Visiting the ol' homestead, the cemetery and Kealakekua Bay

It's been about 4 years since we've been back to Hawaii, and although it might not seem like a very long time, a lot has changed. People that I grew up with, aunties and uncles (both blood and by choice), have grown older, and places have expanded and changed. Of course they have, that's life. But, it's still been a shock.

Take for example, my grandparents' coffee farm. They've had this piece of land since my mom was a child, and we lived there when I was in high school. As a child, my siblings and I, along with our cousins spent countless hours running through the coffee trees, getting dirty, and tormenting the pigs and chickens. It was like Disneyland to us and I have some really great memories of it.

By the time my grandpa passed away, the land was overgrown and the house somewhat dilapidated. After his death, the house was knocked down, the land cleared, and new coffee trees planted.

It looks totally different from what I remember.

The banyan tree we used swing from, gone. The rocky, uneven road that led "down garden" as we called it, smoothed over. The coffee trees we used to pick to earn some extra spending money, bulldozed and replaced by new ones. The banana, orange, and mountain apple trees we used to climb to get a snack from, gone. Even the chicken coop and pig pens are gone, as well as the rusty, old car frame that used to freak us out as we had to pass it to get "down garden" was cleared away.

I've tried to describe it to my kids as I remembered it, but I don't think they see it. Hopefully, I can find some of the pictures I took when we visited when Ryan was a baby, but until then, my memories are the only thing I have left of my childhood at the coffee farm.

Here's what it looks like now:

New coffee trees

A row of banana trees

I do remember that we had a doghouse for one of our dogs
near this tree. You had to get thru some coffee trees to get to it

I think these trees are where the road to "down garden" curved.
Probably wrong though.

These trees are near where the back of the house used to be, I think.
Probably where the old outhouse used to be (yes, we had an outhouse!)

I also got to visit with my cousin Sam for a bit. He still lives there with his mom (my aunt) in houses that they built further down on the property. It's been several years since I last saw him, so it was really nice to catch up and see how well he's doing.

After the coffee farm, we headed even farther south to visit the grave of my grandparents. My grandma died after I moved to Utah in 1997 and I couldn't go home for the funeral (lack of funds). She was one of the most talented people I knew; I like to think of her as the original Martha Stewart because she could make things out of anything, and she could make plants grow effortlessly. And, she had beautiful long, silver hair that I thought was absolutely gorgeous! I miss that lady.

My grandpa died in 2012; he was 101 yrs. old! The year before his death, we came to celebrate his 100th birthday, which was such a great milestone. My kids still like to talk about "Apo" and remember him with smiles on their faces. I wasn't able to go to his funeral either, but I hear there were a lot of people in attendance to pay their respects. He was a quiet man, who didn't talk much, but my kids absolutely adored him.

The kids helped me pick out some flowers, one bunch for my grandparents, the other for my eldest brother Jefferey, who's also buried there. Actually, the plot is my brother's; my parents offered it to the family when they realized Grandma didn't have a plot. They arranged everything so when Grandpa passed, he'd be buried there, too. Jefferey died as an infant, so I obviously never got to know him.

We're working on getting a new headstone to add to the plot, just for my brother. There used to be one years ago -an angel, if I remember correctly- but it fell apart or something. Anyway, I think my mom would like a new one for him.

From the cemetery, we just followed the road further down until we hit Kealakekua Bay. From the shoreline, you can see the Captain Cook Monument, which is actually part of Scott's family history; he's related to Captain Cook through his dad's side, so we definitely wanted to show it to the kids, even if it was a tiny white spot in the distance.

I zoomed in as far as my camera could go, but here's the monument

The other side of the bay; can you see the Captain Cook Monument?

Watching the waves crash against the rocky shore

Jeff trying to get as close as he can without getting wet

Spotting some black crabs scrambling in and out among the rocks

You can't tell, but Vanessa was apprehensive because she thought the
waves were going to get her

Trying not to fall over on the rocks

After they had their fill of the water, we headed back towards Kona, but stopped at Sandy's for lunch. Sandy's is always a must whenever we come to Hawaii, and not just for sentimental reasons. The food is so good, and there's so much to choose from that you can't say no to repeat visits, even if it's day after day. In fact, you'd probably need to come back every day for a week to sample everything.

On the way back to Waikoloa, I had Scott swing by our old Kailua-Kona house.

This was another house I grew up in; my grandparents owned it, and later my older brother bought it. It's since been sold, but despite the difference in appearance, I will always be fond of that house. There were a lot more trees and bushes back then, and one of my childhood best friends lived right next door. This is the place that I remember playing until dark with a whole gang of friends from the neighborhood, as well as family gatherings and celebrations. It seems like we celebrated anything and everything, and always with family. Good times, good memories.

I love being here in Hawaii.