A Day with TQ

Therese is in Kona for R & R; we got together today so I could give her a tour of the north end. We started out by watching spinner dolphins (Stenella longirostris) from the balcony of her time-share condo while catching up.

Therese looking out at the ocean from the lanai.

The splashes in front of & behind the boat are spinner dolphins that have just re-entered the water.

This is Therese's first visit to the Big Island, so everything I showed her was new! Lucky me! Before we left the Kona area, we went to Hulihe'e Palace, which was built in 1838 by John Adams Kuakini, the 2nd governor of the island of Hawai'i. After his death it was willed to his adopted son, who then willed it to his wife Princess Ruth Ke'elikolani, half-sister to Kamehameha IV & Kamehameha V. It was a favorite retreat for many royal family members until 1914, when it was sold to a non-royal person. In 1925 the non-profit Daughters of Hawai'i convinced the Territory of Hawai'i to purchase Hulihe'e Palace to protect it from possible hotel development; it has since been leased to the Daughters of Hawai'i to be operated & maintained as a museum.

The couple near the steps are from Australia.

We then headed to Waimea, where we had lunch at The Noodle Club. We both had the special of the day, a ramen with salmon poke; the hot soup base cooks the salmon.

Our lunch.

Therese enjoying her lunch.

After lunch we drove over Kohala Mountain. We stopped for a brief tour of the house & yard before heading to Pololu Valley & the Hawai'i Wildlife Center, where I picked up a carrier to take back to O'ahu in my suitcase for use in the Wheels for Wildlife program that I volunteer for.

At Pololu Valley overlook.

The next ridge over is Awini, where King Kamehameha was taken as a baby to be raised in safety.

On the way back from Pololu we stopped at Kings View Cafe for ice cream and to see the Kamehameha statue.

We ended our tour back at Therese's condo, watching the sun set. There are a lot of things we didn't get to see like the Lapakahi State Historical Park, Pu'ukohola Heiau National Historic Site, & the Hamakua Macadamia Nut Company; and these are only in Kohala. Therese still has a lot more of the island to see; she plans on coming back!


When she stopped by the house, Therese helped me rearrange a few things in the living room to make the treadmill accessible. This evening when I returned I spent an hour walking at 2.5 mph to keep up my training to walk the Great Aloha Run.

The NordicTrack EXP1000 treadmill, surrounded by boxes of books.

My home gym (L to R): Bike on trainer, NordicTrack EXP1000 treadmill.

What I did tonight: 60:11 minutes of walking for 2.5 miles, & burning 186 calories.

As I was leaving the house this morning, I saw a Grey Francolin (Francolinus pondicerianus) in the driveway. This is the bird that I hear calling in the early morning.

Grey Francolin (Francolinus pondicerianus).

Hurricane Norman is now a Category 3 storm; it is about 350 miles east of the Big Island. It is expected to move northwesterly about 200 to 300 miles to the northeast of the main islands. While I am here I will be going around the yard and moving potential projectiles to more protected areas; a little bit of work will help make things more secure for all future potential hurricane threats.

At 11 p.m.

Happy Birthday to Tim, Denise, The Uncanny Injury Guy, Rikayla, & Kerry!