An Incredibly Lazy Sunday!

Robert caught me glancing in a jewelry store window ...

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January 26, 2009

Aloha, from Kona, Hawaii!!

Not exactly sure what happened to yesterday – Sunday – because I don’t think anything useful and/or interesting was accomplished! Rather, it was a wonderful, restful kind of day!

Woke around 6 to the ever-present (as long as you keep the sliding doors open!) sounds of surf. There seems to be a group of 5 or 6 surfers who call the area in front of our condo complex “home” – and they were out fairly early. They’re fun to watch – sometimes they concentrate on incoming waves and are pretty good at it, and at others they’ll all gather together on their surfboards like they’re having coffee together! (And by the way, for you coffee drinkers … A pound of Kona coffee was selling for $22 at the farmer’s market in Hilo the other day, and R and Mom were absolutely aghast…until yesterday morning, in the grocery store, when they found ½ a pound of Kona coffee – for $22! So! Yes, I know, we should have gotten it in Hilo! Who knew?!) Headed into town to look for food, and remembered Buns In The Sun bakery from our last visit. A very nice place; excellent pastries! I had a wonderful lemon poppyseed muffin with chocolate milk. R and Mom both had blueberry scones and coffee (now I know why the bill was so high!) We walked along the shops – found some interesting breakfast places, but none of us were looking for Bento boxes or “pig” breakfasts…(You know, there is something about ordering and eating a “pig” sandwich that does NOTHING for me, although I LOVE pulled pork! What a difference a name makes!) Went into the grocery store for water, newspaper, and more cheese and crackers (and Cheezits)…

Back to the condo for what R calls our “morning naps” – think we all fell asleep at one point or another, waking up – I kid you not – in time for LUNCH! Headed this time south, to Drysdale’s II in the Keahou Center. While it’s a lovely temperature – in the high 70’s, but very overcast, (uncharacteristic for this part of the Big Island) it’s not so warm that we really want to get into the water and snorkel! So…Mom had a tuna sandwich, I had ham and cheese, and R had a shrimp basket. Again, SUCH a lazy day, that we spent some of the afternoon reading and sleeping off lunch! However, gathered ourselves together around 3 and drove into Kona (about 2 miles distant) for a look around. Have to say that it looks like the economic difficulties that have affected the rest of the U.S. are making themselves felt here as well. Not sure if it’s in the manner of fewer tourists (because this side of the island depends ENTIRELY on tourist dollars with the very minor exception of some coffee growing) or what, but we’ve not seen one parasailing adventure (meaning and R and Mom will have to find another venue to go up again!) and lots and lots of shops and restaurants are closed! The shopping mall that houses Drysdale’s II had a great many vacancies, and many of the shops/restaurants in town are likewise. Very sad! (For anyone interested, the Hard Rock Café on this island has also closed!)

We did walk through town; lovely along the sea wall. The Palace on this island is closed for renovation from the 2006 earthquake, but the lovely church just opposite (oldest in Hawaii – dates from 1820) was open, in good shape, and lovely with its dark woods and stained glass. Also wandered through another farmer’s market, where R was tempted by some fruit – but we decided that as we’re leaving early tomorrow, we didn’t want to buy anything we weren’t sure we’d use!

Back to the condo, where I used one of my LUSH bath bombs (this one spilling out flower petals and silver bells!) for a leisurely soak, and then we all headed out to Jackie Re’s for dinner. (If it seems like all we do is eat and read and sleep, you’re RIGHT! This is the perfect place for it!) Jackie’ Re’s was WONDERFUL! A very colorful restaurant with lots of fairy lights, and excellent service. As we’d been eating so much, Mom decided on a salad – greens, tomatoes, olives, homemade hummus, garlic pita bread, feta cheese and cucumbers. R and I ate off the appetizer menu! They have a puupuu platter for 2, which included grilled marinated shrimp, barbequed short ribs, a crab cake and tempura vegetables. With that we also had an order of wonton wrapped shrimp stuffed with crab meat (the best EVER!) as well as our own order of hummus and garlic pita bread. And, while I say we were STUFFED, that didn’t stop Mom and me from ordering dessert … although in retrospect, I wish it had…Mom had fruit gelato, and I had a chocolate chiffon cake with coconut buttercream frosting … as well as vanilla ice cream with chocolate on it … Obviously not a light dessert, that’s for sure!

And, on that note we headed back to the condo, and I was so sleepy (from what?) and FULL that I headed straight to bed … hence the lateness of this blog!

So, Gentle Readers, that’s it from this lazy and idyllic island for the moment!!
Much love,
m