Good morning and aloha,
We are now ensconced at a friend's place in Kona on the Big Island. Yesterday (Tuesday) we got up way too early (5:45, we are just getting used to the new time so that felt early) and drove down in commuter traffic to the airport, dropped off our car, and went through TSA at the Lihue airport. The TSA check-in is right at the entrance, something that couldn't exist in GR, because, well, seasons. The kids thought that was pretty interesting.
We flew from Lihue to Honolulu for a connecting flight; we landed at an A gate and had 30 minutes before our flight left to get to the B gate, which was about 30 yards away, so no big deal - not like sprinting through Detroit or Atlanta. Plus the aircraft on which we were to fly was a bit delayed, so people were still getting off. The flight was about 35 minutes total.
The airport at Kona doesn't have jetways; we deplaned onto the tarmac and entered the airport from there, where there were a lot of open air spaces. It doesn't rain too much on this side of the island. We were met outside the gate area by my friend Laura A and her youngest son, Archer, and they had flower leis for us all. I was very touched. It's about 20 - 25 minutes to their place from the airport. Their house is on a hill at about 1000 feet elevation. It's a gorgeous, rambling house, with plenty of room for three boys.
Yesterday was Prince Kuhio Day, so the kids didn't have school. Laura's middle son, Aiden, was sleeping, because he and Laura had just gotten back from NYC for his spring break last week (She takes each of the boys somewhere special for his 8th grade spring break). The eldest, Alec, is returning today from a school spring break trip to California, and we are leaving tomorrow, so they will have been to the airport several times this week.
We hung out around the house, the girls getting to know the two younger boys and Laura for a bit, and then we drove down to the pier where the boys had swim practice for school. They had practice in the ocean near where the staging area for the Kona Ironman is, because their school pool was not able to be used. They complained a bit about having practice in the ocean instead; I thought it was nice to have an alternate, because it sounds as if the pool will be out of commission for a while.
Laura's husband, Adam, came home from an 18-hour shift at work (he works at the ER and then had a meeting in the morning) just as we were leaving. We said hello and then he went to take a nap.
While the boys had practice, Laura and my girls and I walked around a nearby hotel and looked at the historical displays inside, then walked the other way to do a little shopping. The Farmer's Market that we had hoped to go to was closed due to the holiday, but the regular stores were open. My younger kid had stayed behind to watch the practice, mostly because her feet hurt and she didn't want to walk the 1/4 mile into town, but after we all met up again, she and I walked back to a place so she could buy a carved necklace.
After that we came home, the boys cleaned up and we had a nice dinner, and introduced her family to Studio C videos on YouTube. :) We turned in early (it gets dark by 7) and now we're up for a day of exploration, once everyone is up.
Cheers,
wb
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