Healy-Guttman Blog

Timing is everything. A few days before the “50 year winter storm” hits Whidbey Island, Suzanne and I arrived at the “Love Shack” in Kona to spend some time at our home away from home over the Holidays. Bo was able to join us right after Christmas for a few weeks during his winter break from UND. Hard to believe its December:

It has been 5 months since we have been here but everything was in great shape in the shack. It took just an hour or so to get the fans going, remove dust covers, get the lanai furniture out and get moved in. It helps that the Love Shack is only 500 sq ft or so and things are pretty simple and basic. Crusty the truck started up on the 4th crank after hooking the battery back up. Amazing! We were impressed with how the yard and all the hard work we have put into landscaping has grown in. The citrus trees were loaded with lemons, limes and tangerines and the mango tree we planted doubled in size and should produce some fruit next year. Some photos:

After a day of settling in we headed over to Maui to visit friends Matt & Karen Partlow during their last night. They had an exciting week with one very wet day where Matt showed off his snorkeling technique:

The weather cleared up for our brief visit and we had a good time in more of a “resort setting” at the Sheraton. After some beach time, we had a really good meal at Lahaina Grill and then capped things off with hot tubbing and a swim into the wee hours. Matt & Karen:

…yeah, we still know how to have fun…

Maui is fun and catching up with friends was great, but we were glad to get back to the slower pace at Kealakekua Bay. During this week before Christmas and Bo’s arrival, we had some great adventures here and missed the “big one” back on Whidbey Island. We were getting daily reports on the snow from friends on “the rock”. We got some great photos of our place there - here’s the office:

Amazingly the power stayed on. Accumulation of snow was over a foot even though our place is only at around 150′ in elevation. …we got a lot of flack for being in Hawaii…

While the home base was inundated by snow, we were not. …so after the first week of getting into the “Kona Rhythm” and catching up with our friends here, I decided it was time for my first Paragliding lesson - a tandem jump off the hill that rises up from Kealakekua Bay and dominates our landscape. The local paragliders have a club of sorts and have purchased some property at about the 2000′ level that overlooks K-Bay and beyond. We had to put Crusty into 4wd for the first time to negotiate a steep gravel road to this property. Suzanne and friend Ami Bever came along for moral support. After a briefing and some waiting (the wind wasn’t cooperating so we had to wait a few hours) it was time to strap into the harnesses, put on the crash helmet and think about whether or not it was too late to back out.

Note the windsock in the background:

When Scott said “run!”, I ran with everything I had!:

Once we were settled into the harness, it was an amazing rush to be so close to the ground really able to feel the thermals. I have over 1500 hours of flight time in “tin cans” but this is nothing like that. It’s a very unique experience that is much closer to “soaring like a hawk” that I have ever felt. Scott was fantastic and I had no idea that he would have to work so hard. Tandem jumps are hard on the instructor as they are pulling a lot more weight when negotiating turns. A few shots right after we took off:

In a tandem flight, you are sitting in your own harness in front of the instructor. Scott was operating the “controls” that are lines attached to the trailing edge of the paraglider near the wing tips. These controls along with Scott’s commands like “leftie” and “rightie” where you shift your body weight into the turn maneuvered us into the updrafts that flow up the hill. The “trick” with paragliding is finding and staying in these updrafts to prolong the flight. …otherwise it’s a “sled ride” to the landing zone.

We were able to catch a few thermals and after about 15 minutes we were landing in a field (the “landing zone”) down the hill. The only time I was a bit nervous was when we approached the landing and I got the “run!” command. I ran right out of my harness - Scott wasn’t impressed… But as they say in the world of flying, any landing you walk away from is a good landing. …and I was hooked.

The following day, friends David Bever, David Carlin and David’s son Daniel rode our bikes into town to check out some different type of flying that is probably a touch safer. Every Sunday morning, the “Kona R/C Flyers” convene at the old airport in Kailua and have fun with all types of aircraft. It’s quite entertaining and one of the hobbyists let Daniel give it a go:

The airplane is still in one piece:

Dusty is lost in a sea of sport bikes:

One aspect I like about spending the Holidays here is that our work related activities decreases just as it does everywhere this time of year. …and we get to spend more time reading and relaxing at Manini Beach around the corner. A typical afternoon:

…yes, that’s Suzanne and my empty chair. Looking at Pali:

The bay has been unusually calm and “flat” for this time of year. We’ve been giving our kayaks a workout and learning a little “stand up paddle board”. Some photos on Kealakekua Bay:

Suzanne with cousin Cameron and friend David Bever:

Our friends Andy and Gretchen like to swim using a “monofin”:

Occasionally we get to spend time with the spinner dolphins:

My “ride”:

Today, Bo and I took the kayaks out for a 3 hour adventure up North of Kealakekua Bay. On the way:

We rounded “the point” and explored the coastline on an amazing and very calm day. After a bit, we spotted a few boats out a ways from the coast just sitting there, so I suspected a whale. We “pedaled” out. As it turns out there was a “whale shark” - about a 15′ slow moving filter feeding fish that actually likes the attention from us humans. It was an awesome sight. I wasn’t quick enough with the camera, but Bo got close enough to where he could almost touch it.

Along the way back we hugged the coast and found a cave with a blow hole that I have never been able to explore. Since it was so calm and the tide was low, we were able to back our kayaks right in - very cool!

Christmas Eve, Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa - both above 13,000′ in elevation - received a thick blanket of snow. Suzanne Bo and I headed up to Mauna Kea with our friends the Bevers with our cars packed full of snowboards, skis, boogie boards and shovels (to bring back some of the white stuff to the bay).

We were incredibly lucky with the day we chose. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky over the summit (rare this time of year) and the winds were relatively calm. One of the views from the top - Mauna Loa is in the background:

Friend Blake joined us for our adventure:

We ate some lunch and broke out the gear. Ami Bever loaned Suzanne a colorful hat along with some skis:

Next up was Bo:

Daniel Bever shows off:

His parents - Jill Ami:

and David:

At close to 14,000′ we were all feeling a bit woozy after an hour and had to get down the mountain. Even Crusty the truck was straining to breath. It was an amazing adventure and so surreal to be playing in the snow amidst the observatories on the highest peak in Hawaii. …even more surreal when we were back on Manini Beach toasting the sunset just a few hours later.

Adventures like this remind me how lucky we are to be able to spend time here in one of the most beautiful places in the world. And as we bring 2008 to a close, we would like to wish everyone a Mele Kalikimaka and Hau’oli Makahiki Hou!