Just a Tourist Today

Well, sort of. Dean was conveniently scheduled to work at the Ola'a Forest Preserve around the corner from our house, so we walked him to work this morning. After I got all of my work done, Dash and I headed southeast toward Pahala to check out the public pool. Good news--it's free, bad news--not heated. It was 77 degrees. However, I was the only one there and the lifeguard opened it for me. No lane separators, no other people. I don't think I've ever done that before. The lifeguard said she might swim with me in the future. She also coaches the youth swim team.

I kept it short for Dash's sake and then we continued another few miles down to Punalu'u Beach Park. Above pictures are of the beautiful black sand beach, lava formations, and a scavenging mongoose. There used to be a road right behind the beach but they closed it to protect sea turtles! In Florida they'd build a fence to keep the road open (or worse, just shrug their shoulders if turtles got killed).

Organic Bounty/Crater Floor

I was beginning to worry that the two general stores up here were trading back and forth the same sorry looking head of iceberg lettuce, cabbage and withered carrots. But I got up early Sunday and went to the Farmer's Market in Volcano Village.
Hydroponice lettuce (about 5 kinds), summer squash, deep red tomatoes, orange, yellow, green peppers, fresh herbs, beets, cucumbers, huge purple avocadoes, kale. Fresh baked bread, malasadas (fried portuguese doughnuts), Thai food, hummus in 5 flavors and more. All at cheaper than health food store prices. I think I can suffer here.

We all went to church and met lots of friendly people, and kids Dash's age. Church starts at 8:30 here, and is followed by brunch. After a rest, we went into VNP (Volcanoes National Park) and hiked down into Kilauea via the Sandalwood trail. See photos above. It's about a mile hike from the lodge at the top to the crater floor, through rain forest and giant chunks of cooled lava that fell down in various earthquakes. From above, the crater floor looks like a smooth surface, but when you are on it it looks like a huge parking lot gone bad. Imagine what it would like if you poured tar over a rough ocean and let it cool.
I found a spot shaped like a beach lounger and took a nap while Dean and Dash hiked out to check out a sulphur vent.

For dinner we had lots of fresh vegetables dipped in roast jalapeno/pineapple hummus. This was to counteract the previous night's dinner of smoked portuguese sausage and canned baked beans. I'm still jet-lagged and anemic so I went to bed at 7:30.

Happy Memorial Day!

Just Chillin

Here's proof that we've moved to a beautiful place and that me and Chuck are chillin'.

Today we went into Hilo (about 30 miles down the mountain) to run some errands. We're at 4000 feet in Volcano, and in the morning it's about 50 degrees. About a mile down we drive into a cloud that sits almost permanently over Volcano Village, it's gray, rainy and misty-like Portland OR, then on down the mountain. When we reach Hilo it feels just like Tallahassee in summer, but windier.

We had lunch at a tiny Filipino restaurant where Dean had his favorite fried fish (the whole thing). I had pork and peas. Other choices were Pig Feet Adobo and Pork Blood. Dash ate rice. Next door is an Indian restaurant! I am so happy! These places are not on the tourist map.

As soon as I'm finished posting we're taking Chuck for a walk on a trail that runs around the golf course.

Paradise Found, LA Cabdrivers Redeemed

Made myself sick on Wednesday plotting our departure. Woke up at 4am Thursday, walked the dog in the dodgy neighborhood without getting mugged. Loaded the luggage on the cart, parked Dash, Chuck and the luggage in the lobby while I went back for the dog crate. The cabby the hotel had called arrived early and was very helpful loading the luggage and dog cart. The only English he spoke was street names. "Aviation to Imperial, turn right just before Douglas." By this time I new the ropes. He also understood "Wait, " which I was terrified would cost $100 while I signed all the paperwork, paid the $1200, and got Chuck loaded without looking back. He thought the dog crate was going back in the cab after it was assembled with the dog in it. He had unloaded all the luggage. After much head shaking and gesticulating, we loaded it back in, and $29 on the meter later he dropped us at Delta. I was so grateful to have had such a great experience I gave him $50.


We landed in Honolulu at 10:30am, Dean was waiting for us. Dash attacked him as planned. Lots of hugging and kissing and we headed off to Animal Quarantine Services to pick up Chuck. Here's the great part of the story. Dean met a neighbor who licenses Service Animals. Dean had paid the fee and met us with a blue vest embroidered with "Service Dog, " and a laminated card that goes in the pocket of the vest. We lugged the 108 pound crate, still carrying Chuck, a half block away and pulled her out, got the vest on her, and threw the crate in front of an office of the Hawaiian Humane Society. I was terrified we were going to get arrested for taking the dog out of the crate while still on Airport property.

We were standing under an overpass, sound of jet engines whining all around, wind blowing, luggage falling of the cart (Dash had to push it since we were carrying the dog crate)--it was surreal. Chuck seemed to understand that good behavior was required and she gave an Academy Award performance. She walked calmly at my side, right through Interisland security.
A security guard came up to me and said, "Is that a working dog?" I stepped back and pointed at her vest. "Okay." And that was that.

