Culture and Camaraderie in the Kona Neighborhood

When you get to know your surroundings in the west coast area of the island of Hawaii, you begin to get the subtle or not so subtle distinctions that separate Honaunau from Kealekekua, Captain Cook from Kainaliu, and so on. We are just on the surface of beginning to get a feel of the area like that, but our extended stay here allows us the luxury of getting to know the area and the people more than a one or two week vacation would. In the past week, we have concentrated more on activities that involved us with local people more than the sightseeing we did the first two weeks.

Last night was a highlight, with a visit to the Aloha Theater in Kainaliu. We saw the author of "Christmas With Mark Twain", Jerry Tracy, play the lead role in a nicely performed rendition. Jerry Tracy was born in Carrollton, Missouri. They encouraged us to take a photo of the stage set prior to the beginning of the show. Here it is:

Christmas with Mark Twain by Jerry Tracy.  

Kainaliu is also the location of our favorite music store, Kiernan's. At the theater, whom should we see, but AnneMarie L., who had us over to her home on Friday evening to join in a kanikapila (jam session) with several of her friends! We met her husband, Antoine, this time, who had not joined in the music-making on Friday.

Mari met AnneMarie at the kanikapila we attended Thursday morning. It turns out AnneMarie also plays mandolin, and has a special-made mando-uke! It looks like an uke, but has a mandolin fretboard, and is strung with single (not double, like the mandolin) strings, and is tuned like a mandolin. Anyway, Mari asked her if there were any mandolin groups on the island, and that's when she invited us to join her the next night at her house for a weekly jam session.

At AnneMarie's we met a couple from Noblesville, Indiana, who have lived here for a year now. We met another couple who sailed to Hawaii years ago and have been here ever since. The husband has a farm back in Illinois. The wife sings with  the local choral group, which has 90 members! We are going to hear their Christmas concert in Kailua-Kona today.

We have met a few of the neighbors in the past couple of days - ever since we decided to make our daily walk down the hill to the bottom, and back up again. This walk is 1 mile each way, with an approximately 900-foot change in elevation. Today we did it in an hour, plus 10 minutes meeting and talking to one of the neighbors.

It's all uphill from.....well, from anywhere you happen to be on the main road!

Some of the houses in the Kona Paradise neighborhood, near Honaunau on the Island of Hawaii. You can't see the one on Boki Road where we are staying because the hill steps back from about Fern or Ea Street, two to three blocks down the hill from Boki. I think the highest houses you can see in this photo are on Datura (remember, the alphabetical street names begin at the top with Ama, and go down to "M" at the bottom where the ocean is).

Yesterday, after doing this walk, we decided to drive to the bottom and do some snorkeling. It was fantastic! Our big goal for tomorrow morning is to walk down the hill with our gear, snorkel around for awhile - maybe swim along the coast, then rest for awhile on the beach before walking back up the hill. Sounds ambitious to me, so w'll see how it goes!