Hello everyone Blake and I are back in Hawaii; and from this
point forward Blake and I will be doing the blog together; now that we are
officially living here. I will have plenty to share with you and I hope that
together we will have something for everyone to enjoy reading or seeing.
DEBORAH WRITES:
On the seventh day I
rested. It’s Sunday January 19, 2014. I have given myself permission to take it
easy today. Those who know me well understand that this is not an easy task
(resting) when I have things I want to accomplish still. I have decided that
today I will make my first blog entry while I relax.
I asked Blake if we could stay at a hotel the first night in
Hawaii since we got in so late. I did not want to stay in our new rental until
I had a chance to see it in the light of day; so I could make sure it was clean
and fresh enough for us. Things tend to be a bit musty in tropical climates as
I learned when we stayed in Fiji 4 years ago.
We got to Kona late
Friday night and stayed at a nice resort that Blake accidentally booked through
priceline; it was $250.00 per night! We all know how frugal Blake is. He was so
mad that the site booked it before he had a chance to decide if he liked the
price or not. I laughed my head off at him. He was using his new phone for
internet and was not sure exactly what happened, but somehow there was a glitch
or something or more likely user error; so we got a nice condo in Waikaloa
beach resort called the Shores. Needless to say I was thrilled…I think the
universe smiled on me and laughed at Blake… We both were really glad in the end; our first night was in a comfortable place close to the airport; too bad
we only spent about 12 hours there..
Blake was here in
Hawi in December for 10 days without me, to try and iron out some details for
us; one very important detail was to try and get us a rental property, so we
have a place to live while we build our new home. He found a really charming
place across the street from our property. Meanwhile, I remained in Olympia trying
to finish up with our packing, it’s what I do best J and other details we still
needed to do to make this move. For me it was many tearful goodbyes…more like
farewell as I am hoping I will see all the people I love often in our lives.
Blake and I arrived
here in Hawi (our town) last Saturday at 12:00 noon. I had seen pictures that
Blake took when he was here of our little Ohana. In Hawaii that’s what they
call the guest houses; in the old days they were originally built for aging
family members to live in so that they could be looked after by their families.
More often now they are rental units.
Our place is really cute! It’s like living in a cabin at
camp. It has not been used in a long a time; the owners are both in their 80’s
and living on the mainland now with their families. They are also divorcing; I
guess it’s never too late for that if one is unhappy. This place is in need of
a lot of washing! On the walls there is a thin layer of dirt, a lot of gecko
poop & geckos and also a light layer of mold pretty much everywhere;
nothing that a good cleaning can’t fix. I
saw great potential. It’s very spacious and is 16 feet wide by 32 feet long.
One big open space with 2 doors that exit onto porches. The bathroom is on the
back porch in a room of its own. There was little here as far as furniture, a
full size bed, 2 small side tables, and old singer sewing machine complete with
the treadle. There is a breakfast nook for eating. The big albatross in the
room is the built-in picnic table; why 2 tables? I found a business card that
answered that question; it seems at some point this place was used for some
sort of school. There are lots of built in shelves and a few pull out drawers.
The linens here are handmade quilts by the homeowner who is elderly now; the
quilts, well most are very polyester and 70’s…But I found a few that will be
useful and easier on the eyes.
It has taken me an entire week to get it cleaned up; working
8 hours days the first 3 days we were here, then juts 4 hours a day from that
point on. The washing machine went all day for 2 days as I washed the curtains
and what few useful fabric items. I still have a few areas to address, but that
can wait a few days. Everything is almost done this place feels like home and
is clean and fresh.
SHOPPING- what
gal doesn’t like to shop? I am not much of a shopper but when I do I enjoy it.
I go on a mission for the perfect affordable things, the sale items. I also
love to shop second hand; it’s like a treasure hunt. At the dump….Yes that
right, they sell old items there for a pittance. I got 3 lamps (one with a shade that did not
match, but a nice shade I am keeping anyway for a future find) a scale that
works and a baking pan. All for $6.50…They needed some love but look great. Now
some pictures.
Our Kona Hotel The Shores
Before
Before
After- looks more like home
The Breakfast Nook
The Pantry
The bedroom area- finished
Built-ins
The albatross in the room
The kitchen
The bathroom
Here is a peek at the moldy walls- the whole place was like this
This is the same wall after I cleaned it up
This is all Gecko Poop! It's everywhere!
Dishes I got at a thrift shop, in perfect condition $9.00
The next 3 lamps I got at the DUMP for a total $ 5.00 for all three.
I purchased 3 new Shades at the store for a total of $58.00
Total costs $63.00 for 3 lamps....Not bad!
This Gecko is so happy. He can see the light!
.jpg)
.jpg)
