Sept 2, 1945, marking the end of WWII. There was a lot to explore but thankfully we could do it at our own pace and I tried to answer, or find the answer, to all the questions that Benny had.

From there we went to the USS Bowfin Submarine Museum. The USS Bowfin (SS-287) is a fleet attack submarine that fought in the Pacific during WWII and helped to make famous the term, "Silent Service." The Bowfin was launched on Dec. 7, 1942, exactly one year to the day after the attack on Pearl Harbor after an amazing effort by those who constructed her. She was nicknamed the Pearl Harbor Avenger and one of the rangers that were there explained that that is why it is so fitting that she is permanently homeported at Pearl Harbor.

The Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum was last on the list but not last for any other reason. Something always has to be last and the aviation museum just happened to be it this time. It hosts a variety of aviation exhibits, most directly relating to the Pearl Harbor attack on Dec 7, 1941, and to World War II. The museum occupies two hangars and the Ford Island Control Tower that still bear the scars of the battle that took place that day.

Benny had picked out a couple of things he wanted to see again to try and answer the last few activities in his Junior Ranger scavenger booklet and the guys were all fine with it because they were getting additional filler shots and film. We went our separate ways once again and agreed to hook back up in about an hour.

Off and on today I kept getting the feeling that someone was watching me and was getting irritated. It wasn’t Lev. His eyes on me don’t feel that way. I kept Benny moving and then spotted a ranger so that he could get the last thing signed off. He was giving Benny his “swearing in” when I heard a pop and the man dropped and then from behind me I heard a pain-filled, “Gus! General Quarters!!”

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[1] https://www.nps.gov/perl/learn/kidsyouth/upload/JR_Ranger_booklet-reduced.pdf

Oct 28th: Pearl Harbor (Part 2)​

I immediately ducked pulling Benny protectively beneath me as people started screaming. I was looking for a port in the storm when Lev and Diego pushed through the crowd. With them to help cover Benny I grabbed the park ranger and then headed towards where I’d heard an all too familiar voice.

He’d been dragged off from the look of the blood on the ground so I followed it. “Crap!”

“Gus, what are you doing?!” Lev asked when he saw I was heading towards what looked like a knot of people rounding up the injured, but they weren’t friendlies and the situation was going to get out of control fast if a counteraction wasn’t mounted.

I turned to Lev. “You are the only one I trust.”

“Wha …?” He didn’t get to finish before I was picking Benny up and putting him in Lev’s arms.

I yanked off the short sleeve and threw it to Diego. “Use it for bandages.” I then ran and bulldozed into one of the bad guys, surprising him and taking his pop gun. From that point forward any bad guy in range became a killer tomato and I took them down.

I wasn’t the only one playing Action Guy by a long shot, but the gunfire slowly petered out and all that was left was a half dozen bad guys that were tossing wounded into the water as a distraction. Crap, this was Hawaii and blood in the water was only going to cause trouble. I’d hooked up with a couple of three-stripers that had been on shore leave. They took off to help the people in the water and CPO Barrymore decided she’d had enough of all the fun and games, especially when a chopper started to land, firing some souped-up automatics to make a space.

I dropped but quickly came up firing using another abandoned weapon. The bullets barely cracked the canopy telling me that this wasn’t your ordinary scenic flyover apparatus. But with the cockpit door open there was nothing to prevent a spray of bullets from getting inside and playing bounce-a-roo. What kept the bullets from getting in also kept them from getting out and they ricocheted until they ran out of sufficient velocity to continue … or embedded in the pilot and co-pilot. A second helicopter that was coming in never made it. Someone on active-duty with access to more than a pop gun got that one based on the boom that resulted.

When I heard a dry click, and knew it wasn’t me, I made the move to prevent the last mobile bad guys from either using an elderly woman as a shield or tossing her over as a distraction where she’d likely be just as badly injured when she hit the concrete-like surface of the water. However, I wasn’t the only one trying to get to the guys on the pier. A couple of women had pulled up in a boat and were shooting at anything with a uniform on, including our guys doing water rescues. I left the men to handle the men and I took on the two women who were dressed in Hawaiian dresses as well. Distraction, camouflage? Did it matter? I had identified the enemy.

The water was at high tide so I didn’t have to drop far when I went off the pier. Both women drew weapons and I had inadvertently created a crossfire. One woman completely took out the other causing her to slam into and get hung up in the boat’s accelerator. Good thing they were facing out and back into deep water rather than towards the pier and land and the ongoing water rescues. Stopping our forward motion was neither fun nor easy. I had no desire to fetch up against any of the memorials in the harbor either. That gave the other wench time to gather her strength despite blood coming from some place and come at me with a knife.

It had been a while but once learned, never truly lost. Urban operations training was one of my summer electives that I didn’t get to elect on my own. Our CO chose a few of us for special training and one of them was me. Aren’t I special.

She came at me below 90 degrees. As the strike came in, since I had no desire to get skewered, I engaged her arm with a cross-block. I pointed both of my thumbs down so it was harder for the knife to slip through. I kept one hand high and one low to “surround” her elbow. Then I pushed forward to prevent her from retracting the weapon. I intentionally collapsed into her and redirected the weapon to the outside of my body. I then wrapped my arm around her tightly and immediately pushed her away, scraping down her arm with my armpit. I did this to get below her elbow to minimize her range of motion with the knife. Then I brought my fist to my chest to lock her arm using my armpit.

She wasn’t turning loose of the knife regardless of the upward pressure I put on her wrist, so I used my head to slam up into her face (broke her nose) and then my fist to strike her in the throat. That made her turn loose and as soon as I kicked it out of her reach I grabbed her already injured arm and flipped her to further stun and disorient her. I was just about to bring my foot down on her face for extra points when I was grabbed and pulled backward.

“Yo! Chief! She’s down! Please leave us something to question!”

I jerked away and stuffed CPO Barrymore back in box she stays in these days. “Charles.”

He nodded. “We’ll get you a medic on shore.”

“Blood isn’t mine but I need to get back to my peoples.”

“Benny?”

“And a couple of others.”

“The film crew you are working with?”

I gave him a narrow look. “You were the eyes?”

“Er … yeah.” He knew me too well to prevaricate.

I let it go but asked him, “Where’s you boo boo? And don’t tell me you don’t have one ‘cause there was blood in the drag marks.”

He gave me a disgusted look when a couple of the guys taking us to shore snickered. I added insult to injury by saying, “Renee ain’t gonna be happy.”

He groaned. “Don’t. I’m already in the doghouse.”

“Deserve to be?”

“She’s preggers and we were both using protection.”

“Did you put a ring on it?”

“I’m trying,” he griped. “She isn’t cooperating. Her loony tunes sister keeps feeding her crap.”

“I’ll talk to her,” I said as we bumped into the pier. “Where is everyone? I need to find Benny and Lev.”

“Who’s …?”

I heard a piercing whistle and I started walking that way.

“Wait. Wait! Gus, you need to give a statement!”

“Then find someone that can keep up. I need to check on my family.”

Oct 28th: Pearl Harbor (Part 3)​

A couple of the guys were standing around keeping Lev, Diego, and Chan “company” while I dealt with Benny. I could hear them say, “Damn, that left hook poleaxed that guy. Thanks.”

Lev said, “No prob. You think we could find someplace a little more private. The kid needs help focusing and all the noise …”

“Let me check. Can’t promise.”

“Yeah, just anything better than this.”

Lev walked over to me and bent down where I was sitting and holding a limp and wasted Benny. “How’s he doing?”

“He’s about through it.”

