Lava, kayaking and running among giants

Because we are blessedly lucky to be on the west side of the island (far from the current active volcanic activity), we enjoyed a pleasant week, culminating with a fun weekend enjoying the island beauty:

New day, new sunset

And the sunset show continues...

Hanging with his longtime BFF at a friend's pool overlooking the ocean

We spent Saturday celebrating Boys Day with a fluming trip for the boys along old irrigation ditches in Kohala...followed by a Daiichi stop with my parents for ramen. Rich and I did this many years ago, and I wanted Ryan to be able to see/learn from the same experience.

The short version of the irrigation history is that back when the area was suffering from repeated droughts, Japanese laborers were enlisted to create an irrigation system from the mountains down to the sugar cane plantation crops. They had to dynamite through many mountains, and built raised flumes, which cause a loss of life averaging one laborer per mile. Today, visitors can flume through about 3 miles of the existing canals. In certain areas, you can still see where the Japanese wrote in kanji along the walls of the canal.

On Sunday, I went to Waimea for a long awaited run along Mud Lane with some girlfriends. I love running/chatting with my crew! It was 11 miles of gorgeous eucalyptus trees, cool breezes and hills, hills, hills. On the way back, Yuri, Ragni and I even got to chat with a hunter who had just knifed a large boar in the brush. We were told that there were bulls, boars and other fun, friendly and cuddly wildlife in the area, and were glad we were running as a pack. ;-)

Mud Lane never fails to be disappoint with it's beauty, serenity and cool mountainous breezes

Originally, I'd written a lot about the lava eruption, but deleted it. I was irritable (and I still am, at the insensitive cowards who find it fun to poke fun at the expense of suffering residents), and well, no one wants to read  three paragraphs of ranting. We had a house reserved out there for the weekend, but cancelled it because of the poor air quality, wanting to clear the roads for the National Guard, police and civil defense personnel on the ground to help with evacuation efforts, the danger (earthquakes, fissures, closed park/ponds), etc. It wasn't a fun or easy effort to do so, thanks to Airbnb initially telling me it was 'too early' to know that the natural disaster wouldn't be resolved by our check in date this Friday, and a ridiculous, condescending host who belittled our concerns. But it's done, and it's all better left (mostly) unsaid.

Instead, I will look onward and upward, to our son's tenth birthday celebrations happening over the next couple of weeks, the possibility of another work change (yes, yes...again). and helping the community heal. Here's to clearer skies, brighter sunshine, cooler breezes, less quakes, emptying fissures and chronic diarrhea to all those who get in the way of relief efforts, either with their cars, or their poisonous words.