WET NOVEMBER

                                                   WET NOVEMBER

In the past few days the weather has turned from a very pleasant 70 – 84 degree daily range with only a trace of rain to a cool 67 – 77 range with 1.1, .5 and 4.2 inches of rain over the last three days.  There was also an unusual amount of wind yesterday and as it came more from the north east instead of the usual east or southeast the resulting breakers roared straight into Hilo Bay.  There are always a few surfers in the north side of the bay but yesterday’s waves with their 4-6 foot faces reaching 2/3’s of the way across the Bay were an only 3 or 4 time a year event, I was told.   The gradual slope of the bay coupled with the fact that the swells could only come in around the breakwater on the North gave surfers a great 5 minute ride!

 Driving into Hilo yesterday was a thrill too.  The rain reduced visibility caused speed to drop to 30 on some parts of Highway 19.  On the side streets there were often 6” depths of running water on the outer half of the road.  But even in the midst of that downpour it was still 75 degrees.  But the night temperature did drop to a low of 67 by daybreak and I am now wearing long sleeve shirt and long pants most of the day for the first time here as it looks like the high for the day will be 75 here with an inch of snow on top of Mona Kea. 

Also, for the first time since we’ve lived in this house, I heard the surf pounding at the cliff straight in front of us.   At first I thought maybe that unusual noise could be just wind in the coconut fronds so I went out on the deck.  There with the palm on my left and the Ocean pounding the beach cliff ½ mile in front of me it was easy to distinguish the sounds in the storm.  Usually the only surf we can hear is from the far side of the Kolikoli River, two miles away and that is possible only at night when it is very quiet.  All the closer surf is hidden from our view and, most of the time from our hearing, by the cliffs.

A different kind of first occurred for me last Saturday.  Since Myrna was obligated, as director of Nursing, to march in the annual Veterans Day Parade she wanted me to attend also.  Old peacenik that I am, I was very reluctant to possibly be seen as adding to the glorifying of war making.  I am no pacifist but I consider most of the wars that we’ve engaged in since I’ve been an adult to be of no purpose to our nation except to keep our standing armies trained for world domination and the further enrichment of the war profiteers.  Nevertheless, I do believe in honoring our obligation to those who serve our nation no matter how misled they may have been and I was there at my first veterans parade to support my wife also.

So with an official veterans home T-shirt on I went first to the peaceniks and got a bumper sticker in Hawaiian that said roughly; LOVE THE LAND, DO NOT DESTROY IT AND ITS PEOPLE and put that on the front of the T-shirt.  Hilo loves its parades in general and, like other poor areas of our nation, military service is higher than the national average so the parade was well attended.   The People were all friendly as usual and a couple of photographers seemed to take a special interest in my shirt but a good time was had by all.

Meanwhile, visitor season is approaching with my daughter and son-in-law, Adar and Rob, arriving first on the 13^th next month joined by Xylena on the 23^rd.  Let us know when you are coming!     Aloha!

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