“He held it together until he saw you. Then he … er …”

“Freaked. Yeah. He knows what he does. He just isn’t always able to control it. This was pretty bad. But to be honest this isn’t the worst episode he has ever had. You helped him to hold on longer than I had any reasonable expectation. I’m … I’m sorry I …”

“Hey. You said you trusted me in front of God and everyone then handed Benny off to me. You got any idea how … how big that made me feel? Like I could do anything … anything that I needed to. And Benny trusting me despite … everything going on around us? Uh uh. You haven’t got a thing to apologize for. You followed your calling. And you gave me mine. Now my turn while everyone is giving us space. Are you okay?”

“Yeah. If you hadn’t been here taking care of Benny …” I shook my head. “But all the other stuff? Lev maybe we should talk.”

“What about?”

“Me. I’m … I’m not …” I sighed. “You know, my issues.”

“I don’t see any issues. You get through life a little differently, but I’ve known that all along. It is what attracted me to you.”

“Yeah, but do you know people have considered me a sociopath a few times?”

“What the …?”

“I wish I was joking Lev. If you think I’m exaggerating ask Charles.”

“The guy … from school?”

I was surprised to hear a little hesitancy there. “Yeah. A friend from school that happened to be a guy. His other … Renee … she and I were shipmates in Sea Scouts while Charles and I were cadet mates. As in friends-only. He was our best navigator.”

“Am I an idiot?”

“No. A guy … and I didn’t explain things.”

“Okay, so why would … Charles … think some crazy shit like you are a sociopath?”

“I didn’t say Charles thought it, but some of the other kids we hung with and their parents thought it. You see … I see target, I capture target, by whatever means necessary. And that included kicking the … er … cans of any under my command that held us back from success.”

He snorted. “In other words the parents were jealous their kids weren’t as driven as you. Or they didn’t understand what was at stake.”

I blinked. “That’s … that’s almost word for word what Lawrence said.”

“Gus, if those people thought you were a sociopath they didn’t live in the real world. Just because you are capable of compartmentalizing to get a job done does not mean you lack conscience. Had you gone into the Navy you could have served with honor and distinction, I’m sure of it. But I … Benny and I … are damn lucky that you chose familial responsibility over that career.”

He says all the things I need to hear. I pray to my Creator that he isn’t just saying them, but that he believes them too. And more importantly, that they’re true.

# # # # #

“Yo Gus, you ain’t got a hate on that we sold that film?”

“Relax Diego. I already said I’m not after I found out you and Chan edited Benny out.”

“Yeah, but …”

“No yeah-buts. They made you turn over some of the film to the military. Bob already had a coronary about it. At least you made dups beforehand so we don’t have to retake the day. I don’t think you’d get the same shots.”

“No,” he said while making a face. “’Specially out of Osito.” Little Bear in Spanish and something Diego has taken to calling Benny off and on. “You sure the kid is okay? I can talk to Bob about tomorrow.”

I shook my head. “He’s been looking forward to tomorrow ever since you told him about it. I’m just glad they haven’t locked everything down. I don’t want him to think it is a punishment to not be able to go.”

Lev came into the room from taking his turn in the shower. Chan was in his and Diego’s room meditating or whatever you want to call it as his “pacifist” beliefs had taking a beating, and so had he when he got between an elderly couple that were about to get beat on because they couldn’t move as fast as the terrorist cult member had ordered them to.

“Benny’s restless.”

I stood up and let Lev handle the plans for tomorrow. Benny was just waking up from a mild tranquilized sleep from a cup of Linden Tea. His blood pressure had been pretty high and while I didn’t want to give him one of the pills he had to take since his weight and everything was different than when he’d first been subscribed them, I knew the Linden Tea would work as it is something I’d had to use a few times in Key West right after Penny went out in the kayak and didn’t come back.

“Hey,” I said quietly. “Want some water or Benny Blue?”

“Was I bad?” he asked in distress.

“No. Definitely not. You should have seen some of the grown ups going off.”

He sniffed. “I did. I didn’t want to be like that, so I held onto Lev. Is he mad?”

“Are you kidding? He thinks you are the best thing since popcorn.”

“That’s what he said.”

“Well, you can believe him.”

“He said you’d come back too. And you did. I tried not to be scared.”

“I know,” I said sitting beside him and pulling him into a hug.

“But you weren’t there.”

“Sure I was. I mean I wasn’t right there next to you, but I was right here.” I pointed to his heart, then to mine. “And no matter what happens or when, I always will be. Right. Here.” I said pointing to his heart and mine again. “I can definitely promise you that.”

“Like Daddy?”

“Yep.”

“But …”

“Benny, sometimes things don’t happen the way we plan in this life but this time it did. If we spend all our time worrying about how things might go wrong, we don’t spend enough time thinking about how we can help them go right. I’m sorry you were scared. I’m more sorry that I was part of the reason you were scared. But let’s remember to trust the Creator. And now we can trust Lev. Okay?”

“Was I bad ‘cause I worried?”

“Nope. I just don’t want you worrying and being scared to the point you make yourself sick and hurt yourself.”

“Like when I was a baby.”

“You weren’t a baby, but you weren’t much more than one either. But yes, that’s what I mean. How’s your head?”

That was our old code for how was he feeling.

“Not fuzzy. And … can I have a smoothie?”

“Well I’m glad you asked. ‘Cause I was wondering if you’d at least try and drink one for me.”

He didn’t stay awake much longer after the smoothie as the carb crash pushed him back over the edge. I’m pretty sure he’ll be fine in the morning after he gets over any possible embarrassment. Benny is empathetic but he also is private with his own emotions.

“He asleep again? Is that good?”

I looked up and all three men were there working in the living room. “He’ll sleep off the tea, the carbs, and the excess emotions. I’ll keep an eye on him tomorrow. But if you see me walk off with him it will be to get away from people talking or the news or something along those lines. I’ll have to see how he does. I might cancel with Charles and Renee.”

“If you want to go out I’ll …” Lev started to offer.

“No. I know what his symptoms are that are a run up to a meltdown. I don’t think he’ll have one, but I want to watch for just in case. Charles will either understand or he won’t. His brother is an amputee because of a skirmish. Last I’d heard Charles was rethinking a naval career.” I’d already cleaned up the dishes I’d messed up for Benny. I knew the guys would clean up any dishes they made from here on. I looked at Lev and asked, “Anybody need me for the rest of the night?”

“No,” he said before the other two could respond. “We’ll keep it down. We just need to get this out to Bob.”

“Relax. I know you have a job to do. I think I’ll be better off with some … quiet.”

Around midnight Lev must have come in and caught me doing who knows how many reps of push ups and sit ups. “People don’t know you very well do they,” he whispered into my sweaty and disgusting hair. I tried to put some space there, but he was having none of it and kept holding me and finally bit by bit I could take down the stones in the wall I’d had to build to get the job done.

“Thanks. For understanding. For Benny. For …”

“Shhh. Go take a shower and let’s hit the hay before that road gets a little tempting. I want tomorrow to be a good day.”

“Today was a good day. Got a little rough in places but that doesn’t mean the entire day was bad. I won’t let them @#$%&#$ turn us into victims.”

“Whoa.”

I sighed. “Sorry. Not exactly ladylike. More like my naval buddies.”

“Gus, if you were anymore ladylike I couldn’t handle it. I like … love … you the way you are.”

And on that note I went to take a shower. Lev was give out and half asleep by the time I got back but he was willing to talk if I needed it. The thing is I didn’t. Don’t. I let him go all the way to sleep and then got up and analyzed the day. Bottom line is I wasn’t lying when I told Lev that today had been a good day. I was also sorry that I’d worried Benny. I’m secure in my trust of Lev. And despite what might have happened I would do the same thing again. No, I’m not a sociopath. Part of me wishes … no, not really. If someone had to drop the hammer on those freaks it is probably best that it was someone like me who can do it and not get emotional about it. I have a conscience, but it is a practical one. Those people chose their path, there are consequences for that.

