Blake and Deborah in Hawaii: Dirt, Poop and Mold ! Oh my!

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.