The Interisland terminal has a beautiful outdoor garden with grass so Chuck got to walk around and drink about a liter of water. I bought her a hot dog and then she conked out while we waited for our flight. Everybody wanted to ask about her, and we made lots of friends. A local couple from the Hamakua side of the Big Island invited us to their farm.

Finally (after an hour delay) our flight boarded and Chuck walked serenely down the jetway. Our tickets were marked "Preboard" and we got bulkhead seats. Everyone wanted to know what kind of service dog she was since clearly none of us was blind. We said she was a therapy dog (technically for other people-not us), but I didn't want to go into too many details. Chuck was very trembly and panting almost the whole flight, but she did fine.

Once we landed, got our luggage, and drove up the mountain, all of us were completely exhausted and in a state of euphoria. What started out so difficult ended in a way I never would have expected.

Chuck has been for many walks in neighborhood that has no bulldozers ripping down forests, no cars driving more than 25 mph, no trash compactor constantly running, and no more stairs! She has a big grassy backyard which she has run all over, and sunny spots to nap in. I wish you could see her. It was all worth it. It took all of my courage in the last few days not to shrink back from this.

Alive and Online

Just a very quick note to let you all know we are safe and sound. Just got the internet set up. Chuck is very happy. She ran around the yard at top speed and then took a nap in the sun on the soft grass. She's been for many walks. I can't wait to tell you how she got to ride on the plane with us from Honolulu to Hilo as a registered service animal.

Dash wants to go for a walk in the Keahau Bird Sanctuary down the street.

I'll give you the full story later!

LA-Land of the Angry Cab Driver

We're here, we're alive, physically uninjured. I have temporarily lost my sense of humor. I hope to get it back in about a week. I think the cab driver who took us from LAX to Delta Air Cargo took it. He was a mean, nasty man. Yelled at me the whole time because I didn't have the exact address. Threw our bags onto the ground when he finally found it.

We had almost 4 hours to wait until Chuck arrived so I decided to check-in early at our hotel, and get rid of the bags (six of them) which are very hard to manoeuvre with a dog and a child. We took another cab back to Air Cargo and waited for Chuck. I was so emotional by then, I was crying when her crate came in on the forklift. The guy asks me if I've been separated from my dog for long, "Yes, about 11 hours." He just looked at me funny.

She immediately drank a pint of water. We found some grass underneath the highway for her to get some relief. Then we waited about an hour for a taxi/van to get us. The Delta Air Cargo building is about 1/2 mile long, so even though I now had the address, the cab driver was waiting down at the other end.

Long story short (too late) we got back to the hotel, the dog is sleeping (still), ordered pizza from room service, and slept. I finally figured out how to get the WiFi working.

Please--keep praying, thinking positive thoughts, we'll need alot to get through Thursday's trip from the hotel to Air Cargo, and then to the terminal.

D-Day PM-La Quinta

We made it through the day! We are safe and sound in the La Quinta Inn by the Jacksonville Airport. My sister-in-law, Joy, and my niece, Macy, picked us up at about 4:30 and we made it here by 7:30. Chuck was very well-behaved on the car ride. She rode between the two back seats on the floor where the console was. The kennel and the luggage took up all of the cargo area.

Chuck is now snoozing on one of the double beds, she even ate and drank out of the little collapsible bowls I got today at PetSmart. She's a little freaked, but she's handling it in true greyhound fashion.

I've got a van booked for 5:30am tomorrow to take us to Air Cargo, drop off Chuck, and then take Dash and I to the main terminal. The human flight is at 7:30am, but Chuck's isn't until 9am, and she has to make a short stop in Atlanta. She will have a long day in the crate, but I'm not going to think about it. There's nothing I can do now.

I've been thinking about all things I've given away or thrown away in the past week. The only regret I have is that I ever owned so much stuff to begin with. I feel much lighter now. Giving away the collection of Dash's baby clothes was the hardest thing I did today, I just picked two special items and gave the rest to Goodwill. I couldn't afford to ship any more boxes.

And on that note, Tips for Surviving the Centerville Rd. Post Office:
1. Never, never listen to the conversations of the customers at the windows when there are 18 people in line ahead of you. They are all sending packages with signature confirmation, tracking, insurance, global express with a customs form, and they are arguing about the cost. You must avert your gaze and hum loudly to keep from attacking them with a 4 foot mailing tube.

2. It doesn't matter what time of day you go, there are always 18 people in line ahead of you, so just go whenever.

3. When it's your turn, keep your polite chat with the clerk very low so as not to incite the wrath of everyone behind you.

4. Just drive to the Lake Jackson post office.It took me 45 minutes to mail 43 boxes last week, and it took 30 minutes to mail 5 at Centerville.

Good night!

D-Day, The Final Stretch

I'm about to pack the computer and disconnect the cable. A few more trips to the trash, pack 3 more boxes, sweep, mop, bank, post office, Comcast, get Dash from school, get school records, deflate air mattresses, more trips to the trash, load Joy's car and head to Jacksonville.

