Ossian

I mentioned in the previous blog post that Hawaii and I had some work to do, in that we haven't always seen eye to eye.  Or volcano to eye, if you will. One of the reasons for this discord has been the massive swell that has greeted us the past 2 years. In 2013, the  swell was so big that only the most elderly Hawaiians could recall the last time some of the surf breaks that it had opened up.  In 2014, parts of Ali'i Drive (the main drag) were shut down as waves crashed onto the street.  As you can imagine, waves this big are not conducive to swimming. And May is supposed to be flat. Luckily, it died down pretty quickly both years, and it allowed us to find some great swimming spots up north where the swell couldn't reach.

2015: more swell. The good news is that it's relatively small today and it's predicted to be fairly flat by Monday. The other good news is that we had time to surf glassy head-high waves this morning. Heather hired a surfing instructor by the name of Ossian (Ocean). Yes, that's the name of the surf instructor. He also brought a longboard for me to use during their lesson. He had Heather up and surfing on her first try, and followed her towards shore doing a headstand while surfing. He does a lot of charity work and has surfed around the world. He gave a lesson to comedienne Amy Schumer yesterday. Very cool guy. If you're ever in Kona and want a surf guide or a lesson here's his website http://www.fbisurfschool.com/.

I also mentioned previously this little problem we had with our accommodations on the Island. We looked at our backup property today, and are very relieved to report that it is every bit as wonderful as Hale Ohia Kai. I mean, the place has a gong. I'll be writing more about the property this week, as we sink our teeth into it. Ecstatic,  we hit Da Poke Shack for lunch. Poke is a fish dish in the sushi family. Various kinds of seafood are mixed with spices and/or sauces and served next to some rice. It's mind blowingly delicious. Our chefs will prepare some for our guests this week.  Bellies full, we got back to work sending Ryan to pick up some bikes for the guests. Heather and I went shopping for swag bag gifts, which I'll describe later so as not to ruin the surprise for our guests, many of whom read this blog.

Our private chefs Dan and Clare of Island Thyme Gourmet took us out to dinner at the Four Seasons resort in Hualalai. I've never seen anyplace so intensely manicured. The food was delicious and thankfully prepared with less rigidity than the groundskeepers employ here, and it was great to catch up with Dan and Clare. They cooked for comedienne Amy Schumer a few days ago. She's getting around.

Hopper