Captivated By Kona

Three AM wakeup call, but neither of us were complaining since our long awaited trip to Hawaii had finally arrived.  It's been quite a few years since we've been to Hawaii and usually we went to Maui. This time we are going to spend 10 days on the Big Island's Kona Coast with our friends Ed and Jean Morken and Dwight and Lillian Brown.  The flight to L.A. was a short 45 minute trip with a very bumpy landing.  At one moment we were looking out the window wondering how the pilot sees when he's going through all those clouds,  the next thing we knew the ground had come up to meet us.  We weren't the only ones who yelped, as most of the passengers thought like we did, that we were still well in the air going through clouds not landing in all that fog.

When you look at the pictures below you may wonder why I was already off the plane when we landed in Kona and able to take that photo of Denny coming off the plane, it's because First Class passengers exit first!  While we were in L.A. they called my name and told me that there was one seat left in First Class and it was mine if I wanted it.  I really didn't want to sit up there alone, but Denny insisted I take it and enjoy.  He had our friends to visit with so I decided to do it.

 

As it turned out, I'm thinking it was meant to be that they called my name instead of his because I sat next to a man from Hong Kong who was a sports photo journalist and had traveled all over the world.  We had a great conversation about all the countries and golf courses we both have played.  I told him about my travel blog.  He was very complimentary and encouraged me to start sending photos and articles into local newspapers.  I was very inspired by the time we landed in Kona.

We collected our luggage and got our rental car and immediately went to the restaurant a friend from home had recommended.  The restaurant was called "Bite Me."  He suggested we order whatever the "catch of the day" fish sandwich was and a Longboard beer.  It really was a great way to begin our trip, sitting there at the water, looking out at the boats and yachts, eating as he said it would be, a delicious Ahi sandwich and savoring a cold brew. 

Onward to the next "must" stop when you go to Hawaii with other couples and are staying in a condo - Costco.  We had to stock up on our breakfast food, coffee, bagels, cheerios and bananas, not to mention the wine and Pina Colada mix for our evening cocktail hour. Staying in that first night was a good idea in view of having gotten up early and the long travel day. 

The condo is beautiful - we have a two bedroom unit that we are sharing with Lil and Dwight.  Jean and Ed have a condo of their own in a nearby set of villas. The balcony is perfect and overlooks one of the golf courses. There are two championship courses on the Waikoloa resort, (The Kings and the Beach) and the concierge booked tee times for us on each.

The Big Island is very beautiful as is all of Hawaii.  Landing at the Kona airport gives you a not so gracious feeling of darkness, because of the mounds of black lava that remains since the eruption of the Kilauea Volcano from the 1800's, however the Waikoloa area where we're staying is full of sunshine and the weather has been perfect.  The few days we've been here have had temperatures in the low 80's and there always seems to be a slight breeze.  The landscape is gorgeous with plants that grow from everywhere, through brick walls and even through the rocks of lava throughout the island. The volcano continues to erupt today and is one of the main attractions for visitors to explore. It is more easily accessible from Hilo, on the other side of the island.

Our first full day was spent walking around the grounds of the magical Hilton Waikoloa Hotel, which is just down the road from our condo.  It's acres and acres of tropical gardens, lagoons, swimming pools and another area where you can swim with the Dolphins.  We probably won't be doing that but it is fun to watch the kids as they do.  There are a lot of "high-end" shops, artwork and a tram that takes you around the whole property.  There is a lovely flow of Polynesian and Asian culture throughout~ simply stunning statues and waterfalls.

That evening, we had our drink on the balcony before going to dinner and were entertained by a group of goats that came down off the hill onto the golf course and practically in our front yard, hanging out on the lava.  We ate at the Seafood Grill, which is about 15 minutes north of Waikoloa, watched a bright red sun drop into the ocean and called it an early night, resting up, gearing up for our first round of golf.

Back to the 1800’s

For years we’ve traveled back and forth from Southern California to Las Vegas and noticed signs for "Calico Ghost Town."  There’s an exit on the I-15 freeway for Ghost Town Road and the only times we’ve ever pulled off there was to eat at Peggy Sue’s 50's Diner.  On our last trip to Orange County we decided to get off and see what this “Ghost Town” was all about.  Once we pulled off the freeway, we drove about three miles on a dirt road and followed the signs to Calico.

Calico is recognized as a County Regional Park and has camping cabins with restrooms, and showers, along with full hookups for off highway vehicle camping.  The town itself is open every day from 8-5 except Christmas Day.