I was able to give Chuck and myself one last walk in Lafayette Park this morning. I took a moment to appreciate the hundred year-old oaks trailing spanish moss, and probably one of the last cool mornings in Tallahassee this year. I'm going to a place with a completely different ambience--closer to the sun, closer to a volcano. More sashimi than BBQ.

I better get off the computer and get moving. Love to you all, send me messages to keep me going over the next few days.

D-Minus 1 Day-Pencil Shavings

Warning: Graphic images of arboreal carnage, may be unsuitable for vegans and my friends who work for FWC/DEP.
Above are before and after pictures of the lot across the street from our apartment. Thank goodness they cut down all that unproductive timber to build more apartments! I hope they build a strip mall too. We need more tanning salons and smoothie shops.

Okay, you know I'm joking. I was really hoping to be gone before the construction of The Evergreens Phase Two. Every day I walk out of the apartment complex to walk Chuck and I have refused until now to raise my head. The jack hammers going all day to sink the poles for the hurricane fencing broke my resolve. I have to face up to being a hypocrite, as I've lived in The Evergreens Phase One for the past seven months.

What, you ask, does this have to do with moving to Hawaii?

Today was really long, and would have been agony except for all of my great friends who made countless trips from the 3rd floor lugging blenders, warped cookie sheets, and those coffee cups I mentioned yesterday. I tried my best to be organized and efficient, but it was really Howard and Joanne Steele who ran the show (thank you thank you thank you!). Then David Arnold showed up and played with Dash, walked Chuck, vacuumed for about an hour, hauled trash, and let me run out for stove drip pans and another suit case at Wal-Mart ( I think he did my laundry too). Chris Williams scrubbed sinks, discovered the joys of the industrial size trash compactor, and took away all the pizza. Thanks also to Charlotte Keeney for giving a good home to my cannister of King Arthur flour and various and asundry kitchen items. Everyone looked really red and sweaty so they must have been working really hard.

Alyson stopped over and gave me a beautiful anklet. I'm going to miss my swim group so bad!
Brad and Sarah(who was kind enough to take some shoes) and their friend Keith stopped by.

We almost lost Chuck this afternoon. We let her off the leash to run a little and she said, "See ya!" Guess where I found her? In the dried up retention pond digging for cat poop. I'm an idiot. This almost made us late for my last supper at Sonny's BBQ with Karen and Monty Stark. It was wonderful, but very bittersweet.

I'm crashing now, we leave at 4pm Monday for Jacksonville. We'll be at a hotel for the night near the airport. I hope the forest fire smoke doesn't close off I-10. If there's free WiFi I'll post again.

Signs you've been working too hard:
You carefully pack a 99 cent pencil sharpener, including the shavings.
Walking from room to room trying to decide if you will throw away or pack a 1/4 full bottle of moisturizer.
While deciding with complete confidence to throw out a scanner and CD-burner. (thank you Chris for stopping the madness)
Lying on your back for five seconds, you wonder what the crunching sound is and realize it is your spine settling into place.
Trying over and over without success to make visitors accept boxes of jello, jars of turkey gravy, and bottles of V-8. Like you're doing them a favor. At least it wasn't Clamato.
You burst into tears when large furniture items are taken away.

Hot item of the day (who knew?):
Shoe tree

Number of times I've burst into tears today:
Three

Number of Extra-Strength Tums or slugs out of Maalox bottle:
Three

Vegetables eaten:
does fried okra count? or the tomato paste in BBQ sauce? dessicated mushroom on pizza? is this perhaps reason for increasing rate of antacid consumption?

D-Minus 2 Days, 5/19/07

Don't be misled by the title of my blog, "How to Move to Hawaii." I will not be offering expert tips or valuable insights.

It's 10pm, Saturday, my beloved Indian spices and lentils have been given to a good home (enjoy Chris!), every stick of furniture has been sold, the dog has been walked for the evening, and Dash is in the tub. If I could have shipped my garam masala and sambhar powder I would have, but botanical items are frowned upon by the Hawaii agricultural inspectors.

As the photo shows, there is still alot of junk to dispose of. I don't need any of it! Not one thing! Okay, maybe this melon baller, but that's it, not one more thing. Okay maybe this lemon zester. So, the melon baller, the lemon zester, and this paddle-game...but that's it!

Dean is taking on the task of booking Chuck's flight from Honolulu to Hilo. Her 48"x32"x35" dog crate is too big for many connecting flights, so he'll have his work cut out for him. I haven't heard from him since he started working on this task this morning, I hope this isn't a bad sign.

Tomorrow, several friends are coming over to clean out the last of the unshipworthy items. How did we get so many coffee cups? Does anyone really need thirty-six? And crayons! Thousands of them!

I think I was royalty in a former life, because I'm wanting to ring a bell and summon my serfs. "You! Stable Boy! Transport the hound! Cook! Bring me tea cakes and clotted cream!"

I really should be cleaning the refrigerator now. I don't think anyone will want that old bottle of Maalox, or the golden beet from New Leaf that I never had time to roast.