Resources:
Shop by Print – RipSkirt Hawaii
12 Incredible Health Benefits of Linden Leaves - DrHealthBenefits.com

Wow! That got exciting and terrifying quick! Had my heart racing......

Dannab1 said:

Wow! That got exciting and terrifying quick! Had my heart racing......

Click to expand...

Careful there... there's a cliff.

Kathy in FL said:

Are you okay?!

Click to expand...

Doing okay tonight. I am home and had tons of tests and etc. Just have to take the med they gave me for 21 days and a baby asprian for the rest of my life, along with keeing on eye out for things like this now, bummer. I did panic when they put me in the small CT scanner with my head hugger tight. Oh BOy, had to tell them to get me out of there before they could start the machine. Surprised me I'll tall ya. So later we did it with my having a sedative lol. I list a bit to the right at times but being careful.

Oct 29th: Kualoa Ranch and Old Friends​

Benny was a little hung over but at breakfast when the men all reminded him what was planned for the day. He started to get excited.

“I … I can still go?” he asked hesitantly, desperately wanting to.

Lev said, “Of course, why would you think otherwise?”

Diego added, “Osito, I need some money shots today. Now if you don’t want …”

“No! I want to. I’m … I’m not a baby.”

Chan then said, “Do you think I’m a baby because … because I didn’t fight?”

And then it clicked for Benny. He answered, “You did, just in your own way. You would let the old people get hurt. That was cool.”

And from that point forward I think Benny changed the narrative in his head. That he “wasn’t a baby” he just did things different. And to be honest, maybe that is how I need to look at my own actions yesterday. I get through life different, but that doesn’t have to be a bad thing.

What was Benny so excited about? Kualoa Ranch[1]. But that doesn’t really explain what the place is. It is famous for being the filming location for a bunch of blockbuster movies and television shows. It is also a awesome nature preserve and one of the number one attractions to visit when you come to Oahu. It also has some incredible Hawaiian cultural activities. All of that and more is what had Benny so jazzed up. I was a little worried that he would have a hard time getting through the day but except for a moment here and there he was fine. He was tired early tonight but after all of our activities today that isn’t to be unexpected.

We were there before they opened for an early tour. We were going to be doing so many things today that if we hadn’t started early we would never have fit everything in. First came the one-hour Kualoa Ranch movie tour to see film locations for Pearl Harbor, Jurassic Park, and Magnum P.I., and Hawaii Five-O. We had a local guide that led us to the Hollywood hotspots and provided background on the history of the ranch. We traveled by vintage school bus past some of the island’s most stunning natural attractions, like Mokoli’i Island (Chinaman’s Hat), Kaneohe Bay, and the Ko’olau Range, mountains which dominate the eastern half of Oahu. It was easy to see why so many top filmmakers in the business chose this area as the backdrop for their shows. We were given the opportunity to take photos of the locations; also the sparkling waters of Kaneohe Bay, that was featured in several scenes from Pirates of the Caribbean 4.

That was the introductory tour, the next one was a little more detailed and the three men seemed to be interested on a professional level. We explored the famous Ka’a’awa Valley, known as Hollywood’s “Hawaii Backlot,” where over 200 Hollywood movies and TV shows have been filmed since the 1950’s. We saw the boneyard from the old King Kong movies and their remakes, the Jumanji dance-fight area, the ATV hill from Mike & Dave, Godzilla’s massive footprints, and several other filming locations. Many of that I’d never heard of. We also learned about Hawaiian culture, ranch history, agriculture, and stopped at a historical WWII army bunker, built entirely into the side of the mountain range, that had been turned into a mini museum with posters, props and memorabilia from movies and tv shows filmed at Kualoa through the years, as well as some cool WWII artifacts and exhibits.

The next part of the day involved an adventurous and rugged open-air Jungle Expedition deep into the Hakipu’u rainforest with its own movie locations. We rumbled along jungle trails, across stream beds, powered up steep, bumpy hills for many spectacular views. We were also lucky enough to participate in a short hike to a scenic overlook with outrageous views of Ka’a’awa and Hakipu’u valleys.

The icing on the cake for Benny was a Jurassic Adventure Tour. Two and a half hours of adventure. Benny has always been a fan of dinosaur movies and he was watching a documentary the while we were stuck in a hotel room in Florida and the Jurassic movies and how they were made were part of it. The tour we were on to us to film sites for the movies in Kualoa, Hakipu’u and Ka’a’awa Valleys. It was a bumpy rainforest trek with lots of mud and movie props. There was the Indominus Rex paddock with its 60 foot walls, the bunkers and authentic dinosaur cages used in the movies, and the famous field where the gallimimus were “flocking this way!” Benny loved it though I was getting a little Jurassic’d out by the time it was over.

We were getting a little hungry by this time (understatement) so we grabbed some food in Aunty Pat’s Café. The way we are eating out lately our per diem is not going to last, but the burgers were so good. And I don’t say that because I was starving.

Another trip to the lady’s room and two more stuffies for The Crew. One is a triceratops and the other is a brontosaurus. They’re friendly. Apparently the others all had a naughty look in their eyes or needed to find a kid more their style. Er … yeah. I’m not sure how Benny would have “intergated” a T-Rex or Indominus into the Crew.

I can’t complain now that it is done but I’m going to need to watch Lev spoiling Benny. I’m not going to be able to do this for him forever. I … heck I’m not sure what I mean. Lev has just been doing stuff that I can’t or won’t and … yeah, it does bother me a little. I also don’t want Lev to think he needs to buy our love or anything else. But that’s a battled for another day.

Our last activity was a Polynesian Canoe Sunset Sail. The ship we used really wasn’t a ship. Kamoauli is a locally owned, all-wood, double-hulled, traditional Polynesian canoe (wa’a kaulua). Its crew offered a one-of-a-kind native Hawaiian cultural and educational experience. We sailed along the Waikiki coastline while being immersed in the stories and history of place (Mo‘olelo). Our guide told us it reflected the land (ʻāina) and ocean (moana). We were encouraged to participate in hands on activities, using native materials to make food, clothing, tools, and other traditional items. We got to ask questions, explore the deck, nets and hulls, and take part in poi (taro) pounding. The crew provided 'Ukulele music and traditional chants ('oli) and locally-sourced traditional food and drinks were all part of the experience.

# # # # #

After the Sunset Sail we returned to the hotel and I changed to meet Charles and Renee down in the lobby. Lev and Benny were coming with me.

“You sure about this? I don’t want to crowd you,” Lev said.

I snorted. “Have you ever known me not to tell you my opinion on something?”

“No.”

“Then trust me on this. Besides if the two of them are on the outs with each other you might be able to keep Renee’s mouth in neutral.”

“Uh …”

“She’s a good person … just occasionally opinionated. And her sister always did know how to wind her up.”

“Er …”

“You’ll see. And I promise, I won’t let you turn into Old Dog in a room full of puppies.”

He winced. “Well I wasn’t worried about that.”

I grinned and then laughed. “You do know I’m kidding right?”

He said of course but I get the feeling maybe he is a little worried about our age difference now that people keep pointing it out.

# # # # #

“I remember you! You’re Map Man.”

Benny was more interested in the floor show and in the art program that I gave permission for Lev to bring to keep him occupied in case of “adult conversations.”

Charles was momentarily outraged when I flat out asked Renee, “So, are you going to put him out of his misery and say yes? He was already in love with you before we were in high school. Are you suddenly worried because you put the cart before the horse?”