There was a line of cars waiting to get in and when we got up to the booth there was the cutest young woman who was taking the money.  The sign said Adults $8.00, Youth $5.00 and Children under five are free.   Denny asked if there was a senior rate, she said “Well I’ll tell ya, my Nana always said seniors were just recycled teenagers so you fall into this category” and she pointed at the Youth price.  We could tell this was going to be a good time.  We drove through the gate and back in time, back to the 1800’s.

There is a general store, a craft shop, a saloon and an assortment of other establishments.  There are replicas of the old school house,  the hotel and the house that Lucy Lane lived in. There's even an area where you can pan for gold.  You can walk around the cemetery and shop for rocks, minerals, gems and jewelry. 

We were just in time for a good old fashioned gun fight and I’m telling you it was hilarious.  There were two men and a woman, one of the men had shot the woman's horse.  It was a great skit put on by these folks and when it was over there was some talk about a hanging that was going to take place later in the day.
 

If you’re ever driving to or from Vegas on the I-15, take an hour or so and check it out. Its great fun for kids and adults. Calico is one of the few remaining original mining towns of the western U.S.

Mr. Walter Knott, founder of Knott’s Berry farm donated Calico to San Bernardino County in 1966.  It’s located just north of Barstow, California on the I-15 freeway.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A City With Soul

 

I am so taken with the city of Riverside California.  Denny and I spent the week there recently while he played in a Regional Duplicate Bridge Tournament.  He and his favorite partner from almost 30 years ago decided to play again after all these years.  I was thrilled that he was thinking about starting to play bridge again and most of all getting to see our friend from so long ago.

I was excited to go along because as anyone who has followed my blog knows, I love to travel.  It doesn’t matter where it is, I like to go.  I looked forward to walking around, shopping, relaxing and reading, and I looked forward to dinners out.  It’s really interesting what happened that week in Riverside and I’ve been looking forward to writing about it ever since.

On Monday, we checked into the Marriott, which is such a nice hotel. The staff was friendly and very interactive with the guests. The Convention Center was just across the courtyard from the hotel where they would be playing bridge, and the hotel has a wonderful poolside fire pit - perfect for an evening cocktail and cigar.

A lot of folks were checking in that day and Denny recognized a few of the people from years ago.  I remembered a few, not necessarily their names but knew I had seen them way back when. There was an energy that filled the lobby as the bridge players began to arrive.  It all seemed familiar and had a real sense of excitement about it.

I knew this was going to be a special week for sure. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but it seemed like, well it seemed like someone was in the room.  I found myself looking closely at everyone, it was as though I was about to see someone I hadn’t seen in a long time and yet, I didn’t know these people like Denny did, and I didn’t play bridge but nonetheless there was this wonderful charge that just seemed to elevate how I felt.

Our friend Jon arrived, it was wonderful to see him. He and Denny seemed to pick up where they left off all those years ago, as though no time had passed.  We went out for dinner, they played bridge the next four days, and I enjoyed walking around the lovely downtown area. There was a real European feel with areas to sit outside with a cup of coffee in the morning, along with a beautiful Asian and Spanish flare. There were a lot of antique shops, restaurants, a used bookstore, and there was a jewelry store.

I did what I did in Ireland in September, I walked into a jewelry store and asked if they had any charm bracelets, I’ve been collecting charms along my travels and was now looking for a bracelet to put them on. He said “No, I don’t have any charm bracelets but you know, I do have this lovely bracelet over here, it’s from the 1920’s.” He put it on my wrist and I took it. Hey, I didn’t ask to see a bracelet from the 1920’s but he was obviously compelled to bring it to my attention so I’m thinking it was just one of those “meant to be” moments.

That night after the bridge game was over, we went out to eat and then walked around the classically historical Mission Inn Hotel.

The Mission Inn Hotel has been around since 1876 and occupies an entire city block in the heart of downtown Riverside.  I think we probably knew of it but for whatever reason, never went to see it.  It is a MUST. It’s gorgeous. You’ve heard the phrase “Timeless Beauty,” “Old world charm” well that is a perfect description of the Mission Inn Hotel and Spa. There are two high-end restaurants, "Duane’s Steaks and Seafood," and the "Mission Inn Restaurant and Spanish Patio."  We walked around as much as we thought we could and then the next day I found out we could have gone all the way to the top, so I did that on our last day.

