Along for the ride: Working Island Style Kona

After many years of being distant landlords and much thought, we decide to sell our rental property on the Kona side of the Big Island in Hawaii. We leave San Jose CA on an early morning direct flight aboard Alaska Airlines.

Gaining altitude over San Jose CA

Circling above the Kona coast before landing

Once on the ground, we pick up our rental car and do our usual stops (Peter calls it our Kona rituals):

Harbor House for hamburgers in paradise with an icy schooner (or two).
Costco to stock up on basics and to acquire a memory foam pad for a bed
A local farmers' market to pick up veggies and fruits. These markets are always fun as you never know what you'll find.

Keauhou Farmers Market

Cotton candy pods - kids love them

Next we pick up our keys and head up the volcano to the house. It's a glorious afternoon with wonderful views up and down the coast. It's easy to see how we fell in love with Kona on days like this.

View from lanai

We unpack and set up our camp in the house for the next month. Groceries, clothes, kitchen supplies, and tools are are put away. Utilities are started along with Internet and TV service. Not a bad set up for camping out.

Fruit & flowers

Kitchen ready for business

Our makeshift bedroom

Pupus and drinks on the lanai for sunset

With our bodies still on California Pacific coast time, we are up before dawn and hit the ground running.

Dawn breaks on Kailua Bay as we down Kona coffee, papaya and bagels on the lanai

First we carefully go through the house room by room compiling a list for upgrades.

New shower in Master Bath is great

Yeccch - this light fixture has to go

These bathrooms are so 1990's

New stainless steel stove needed

Paint the walls - change lighting/fans & flooring

This carpet's gotta GO

First on the list is painting the inside walls. On a previous trip, we choose a Behr paint color from Home Depot. The young lady at the paint station mixes up a small can so we can test it out. Turns out we love the color which we quickly dub "mellow yellow." So we order an additional 10 gallons mixed up. Next we help Kevin and Duke prep the downstairs to paint first. After they spray on the first coat, we check it and it looks fine. After the second coat, we begin to wonder if the color's the same as our sample, but decide to reserve judgement until after the paint has dried and the plastic matting has been removed from the windows. Sure enough the color is different than sample. So we trek back to Home Depot with our tale of woe. Fortunately, the head of the paint department is there and quickly matches the sample (which was mixed incorrectly) and gives us another 10 gallons of the color we expected (free of charge - thank you Home Depot).

Nice "mellow yellow"

Duke and Kevin hardly working

Kevin & Peter prepping

Kevin and Peter working on the Great Room

As we walk through the house, we identify items that we can sell or give away via Craigslist. Although the carpet is dirty and worn in places, parts of it are in good serviceable condition, so we post it under "free stuff" to pick up. Joe, the Portuguese Guy, responds to the carpet ad. He wants it for his church's youth center. Peter and Joe work together all day ripping out the carpet and padding for pick up the next day. I have a hard time talking Joe into accepting a simple lunch of sandwiches as a thank you for all his work. The next morning Joe shows up with a large Samoan guy and a big truck. Together the guys load up the carpet and it's off for a second life in a church youth center. Both Joe and his Samoan friend are super sweet guys. It was a pleasure to meet them. Later we learn Joe is a well known person around South Kona.

An older oak medicine cabinet is also listed under "free stuff" and we are flooded with people calling and texting in wanting it. One woman from Hilo is willing to drive hours to pick it up. We wonder if she could buy a new one for the cost of gas to make the long round trip. Another guy calling in with a long sob story on why he needs the free medicine cabinet, switches tactics upon learning someone is on his way to pick it up, and then tries to ask me out on a date instead. Hummmm... strange pick up line. Why would any woman be interested in going out with guy who's crying broke?

The serviceable kitchen stove is listed for $100 and is quickly bought by a man who turns out to be from the same neighborhood in South Kona as Victor. In fact, they have both worked construction jobs together. Apparently his wife's kitchen stove died just days before Thanksgiving and they need ours to fill in for the holiday until another one can be acquired. This stove swap worked out well for all of us as Lowe's delivered our new stove about the same time. So we all had stoves for Thanksgiving.

Listing items on Craigslist is not only a good way to recycle items, but also a great way to meet all kinds of people on the island. It's also surprising to realize how interconnected everybody is on this island.

This part of the carpet's still good

Free highly desirable medicine cabinet

Thank you Joe for all your hard work removing carpet

With the carpet removed and walls painted - Victor closely inspects the concrete slab before laying the new tile floor

Quitting time arrives before sunset and it's time for pupus and drinks on the upper lanai. We enjoy sharing these times with friends when they can join us.

Sunset signals quitting time

Paul visits after a Costco run

Victor and Peter swap stories over cold brews

It must be Wednesday - there's a cruise ship in Kailua Bay

The long days of working on the house follow one after another until Thanksgiving when we take a day off for the holiday and a break from our diet of fast food dinners (I like Killer Tacos, but Peter prefers Sumo Deli). Our friends Paul and Bonnie are docking their sailboat in Hilo for a Hawaiian holiday respite from their voyage around the world. They join us for turkey dinner and to catch up on our respective adventures.

Hey wild turkey,
you better hide quick!

Paul and Bonnie helping prepare dinner

Bonnie's new Marquesas tattoo

Another short respite from the work comes on Kevin's 60th birthday. We surprise him with an ice cream cake and candles.

Shaun, Duke, Kevin and Victor all sing "Happy Birthday"

Kevin makes a wish and blows out his candles

Then it's back to work. Shaun readies the tile cutter

With time running out, we realize we need to hire more people to get done before our flight home.

Wes and helper trim the
hedge and landscaping

JD installs a new kitchen sink

Danny works on
weather proofing

We make so many trips to the local stores that the greeters know us by name. One Friday night on our fourth trip to Home Depot for that day, Peter just shakes his head in his hands muttering he doesn't care if he ever sees the inside of another Home Depot again.

Wallmart guys give us the thumbs up

Lunch @ Home Depot

Pretty nice for parking lot lunch stop

To help stave off burn-out we take a Sunday off and meet Paul at the South Kona Farmers Market.

Entrance to South Kona Farmers Market

Fruits

and flowers for sale

A local landscaper sells coconuts cut for the milk

Dad & son enjoy

Lots of local character here

Liza and Paul treat us for dinner and we have fun taking pictures of their Christmas decorations.

Saint Peter of the Brew

Paul & Me laugh over stories as Liza prepares dinner

Saint Paul

Time to start wrapping up and prepare for returning to California. Victor - Mahalo MUCHO for taking care of many of the details we weren't able to finish up on. Janet and Mike, we appreciate your taking on the important task of selling the house.