Saturday, November 26, 2022

 Saturday, November 26, 2022  

 

  Once up, I walked out onto the lanai of the Volcano Vrbo to take in the view and the wonderful cool, crisp air. People came out of an attached unit and got into a truck we had seen parked there when we arrived. The man waved to me and said, "Thank you." He thought I was the condo's owner, and I thought he was. Once that was cleared up, I asked him where he was from. "Here!"  "Oh, yes. Where?" “Palisades” “Me, too. Where in the Palisades?"  "On Holoholo." "Really? I live right around the corner." We introduced ourselves and gave more detailed descriptions of our homes. They were Jared and Grey. There's a good chance I would run into them in the future.  

  We had till eleven o'clock before we had to leave. We sat on the lanai in the crisp air and the warm sunshine. What a lovely combination! It was like camp in mid-August. Then, we set out on our day.

 We went back to the visitor's center to see the art museum. Christine is an artist and wanted to check it out. I was amazed. The artwork was high quality. Christine said it would be; the Federal government sponsored it. The artwork was for sale.

  Next on our agenda was a walk through the lava tube or across an inactive crater we had walked across a few years ago. The four of us took on the lava tube. The descent was steep;   

  The ground inside the tube had many little water-filled potholes, just enough to get our feet wet. While there were some lamps along the way, it was poorly lit. Avoiding the potholes held most of my attention. I wasn't always successful.

    The last time I was here, Mike, John, and Carol took on the tube while I waited for them. I had just walked three miles across the caldera. I didn't have any more physical adventures in me.

  John and Carol wanted to do some additional hiking. Christine and I were hiked out, and she wanted to do some Plein air painting. John and Carol dropped us off at the visitor's center. I stayed in the car and napped for a while. Christine sat at a picnic bench and painted.

  I only nap briefly. I got out of the car, locked it, and started walking around the visitor's center.

   I got a text from Carol saying John, and she decided to walk across the caldera we had crossed before. I went to tell Christine the news. Her eyes flew wide with alarm as I approached. It was clear this was much-needed alone time. I didn't bother her after that. I just walked.

  Christine told wonderful stories about her experiences with art. This is a soul-soothing activity for her. She usually paints at night. She gets to see her work in daylight the next morning. "It's like Christmas every day." Christine and I had a similar aesthetic. It was fun to share delight at things we saw.

   John and Carol were gone longer than expected because they took a wrong turn. Christine and I returned to the car minutes before Carol and John arrived. John said he was surprised at how difficult the walk into the caldera was. We did it five years ago. It was challenging for me but more manageable for John and Carol. They didn't go all the way across this time.

  Once in the car, we headed to Hilo and Reuben's Mexican restaurant. I love their deluxe nachos. We ordered nachos for the table, and I ordered an enchilada for myself. The nachos were enough for me and were just as delicious as I remembered. I took most of my enchilada and what was left of Christine's dinner home for future meals. Then we went back to the rental.

  We drove to Volcano over Route 11. On the way home, we went over Saddle Road. There was cloud cover for most of the way. Some were so dense we had to move slowly. Then, to our left, we saw a bright light behind a hill. We had no idea what it was until we moved a bit further down the road. It was the setting sun in a brilliant display. To our left was the sunset; to our right were the late rays of the sun illuminating the mountainside. Which way to look first to take in all this beauty? Nothing I can say can capture the exquisite sight before us.

 When we got home, Carol and Christine persuaded me to participate in a game of triple Solitaire. I bought a deck of cards at the Volcano Art Center. It was more challenging than the two decks of Casiino cards the girls used with their large, clear images, good for those with poor eyesight. I had trouble with my eyes, and the print on my cards was small. It was stressful. You can buy the casino cards in dollar stores with their edges clipped to mark them. Otherwise, people could use them for gambling. I'm a FreeCell girl, I hadn't played Solitaire since the 1960s. It was uncomfortable between the small print on my cards and the game's rapid pace. It was hard for me to focus on the cards in my hand and the common cards in the middle of the table. It was still fun to play a game with the girls.