Dinner with Alexis

I took Alexis out for dinner tonight as a belated Birthday celebration; her birthday was yesterday. We originally tried to go to AV Restaurant, the new vegan restaurant on 11th; but found that it is by reservation only. It also had a very bar-like atmosphere. We ended up at The Surfing Pig. We started with the Beef Tataki appetizer. (Sorry, no photo this time. Click here for photo from dinner with Kai in 2019.) Alexis had the Slider Trio & I had the Street Tacos. The prices have gone up a little; the Friends Night Out (which used to be called The Girls Night Out) is now $175. Two years ago it was $165.

They provide suggestions for alcohol pairings for each entree.

They also suggested these hot sauce pairings for the (L to R) shrimp, kalua pig, & fish tacos.

Later we went for dessert at Via Gelato which was on the way back to where we parked the car.

It was a small group today for the Citizen Forester Potential Plant Inventory; besides Francisco, it was only Cindy, Joe, & me. We met at the Kīlauea District Park then walked almost 2 miles around the immediate vicinity. We found about a dozen potential sites for new trees.

One of the places we passed was like a little zoo. They had 2 Sulcata tortoises & a Muscovy duck in the front yard.

We also passed by a place that has potential to be landscaped in to another rain garden. I went back later & took some photos.

Looking westerly along ditch.

From 20th, looking easterly along ditch.

I made a quick stop at Minamoto Kitchoan to pick up a little gift for Alexis. I got a box each of the Fukuwatashi Senbei in matcha & vanilla flavors.  I also picked up a Suikanshuku since I like persimmons. Before she leaves, I will be picking up something else for her mom & grandma.

I ate the Suikanshuku as a late night snack; I should not have done that. I way exceeded my carb load for today!

I bit it so it doesn't look as nice as in the online photo.

When I got home I called Janice; she had emailed early this morning about a potential wrinkle in her visit coming up in January. We talked for a little over an hour about her upcoming medical procedure. Since we want to go to Shangri La while she is here, and I will have to get tickets on December 1st in order to ensure she will have an opportunity to see it on the only day it will be open while she is here in January, I need to find out about getting a refund if she won't be able to travel after the surgery. Since there is nothing listed in the FAQs about refunds, I have sent a message to find out the answer.

For lunch I ate the other turkey sandwich from Kokua Market. Once again I ate the whole thing!

The Okage Sama De video for today is Chapter 5 Post-WWII Hawaiʻi. Today's video covered the political change from Republican to Democrat, from the Big 5 dominating business  to smaller, more diverse businesses, and moving away from a plantation-based oligarchy to becoming a more fair & just society. This period also covered statehood. I also found out how Zippy's was named! And the beginnings of ABC Stores. And a whole lot of other local businesses.

A Hawaiʻi Island high school student's film has made it in to an international film festival! This 6 minute film called ʻOhana and ʻĀina: Connecting Family, Farming, and Freedom is below. Like Jade, I also remember Mom & Uncle Kazu telling me about how cattle would be driven in to the ocean at Mahukona to be loaded on to boats to take them to Honolulu. My grandfather grew kalo both at the Halawa Camp house as well as the current house; I hope to continue & expand the loʻi.

Speaking of food self-sufficiency, like many other places, the cost for Thanksgiving dinner fixings have gone up. And some things are not available.

Kīlauea volcano is still erupting. The flow along the northerly caldera wall seems to have subsided, but there is a spot opposite the vent area that looks like there may be some hotter lava there than along the north edge.

At 7:11 a.m.

At 7:11 a.m.

The Aix weather app forecast partly cloudy skies for Honolulu until after dark when it forecast rain; it was partly sunny all day and in to the evening. For Kapaʻau, Aix forecast drizzle until mid-afternoon when it would begin raining through the remainder of the day; Big Island Now forecast mostly sunny with isolated showers in the morning becoming partly cloudy with scattered showers in the afternoon with a 50% chance of rain. The Honomū weather station recorded no precipitation for today. For Marysville, Aix forecast much the same as for Kapaʻau; on the traffic cam it appeared to be socked in during the morning. 

Kaimukī looking westerly at 7:05 a.m.

Honomū looking northerly at 7:05 a.m.

Marysville looking southerly at 7:06 a.m. HST.

Kaimukī looking northerly at 8:13 a.m.

Kaimukī looking easterly at 8:15 a.m.

The surf was biggest on the north facing shores; other shorelines were small. In Hilo Bay there was a ship on the horizon that looked like it was on its way to Honolulu.

Laniakea (N) at 7:07 a.m.

Hilo Bay (E) at 7:08 a.m.

Waikīkī at 7:09 a.m.

Banyans (W) at 7:10 a.m.

There were 115 new cases of COVID-19 reported today, bringing the total known cases up to 87,106. There were also 6 new deaths reported, increasing the death toll to 1008; currently there are 1477 cases considered active. As of today there have been 2,329,153 doses of vaccine administered, providing 72.4% of the State population with full vaccination & 85.2% with at least one dose. The 7-day new case average for the State is 108 with a positivity rate of 1.8%. The 7-day new case average for Oʻahu is 57 with a positivity rate of 1.3%.

Hauʻoli lā Hānau e Lani & Jody! Dad would have been 97 today!