You treated us special, Hawaii

We flew into Kona Airport on Delta from Seattle. After seven satisfying days for my dear wife Karen, terrific daughter Elisabeth, fantastic significant George Three and I for the second edition of the family reunion, out we had to go. This time Hawaiian Airlines would take us to our first connection, a short jump to…

Book ’em, Dano

They have a beautiful, big library just off the main drag of Ali’i Drive in Kona. It’s next to the Farmer’s Market. True confession: I didn’t see it first. My dear wife Karen, terrific daughter Elisabeth and sensational significant George Three wondered aloud if I wanted to take photos of it after we’d passed it…

Pina Coladas, real pineapple and more

I enjoyed my Pina Colada straight-up. Karen got one at Sam Choy’s with a special jolt. Elisabeth’s was called a Lava Flow because it was better off red. Elisabeth appreciated some sort of drink inside of a pineapple. And then there was this special dessert Elisabeth ordered at Drew and Maritza’s wedding dinner. Once in…

We feast all the way around at one heck of a luau

When my smart daughter Elisabeth when luau shopping for us online, she decided to go big. She selected the feast down the road from Kona By the Sea, at the big resort with trees that reminded me of a certain signature fruit. Did I mention that it was a huge party? There was seating set…

Kealakekua turns out to be very kool

After our visit to the coffee plantation, sibling Lynne and her Arkansas/Oklahoma crew suggested our two-car caravan take a short trip to a little town they’d spotted previously. Kealakekua, here we came. There was only one sign that the quaint little town was as close to the sea as we were in Kona. I joked…

We find a place in Kona that drove us to drink beer

The first time we attempted to take the Kona Brewery tour, they wouldn’t let us in. It was before noon on a Friday and the darn thing was already sold out, said the woman at the welcoming hut. So my smart daughter Elisabeth went to their online site and secured us five for a day…

Let it flow, let it glow

Watching a live volcano at dusk has become a spectator sport at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. We found a bit of a traffic jam at the top of the mountain, and a uniformed ranger with a lighted wand guided us into an unmarked spot at a way-corner of the big parking lot. The Jagger Observation…

Rocky mountain way

The Hawaii Volcanoes National Park is an interesting place in our world. See something you want to see with a sign attached to it and you pull right onto the shoulder. No parking lot necessary. And so George Three listened to Scott’s veteran advice, and the five of us wandered on a lava rock bed.…

Now that’s a hole in the ground

When you get to the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park in Hilo, you can drive around and split your attention on a wide variety of craters, lava rocks and, these days, the bubbling, live volcano that’s the center of attention. A stop at the Visitors Center and Scott’s advice helped us plan our agenda. This crater…