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I may have stepped in it. I apologize for misunderstanding about geography a bit. I understand now that Puna is separate from Hilo. We've like all of the photos we've seen of Puna, I just though it was a subdivision or some such.
I'm prepared for wet, and cloudy. I'm not prepared for wet, cloudy, and cold and windy any more. Winter is already creeping into Kansas. On the Hilo side, in Puna, does it rain all day all the time in the rainy season like Seattle or is it a series of down pours interrupted by periods of sunshine? I do need some sun as I struggle a little SAD or what ever it is called. Seattle and it's 7ish hours of winter greyness that passes for daylight sounds like it might be a bad fit for me. [xx(]
But in general I'm aware that the windward side gets from 2 to 10 times the rain we get. Which actually sounds like a blessing judging from my empty cistern, rain barrel, and $180 water bill from trying to get my veggies through August.
One thing I've been pleased to read about is how self sustainable some of these homes sound. I've seen several complete solar and wind powered, not sure how well that would work in Puna with heavy cloud cover but...
Is the vog an issue in Puna?
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i have a friend who just returned from Honolulu as a nurse on a 3 month tour. He loved it. The pay was not all that well compared to what he makes in Alaska on this tour. But the Per Diem made it comfortable. You'll do fine just keep the positive attitude up and believe in yourself. peace
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When we were first thinking about buying land and eventually relocating to Hawaii my first thought was to hit the forums. At least 80% of the posts from locals (not on this forum, the others) were incredibly negative: I wouldn't be able to afford it, nobody would like me, the price of everything is too high, the weather is too (hot, dry, wet, windy, cloudy, sunny), my pets would be killed, I would get robbed, I wouldn't like the bugs... you get the picture. Basically if there was any way to verbally motivate me NOT to move to Hawaii, I read it. Since my experiences visiting Hawaii were nearly the opposite of everything I read, I took it with a grain of salt (BTW, the salt air will corrode everything it touches) and just figured that people either wanted to save paradise for themselves, didn't want more competition for jobs, didn't like outsiders, or have been jaded in the past.
Then one day we were looking at job applications from the mainland for a job here in Alaska and I noticed I was guilty of the same thing. "Applicant Jones lives in Wyoming where you can buy a huge house on a 100 acre ranch for $30,000. He'll never want to move here where a trailer in a park costs more than that." "Applicant Smith lives in Phoenix. Will never want to deal with 220 inches of rain PLUS 200 inches of snow." I'm sure people in Manhattan do the same thing about a country boy used to living in a barn. I'm sure it happens to some degree in most places. When you see a lot of people come and go due to the challenges of living in your specific environment, community, etc, you get "used" to thinking that most people from the outside won't be able to make it, especially if most of them don't last very long.
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Hope this will help on the rain question...
In March of '06 a Chicago aquarium dive buddy came for a visit. She was fed up with the rain & dreary of Chicago & planned her first trip to visit us in Hilo. The trip was planned on the spur of the moment & she was heavily entrenched in a SAD episode.
March of '06 was the middle of a VERY long 40 days of rain here (longest stretch in the 6+ years we have been here).
She arrived in Hilo the day before we had one of the most rainy days ever (over an inch an hour for the whole day & night...)
She had a blast, even though every where we went it rained (even the Ka`u desert & Kawaihae....) Every day there were peaks of sun, rainbows & rain, lots of rain, puddles, & waterfalls at the Mall parking lot.... One thing is for sure, Hilo shines in the rain.... outdoor sports are stilled played, even the umbrellas can be fun (co-ordinated to outfits & such).
The clouds here are normally not as dark grey as the upper midwest, even puddles warm up with overcast skies... It really helps to get to a place where you have a good sky view if clouds really get to you, as usually there are some blue sky areas somewhere in the horizon...
quote:
Then one day we were looking at job applications from the mainland for a job here in Alaska and I noticed I was guilty of the same thing. "Applicant Jones lives in Wyoming where you can buy a huge house on a 100 acre ranch for $30,000. He'll never want to move here where a trailer in a park costs more than that." "Applicant Smith lives in Phoenix. Will never want to deal with 220 inches of rain PLUS 200 inches of snow." I'm sure people in Manhattan do the same thing about a country boy used to living in a barn. I'm sure it happens to some degree in most places. When you see a lot of people come and go due to the challenges of living in your specific environment, community, etc, you get "used" to thinking that most people from the outside won't be able to make it, especially if most of them don't last very long.
