Aloha California – Aloha Hawai’i

It is about time to wind up our wonderful visit with my sister and family and move along. Jeane, Dave & Vera have been the perfect hosts, taking us to music festivals, pool parties, hiking and exploring many cool places in the bay area.

One afternoon we went to a small “art theater” to see Maiden – the story of the all-women’s team sailing in the 1989 Whitbread around-the-world yacht race. Truly amazing and brought back many sailing memories for Susie.

Getting up in the middle of the night to catch a plane is my least favorite thing to do, but we made it to San Jose airport to catch a flight with Alaska Air. First flight in a long time that was not full so we had seats in an exit row with plenty of leg room and an empty seat between us. Ahhhhh…..

Touchdown at Kona Airport on the big island, and we debark onto the tarmac (after we get past 5 little kids running up and down the aisle) like many of the small airports in the past. The air is warm and slightly breezy with scents of flowers and salt water.

And there is Kelly to welcome us, with two fresh leis of yellow plumeria that smell heavenly! He and my brother Gary lived together for 8 years in Dallas, and I have not seen him in 30 years. Kelly now lives in a lovely home up in the mountains about 18 miles from town so off we go, stopping on a scenic overlook to view the beautiful western coast and the lava fields between the road and beaches.

Arriving at the house, Kelly introduces us to his partner John, and their foster son Jacob. They have a thriving business called Melba’s Bakery which specializes in vegan, gluten free bread & goodies. Four days a week they setup at different farmer’s markets and typically sell out in a few hours to loyal customers. Jacob is a delightful teenager who just graduated high school and has joined the army, leaving for basic training in Georgia next month.

After a couple of hours visiting and catching up, we head down to Kailua to see some of the town and have a yummy dinner at TK Noodles – an Asian fusion eatery near the waterfront. Back home and bed time – been a long day! The sliding door is left open as the air is cool and pleasant. This morning we awoke to so many different bird (and animal?) calls that it sounds like we’re in the jungle already. We will see what the day brings....