Is Today the Day? Nope

Normally I would be up at Maunalani in the afternoon on Thursday, but because of the hurricane Curtis is staying home, so I went to Maunalani in the morning. It looks like Hurricane Lane is slowing down, by early evening it was a Category 3; it is predicted for winds over O'ahu to reach tropical storm strength (39 to 73 mph) this evening and hurricane strength (74 to 110 mph) late on Friday evening. Here are some of the forecasts throughout today; as you can see they are updated several times during the day. As time progresses, they are able to collect more data for the models, giving a better idea of where the storm will be at what time period.

2 a.m.

8 a.m.

11 a.m.

5 p.m.

8 p.m.

Maunalani has been busy the last few days making preparations for the arrival of the storm. They have had staff meetings & put out emergency numbers for visitors to call if they can't get through the normal phone lines. Today I saw additional supplies in the Castle Living Room. I also overheard Geldy, one of the maintenance people, talking about their emergency generator.

The generator is the yellow structure on the right, the fuel tank is the blue tank at the top left.

I noticed that there are much fewer visitors here this morning; the parking lot was really empty.


It was overcast but dry & breezy during my morning walk. I saw a pair of Kolea at the park; they tolerated me and stayed until I was just about to leave the park. I also saw that the big truck, the PODS storage container, & all the miscellaneous barrels and stuff have also been removed.


I also noticed that the Board of Water Supply workers picked up a lot of their signs and other potential projectiles. They also secured the portable toilet so it wouldn't blow around.

There were signs, tripods, & pieces of rebar on the opposite corner just yesterday.

"Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds." And neither will impending hurricane-force winds! While I was doing my cool down stretches I heard a vehicle pull up, it was the USPS!


Dad refused to eat breakfast or drink his supplements this morning.

Ivy from West Marine called this morning; my replacement shirt came in. I told her I would come by on Monday to pick it up; she said they were closed Friday & Saturday because of Hurricane Lane.

I saw the Kolea down at the park during my mid-morning walk; one was still in the parking lot, the other was down on the field foraging. Like during my morning walk, it was overcast but dry & breezy; the wind had picked up a little more.



Lunch today was Spaghetti and meat sauce, Italian vegetable blend, Garden salad, Fresh honeydew cubes, & Cream of broccoli soup. Dad ate 1/4 of his half sandwich and drank about half his supplements.


About 1 pm it began to drizzle and also became gustier. The waves looked a little larger also. I took my afternoon walk a little later; I needed to run home to pick up my phone charger & adapter so  I could download photos for the blog. There were 4 dogs & their humans at the park; I saw a Kolea in the forested portion of the park but I could not find the other one. The weather was still overcast, dry & breezy.


While I was doing my cool down stretches at 4 pm the emergency sirens started going off; the Emergency Alert app on my phone said, "EXTREMELY DANGEROUS WINDS AND FLOODING POSSIBLE, LEAVE AREA IF THREATENED. C&C Honolulu."

The menu for dinner said Misoyaki salmon, Steamed rice, Seasoned zucchini, Chocolate cake, & Won ton soup, but there was also a cup of Watermelon cubes. Dad ate a piece of salmon and one bite of cake as well as all his supplements.

I cut up the salmon for Dad before I took the photo.

After dinner Dad decided he wanted to watch television to hear more about Hurricane Lane.


From the Orchid Dining Room where Dad was watching TV, we were able to see the sunset. It was deceptively calm & beautiful.


I took a series of photos from the 2nd floor lanai about once an hour beginning at 11 am showing the effect of the wind on the surrounding trees. Here are the photos that were taken. (It's that field biologist gene!)

11 a.m.

12 noon.

1 p.m.

2 p.m.

4 p.m.

5 p.m.

6 p.m.

7 p.m.

8 p.m. Sometimes it is boring being a field biologist.

I initially checked out the surf while I was doing my cool down stretches at the covered overlook just off of the parking lot. The surf looked larger than normal, likely due to the surge from the approaching hurricane; so I started taking photos sort of hourly to document the changes I was seeing.

11 a.m.

1 p.m.

4 p.m.

5 p.m.

6 p.m.

7 p.m.

Because of the storm coming in I decided to stay overnight in case Dad  became anxious about it. Maunalani has been very accommodating to family members wanting to do that. They have provided meals, refreshments, and places to sleep; I got to use one of the reclining chairs that they use for the Namaste massage sessions. But I brought my own chips.

My set-up for the evening.

My not-quite-midnight snack.

Happy Birthday to George, Susie, Jette, Lyussy, & Kito!