True, but that's only part of it. Yes there is concern that the newbie might not stick around, but there is also:
Cousin or Aunty or Unka needs a job, never going to give it to malihini.
I met with some old-time resident folks last week, really great people whom I like a lot. Someone mentioned something going on where something had gotten approved and the people supporting it "were not long time residents."
And in unity, everyone was shocked and agreed there would be fallout over that happening. It matters tremendously here how long you and your family have been here.
You can say oh I haven't found that to be the case, but I think the reality is more that no one will talk about it in front of you until you've been around long enough to where people will speak honestly in front of you about how things work.
"And I'm sure it wouldn't interest anybody, outside of a small circle of friends ~ Phil Ochs
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Carey, that sounds about right. Where I live now, we have arguably the largest (looking) sky you can expect. Horizon in all directions, yet what truly gets me is waking up in the dark and the sun setting before I've even finished my work for the day. And when the winter clouds come they'll be here for days unbroken, even at the fringes of the sky. Then the clouds take on the same desolate brown that the dry fields have. ugh.
KathyH, I completely understand that locals feel a loyalty to one another. But it is no different in the town I'm in now. This town is dominated by 3 families and if your last name's different forget about it, you're an outsider. Almost five years, and no change despite participating in every town activity we can find, hosting bbqs, buying Scouting swag, etc...
I understand that we'll be resented by some, or most, for being different and more importantly taking jobs that for one reason or another the locals were not selected for. I understand that there will be resentment because we're seen as taking what isn't ours. I can't even say that it isn't deserved. But you have to understand, growing up where I was the only non-minority, and then living in a largely Native American settled part of a college town before moving to an all German town, I'm kind of used to being blamed for what is wrong in society. And I definitely understand that is part of Hawaii, every one makes that abundantly clear. Fear is not a motivator. I'm trying to get passed that part of my education, beyond the top 20 reasons to stay home list.
And here's a great article about it too... http://www.splcenter.org/get-informed/in...n-paradise
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quote:
Originally posted by the hare
I'm guessing that someone who sees Costco as the only plus to Kona is not a beach person
We do have Cost U Less in Hilo. Very similiar. The main reason I would go to Kona is to go to Kaiser Motorcycles. There aren't a lot of dealers on the island. There is also a Harley-Davidson dealer there. I checked that out, as I worked for an HD dealer in Tacoma, Wa. for 5 years.
It's a long drive to go there and back in a day too. We went there and stayed at the Managa Hotel in Captain Cook. It's reasonable no frills and the people working there are very nice.
Jon in Keaau/HPP
Jon in Keaau/HPP
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Justin- We have been here for 5 yrs and moved from New England into a new house In HPP. People treat you exactly how you treat them. Respect goes a very long way here. You need to be open to everything. We have been extremely lucky meeting new friends and trying new things. This is such a great place to live, even with the few bad things- traffic, dogs.
Good luck to you!
I'd rather be a wise ass than a dumb ass!!!
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Birdmove, how is the riding? I don't have a bike yet but that would be my preference for fuel savings and besides just being a blast.
Notonh, That's what I imagined. I'm not looking to buy up real estate or run for office or even be in charge of a neighborhood association. I don't want to change anything but my way of life. I want to slow it down, warm it up, change my latitude as the Corona commercial goes (awful beer imho). I'm not expecting a permanent vacation, never even had a vacation so I wouldn't know what to do with one anyway. I like to eat, and most of my favorite food is grown in Hawaii anyway. I like to be outside as much as I can be. In short I'm not looking to bother anyone.
Before we started on this path we were house shopping again because we wanted a big enough patch of land to raise katahdin sheep, chickens, and veggies. So we've put that idea on hold and I'm not sure it will survive our little adventure. But that raises the point you brought up about dogs. Feral? Or bad owners?
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