Thank you…….MAHALO, Peter, for replying so promptly!

WOW ! You have certainly been blessed to live since the 1980s amidst the earthly paradise called Hawaii,
which, as you know, Mark Twain called “the loveliest fleet of isles anchored in any ocean.”
You started from scratch, got married, have had children,…on and on…fanstastic! :)

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At this point, Peter, in addition to enjoying your wonderful site with your insights,
I am checking out pros and cons of living in Hawaii simply for suriosity.

Anne and I have been happy enough but have for the most part worked jobs
that proved enjoyable but didn’t exactly pay cajillions.

Living on Hawaii {“Big Island”} would offer us the sole opportunity for a long drive.
Our daughter, who made Anne and me grandparents, lives in Newport News, VA,
so we have been mulling over a move to that area. Maine winters might be fun
for kids and ski enthusiasts, but at our retirement ages it gets harder by the year.

I for one will never lose my love of Hawaii, but another thing I have been observing
from a dstance is the influx over the years of new residents and tourists. In 1984 I
boticed right away the much increased traffic since 1978 along the Hana Coast, Maui.

Peter, I would NEVER descend to zero, thinking about an “Aloha Move”! What I have
hopefully conveyed here is an honest, practical assessment, so that you and your
NICE site can continuie to convince me to live the rest of our years in Hawaii.

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As curiosities, Peter, what about:

— Kahhoolawe and Niihau: will they ever be visitable?

— Leeward Isles — do people actually visit them?
I have always been fascinated by the WW2 story
with the French Drigate Shoals, fooling the Japanese
as well as Nimiz’s clever use of Wake Island as a “fourth carrier”.

— Like Eisenhower, as you probably know, Nimitz had to work,
shall we say, with a motley group. I need a GOOD bio of him !
He even got in hot water early in his career by frounding a ship, true?
Yet…….his laid back demeanor certainly did not depict his great brain.

A—L—O—H—A !
Bob in Lewiston, Maine

Aloha Peter!

In early spring 1984 my wife and I spent our three-week honeymoon in our Fiftieth State in all six major visitable Isles.
I set things up based on my two-week visit in Sept. 1978, when the only Isle I did not visit was Lanai [has a Caldwell Avenue}.

We fondly recall Molokai. Staying several days at Pau Hana, which I understand closed, we drove a rental car to Halawa.
After GAWKING at that spectacular vista, we descended to the shore, then hiked to Moaula Falls…….N-I-C-E ! :)

I would think, Peter, those falls would be worthwhile in your collection. Perhaps you already have a picture!?!

Yeah…….Anne {wife} and I also did the mule ride into Kalaupapa. What IS the status nowadays? We recall, once the last
leprosy resident died, the paninsula would become a national park. Not many years after our honeymooon, as you know,
Father Damien became Saint Damien. Damien is the middle name of the priest who celebrated our sedding mass,
the late Msgr. Paul Damien Gleason.

As for waterfalls, I am far from an expert as to the falls around the State.

Mahalo, Peter, for reading all this! It is currently 1:33 PM EDT in Maine, which is 7:33 AM Standard Time with you, correct?
I’m smelling the Kona Coffee from here!!! That brings back memories of a place at which I stayed both times, Manago in
Captain Cook, Kona. Peter, Anne and I got to see the predawn March 25, 1084 Mauna Loa eruption {orange glow!}.
That day found us driving to North Kohala {Kamehamea’s birthplace}, but the ext day {Kuhio} found us along the
Windward Coast and laying eyes on Skaka Falls…….over 400 feet, right?

A—L—O—H—A !!! :)
Bob Caldwell
Lewiston Maine {originally from just off Cape Cod}