HAWAII - PART 6 - BACK TO THE BIG ISLAND........

We returned to the Big Island - Hawaii- this morning, and I did the Kona Highlights tour.  I saw the Painted Church, Pu'uhonua o Hinoassunau (The place of Refuge) Royal Kona Coffee Store and much more beautiful scenery.  That night as we set sail, starting our trek back to San Diego, we passed one of the active volcanoes, seeing the red lava flowing into the water.

I am attaching a few pictures, and will caption and tell about them for you.



The Painted Church




Hand Painted Murals



Inside the Church



Also Inside the Church




Inside the Church




Near the Church




The Place of Refuge




Place of Refuge

The church was in Europe, and was dismantled, piece by piece, and shipped, along with a missionary, to Hawaii.  Upon arriving, the missionary reconstructed the church, piece by piece, then proceeded to paint the murals, taking many years to complete his task.  Today it stands, as beautiful as ever, sharing its history with us.


Place of Refuge, display of how things were done

 The Place of Refuge was just that.  If a member of the village committed a crime, and was seen by another villager, he was to be chased down, and killed.  However, if he could run fast enough and gain entrance to the Place of Refuge, he was safe.  Depending on the type of crime he was required to do community service.  It was also required that if employed, his job would be waiting for him, and if he had a family, they would also be waiting for him.  Upon release he would go back to a normal life, and all would be forgiven.

The place of refuge was surrounded by water, and/or wooden fences. 

Our last stop - the Royal Kona Coffee Store - we learned about Kona coffee.
Like everything else on the islands, coffee plants had to be imported.  However the fact they are growing in lava instead of soil, the flavor of the coffee was changed forever.  The only place in the world growing Kona coffee is Hawaii, the taste is unique, and the coffee, bean or ground, is very expensive. 


Place of Refuge

 So much history, so many stories, so much beauty, so much of everything.  What a wonderful trip and wonderful memories.

This is what I like about tours, you are given the opportunity to learn about the history and culture of where you are, things you would not know if you were traveling on your own.  So back to the ship.  We sail shortly, then 4 days at sea until we return to San Diego.



Lava - my late night picture




Courtesy of Hawaii

 The last things we saw as we sailed away was the glowing, red hot lava, slowly flowing down the side of the mountain into the water.  It was late, the pictures I took were not good, but give you an idea.  The second picture is courtesy of Hawaii.  Wish it were mine.

I also want to share with you today the  Whitehall Art Show held at the South Hills Country Club in Pittsburgh.  This was my fourth year there .. even though it is a one day affair, it is worth the work involved.  I leave home at 7:30 a.m., upon arriving it was unload the van (I had loaded it Saturday night) dolly everything inside, set up display, takes about 3 hours.  Had time to relax for a bit before customer began arriving.  After closing it takes another hour and a half to tear down, dolly out and re-load the van, then drive home.  Got back about 7:30 p.m.  Did stop on the way home for supper, no way was I coming home and then having to scrounge up something to eat!

Attendance was down considerably this year compared to past years, but the folks that did come came to buy.  Vicki, Russ and I all did quite well considering.  I know the weather was against us, it was the FIRST really nice day we have had so far this spring, and I imagine everyone was trying to catch up on the outside work.  Sales were from 1 p.m. until 4 p.m. - a three hour window to try to earn some money.  I can't complain, had a good time getting together with other friends, ones that I only see maybe 2-3 times a year.  It is good.  My real season doesn't start now until June, then it will be non-stop until November.

In the meantime you can wonder what tales I will have to tell, and what pictures I may have to share.  Keep safe and God Bless.