“Oh my gawd. You did not just …” She turned to Charles and said, “You told her?”

“Not on purpose. It’s just she’s Gus and you don’t not tell Gus things. She knows how to get it out of you … painfully when necessary.”

She tried to stay mad for all of two seconds and then giggled. “Gah! I hate these weird hormones. I can’t stay mad at him.”

“You never could. And it is hormones, just not the pregger ones.”

“Gus!”

“Yeah, yeah. So, back to original question.”

She sighed. “It’s asking a lot of him. My parents… Joanie …”

“What have your parents and sister got to do with anything?”

“You remember what they’re like. And Mom really flipped a switch when their ultimatum didn’t work, and I left the house. I flew out here and Charles didn’t even know I was coming. That was four months ago.”

“What happens when he ships out.”

“He isn’t.”

I blinked and looked at Charles. He looked embarrassed. “I’m here finishing out my brother’s time for him so he can qualify for an upgraded prosthetic. Not active duty but working to help set up some mapping programs of the memorials to try and monitor their disintegration. I’ve also been helping remap the harbor and some of the associated shoreline because a storm last year really made a mess of things. It pushed a lot of sediment into the harbor and pulled a lot of beach front out in other places. We’re checking to see if what settled into the harbor is from the beach front or from someplace else.”

“That’s …”

“It’s a new program. Not civilian but quasi-military. I never officially entered ROTC but I did have enough credits that I could have. And this way everyone gets something. The military gets the personnel they need for a temporary project without having to kick in more money to an already failing benefits program, I get a job that can count towards prior employment for preferential hiring for certain jobs … the USPS as an example … and my brother gets access to elevated benefits for the prosthetic.”

“Sounds …”

“Complicated?” Charles answered.

“No. Like blackmail. Your brother should be getting bennies regardless since the amputation was a direct result of his active-duty assignment.”

“You sound like Dad.”

“They still not in favor of you enlisting?”

“No, at least Dad isn’t. Mom swings back and forth. I guess trying to justify me doing this. Renee’s parents … aw, you don’t want to hear this. Tell us how you’ve been doing.”

“First, I don’t need to hear it because I heard it all through school and beyond. And you don’t have to tell me about Joanie either because she couldn’t stand me then and I’m sure uses me as the best example of what not to do with your life. Relax, I wouldn’t want to be her either. The only people that can tell you two what to do is the two of you. So, what’s it going to be?”

Renee gave a sweet and embarrassed smile then looked at Charles who reached into his pocket with an excess of excitement and pulled out a ring box that would have flown into the fish tank if Lev hadn’t caught it and handed it back. When Charles started to go down on one knee she hissed, “Do that at the apartment. I can’t guarantee how I’ll act right now.”

I snorted. “Not in front of Benny you won’t.”

Renee and Charles both had to smother their laughter. When Renee saw the ring she said, “That’s your grandmother’s ring.”

“No one else is fit to wear it but you.”

“TMI,” I told them while I called over a waitress and got us some drinks. Lev and Charles had beer while Benny, Renee, and I had Shirley Temples. Benny’s with lime rather than grenadine. We’d brought Benny’s sound cancelling headphones just in case the floor show got a little raucous. It had and he was happy to wear them and just focus on the paint program.

The remainder of the night was spent in good memories and well wishes. I told them about Pei Shin, about Townzen, and they told me what they knew of the rest of the old gang. Renee quietly told me about Christopher finally cleaning himself up.

“He once said you were his biggest screw up.”

“That could be taken more than one way. And I’m not interested.”

“You sure?”

“Definitely.”

“Good. I like Lev. Little older than us.”

“He’s not Methuselah.”

“No. Definitely not. Just seems older. More experienced.”

“That’s because he is.”

“Fine. None of my business. But, it really is good to see you with someone.”

“I’m not Methuselah either. You act like we should all be hooked up by now.”

“I guess Charles and I have just been together for so long. And I want all of us to be as happy as we are.”

“Relax. Some of us are working on it. The rest of us have plenty of time.”

“Which one are you.”

“Do you really think I’d trust just anyone with Benny?”

She slowly smiled and we went on to another subject. That’s when some members of the Canoe Club showed up and made a production of rubbing Charles’ nose in being his brother’s “plus one.” Apparently swabbies aren’t liking the special accommodations that some vets get by having someone serve out their tour.

They tried to get in my face and I asked them nicely if they’d like to take it outside.

“Gus …” Charles and Lev both said at the same time.

“They are not going to insult my brother’s memory or my grandfather’s service and get away with filling out an Eye-Dee-Ten-Dee form. These ‘tards are nothing but butt sharks.”

“Chief …” Charles said, trying to pull out my better nature.

Another guy showed up, designated driver since he hadn’t been drinking. “You sound like you did your time.”

“I was. But my brother came home in a body bag and I chose family responsibility over stripes. And if any of you mess with my nephew, I’ll shove this gold star up your ass and make sure its cuts your hemorrhoids up along the way. I already had to put up with enough ‘tards at Pearl yesterday. Ain’t in the mood to play nice today.”

The other three started sobering up. A fifth man – higher ranking if I had to guess though he wasn’t in uniform – showed up and said, “You screw up my date night with the wife and I’ll find a couple of brig chasers.”

I wasn’t going to let the insult to Lawrence go and Charles whispered the details.

“You know where he served?”

I snorted. “Honorably in some blacked-out place off a sandy coast.” Everyone understood what I meant.

“And your grandfather?”

“Last rank was Captain before a back injury while on training took him off active duty.”

“Name?”

“Barrymore.”

“Shit. Lawrie Barrymore was your grandfather?”

I nodded, hiding the surprise I was feeling.

“They still use that incident at Newport.” I understood him to mean the Navy’s Officer Training School. “We’ll let you get back to your meal.” He turned to Charles and smiled. “And congrats. Wife was watching and now I owe her some flowers and romance.”

Everyone got the message, but I was still a little bent. When I sat I felt Lev pat my hand in understanding. For everyone’s sake I did my best to let it go.

“Sorry.”

Renee was the one that said, “Don’t be. Those three guys are jerks. Hopefully they got the message this time and will stop harassing Charles.”

“Hey …” Charles said.

I told him, “They’re drunk in uniform.”

What Lev didn’t understand Charles and Renee did. I despise people that don’t respect their own uniform enough to stay clean while in it … and I’m not talking about just the cloth. Then Charles decided to be Charles and dared me to sing karaoke to get our bill paid.

“It’s for the bill?”

“Yep.”

I looked at Lev and said, “Sorry. You might need to cover your ears. I can get a little loud. Ask Benny.”

“Uh …”

I walked straight to the stage to take the next turn. Picked something to make Charles and Renee laugh and belted out a more than decent rendition of Aretha Franklin.

What you want, baby, I got it
What you need, do you know I got it?

All I'm askin' is for a little respect when you get home
(Just a little bit) Hey, baby
(Just a little bit) When you get home
(Just a little bit) Mister
(Just a little bit)

Etc. Etc. Etc.

I thought Lev was going to fall out of his chair. Especially after Benny said, “Hey! Aunt Gus is singing! She used to only do that in the shower! But usually it is Elvis!”

Yep, I won that round and it paid for our dinner. But none of us could afford to stay up any later – that adulting thing called work had us all by the short hairs – so we walked with them out to where they could catch a taxi and then went back up to our room. I had permission to send out congrats to some close friends because she said yes as long as I didn’t mention them by name. It’s the first thing I did after getting Benny to sleep.

Lev sat on the bed after changing and said, “Wow. And … they didn’t hate me. I guess.”

I tossed a pillow at his head. “Renee likes you but why you should care I don’t know.”

