A Beach and a Beer

Well, here I am on my annual trip to Hawaii to visit with and help my folks.

When they picked me up I was informed that we had a funeral to attend the next day, an uncle of my dad's whom I never met. He was 100 and his 94 year old wife died in November. So we visited with some family and ate some local grub. It was a fairly fun fun-eral. While dad was schmoozing with family mom and I went to the graveyard to see if we could find dad's grandma's grave. She died in '74 just before we moved back to the mainland. It was such a beautiful cemetary. We couldn't find the grave but dad walked right to it when he got there. We actually walked right past it. I even got a picture of it without realizing!

The next day, Sunday, Dad was giving the talk on the opposite side of the island, in Kekaha, near Waimea. It was a good talk on marriage. He mentioned things both mom and I have done, the congregation felt like they knew us by the time the talk was over. A couple, the Drivers, invited us out to lunch at a local diner. The food was good and filling. We had a nice visit with them over good food.

On the way home we stopped in the Kukui Grove shopping area. I went to Macy's to see if I could find a swimsuit that suited me better than anything I could find at Kohl's, Sears, etc. I did finally find one. But, of course, it cost $100. I went ahead and applied for a credit card and got the 15% off, so it ended up costing only (only!) $85. The folks were at Home Depot getting the supplies to install the glass vessel sink I brought on the plane. But the salesman was giving them not quite the correct information. I helped them pick the right stuff and we've been working on it ever since.

This morning we got started on all the projects to get their bathroom finished. We had to finish installing a wall, hang a mirror, paint the cabinet that the sink will sit on, paint a medicine cabinet to also hang on the wall & rewire & hang a lamp. Then we can proceed with the plumbing for the sink and install the faucet and drain. Whew! We made a lot of headway. Actually mom did most of it, I touched up some paint outside that I hit with white paint last year when I sprayed the eaves. Then I cleaned some of theier glass "walls" out on their lanai.

Each afternoon I've attempted to go to the beach to catch some rays. But over the wknd we were so busy we didn't get home til after 4 so there wasn't much sun left. I did my best. Took my beer and sat on the beach. Today I went to the beach earlier, about 3:15 but the clouds were rather thick. Just wandered around and took pictures.

Tomorrow my brother's mother-in-law may be coming in from Reno. She lives in New Zealand with Hik and Kris but was visiting a friend in Reno before coming here. She may not make it, they may send her home due to some homeland security issue, her "overstaying" her last visit. Anyway, we'll find out tonight whether she's coming here or going straight home to NZ.

Hopefully I can start working on a real tan tomorrow, even if I have to just lay in the yard here at the folks' place.

I refuse to go home white.