November

So, here it is: November, 2020. my husband,Keith, our two dogs and I moved to this shed on Maui from an apartment in Arizona 7½ months ago, at the very start of the Coronavirus shutdown. In many ways, it seems as if we moved here a few weeks ago. Yet, it also feels like a lifetime ago.

Roots

Maui is such a biologically and geologically active place that some things die even as they flourish. Many trees have exposed roots, and in some cases those roots have been exposed for so long they have become weathered and beautiful in their own right.

Election

Today was Election Day and I, to my everlasting sorrow, was unable to vote.

Koki's Many Moods

When one goes to the same beach every day, one discovers it isn't the same beach any day. The sky each day is unique, with varying amounds of sun and cloud. Even the position of the sun and the height of the tides rarely repeat a combination. So it always looks different, always beautiful, always unique.

Maui's Westside Beaches

Now that they've opened Maui up to tourism, Doordashing had been much more lucrative. I do expect cases in the United States, even here, to go up two weeks after Thanksgiving; perhaps to the point of triggering another shutdown. But I can't shut tourism back down by myself, and I wear my mask always and am careful; so I continue to Doordash while I can.

That means I make several trips to Lahaina, on Maui's West side, a week, mostly for Doordashing but also on days off so Keith and the dogs can enjoy the sunshine and beaches as well. And, no matter the weather (it's generally clear, but not always), it's beautiful and I can't help but take pictures, mostly of the many beaches and beach parks that dot the shoreline.

Kamana

When I first arrived on the property, I was surprised to find a herd of cows on it. At first, I thought they had come with the land. But it turned out they were being ranched here by a native Hawaiian and his family, under an agreement made a decade earlier with the previous owner.

The Shower Dies

Well, we have…had…an outdoor camp shower inherited from my grandson, that was supposed to hold a column of water, to be heated by the sun, thus providing a nice, civilized-style, hot shower. That never really happened.

Babies Enroute

My two youngest grandchildren, Gianna and Dominic, are amazing travelers. Although they are not slaves to their iPads, they do use them as diversions at appropriate times, like the hours spent waiting in airport terminals, as well as those endured in the air.

Maui's Westside Beaches

Now that they've opened Maui up to tourism, Doordashing had been much more lucrative. I do expect cases in the United States, even here, to go up two weeks after Thanksgiving; perhaps to the point of triggering another shutdown. But I can't shut tourism back down by myself, and I wear my mask always and am careful; so I continue to Doordash while I can.

That means I make several trips to Lahaina, on Maui's West side, a week, mostly for Doordashing but also on days off so Keith and the dogs can enjoy the sunshine and beaches as well. And, no matter the weather (it's generally clear, but not always), it's beautiful and I can't help but take pictures, mostly of the many beaches and beach parks that dot the shoreline.

Kiddies At Koki

The past few days have been a joy, with three of my grandchildren here with me! There hasn't been much time for blogging, what with hanging out with the kiddies (who came by to visit about 7 AM on the morning after their arrival) and taking them to Koki, our favorite beach.

Consolidating Two Solar Arrays

As you may recall, we've been working off a second solar array while the first one we used sat idle in back of our shed. The plan was to consolodate them, and today the physical work to make that happen, happened.

Rainy Season

I see posts from friends on the East Coast bragging (or complaining) about snow and ice storms and shoveling. Meanwhile, here in Maui, we don't have four seasons. We have two: Mostly Sunny, and Mostly Rainy. America's "winter" more-or-less dovetails with Maui's Mostly Rainy Season.

Thanksgiving, 2020

How does one celebrate Thanskgiving during a pandemic? Apparently many people, who post on Facebook, are going all out with visiting far-flung relatives, germs and all. I fear that these same families will regret this before Christmas, given than COVID-19 is now up to a 2% fatality rate. (If you knew a random two Skittles in a bag of 100 were poisoned, would you eat any?)

Family Beach Day

Today was spent at Koki Beach Park, which once again we had almost to ourselves.

Family Home Day

We hung out around the house today. It was pleasant as always—except moreso, because we had our visiting family about. And it began with an exquisite island dawn.