“’Cause … they could say something.”

I heard the tone and turned to look at him and then put my tablet aside. “If it matters, they both like you. Charles kept you talking about all the places you’ve been … and I didn’t know about some of them. Renee flat out said so. But even if they didn’t put their stamp of approval – which I don’t need – the more important factor is that I like you. You introduced me to your family back in July, so I thought here’s a chance to introduce you to some of my friends. Did I make a mistake?”

“I don’t want you to think you made a mistake.”

“Ah. That way is it? Need a little reassurance?”

“Need …” he coughed. “Er, wanna watch some tv?”

“Not especially. Wanna just go sit in there for a bit? Diego and Chan left that note that said they were taking a night off so they won’t be busting in the door.”

“Benny might.”

“Not as long as we aren’t too quiet.”

“Gus …”

I kissed him. “I won’t break. I haven’t got a clue if I’m going to do it right but I’m definitely not the breakable type.”

“Yeezus woman.”

Well, neither one of us broke but we did break up the party before we went too far. I am not winding up like Renee or risking Lev worrying about a repeat of his mother’s choices. Wherever this is going, we are going to get there with a modicum of commonsense.

---

[1] https://www.kualoa.com/

sssarawolf said:

Doing okay tonight. I am home and had tons of tests and etc. Just have to take the med they gave me for 21 days and a baby asprian for the rest of my life, along with keeing on eye out for things like this now, bummer. I did panic when they put me in the small CT scanner with my head hugger tight. Oh BOy, had to tell them to get me out of there before they could start the machine. Surprised me I'll tall ya. So later we did it with my having a sedative lol. I list a bit to the right at times but being careful.

Click to expand...

I may be far away but you let me know if there is anything I can do. You hear?

Wow on the chapters.

Whoa...

Thanks Kathy!

Getting close to time to set the hook.

Thanks dear lady. Have I mentioned that you do personalities better than anyone?

Oct 30th: Hiking and Beaches​

Last day on Oahu. A cousin of Jimmy’s (not Kai) named James was our guide today for an eight-hour hiking extravaganza. The guys went through all their back up batteries and were on their last ones right as we were heading back to the hotel.

It started with the Lanikai Pillbox Hike, aka the Kaiwa Ridge Trail. It was an intermediate hike that took us to some of the most incredible views on Oahu’s windward side. Sitting above Lanikai Beach, Kaiwa Ridge Trail has a steady steep grade throughout the climb. During the hike we got unbeatable views of the Mokulua Islands, Kailua Beach, and Lanikai Beach. It took about two hours roundtrip but that was with stopping for the three photog bugs to do their jobs. I could have probably halved that if I was by myself, or at least get it down to ninety minutes if Benny was with me. The extra time was actually a good thing as it gave him plenty of breaks so he could keep up with me having to pull him up.

In hand with the steep grade, the trail had a of slippery gravel. It was to help prevent erosion, but it didn’t make the trail any easier. Some people found the grass beside the trail was easier and safer but all that did was encourage more erosion that would require more gravel. Either way, the effort to reach the stunning vista was worth it.

If someone isn’t up to the full trek, there is a place to stop and turn around while still making the hike worth it; the first pillbox is only about 20 to 30 minutes away. Another ten minutes after that is the second lookout and pillbox.

As a treat between hikes we stopped at Lanikai Beach. It is known for its spectacular views and breathtaking scenery. That said, the development of seawalls has caused erosion to the white-sandy beach, decreasing the beach to a half-mile long. That half-mile was packed with people, almost to the point of them being a tripping hazard. James took us a little further afield to get away from most of the beach crowd.

The Mokulua Islands are a tropical paradise off the coast of Lanikai Beach. They have white sand and azure blue waters that make you feel like you're in a postcard scene. Both islands are protected sea bird sanctuaries and are only accessible via the Northern Moke beach. Most people reach the islands by kayak, which is what we did. I mean we didn’t go on the islands but kayaked around them. Pretty cool.

Next hike was to Lalumha falls[1]. James said half the challenge of the hike was going to be finding it. It isn’t something that a lot of regular tourists hit up because it is tucked out of the way on the Pali Highway. Another challenge is that it is located on private property and technically an unsanctioned trail. The owner is usually pretty cool – it is former government controlled land that has been returned – but James said he’d called ahead and gotten permission to be on the guy’s land. Lastly … bug spray. If we hadn’t used the good stuff we would have been sucked dry before we could get there.

There is an old hunting station that marks the start of this Oahu hike to the Lulumahu Falls, off the Pali Highway. The hunting trail narrows and winds until you reach the stairs. The Honolulu Water Board Supply gate starts off on a road with lots of bamboo towering above. The further we traveled down the path the narrower it became, as did the bamboo on either side of the trail, and I wondered what we were getting into. About 100 yards down, James told us to start looking for a path that branched off on the left hand side. Once we found it, it led us to a set of mysterious stone steps. They looked ancient but weren’t. We climbed them and got a view that made us realized we were seeing old reservoir. From there it was a dirt trail on top towards the mountains. We weren’t really in the middle of nowhere, just an area that was no longer used. We walked past a graffitied wall as proof of this and then around the fenced water pump to reach another set of stone stairs. Up top the trail continued towards Lulumahu Falls.

That part of the path ended when it met up with another section of the old water supply structure, where the stream meets up, and water drops off 10 ft into a small pool. If there was an easy part to this Oahu hiking trail…it was over! From here the journey continued up river where we hopped rocks and tried to walk along thin pathways of dirt. James said to look for ribbons tied to trees. Those were from previous hikers to help find the best way through. But he also said to be careful to not follow some ribbons that lead high into the hillside…stay closer to the stream. In other words, proceed at your own risk, using common sense.

The only way to get up to the waterfall is traveling slowly up stream. James did caution that if it’s raining or recently had heavy rainfall, no one should attempt this hike as the stream can turn into a rushing river, and can become very dangerous to travel through or alongside it. It took about 15 minutes traveling up stream until we reached the waterfall. The waterfall was a hundred-foot, nearly vertical drop coming down right in front of us. As if it was necessary, James also told us to avoid scaling the walls or climbing to the top of the waterfall. It is dangerous and can result in serious injury or other consequences. It rains a lot in the Pali region, and the mountains are continuously soaked. It makes it seem like Lulumahu Falls has an endless supply of water cascading down the cliff. That said, it only leaves a small pool of water behind so you couldn’t even swim.

It took two hours to do this trek. I might have been able to shrink that but it would have been dangerous since one, I’d never been there before; two, the trail was wet and slick in places; and three, there would have been no time for anything else but hoofing it there and back which would have defeated the entire point of the adventure.

Once back at the vehicle I spot treated the bug bites that made it through the repellent and then it was time for another “break,” this one at Kailua beach. Right. LOL. We went sea kayaking after eating the picnic lunch that James had brought along and grabbing cold drinks from a food truck.

Kailua beach had a bit of everything and we did a bit of everything. First there was the kayaking. But there was also windsurfing, body surfing, snorkeling, boogie boarding, volleyball, and more. James was in the water with us and took us to prime locations in Kailua Bay, with the Koʻolau Mountain Range and its dormant volcanoes as a backdrop. I would have stayed for the remainder of the day but no could do. We needed to get back to the hotel and clean up.

The rest of the day has been packing and cleaning up as our flight takes off at 5:40 am which means getting to the airport at 3:40 am for check in and all of the other TSA yada yada. And that means getting up around two o’clock for a three o’clock pick up. Getting to sleep is going to be a challenge but I gotta go try.

