Peter and Dianne visit with us

After leaving Tucson behind, we arrived in Kona on January 16th, ready to begin the next chapter of our winter adventure. We met up with Peter and Dianne at Sky Harbor Airport in Phoenix. We took off from at 11:30, on the same plane that Charlie had taken home earlier. The flight was a little turbulent for almost the entire way, but we kept ourselves entertained. Between the two of us, we watched a Sidney Poitier documentary, Elvis, and finally Where the Crawdads Sing. We landed in Hawaii around 3:30 in the afternoon.

Steve and Ashia were at the airport to pick up Peter and Dianne, while Charlie had left a car for us. We followed them back to the condo, where we settled in with takeout from Sam Choy’s and enjoyed drinks on the lanai. It felt good to be back at the condo in Hawaii.

We were both up early the next morning, starting with a hard-boiled egg and coffee before heading out for a walk. We climbed the hill behind the condo, a decent workout that took us about 2.6 km to the turnaround point. Along the way we spotted some whales playing in the ocean, an early reminder that we were definitely in a different place from Tucson.

Later, the four of us headed out in the car. June went to Turtle Beach while the rest of us made a Costco run for supplies.

After unloading everything back at the condo, we made another quick stop at KT Market for a few miscellaneous things. We spent the rest of the day getting organized before settling into happy hour, dinner and plenty of chatting with Peter and Dianne.

On January 18th, I headed out with Larry to the Holua Racquet and Paddle Club to try their pickleball. It turned out to be amazingly fun. The level of play at the club was excellent, so I joined for $60 and ended up playing for almost three hours. While I was playing, June walked up the hill and down to the End of the World. We eventually met up, worked out and spent some time at the pool.

We even spotted some whales in the distance before heading up to Larry and Dianne’s for drinks. It was great seeing them again, and we met their son Jake. That evening brought another special Hawaii moment — we saw our first green flash at sunset for this trip.

Afterward, we had dinner with Peter and Dianne and watched Lilies of the Field, the 1963 movie for which Sidney Poitier won the Oscar for Best Actor.

January 19th was a significant day for a couple of reasons. It was the anniversary of June’s dad’s death, as well as the anniversary of when we purchased our condo. We started the morning with another cinder cone hike, leaving around 7:40. Traffic slowed us down a little, but we were on the trail before 9:00. The day was hazy, but we could still see all three mountain peaks.

After the hike, we stopped for coffee near Costco and then visited a used golf shop. I found the only left-handed set they had — a set of TaylorMade bubble shaft clubs with a bag — for $175. From there we made stops at Walmart and Safeway before heading home. After a workout, I made dinner for Peter and Dianne, and we watched the sunset together.

The next morning started with three hours of pickleball for me at Holua. The caliber of players continued to impress me, and I was really enjoying the games. I stopped at the market afterward while June walked down the hill to see me play and then continued out to the resort, making another stop at the market along the way.

I took Peter grocery shopping, then June and I worked out, with Dianne joining us in the gym. Afterward we relaxed around the pool and enjoyed another beautiful sunset, although there was no green flash this time. That evening we watched Tom Jones, the 1964 Academy Award winner for Best Picture.

On January 21st, we got organized for the arrival of Robert and Trina. I made a quick trip to the Coffee Shack to pick up a carrot cake, while June and Peter headed to the airport around noon to pick them up. Once they arrived, we had lunch, relaxed and looked through more of our summer pictures.

Later, Robert, Trina, June and I played pickleball until sunset. We were fortunate enough to see our second green flash, which was becoming one of those special Hawaii experiences we always enjoy catching. Dinner that evening was a bit of a feast. We made the pork loin and pears that Phil had made for us, while Dianne prepared a stuffed pork loin, and we roasted potatoes and sweet potatoes. It was a great evening with lots of interesting conversation as we celebrated Robert’s 60th birthday.

The following morning, June, Robert and I headed out shortly after 7:00 to hike down to the Captain Cook Monument. Peter drove us to the trailhead, and we were back home by 10:00. We rewarded ourselves with oatmeal cookie pancakes, sausage and fresh fruit for brunch.

The afternoon was more relaxed. We headed down to the pool room for some pool and ping pong before Peter and June drove Robert and Trina to the airport around 1:30.

Once they had departed, we worked out and then headed over to Larry and Dianne’s for happy hour, dinner and a few games of Sequence.

January 23rd was another big pickleball day for me. I played for three hours in the morning while June headed down to the End of the World. I picked up Peter and Dianne and joined her. We eventually headed home for a smoothie.

June went to the gym while I attended the board question-and-answer meeting, where I also asked about the flower beds. Later June went to the pool while I headed back to the gym. We finished the day with happy hour on the lanai, hoping for another green flash. No luck this time, but we still enjoyed a beautiful sunset.

The next morning we were up early and on our way by 7:30 for another cinder cone hike. We completed the hike in 2 hours and 36 minutes — our fastest time yet. Afterward we stopped at Safeway on the way home, worked out and cleaned up.

June had booked a 90-minute massage at Blue Moon Yoga and Day Spa in the Kona Inn Shopping Centre in the old downtown area near the water. Unfortunately, when she arrived, they had no record of the appointment at all. So, after making the trip downtown, there was no massage. We were left to keep an eye on the refund to our US Visa. That evening we stayed home and watched The Banshees of Inisherin, which had been nominated for nine Oscars.

January 25th was a little more subdued. I played pickleball, went to the gym and spent some time reading around the pool. Later, we joined Peter, Dianne, Larry and Deann for happy hour on the upper lanai at the clubhouse. We watched the sunset, played some cornhole and spent the evening chatting.

January 26th passed without any particular notes, a quiet day in the middle of an otherwise busy stretch.

The next morning I was up early to golf with Larry. We left at 6:15 and headed to Makani Golf Club, a beautiful course up near the area where we had done our cinder cone hikes. I played reasonably well, especially considering I was using my new-to-me set of used golf clubs. Afterward we stopped for poke for lunch before heading home.

We went for a quick drive to Waimea in the afternoon to stop at the office of the Canada France Hawaii telescope to pick up some calendars.

That evening was a bit bittersweet as we spent our last evening with Peter and Dianne. We enjoyed one final happy hour and dinner together, knowing that they would be heading home the next morning.

January 28th started early as we took Peter and Dianne to the airport at 7:00. After saying our goodbyes, we made a Safeway run before heading home for breakfast.

I then headed back downtown, hoping to find a solution for one of our snorkeling masks. I stopped at all three snorkeling stores, but unfortunately none of them could help. On the bright side, the trip wasn’t a complete loss. At the Marketplace I found the flower lady, who gave me a great deal on a beautiful flower arrangement and a lei for Sue.

We Skyped with Wanda before heading back to the airport later in the day to pick up Sue. Her flight was scheduled to arrive at 3:00, but she didn’t actually arrive until 6:00. Once we finally had her, we headed home for poke dinner and officially welcomed her to Hawaii.

And with Peter and Dianne now on their way home and Sue newly arrived, our Kona adventure was taking on a new chapter.