Settle In

The first week in Kona, Hawaii has been crazy busy. I rented a car to make the pilgrimage to Costco where I stocked up on salmon, tamales and the ever-haunting king size container of mixed nuts. (I’ve been tossing the filberts to the mongoose lurking in the back yard, but the birds are beating him to the stash.) I registered for a Safeway a membership card and I picked up two quart-size yogurts – two for eight dollars. At Home Depot I culled through the fir one by twos for construction of a divider screen to hide the air conditioner. It would be easier to get rid of the unit, but there will be days that I might break down and use the thing. Meanwhile, the divider will block the view of the hefty appliance that sits in the living room. While cruising the store aisles I picked up some wood stain and finish, a paint brush and sandpaper. Project ready!

All these construction supplies and tools previously purchased has left little room in the small storage closet on the lanai for my bike, which UPS managed to ding up. Despite careful packing, reinforcement of the box and covering the sprocket, Big Brown delivered a damaged box with the bike’s gear teeth gnashing through a wide hole. It looked like an angry shark tried to escape. The skewer was bent and half the quick release was missing. It cost $8.00 to fix but the scrapped paint on the frame will be a permanent reminder that UPS Shipping sucks.

I needed to rent the car after three days. I planned to throw my bike in the back seat and ride back into town, but my Hilo-side Cuz' came over to the Kona-side to volunteer for Ironman duties. 4000 people are needed to support 1800 athletes participating in a grueling triathlon – 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride and 26.2-mile run. (Makes my 60 pool laps, and 4 mile trots look embarrassing, except for the fact I can.) On Thursday, Cousin David and his wife Kate coordinated their arrival to meet me at the airport. Considering it was 108 on Saturday out at the Energy Lab, I avoided the 10 mile ride.

Now I am relying on my bike to motor around town. This sets my ass in the chair in from of my new desk. Time to write.