Linda Wanted a Beach Picture of Us

We had run a quick errand today and then walked along an adjoining beach.  

Linda and Ron walk along the shore

Linda took this picture of us.

A Trip to Hilo

We had planned to go Hilo to the Wednesday farmers’ market – Hilo is the town on the other side, usually a two-hour plus  drive one way, but there is a new highway (SR200) crossing which makes it about 1 ½ hours one way and Ron wanted to try it, so we did, and enjoyed it. 

Beautiful pics of the sun shining on the telscopes

We wanted to drive around Hilo more, so we drove the narrow highway SR137 along the southeastern coast which was beautiful, then returned last night to visit with Linda and her sister – sister Karen and brother-in-law Tom had arrived late last night from Seattle for a three-week visit.

A Day at the Beach

Today we all went to the beach – our first “touristy/vacation” activity!  It was fun and relaxing with Dave and Linda and their two friends (Mike and Amanda) and Amanda’s parents from Holland.  It was great: they have lots of beach chairs and grilled hot dogs, plus a big ice chest!  They know a nice beach which is relatively private too as most tourists would not know about it.

   The dogs come along too and they are fine.  So well-behaved.

Ron and Joan  with Amanda's parents

We think the beach is pretty, but it's not for swimming

Ron and Dave

Getting the BarBQue ready - since then, they bought a new portable one at Lowe's

Gardening Project #2: Planting Coffee Trees

1 1/2 year old seedlings

A second planting project was the planting of coffee tree seedlings.  Linda and Joan had quite a routine, so much easier with two people.

Area with 9 sprayed markings 6 feet apart

First of all, they need to be six feet apart, so we measured and took sray paint and sprayed where to dig the holes.  Then we asked Dave or Riley to dig them:  Dave’s new drill really helped that, especially when there was a rock shelf.

Hmmm, I see places to dig!

   

After the holes were dug, we gathered materials:  1 year seedlings, hose, rooting compound powder, Miracle-Gro powder, fertilizer, scissors, watering can, wheelbarrow with topsoil, shovel.

   While Linda mixed the Miracle-Gro into water in the watering can and finished clearing out the hole of rocks with the shovel, Joan cut the seedling plastic case, extracted the seedling roots and sprinkled the rooting compound on the roots.  Linda put water (with the Miracle Gro) into the hole, then Joan held the seedling upright while Linda shoveled soil into the hole to the right height. Joan sprinkled the second fertilizer on the soil, pressing down the soil around the plants, while Linda searched for appropriately sized rocks to circle the planting. Joan helped to finish that, then on to the next. 

     

We d three sections on three different days, each one getting harder than the first, since there was more rock debris around the holes and at the last we had to clear paths through many rocks to the holes, just to be able to push the wheelbarrow through – and not fall down getting from hole to hole too!  Oh, and did I mention? -- the sun beating down.  That last day was three hours!

    A fourth section of six plants were planted later – that was easy.  That made a total of 47 coffee trees on the site: there were already 18 before which had already produced, after a year and a half, 20-some pounds of coffee cherries.  A fun hobby!

See the rock circles with the plants inside them.  That area had been covered with several layers of rock and we cleared them all out.  That area took the longest and no shade in sight!  

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Linda rakes the first area clear of rocks.

Now to add the watering tubes

Each plant gets its own water

Later we picked the (coffee) cherries from the plants that had been planted a year and a half ago along the driveway.  Already producing!  Linda takes them to a roaster who will accept small amounts and prepare them.