Each day I felt more uplifted, every person I saw spoke to me, it was as though everyone was in a great mood. The shopkeepers had lots of time to visit. I told them  we had lived in Orange Co. for a long time before we moved to the Las Vegas area but I was just now discovering Riverside.

After about three days, feeling inspired as I did, I walked into a beauty salon. I walked up to the desk and made an appointment for the next day to have my hair cut. I’m thinking as exhilarated as I was feeling I certainly couldn’t go home with this old hair style. I knew it would be expensive in this upper end salon but it was O.K.

Every restaurant we ate at was good. We had steaks at “Mario’s Place” right across the street from the Mission Inn entrance, we also ate at “Bella Trattoria” and had a delicious chicken pinini with tomato basil soup.  "The Tamale Factory" was also good for lunch, not to mention the beer and wine was good everywhere.  We had catfish and red beans & rice at “Gram’s BBQ and Seafood,” and our last night was at "Sayaka Japanese Restaurant." We all three had Filet Mignon and Scallops cooked right there in front of us Teppan style.  Every restaurant is within walking distance from the hotel except for Sayaka.

Oh can’t forget "ProAbition," delicious burgers and fish and chips. Thanks to our good friends Ed and Emilie Kain for driving over to join us that night. The restaurant is modeled after the movie Chicago. A fun place, especially for us folks with Illinois roots.

 

 

Well the week came to an end and Denny and Jon had renewed an old friendship and agreed to play together again soon - On the final day at the tournament they finished in 2nd place out of more than 100 players. 

I felt good and looked great with my new haircut. I didn't look a whole lot different when we left from when we arrived but I was indeed changed.   As it turned out, that presence I felt as someone in the room, was perhaps an energy, an energy I obviously needed, and without a doubt I welcomed it with open arms.  

If you ever get the chance to go… Do.  I’m telling ya, there’s something about Riverside.

 

 

 

 



The Plan of a Lifetime

 

 Eleven years ago we retired from our jobs in California and sold our beautiful two-story home in Brea. I loved that home, I loved California, and I loved my job, but knowing if we were to sell our house and move out of California, which we did at exactly the perfect time, as far as the housing market, we will have pulled off a very smart economical move.

Since then many wonderful things have happened. I’ve published two books of poetry, I've been not only to Ireland many times since we moved, but we’ve traveled all over Europe;  Pairs, Brussels, Spain,  Vienna, Budapest and Prague. Italy, France and Croatia.

 I’ve gotten to know and fall in love with not only my Mother’s Irish heritage but have been to Croatia now, where my Dad’s family are from. We were even able to find Mrkopalj the small mountain village where my paternal grandparents actually lived as young people before coming to the U.S.

I’m so very grateful for the blessings that have come my way and that we’ve been able to take part in them.

Since we’ve moved to Henderson, our son got married, and has had three sons of his own. Imagine that,  I have three Grandsons! I’m thinking I’ll always have a date for wherever I want to go.

 This year I’m going to pass on my annual trip to Ireland, and spend more time in California.  I want to be there to take the boys to school and pick them up. I want to take them to the beach on their days off, help them with their spelling words and watch them play ball. I’ve promised myself also, that I will have a good first draft of my book about Ireland done and I’ll write a lot more poetry.

There is no doubt in my mind that there are many lifetimes that await us. My plan is to enjoy each and every one of them as long as I can.

Awestruck...

On Sunday  I went to Mt. Charleston for the day. It’s amazing that it is only 57 miles from my home here in Henderson NV, and takes less than an hour to get there.  A friend and I went, It was 32 degrees, lots of snow on the ground and it was snowing while we were there. We couldn’t find a parking spot at the lodge, it was as though everyone had gone to the mountains that day.

We drove back down the mountain a ways and parked on the street. The walk back up hill felt good, the air was cool and crisp, there really is nothing like fresh mountain air.

The last time Maraya and I were there together was in the summer and we took our walking sticks and hiked and climbed the rocks big and small but with all the snow this time we left the sticks in the car.  

 There was something about the snow that brought out the child in me and yet, there was a moment or two where I was completely overwhelmed by the majesty of it standing right there in front of me. I tried to capture it all with my camera.

Imagine! Just a short drive from home, all of this for us to partake in, be part of… for free..  

My intention this year is simply to live in awe of everything this beautiful world has to offer.  

Until my next awestruck moment.