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Teresa Fannin, reader, writer, gardener, chocolate fan & tea drinker

Tag: Hawi Town

shopping

05/13/2013 /

A vocation, avocation, hobby, addiction, call it whatever you want, but I can not resist shopping. There was a time when I bought, but what do I really need to accumulate? Now I just look. It’s not the big IMG_0019department stores that are so much fun, you can find that stuff anywhere, it’s in the little shops that you find the nifty stuff. So we went to the Macadamia Factory. I wanted to go to a farm, but no. You can’t do that, the macadamia farmers–growers?–keep their property personal, private. So. Okay, and, oh, yes, chocolate covered macadamia, 70% cacao, ah, love those anti-oxidants.

The Bamboo The Macadamia Factory is on the north eastern shore of Hawaii, the big island, at Waikoloa Beach. Today, after we recovered from the flight, had a nice breakfast, because that can set you up for the whole day, and we had moved fully into a time zone six hours from our own, we decided to head north along the only road that traverses the eastern side of the island, We went north to Hawi Town, to The Bamboo, a lovely little restaurant in a former hotel for the Chinese brought into work in the sugar plantations.

IMG_0024 I had a lovely fish, ono, with a fresh fruit chutney. I love chutneys, I love the flavors, the mixing of tastes and colors, well, wow. So then we walked around the town, it’s now a historic property. In one shop we came across had these baseball caps, with hardwood visors. Cool, but not for the price.

IMG_0048Then we drove. It’s one of our favorite things to do. We do long-cuts. Never short-cuts because theyIMG_0047 are much less fun. Long-cuts, there should be more about this in the English language.

Anyway, after a roundabout long-cut, we ended up back in Waikoloa Beach, and The King’s Shops. With, are you ready? the smallest Macy Store ever. Yes, it is that small. So, now we can say, we’ve been to the IMG_0050largest Macy store, in New York City [ha! where else?] and to the smallest. I like the symmetry, the stores being at either end of the United States, like bookends. Sort of fits in with my shopping.

Hawi Town

05/12/2013 /

Nice trip down to Kailua-Kona, saw the coffee farm, couldn’t find Captain Cook, had lunch, came IMG_0043home and took a nap. We knew there was a catholic church just outside of Hawi Town. But since we believe in the journey as much as the destination, and, I’m sitting, now,  with a cup of Camomile Tea and a chocolate covered macadamia nut well, here’s what happened next.  We went north. It’s a strange drive, first you pass acres and acres of lava, it’s desolate and bleak.IMG_0046 Then you drive a bit longer and there is the beginning of green, but just the beginning and there’s scrub, reminds me of chaparral in the high desert, and these trees, looking like hands, reaching out of the ground and I though of you, Gretchen Griffith. And the more north, the more green and then you think, ‘yeah, this is tropical.’ IMG_0042   So, back to the catholic church. IMG_0040 Around 4 pm we set off, everyone said it would take about an hour. They lied. It took about thirty five minutes. We prayed for them.

We drove in and out of rain. We saw the sun rays peek through huge clouds and shine a spotlight on the ocean, like that was the perfect place for those rays to be, finally arriving at Sacred Heart Catholic Church.

A lovely IMG_0092beige wooden structure, above the road, looking very old, with a grotto to the Madonna. It was IMG_0090starting to rain, yet again, and so we ducked inside. Beautiful stained glass windows, made me think of Villa Cabrini and the way the light used to come through the colored glass. Cushioned pews, saintly statues, fans gently whirring above, that not unpleasant odor of calm,  defintely an old church. As we get to the doorway a woman approached us with two leis of puka shells, hand tied, and a note attached, Sacred Heart Parish. The woman places the lei over my head and hugs me. “Welcome to Sacred Heart.”
Then to Tom. And she invited us into the church. We celebrated the Ascension at Sunday mass.  Father gave a lovely homily focusing on IMG_0096the ascended Lord, and then mass ended with a blessing for mothers on Mother’s Day. As we exited the church there was a rose and a bag of candy which Father said was non-fat :-). And so we came back to our condo. A full, satisfying Saturday on the big island.

 

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