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[1] Everything you need to know before hiking Lulumahu Falls | Hawaii Aloha Travel

Thanks Kathy

Oct 31st – Nov 13th: Maui – Hookipa Beach​

We flew out at 5:40 am from Honolulu to Maui on private charter due to equipment. Coming in we flew over Molokai and Lanai. It wasn’t a long flight; we touched down at 6:19 am. The hassle was going through customs … again. Our Driver/Guide was to pick us up at 7:00 am

I asked the guys – who were still looking kinda rough from the Pearl Harbor incident and the following two days of no break plus today’s early hours - if they were up for the day. “Not to be insulting, especially after all you all did to protect Benny and our jobs, but maybe you should take a half-day off or something.”

Diego admitted, “I thought about it but since we are already up, we might as well get in a day today and then zone out a bit tonight.” He turned to Lev and Chan and they nodded.

“Alrighty then, but holler out if you need to make a pit stop or something. And I’m making sure you guys to take breaks. I swear you three are like burn out in motion right now.”

Diego sighed then in a sing song voice all three said, “Yes Abuelita.”

I gave them the look that particular nickname deserves, gave Benny the eye to say he better not follow suit which only made him giggle and the men grin, and we were off and running.

Our guide’s name for the day was Ahe, as in Ah-hey. Don’t think I’ve ever heard that one before, not even in the movies. He said it meant softly blowing breeze and that pretty much describes the guy’s personality. Not wispy; just very, very laid back and soft spoken.

Just like on the other islands today was an overview in the form of a circle drive of the island. Thankfully we also got out and worked the wiggles or I would have been coming out of my skin.

First stop was the Kapalua Coastal Trail[1]. It was only 1.76 miles one way so it isn’t like it was super long but we to hike to an incredible lava rock cliffside. We explored beaches, lava rock zones, and tide-pools during our ninety minutes on the trail

The next stop was another easy stroll to get to, the Dragon's Teeth[2]. Ahe explained that the Dragon's Teeth, or Makaluapuna Point as it is also known, is a good example of what can happen when forces of nature collide. As the lava from the West Maui Volcano poured into the ocean, wind and waves forced it back and it cooled into a formation that resembles great black teeth. To get to the Dragon’s Teeth we had to pass an ancient Hawaiian burial ground and there were sign-thingies all over the place to be respectful and all the other yada yada. Considering both sites were right next to a golf course and huge resort complex, I’m surprised they didn’t have it walled off give the number of sign-thingies that were posted all over the place.

We got to see another blowhole at the next stop; Nakalele Blowhole[3]. You have to hike down to the blowhole, where the eruptions of water are active 90% of the time and can often reach heights of 100-feet. Technically you can hike through lava rock zones but they’ve started to discourage that because people get too close and either get knocked over and into the ocean or sucked down into the blowhole. There were food trucks nearby so we stopped and grabbed a bite to eat as well.

Then it was on to the Olivine Pools[4] where we hiked down a crumbly trail to play in the shallowest of the tide-pools. The water was pretty rough – that was why the blowhole was so active at our previous stop – so we didn’t do any actual swimming. Had the ocean conditions been suitable we could have done some diving.

Instead of swimming in the Olivine Pools, Ahe took us to bathe in the Iao Stream, Maui’s largest river. We also enjoyed sightseeing at the deepest valley in West Maui Mountains (the island’s western and oldest volcano, Kakalawai - House of Water), which makes the Iao River the largest watershed from these wet slopes. The last eruption was thousands of years ago, and since then, significant erosion has carved out these mountains and deep valleys. Then we made our way to the base of the Iao needle, a 1200 ft Basalt tower that was once used as a watch tower during battles between the Polynesians. I could have stayed longer but it was to be a fast and fast-paced day so we only took 45 minutes there.

Poor Chan, we discovered his kryptonite when we stopped at Ali'i Kula Lavender Farm. It was fine when we were just standing at the incredible panoramic views from 4200 feet, but as soon as we got near the actual lavender his face got blotchy and he could barely breathe. Diego took him back to the vehicle while the rest of us gave the gardens a quick look and stepped inside the shop. Uh oh. Lev was tempted by a few things including the Lavender-Strawberry-Pepper Jelly, the Lavender Dark Chocolate bars, and Lavender and Lilikoi Honey. We sealed them shut tightly in a bag and put them in the trunk with the back with the rest of the luggage.

Chan was okay as soon as he got away from the lavender but it was a good thing we were going to Ho'okipa Beach[5] so he could stay out in the wind and blow the last of his allergic reaction away. The surf was up there as well but it gave us an opportunity to see some world class surfing. Benny also got to see a giant green sea turtles come out of the surf to rest on the beach like it was body surfing.

Sticking with the outdoors we headed to Honolua Bay where we took a stroll through a beautiful forest to the bay. While the guys drank fresh fruit smoothies Benny and I did a little snorkeling. We weren’t there long because, like I keep repeating, the surf was a little rough though thankfully the bay was more protected. Lev had smoothies waiting on us once we had dried off and gotten dressed.

No more beaches as Ahe said the surf was only getting rougher rather than better. Instead he took us to some other interesting places. The first one was more for adults but Benny was cool with it. The Ocean Vodka Organic Farm and Distillery is a family owned distillery that makes organic Vodka, Rum, and Gin from sugar cane. Diego and Lev did some taste testing while Chan, Benny, and I tried some Maui-style pūpūs (appetizers).

Our dessert of the day came from Maui Ku'ia Estate. The company is Hawaiʻi's largest farm-to-bar chocolate factory, which is 100%, powered by the sun. We took a cacao farm tour and Lev even … yes, he spent more money but it was his to spend and I’m trying not to be a control freak. Lev always seems to have good reason for what he buys and in this case real cocoa powder is very expensive. Getting it from a source and shipping it ourselves, cutting out the middle man and getting better product, just made sense. I have to be careful with chocolate even though there are days that I’ve given into temptation. Chocolate has caffeine in it. Sure, it is a small amount, but it is enough that it is like giving me a sedative. Because of that I have to be very careful. And yes, it would be easy to get addicted to literally rather than just figuratively.

I did much better at Maui Tropical Plantation where we had a late lunch/early dinner at ther Cafe O'lei Restaurant. The place was really upscale with impressive landscape views of the West Maui Mountains. I’m glad Benny and I changed after the beach or we might have embarrassed the company we were keeping. After the meal we visited Kumu Farms to try locally grown, organic fruits and snacks.

Last place we stopped before heading to condo we had for the duration was MauiWine. Benny and I tasted seom fruit juices instead with me getting a glass of sparking pineapple juice while Lev and Diego did a full wine tasting and took pictures of some of the best ones available. Yep, they were a sponsor. I also saw Lev sign off on an order he was shipping directly to the drop point.

The condo we have is very nice. It is a former time-share with a great pool area. I was tempted to try the hot tub but we all need to get to bed. It has been a long and full few days.

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[1] Kapalua Coastal Trail - Hiking And Walking In West Maui
[2] Dragon’s Teeth | Maui Hawaii
[3] Nakalele Point and Blowhole | Maui Hawaii
[4] Olivine Pools | Maui Guidebook
[5] https://www.gohawaii.com/islands/maui/things-to-do/beaches/hookipa-beach-park-maui

Nov 1: South Maui​

Finally got the guys to spend a day chillaxing a bit. A bit. At least they did after Turtle Town, well another Turtle Town, not the one from Oahu. They kind of did during Turtle Town as they stayed on the catamaran and soaked up some sun while Benny and I went waterside. And that alone was a blast for us. Turtle Town is one of Maui’s must-do activities if you read all the digital broadsides posted everywhere. It is comprised of a series of lava formations that are home to a thriving coral reef and an abundance of colorful fish. However, its ‘celebrity’ residents are the Hawaiian green sea turtles. These turtles seem to enjoy swimming with humans more than the ones on Oahu did. But you still have to be calm, swim slowly, and respect their space. Their curiosity kept getting the best of them and they would swim right up to us to check us out.

