1) get dressed and ready
2) get out the door
3) reach our destination since we tend to get "lost" at least once.
We couldn't find the Waimea chapel on the first try Friday night. We couldn't find the Veloria's street on the first try on Saturday. We frequently find ourselves making and U-turn and trying a different way. Surprising to me is the fact that I received NO maps at the car rental place. Had Gayela not picked up a little brochure at the airport, we'd have been really sunk because the phone thing doesn't seem to work all the time. It is a rare treat when I can get it to go WHEN I want it to go. :-/
We did eventually find the Veloria's home in Havi after "dragging Main" a time or two till things looked familiar to Berenice. This is surprising and a little disconcerting to us and I'm sure to Mike's Mom who has always been able to remember everything. Now she cannot and that alone causes her to worry quite a lot. She is forgetting things. A lot. She misplaces things. She's not sleeping well at night at all (so neither is Gayela who shares her room). BUT, the visit with the Veloria's was wonderful. Audrey Veloria is always such a gracious hostess and provided us with refreshments while we were there from 4:30 to 6 or so. I took a photo of Berenice next to the coconut palm tree that was planted in John's honor about 14 years ago. It is years overdue in bearing fruit, Brother Veloria told us. "John always was a little stubborn," I said. We did not get to see their children or grandchildren, but did see plenty of evidence of their daughter, Reena, and their two children living there. Reena sells LulaRo clothing and it was EVERY where. ha. They have two kids and the toys were everywhere, too. Loving grandparents, the Veoloria's. They love having family around. They both have health struggles now as they are well into their 70's. But, oh, how we adore those people.
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| Berenice Liebhardt and Audrey Veloria |
After we left their place, we headed over the mountain road, again, the 20 or so miles to Waimea. Mike always feels like he's driving in the Le Mans race or something. Tight curves, lots of squealing tires. No, not really. He slows down. But some of the bridges over ditches and streams are a bit tight. It's a gorgeous drive, truly. Our rental car is a Subaru and he said it handles really well. I thought so, too, when I took a turn at the wheel driving to the end of the road and back.
This time, we found the Waimea chapel on the first try (Yay Us!) and we even found it in the dark! The party had begun at 6 and we got there around 6:30, just in time for the food to be served. Berenice found Brother and Sister Marsh and we sat with them for the duration of the ward Christmas party, along with the Burnett family. They are a new family, just moved in a year or so ago from Ogden. Good food, typical Hawaiin Luau food of rice and Kalua pork, lau lau, chicken long rice, potato salad. Mmmm. And yummy cakes and cookies for dessert. No lack of calories on this trip! We stayed for their program, too, and it was nice. Except the Primary kids. They were too short and we could never tell just what it was that they were doing. Really. Rock music and some kind of dancing with scarves and hats. But the rest of the program was Christmas-y music and singing and performances, plus a good spiritual message at the end from their very young bishop. It was another lovely evening of party crashing. ha. At the end of the party, a lady brought in baskets of oranges to give away, so I took an armload to juice for breakfast.
It was SO HARD to keep Mike awake on the drive back to Kona Palisades and the Barton's home. Sheesh. And HE was the one driving!!!! We drove the coastal road home this time, instead of the mountain road. Lots more houses everywhere now.
We were "home" around 9 pm. Tired. Doug was tired, too, so there was no long visiting this night. We headed to bed early. I showered this evening and found that the tub is very VERY slippery.
Sunday morning, and we all needed to be ready for 9 am church in Keei. That Slippery Tub situation was such that I had to caution both Gayela and Mom that they should not attempt it, even with a towel on the tub bottom, as there are no grab bars...just too risky. Spit-baths for them! But Mike showered and we tried getting out of the house in time for 9 :00 a.m. church in Keei, a half hour away. I had to wake up Berenice at 7:00 or so. I squeezed out the oranges (by hand, as they don't have an electric citrus juicer at the Barton home) for juice and Mike cooked us some toast and we had our breakfast eaten fairly quickly so we could try to leave close to 8 am . Even though Church was not until 9 am, we had at least a 30 minute drive. And we had to have enough time to get lost, as we were driving to a chapel that was new and that we'd never been to. Also, the signage on Hawaii Roads is less than adequate. I get a bit snippy about this at times. "What road are we on?" And we never know until it's too late. Oh well. The view is nice.
