My stay in Molokai is almost over. I simply do not feel like I have been here for two and half months. This past week I have been driving around quite a bit and taking pictures. I took Jordan and Austin up to the West end, to Mauna Loa Town, the center of which is like a ghost town, with only two or three stores open, plus the post office. There is a huge resort hotel, totally closed up, along with all the auxiliary buildings, and about ten or fifteen homes, a theater, a couple of restaurants, etc. This happened a couple of years ago, with the corporation, which is called The Ranch here on island, picked up its marbles and closed everything and left, because the Molokaians wouldn't play ball with them. The Ranch wanted to construct two million dollars homes on Lau'u Point, and the islanders successfully stopped the construction, as that is hallowed ground. Not only did THE RANCH close up Mauna Loa Resort, but the golf course they owned in another resort area, also was closed, and the coconut trees were illegally cut to the ground. We are playing with bad boys here! The Ranch owns a lot of property on the West End, and that is another story, which would be better told by the local people. The Ranch also controls the water in that part of the island, and this is another thorn in the sides of the people. They have rented thousands of acres of land to Monsanto to test and grown HMO corn seed to send to the mainland to be planted. Almost everything that has any corn based ingredient these days, is GMO, and should be avoided.

So we drove to the West End, and after spending some time there, and at the Kite Shop which is the major attraction in Mauna Loa Town, we started east. Oahu could be seen from there. I drove them to the East End. Driving to the East End is wonderful, as the gorgeous mountains on your left, and the ocean and Lain'i are to your right. The road winds around and there is heavy growth occasionally, lots of palm trees of various kinds, iron wood trees, a couple of ranches with cattle and horses in the fields. There are pockets of houses on either side of the road, along with several of the cutest tiny churches I have seen. The road begins to narrow and wind up as we began to reach the eastern side, and Maui was in front of us. Waves were crashing on to the rocks, and a group of young adults had their trucks parked along the road, and were having a party and listening to music and watching the waves. Some had surf boards, but you wouldn't get me on one next to those rocks!!
We drove to mile marker 24, and then decided it was best to turn back, as we were getting close to dropping down into Halawa Valley, and I wasn't sure about Emillia's brakes. But we were very close to it, and could see Turtle Rock, and Maui, and along the road, Lain'i.

That section of road reminded me so much of being in Ireland and driving. The walls are made of rocks piled up, and with the grass in front, sometimes you don't see the walls. The roadsides in Ireland were the same, and the roads were also narrow, and I remember the first day we were there, we had two flat tires, in quick succession. We were driving along the ocean in the Barrens when it happened, and luckily we were right near a B & B. So I instructed Joe, who was driving, to just pull up into their driveway, and then we could figure things out. Couldn't have met a nicer woman, and after calling the rental company, and the owner of the B & B calling into town for a tow truck, she sat us down and served us tea and biscuits! She told us not to let cars and trucks coming towards us have any space. Just stop, she said, and let them pass! And that is what we did after that. And we never had another flat tire for the rest of our trip.

Yesterday I went out to take some pictures of the little churches of the East End, and coming back, traffic (such as it is) was stopped by two cowboys, who were herding calves across the road into another area. I wouldn't call it a pasture. It looked like overgrown woods to me. I am going out today and take pictures of some more churches near town. It is interesting here that driving into Kanakakai, you pass one church after another. They are lined up in a row, saying, "take your pick!" But several of them have a lot of character and are old and small like the churches on the east end. Those are the ones I want pictures of. Not the sprawling Morman church or the Seventh Day Adventist, etc.

Tomorrow night I have invited eight more people to join us for dinner, with Artie's okay. She is going to fix my favorite meal, pasta primavera. Linguine with mixed veggies. It is simply yummy. She made lemon rosemary biscuits for us one night with our soup, and last night she made orange ginger biscuits, both of which are wonderful. So we will have one of those also. And for dessert, provided we have enough ripe avocados, chocolate mousse! You would never believe that it is made with avocadoes, dates, dark unsweetened chocolate powder, and vanilla. Incredible!

Tonight we are going down to Kalele Bookstore and watch a short on Sustainable Molokai, about water, and then another documentary on Quantum Physics.

I made cloth napkins for Artie and John, and for Emillia and Matt. Hawaiian prints in blues. I went back to that store and got some more Hawaiian print material to make more napkins once I get back to the mainland. I have finished all the yarn I brought over with me, and made about 30 odd squares to go for an afgan.

I am in the midst of packing up my things. Sent back to Marty's many boxes of overflow, and unneeded clothing. Actually all you need here are a couple of pair of shorts, about four or five shirts, couple pair of slacks, a long sleeved shirt, a bathing suit, sunglasses, underwear, sandals, and you are all set. Next time I will remember that.

I have two requests for you. The first is that my dear cousin, Colleen Hawley, is in her first course of chemotherapy for leukemia. She is my cousin Rick's wife, and they are the folks I visit in Washington. I am requesting healing prayers and thoughts to be sent to her.

Second, the Near East is in another major blowup, and all of us need to send prayers and love to the innocent men, women, and children who are being affected by all of the unrest and violence.

Mahalo!

This will be my last blog from Molokai. Monday night I will be back in San Diego where I will be with my beloved sister, Marty and my beloved nephew Will, for a few days, and then will take off with Matilda to LA. More later.

Oh, yes. Apparently while we were up in the West End on Thursday, Molokai had a small earthquake. We felt nothing!

Life is good!

Adieu, Adios, A hui hou!
I love you all,
Sally