Turtle Town is technically accessible by land, but it isn’t the best way to do it because you can inadvertently damage the very delicate coral reef (and hurt yourself in the process) during the very vigorous swim to access the area.

After spending the first half of the day snorkeling we headed back to the condo. Diego and Chan pretty much zoned up in their rooms (it was a three-bedroom unit) while Lev came down to the pool with Benny and I. Benny met two boys near his age – one older, one younger – and seemed to enjoy playing with them. They played on the waterslide in the kid area for the most part. The younger brother didn’t want to go first or last so having Benny in the mix meant everyone could be happy. I also overheard them talking about working on their tablets.

Both brothers seemed to be super smart but their parents wanted them off the tech for what they called a “tech vacation.” Benny explained that it was okay, that he had tech limits too. Then the three of them just continued playing, completely in sync after finding common ground.

Then I turned to the darkside. I was thirsty and picked up what I thought was a fruit drink sample. Holy crap! Good thing I have some resistance, or I would have thought I’d discovered the holy grail or something like it. There were more than a few of those red solo shot glasses when I began to sense I’d made a tactical error.

“Er … Lev?”

“Yeah?”

“Do me a favor?”

“Sure. What’s up?”

“Keep an eye on Benny.”

He looked at me to give me an automatic yes then must have sensed something. “Babe?”

“That was not soda or juice I was drinking was it?”

“Er … hang on.” He picked up one of the plastic cups and smelled it then licked the inside of the rim since I’d emptied the glass completely.

“Uh … nope. Hang on.” He went and asked what I’d been drinking and they explained it was cider from an island brew house.

He came back with a couple of bottles of sparkling water. “How ‘bout you drink this instead,” he said with a grin.

“Not. Funny. This stuff isn’t going to make me drunk is it?”

“I don’t think you got enough for that Sailor Girl.”

“Lev? I’ve only been drunk once in my life, and I was not a nice person when it happened. Drinking is one thing, drunk is bad juju for Gus.”

“Er … alrighty then,” he said unscrewing and handing me the first bottle of water. “Why don’t I get you a sandwich?”

“Might be a good idea.”

But oh my … I really wanted more of the ciders. The flavors that I tasted were crazy good. Lei'd Back Lilikoi, Mango Daze, Kikit Ginger, and Killah Dragon were all 6% alcohol. Guava Lava was 5.2%. Pineapple Cruzer was 6.6% and the one that made me realize I wasn’t drinking koolaide. My favorite flavors were Prickly Paradise and Hang Loose Juice which were both 5%. The Hang Loose Juice was the absolute best and made from passionfruit, orange juice, and guava nectar. Yum. Good thing I hadn’t known they had a tasting room in Honolulu, or we might’ve been making an unscheduled stop or three.

I don’t drink. It is by choice. I’m not against people drinking, I just don’t. And like I told Lev, the one drunk I’ve ever gotten did not end well for the guy with me. It was the day that Christopher and I broke up. He’d convinced me that a mild Screwdriver would help with my stress level … and he had thought it would help him get to second base. Just like most things the liquor had the opposite of the expected result for both of us. I got angry and he got pizzy … and then got two fingers close to being broke when the idiot tried to pop my bathing suit top (from the front). I walked all the way home – I’d ridden with Christopher to the beach – and for once Penny was a granite pillar when I needed her to be. She was the one that told me I needed to stay away from booze until I knew what my tolerance for it was. Why couldn’t she be that wise about other things?

Oh brother, must be left over emotional crap. I’m taking a couple of Tylenols and going to bed. I may have sweated out most of what was in my system, but I refuse to take my weakness out on anyone else. Forget it. I’m done.

Resources:
Turtle Town Maui | Maui Hawaii (hawaii-guide.com)
Turtle Town Arches Maui | Hawaiian Green Sea Turtles on Maui (prideofmaui.com)

Thank you so much, since I can't do much, reading it is.

sssarawolf said:

Thank you so much, since I can't do much, reading it is.

Click to expand...

I was thinking of you this morning. I've got one more I am working for posting today. If I can get another one in after that I will.

Nov 2nd: Road to Hana Full Circle (Part 1)​

I opened the bathroom door and nearly jumped back when Lev was standing right outside it. It was very early in the morning and was still dark.

“Feeling okay?” he asked.

I sighed. “Feeling physically okay? Yeah. Feeling like an idiot? That too.”

He grinned. “Relax. The fact you’re more afraid of yourself than of getting hooked means good things.”

“Really?” I asked while I stepped around him looking for Benny.

“He’s eating a banana in the living room. C’mon, let’s talk.”

I sighed and sat on the end of the bed trying to keep the hotel robe on and decent. “Lev, I …”

“You’re fine. And last night was okay. You got shook up. You needed … someone you could hold on to.”

“I treated you like a blasted scratching post,” I said in disgust.

“Nah. You didn’t go that far.” My face must have been something because he gave me a comforting hug. “Stop beating yourself up. You weren’t drunk … just a little … uh …”

“Whatever, just thanks for not taking advantage of it.”

“I’m not a kid Gus. And I don’t want to wreck this up. And I don’t think … look, you weren’t drunk. Don’t dig at it. Maybe just like with the caffeine waters you don’t react exactly …”

“Normal?”

“As expected,” he corrected gently. “And just like you know when and why you can have caffeine, let’s wait until we are in a better place to explore exactly what the ciders mean for you.”

I took a deep breath. “I feel like an idiot. And I swear if either Diego or Chan say anything …”

“If they do, I’ll remind them of a few things,” he said with a wink.

I finally let it go and decided to enjoy the day instead of flogging myself with a cat o’ nine tails. I made a mistake. Lucky for me Lev was around to cover my back. That’s not a bad thing and I need to look at it like that. Just one more example of why I can trust him. But no more, as in zero, alcohol. Maybe ever. I may have Lev in my life but I also have Benny and I need to be more careful because of him. Also need to set an example before he needs a what-not-to-grow-up-and-do one.

The Road to Hana was today’s adventure. And yeah, adventure is a good word for it. We were picked up at 5:30 am by a guide and driver (arranged by Bob personally) and we expected it to last around twelve hours. All I have to say is that I was glad I wasn’t driving. It isn’t that I couldn’t do it but I’m just glad I didn’t have to and could enjoy everything. The 617 turns, 59 one-lane bridges, and occasional rock or mudslides apparently creates enormous stress and often exhaustion when you don’t know the territory. I did note that the average posted speed limit is 25 mph. The road has been infamously called the “Divorce Highway” thanks to its relationship-testing twists and turns. Saw (and heard) a couple of people giving each other some pretty good blowback, and a map wasn’t always involved.

The road is the longest rainforest highway in the USA and is a registered historic area. It is also on the “wet” side of Maui, meaning it rains throughout the night and most of the morning almost every day. Our driver Freddie, while making a joke about back seat drivers, said that the Hāna area is all about de-stressing, which is why Maui residents vacation there. Letting someone else take care of the driving is the best way to see the famous Road to Hāna and the surrounding area without the added stress of driving it yourself. No matter how easy he made it, everyone got the message … leave the driving to him.

The itinerary was a mixture of stops, quick photo opportunities, and drive throughs. Most stops are only 5-20 minutes long. The guys quickly had it down in terms of not wasting time taking the film they needed. Benny and I clued into it as well. There were some stops that were longer and I must admit that there were some that I would have enjoyed spending more time at but, hey, it’s not my dime; it is a job, not a vacation.

