A Solid Foundation

So far all the warnings I've heard about building taking twice as long in Hawaii have come true.  Still, we're making progress.  We finally have a foundation - at least the concrete portion of it.  Ours is a post-and-pier foundation so all the wood posts and bracing are still to come.  But the concrete is now done, which is certainly a milestone.  Here are a few pics:

 Digging out for the footings.  The bottom of the holes/trenches is covered in gravel and compacted.

 Building the forms and cutting the rebar.

 Forms done and rebar in place.

 Day of the pour.  It took a five-man crew and a few wheel barrows.

 After the pour - forms stripped and ground backfilled around the footings.  Locations of the precast concrete footings are marked in white paint.  Also notice the new wire mesh fence on the upper right.

Precast footings in place.  

(Thanks to Jake for helping me dig all those holes and lift the 150 lb footings into place).

King Kamehameha Day

Blake writes:

June 11th was King Kamehamea Day, a state holiday celebrating the monarch who united the Hawaiian Islands - mostly by war, but we won't talk about that - in 1810. The king was born here in the North Kohala region of the Big Island, so he holds a special place in the hearts of the locals. There is a statue of him in Kapaau, just 3 miles down the road from us.  On King Kamehameha Day there is a lei draping ceremony during which dozens of 25-foot long handmade leis of all variety are draped on the statue's arms. Also, a floral parade winds its way from Hawi to Kapaau, ending at Kamehameha Park for a festival of music, crafts and food. It's small town Americana with a Polynesian twist. All good fun.

 The man of honor bedecked in leis

Intricate botanical displays at the base of the statue

 The floral parade featuring the fashionable Pa'u Riders

 The descendents of King Kamehamea are honored by forcing them to wear a buttock-revealing outfit

 This is a rural place so horses are big here, and they enjoy wearing outfits.

 The Lions Club

Spectators

 Deborah, Lucy and the King