Wow! Can't believe I haven't written in about 3 weeks. Guess I've been a bit busy:)
So, let me see if I can remember how the last 3 weeks passed. On Wed, the 20th I drove across to the dry side, the east side, to Spencer Beach Park. Heike and I had stayed there one night, but it wasn't til the next day that we found the better places to camp. So that's where I went. I was in a grove of trees, up the rocks from the shore. WINDY! Had been listening to music and feeling a bit scared and deeply lonely. Here I was in the middle of the Pacific Ocean not really knowing anyone. And Christmas was less than a week away. Deep sadness. Strong tears. Could reach no one by phone. Guess I'll have to pull my self out of this one. Take a walk. Look at those views. You are not alone, no matter where you are. You are blessed! Breathe in all the magnificence of this paradise. Ahhhh! Worked wonders. Boris, a German guy from Wisconsin whom we met at another campground a couple of nights ago was there, so that also helped the loneliness I was feeling to pass. He's biking around the island with a backpack. He's a tri-athlete that goes off for morning swims of a mile or longer...way out into the ocean.
Spent 2 nights at Spencer, enjoying the beach during the day and Boris' company at night. There was a group of locals making music over in the pavilion. We went over to check it out. They were doing a hula line dance and Boris and I stood up at the back and tried to copy the moves. Felt like I was part of culture for a moment. Some folks came over and chatted with us. They were rehearsing for a gathering Christmas Day and invited us to come out and see them then. Hawaiians are some the warmest, loving-est people I've ever met.
I decided I wanted to spend Christmas at Ho'okena Beach Park, Heike and my most favorite place. Went on line and made a reservation so there wasn't a chance there wouldn't be space. Boris was heading to the east side and Waipio Valley. Hope it's not raining!
Got to the beach, got a great spot on the front row under a coconut tree. Life is good. And guess who shows up later in the day...Boris! Too wet. Hopped the bus right back to the Kona side and knew I was down here, so came on down. A little community was forming for the Christmas holiday: Boris, Daniel (a guy that I met the first time here who was healing from a broken collarbone before he took off and biked the island), Rachel and ___ (drawing a blank) from the Noni Farm in Hilo, and Monika, a German woman who's lived here for 30+ years and roams the island living here and there. She was the true bag lady having only some clothes, a blanket, a bit of food, and her knitting with her...sleeping cowboy every night on the beach. Lucky it didn't rain!
Christmas morning was magical. Walking out through the tents to the privy, I passed where parents had hung their kids stockings on a line between the tents and there were presents on the sand underneath. So simple, so sweet. Got a picture:) (Wish I had better luck uploading photos to this blog. Can only do it from my phone and I'm on a pc right now.)
And the whales made a visit flapping their tails and blowing! Hadn't seen them that close nor here before And finally the dolphins came back. They'd been gone for quite a bit. Magical Christmas. Mele Kalikimaka!
So now I need to go back and fill you in on some missing details. The first week of the trip at a campground up north of Kona, I met a man in passing. He'd been down to the beach to swim and then was handing out spiritual books about soul healing. I accepted it. We chatted. He offered to help us find info on a 4x4 rental to go to the top of Mauna Kea, so I gave him my phone and email. He sent the info and asked if we were coming back up north. Not this trip, I replied. Heike was a bit weirded out by the spiritual stuff, but I thought it was interesting.
A week or so goes by, and I get a quick note asking if I was still on the island. Another week, another note. This time I told him I had extended my stay. He invited me to come up so we could continue the flow of conversation and explore his backyard. This was happening right at Christmas. I still had the car for another few days so I thought that I could go up, and still get away if he was a weirdo. I called him to make plans and it wasn't weird. I felt more at ease. So off I went on another adventure. And this adventure took me into the arms of a loving, charming, energetic man that sees me. But the really crazy part is his name. My daughter's name is Dana Mossbrook Zimmerman. His name is Dana Moss. Now that's weird or cosmic or something! A bit hard on me:) Dana is my daughter. The name shouldn't belong to anyone else. But it so fits him. And I've always loved the name for male or female. He's 54 and a single dad of a daughter named Kawai (ku-veye). Born and raised in Hawaii. Surfer dude!
So I've decided to stay another 3 months and explore this relationship and this community of Kohala. There's so many places to hike. So much to learn about the flora and fauna. The food is different: taro leaves and coconut milk...papaya smoothies...fish that I'll never remember the names of! I'm going to do some yoga classes and find places to volunteer my time. My sister-in-law, Sandy, this summer, taught me how to really connect with a community by the way she has in Wyoming. Thanks for the tips and ideas!
I don't know if I can deal with missing winter. I so love the snow and skiing. I get to glimpse at snow on Mauna Kea. But it's not the same.
So here I sit looking at the ocean out one window and the mountains out the other, with coconut trees whistling in the trade winds. I'm going to enjoy it for how ever long it lasts:)