One nice thing is that breakfast was provided by our guide. It included fresh baked goods made with local tropical ingredients with flavors including Coconut Macnut, Strawberry Guava, Banana Macnut, and Pineapple. Those I left for Diego and Chan to munch on because there was also fresh Maui-grown fruit served including premium Maui Gold pineapple and strawberries from Kula Maui. The one thing the guys groaned about was that hot coffee is not served and shouldn't be brought on the tour due to safety/liability issues. No one wants a face full of hot java after a bounce in a pothole. Oh, and Macnut is local slang for macadamia nuts. I had brought a few GS-friendly items in my backpack along with a bunch of water to go with all the bottles of water under the rear bench of the 4x4 we were traveling in.

As a matter of pro forma, the guide discussed who should not go on this trip. It is not recommended if you are pregnant (2nd or 3rd trimester) or have a bad back due to a rough section of the road past Hana which is over 10 miles long and takes about an hour to get through. If you still decide to go, you will need to sign a waiver at check-in. Due to vehicle restrictions and safety concerns, those over 350 pounds unfortunately will not be able to participate.

Next came the all-important notice about bathrooms. Yes, the tour had restroom stops planned throughout the day, as needed, but usually only about 5-6, with the longest gap being 2-2.5 hours. If necessary, they could squeeze in a couple more, but it would take time away from the sightseeing and we would need to give them plenty of notice.

I’ve recorded the drive the way most of the written guides describe it, by using the mile markers along the highway. I did the same thing on the trip down to Key West back in June. We started with the old sugar mill town of Paia. It is also where the driver and guide took the top down on the vehicle we were in. It gave us the ability to stop and photograph without having to get out.

Very big thank you Kathy.

Thanks Kathy!

If you all didn't know There are massive fires all over Maui,causing havoc, and mass evacuations. Lots of video on YouTube.

Nov 2nd: Road to Hana Full Circle (Part 2)​

Ho'okipa Beach we’d already been to, but we stopped at the overlook. It is considered the windsurfing capital of the world, and we enjoyed watching wind surfers, kite boarders and surfers challenge the oceans waves and shoreline winds. It is also the threatened Hawaiian Green Sea Turtle capital of Maui, with 200-pound turtles feeding along the shoreline and basking on the beach all day long. Geez I wish there was time in the itinerary to come back and do a little surfing.

Twin Falls (Mile Marker 2) – We stopped here and we were so early there was hardly anyone else around. The famous falls were a short, easy, 5-minute walk from the parking lot. I couldn’t believe it, but the farm stand was already open and our guide encouraged us, since we were so inclined, to stock up on fruit and banana bread. The lady manning the stand heard me regretfully tell Benny that we couldn’t try the bread.

“What you need Sistah? Sugar free?”

“Gluten free.”

“Ah, got two loaves left from yesterday. Take both. My brothah is bringing more in an hour.”

“Seriously?!”

She laughed at me. She pulled up a paddle that had all the ingredients handwritten on it and they knew exactly what they were doing. And oh … my … gosh. It was so good. I thought Lev was going to fall over and melt at his first bite. The only problem with finding things like this is that it becomes tempting to “cheat” when you can’t. For me it is that just because it is gluten-free doesn’t mean it is carb-free.

The stand is part of Wailele Farm which is a family owned and operated bio-diverse farm. They are involved in a long term and extensive effort to keep the land cared for by removing invasive plants and replacing them with indigenous and endemic plants. Wailele Farm is very involved in the area and is committed to providing free public recreational access to visitors with a commitment to safety, operating Twin Falls Farm Stand, conducting Twin Falls Tours, maintaining roads and farm trails, to planting and harvesting farm crops, monitoring the water quality at the Falls, providing sanitary portable toilets for public use, and several other things on a old-fashioned paper broadside on a board hung on the side of welcome sign. Our guide said it was no easy task they’ve taken on given almost 400,000 visitors access Twin Falls by way of Wailele Farm each year. The farm stand is a big part of their financial support plan to keep keeping on.

The Ho'olawa Valley where the farm is located is home to multiple waterfalls. The lower falls are close to the entrance and relatively easy to access. They're a bit smaller, but picturesque. To view the lower falls there are two overlooks. The first is a short walk past the portable toilets, then a trail to the left off the gravel road. This is the "Twin Falls" waterfall. The second is a little farther up the gravel road. We followed the signs that said look for a log bench as a landmark to find the second overlook. These overlooks are recommended because of their proximity to the parking lot. However the guys also wanted to get to the waterfall that is in most of the images which is called Caveman Falls. That pool was much larger, and usually more crowded than the previous falls. It's a bit more difficult to access and to find Caveman but what you do is follow the gravel road 3/4 of a mile until you reach the forest. You will pass driveways and farm trails. The sign-thingies asked visitors to please be respectful and stay on the road. At the three-way intersection, we took a left and followed the rocky path. Rather than drive it we hiked it, and I was glad because someone had gotten stuck blocking the road. Lev and I gave them a hand and they were able to finally get going but someone from one of the driveways came out and filled in the hole they left. The man didn’t look too happy about it either.

Huelo Lookout (Between Mile Marker 4 and 5) is a little fruit stand with a beautiful ocean view. The smoothies made from locally-grown fruit are a particular favorite and I split one with Benny and Lev since we’d already had something not long before.

The Rainbow Eucalyptus Trees at Mile Marker 6.7 were very cool. The multi-colored peeling bark is the stuff of a good fantasy movie. You need the right light to catch them on film … or the right filter. Lucky for the guys they had both.

Waikamoi Ridge Trail and Falls (Mile Marker 9.5 and 10) – Another good place to stretch our legs and enjoy a quick hike before getting back on the road. The hike was a 0.8-mile loop that took us past some lush greenery along with mud and small puddles. Wide, manmade stairs interspersed with tiered roots take visitors into dense forestry with the first step. There were thickets of trees that were competing for attention with views of the Pacific. Groves of paperbark—a variety of eucalyptus named for its pale bark, which peels off like pages of a book—gave way to columns of bamboo that creak in the wind. To be honest it sounded like home. Positioned at the far eastern edge of the Waikamoi Preserve, which is home to some of Maui’s oldest trees including a 600-year-old native ‘ohia, the trail is a mix of indigenous and introduced species. Bright bunches of heliconia—a rainforest regular that favors tropical regions — are interspersed among the filly ferns; with their red-orange talons for petals, it’s no wonder that these ornamental plants are frequently called lobster claws in other parts of the world. After that we hopped back in the car and traveled another half mile to see another waterfall.

Garden of Eden (Mile Marker 10) – There was a small admission fee to get in, but the 26 acres of rare Hawaiian plants and flowers was worth it. You could easily spend hours here wandering around the trails and snapping photos, but we didn’t have much time. Some of the highlights we saw was a 100-Year-Old Mango Tree, a duck Pond and bird feeding area, the Keopuka Rock Overlook (another one from the Jurassic Park movie opening), what they called the Enchanted Forest, a giant banana patch, the Anthorium Garden, and the Upper Puohokamoa Waterfalls. Ugh. Boy would I have liked to have stayed longer.

Lev whispered in my ear, “One of these days we’ll come back, and it won’t be on an assignment. We’ll go where we want and stay as long as we want.”

Quickly I told him, “I’m not complaining. If this is all I ever get, it is more than I ever dreamed of.”

He grinned but there wasn’t much time for that sort of thing either as we had to hop back in the 4x4 and get going. I said that a lot today. “We had to get going.” It was true but … oh stuff and nonsense, I should appreciate what I got and stop wishing for more.