A Tail of Two Turtles

Randy and I went to the National Park adjacent to the north side of Honokahau Harbor and walked along the beach for a little break from running errands. We generally make a weekly trip from Ocean View to Kona to stock up for our Leilani Bed & Breakfast guests. It was extremely low tide and we must have seen at least 20 green sea turtles feeding on the bottom of the reef in the shallows. We have been told since that they were all females; the males don't come in close to shore like that.

What we discovered is that they get quite territorial over their terrain of algae, and when another turtle approaches, they position themselves to bite the intruders tail, sending them off in a scurry. At first we thought it was just an isolated incident. Then the more we watched, the more tail biting occurred. Some got quite aggressive and in human terms, seemed even revengeful. Check it out next time you are in the area during a low tide. It was very amusing to watch the different personalities!

Here are the directions from the parks website: "Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park is located on the west coast of the island of Hawai'i, approximately 3 miles south of the Keahole International Airport and 3 miles north of the town of Kailua-Kona, on the ocean side of Highway 19." We approached the beach from the north side of the harbor where there is a small parking area and a walk through gate. Here are the directions for that: After you turn into the Harbor road take the first right turn and follow it until you see the Kona Sailing Club. Park in the gravel parking area and look to the right for the park gate. From here it is a 5 minute walk to the south end of the beach. Admission is free.

The whole walk along the beachfront is quite long, perhaps a mile or more. You can also see the Ai’opio Fishtrap. And the whales are just arriving offshore, so it could be a good chance to do some whale watching from shore also.

Enjoy yet another wonderful sight on this island!

Aloha,
Randy and Lynn

Thanksgiving in Paradise

We at the Leilani Bed & Breakfast are preparing to have a traditional gathering around the dinner table with our friends. So what is Thanksgiving in paradise like? Our menu is going to be pretty traditional, with a little contemporary touch of tropical fruits. But what we find different here is that so many open their homes to those who might otherwise be alone.

We have invited some world cruisers who have just sailed to the Big Island of Hawaii, finding safe anchorage for the storm season. Randy plays an important role as one of the net control operators for the Pacific Seafarers Net (as mentioned on our web site, we offer an amateur/DX radio [or “ham” radio as some people call it] lab on site at our Big Island Bed & Breakfast. This group helps to track boats on long journeys across the Pacific, making it possible for their loved ones to monitor their progress through the internet and other communications. Through that work, he met these new friends over the “air”.

We do not have any family here on the big island, but will also have the faces of many friends we have made while living here. Unfortunately, just a few minutes before writing this, we got word that we have lost a dear friend here, whom we had known for many years from our own sailing days. We are thankful for having known him, a man who lived his dreams with gusto, very accomplished, yet brought great joy and laughter to all our encounters. His wife expressed his journey so beautifully, that he is now sailing the endless skies above us.

So it is with this joy and sadness that we extend our appreciation for all the blessings in our life.

We feel so fortunate to be living in this beautiful place, so off the beaten path and to have such wonderful friends, new and old, to be living a life of passion, happiness, health, fulfillment, comfort and beauty. We are thankful for the great abundance in our lives: our love for each other, our skills and talents, the land we live on, the open spaces, the perfect temperatures, the serendipity we experience, the integrity we encounter, our visions, ideas, freedom, independence and peace we both experience and generate.

The bounty on our table is symbolic of all of this. For that, we, too, are grateful.

So on Thursday, we will be ( in addition to a Bed and Breakfast) a “Diner”, as our guests will join us at the table, not as customers, but as new acquaintances, sharing in the community aloha.

We are not alone in extending our table. The Ocean View Community Association will be serving over 200 dinners to anyone in the community who doesn’t want to eat alone, doesn’t feel like cooking, or is just looking to join bigger festivities, as well as those in need. Come one, come all.

We extend our blessing to our family of readers, wishing you a wonderful Thanksgiving with your families and friends, where ever you are.

 

Much aloha,

Lynn and Randy