The Hiwaiian Diet

    After a week on Hawaii's Big Island
I am beginning to get a better idea of
how residents survive in an area where
I haven't seen a Cracker Barrel or Abe's
Hot Dog outlet in any of my travels.
    Now to be perfectly honest there are
restaurants and even a McDonalds just
about an hour away from where we're
staying. And we even were able to buy
a large hotdog at a Costco's outlet for
just $1.59 with unlimited refills on our
soft drinks.
    But you don't need a superstore to
find food around here.
    Nearly everyone seems to have a
Banana tree, Coconut Palm, or
Pineapple plants.
    They're even growing fruit here I
never heard of. Like the Rambutan.
     I'm always a bit reluctant when
someone invites me to bite into
something I've never seen and can't
pronounce. But, brave guy that I am,
I gave one a try.....before I ate the rest.
     Then there is the Malasada!
     It doesn't grow here. But it's made
here. Hugh chunks of dough rolled
and baked on the premises then
filled with your choice of Apple,
Strawberry, Cream, or Chocolate.
    We got a dozen. I didn't have to
count them. I carried them. The
weight assured me our box was
filled! As were all of us after a very
short time!
     Hope I have room for dessert and
that all your NEWS is good!

   
    

Dave And The Volcano!

    I've seen a lot of volcanos in my day.
    There was Pompeii. Saw that one in
a movie. And Mt. St. Helen's. That one
was on the news back in 1980.
     So I wasn't sure if I should expect to
see people running towards us wildly   
or a big inverted cone when my brother
in law drove us to see the Kilauea
volcano on Hawaii's Big Island.
     We stopped at the Visitor's Center
where a Ranger surprised me with the
news we were standing on top of what
may be the world's most active volcano
the moment we entered the Park!
    Maybe I should lead the crowd in
running somewhere?
    Instead we were lead to an
observation area where you could see
the center of a crater spewing smoke
which was surrounded by dark, burned
earth.
    I had wanted to bring a goat or
something to toss inside for good luck.
But I never was able to catch any of
those Billy goats I saw near the beach
the day before. Besides, the ranger said
the fumes were likely to kill me before
I got anywhere near that close.
    I did get a chance to walk right through
a Lava Tube, a sort of Holland Tunnel
cut right through the earth the last time
the molten lava ran in that direction.
    I didn't take long to go through. It
occurred to me that the hot stuff might
come back while I was visiting.
    I can be very swift when I have to!
    Hope you never blow your top and
that all your News is good.   

Go, Go, Go!

      I appreciate all the comments that have
come through regarding my Blog thoughts
from Hawaii.
      I'm a bit late with this Monday post.
      But the time difference and all our
running around has left me in
the Twilight Zone.
       Take Sunday for instance. No sooner
was I awake than I found myself on a
Softball field practicing with a half dozen
guys who gather each week to play catch,
swing the bat, and try not to limp off the
field.
      Then we were off again, visiting
beaches, searching for wild donkeys,
and checking out a resort where the
rich folks play.
       Vacation isn't easy folks. You've
got to work at it.
       Hope you understand all I'm going
through and that all your NEWS is
good!

Drawn In!

    It was just about time to leave the
"Pot Luck" beach party I told you
about the other day.
    I man approached me and asked
if I would like to have my picture
drawn.
    I balked. I didn't know the person
and suspected he was one of the crew
who's "pot" had nothing to do with
food prepared for the evening.
   "There's no charge" he said. That
happen to be the right price so I
said OK.
    He asked me about my job and
stories I had covered.
    It quickly became apparent he
was more of a caricature artist than
a portrait painter.
    Still it was interesting to watch
as he drew quickly then shaded his
work with a cue tip dipped in beer.
    He said he usually uses his
subject's drink of choice. But since
I had already finished my Diet Pepsi
he figured the beer was his next best
choice.
   I think it was best he used it on the
sketch rather than drinking any more.
   He also asked to include something
I usually say so I volunteered by
usual sign off.
    Though he was not asking for money
I tipped him anyway to replace the beer
he used up.
    The finished product is.....well let's
say it's "different."
    Hope it was the beer that aged it, and
that all your NEWS is good."

Just 'Down' The Path

        FOR SATURDAY, APRIL 11TH

     In Hawaii, all beaches must be open to the
public. So, chances are, there's a beach just down
the path somewhere close by.
     We've been seeing a lot of them lately.
     But our most recent trip offered a lesson.
     The fact that they're open doesn't mean they're
easy to find! And they may not necessarily be
the beach you typically picture in your mind!
     On our latest beach exploration my brother
in law led us to a small farm. And then, into
the jungle!
      Grass as high as our heads grew all around
and partially over a small foot path. I fully
expected to see Tarzan or, at least, a lion as
we made our way through the brush.
      After simply strolling to a number of
golden sand covered beaches where people
were swimming or surfing I was truly beginning
to wonder if this particular trip was really
necessary.
      I got the answer just a few steps, and a
couple hundred feet above a beach scene
that was well worth the walk!
      The cliffs of Hawaii rival the best in
Ireland as they over look an ocean with
dark and light blue color and the spray from
waves breaking over the rocks below.
      My sister in law was kind enough to
take a couple photos although I did balk at
her suggestion that I take just a couple steps
backward to improve the picture!
     Hope you're never too close to the edge
and that all your NEWS is good.

     

Pot Luck

   FOR FRIDAY, APRIL 19TH

   Wednesday night turned into an
interesting experience here on
Hawaii's Big Island.
    Every Wednesday a group of
people gather at a local beach to
share food with anyone who cares
to come by and watch the sunset.
    I met a helicopter pilot who
was injured in a crash and a
gentleman who spends most of
his year sailing his boat to places
like Hawaii and Alaska.
    Several people bring instruments
and serenade the crowd while the
sausage, pasta, ribs, pizza and such
is passed around.
    Of course not all of the "pot" was
served on paper plates.
    Having no expertise on Hawaiian
Controlled Substance laws I can only
assume we had a lot of people with
serious ailments that require medicine
not usually available.
     I'm not sure if they felt I was ill
or were just trying to be polite, but
someone wanted to share their "pot
luck" with me.
     I respectfully declined, personally
favoring the sausage and pasta.
     I'm hoping to see some of the
group again next week unless, of
course, they're sharing pot luck
with other guests of the county by
then.
     Hope all you're smoking is
meat and that all your NEWS is
good.        

Rough Day!

      FOR THURSDAY, APRIL 9TH

   We spent a total of 25 hours from the
time we left home Tuesday morning to
the moment we stepped into my brother-
in-law's home in Hawaii.
    Sleep came easy well into Wednesday
morning!
     Then, after a breakfast featuring sour
dough bread and duck eggs, we headed
out to an extremely plush Island resort.
      My brother-in-law is not a member.
But he hears from members all the time
who are looking for a tennis partner.
      While he labored on the courts we
found ourselves on a forced march. Well
I guess we weren't really forced. But we
set out to look around the place which was
built by the Rockefellers right along the
coast.
      They could have picked Harvey's
Lake. But, for some reason, they choose
this location.
      People have it rough here. They have
to decide if they want to play golf, tennis,
swim, or picnic on the beach.
     We tried the picnic approach and it
seemed to work out rather well. All we
had to do was eat, drink, and look around.
      I'm only worried that the brother-in-
law will have us harvesting his bananas
before we're allowed to leave.
      Hope I can deal with all this sun and
surf and that all your NEWS is good!