We did make it to the Keei ward in time for 9 am church, in time to meet Bro. Nakamoto in the lobby, good friends and long-time members, as well as one of the Liebhard's converts, David Haalilio. Everyone is old now. Or VERY OLD, like the Nakamoto's. Berenice was so thrilled to see them all. We stayed for Sacrament meeting. I swear Mike slept through the entire thing. I thought his head was going to bonk the pew in front of us. Kay Wilson was playing prelude music for Sacrament meeting when we got there, so I went up before Church to ask if she'd received my text asking about coming to stay down there on Monday to stay at her place. She had not.
There was another ward meeting in that building that Berenice wanted to attend at 11, so after Sunday School in the Keei Ward, we marched back to the chapel. Church, Church, Church and more Church. After the sacrament and two talks, I wandered the hall trying to find Kay Wilson, who is supposed to be Primary Pianist, but found her in RS. Primary gave her a "break" that day. I'm a little worried about Kay. She told Mike and Gayela on Friday that she needed to leave the Farmer's Market early because she had a doctor's appointment that day. When I sat by her in Relief Society, she had her purse full of cough drops. And today at Church, she just looked so tired. I do hope she's okay.
I did visit with Kay about coming to her place to stay. After RS ended in the Keei ward, Sacrament meeting was ending soon in the other ward soon and I found Mike in the lobby. We went to the 2nd ward's Sunday School class because he wanted to hear the lesson and visit with Kathy Douglas's niece, who was teaching it. She's married to a Nakamoto son. And we received an invite to attend the Nakamoto's Christmas eve party on the farm. We've been to the New Years' Eve party in years past (about three times, I think), but wasn't aware that they had a Christmas Party, too! That will be nice to meet with them. We'll get lost trying to find that place, too.
Sunday after Churches, we drove to McDonalds in Captain Cook to have some lunch. We'd had a light breakfast, some of us were starving, and we weren't going to get a meal with Barton's until the birthday party for their 12 year old at 6 pm that evening. Lots of cousins are coming, I hear.
After our fairly light lunch, we drove to Margaret Shatauer's home. She lives in a lovely old plantation home, but is basically bed-ridden now. She's been a widow for years, John and Berenice really connected with them, and now Mike and I have had the privilege of visiting with them (and mostly her) for these past few visits. Bro. Shatauer passes away quite a few years ago. I just left Berenice inside to visit with her and I sat out on the porch to visit with her caregiver. Gayela joined me. Mike did, too, eventually, and Berenice visited till she was worn out from standing over the bed, holding Margaret's hand. They are both in the twilight years of their lives.
We drove around in Kailua after we left Margaret. I had Mike stop the car, and I jumped out at one little beach to see if any turtles were around. There were not. I succeeded only in getting sand in my sandals. ha. I guess that's what they are for, right? "SAND"als.... haha. We eventually meandered our way back to the Barton's by 4 pm, but dinner's not until 6. I got to visit with Teani, Koa's wife, and then retreated to the bedroom to catch up blogging on these past 2 days. So far, so good. Mike's on "Sunday Vacation Mode" and has been sleeping. And sleeping. He didn't sleep as well last night. Gee, I wonder why? I was awake last night more than the night previous, but I at least stayed awake during Church(es). I also got a reward for attending Relief Society while Berenice and Gayela went to the 2nd ward Sacrament meeting .. . . Mike actually left and got a coke.... because in RS of the Keei ward, we got a cookie from Young Women who caroled to us, the RS teacher gave us each a candy cane AND after, they passed out fancy cookies from a tray. I nibbled on the candy cane during 2nd Sunday School and ate the fancy cookie before it melted in it's package.
So, tonight a 12 year old birthday party with lots of family around. Another adventure in party crashing! Hawaiian style :-)
Berenice and Earl Veloria in front of John's coconut tree. It's 13 years old and still not bearing fruit. Kind of stubborn, huh? He said it should have started to bear fruit at age 5 to 7 years.
Sunset over South Kohala.
Ariihau' s 12th birthday party at the Barton home.
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