new island

/25 on monday we left for a new island. so after returning the car (thank you smartphone for helping with directions), we got on our flight to the big island -- hawaii. it is a short flight but so different. dad and mom have been to hawaii together a long time ago. and this time we were lucky enough to be able to stay in a condo belonging to dad's college friend and his wife in kailua-kona. we met them at the condo. the kids took very quickly to uncle kirk once everyone was in the pool. the afternoon went quickly as the kids swam in the pool right next to the ocean. it helped build their confidence with the snorkel gear and was warm enough not to cause r to shiver. we had a nice oceanfront dinner at java lava's in kona and then said goodbye to our friends. a return to the condo and bedtime followed.

7/26 Tue: we took it easy today. dad went grocery shopping, the kids played in the pool and then we took a nice drive down the coast to went to pu’uhonau and honaunau. it is amazing to see these incredible historical spots. we live in the midwest, so of course we are aware of the history and culture of indigenous people. but this feels much older. (we can certainly interactions with the pioneers and settler colonialism, but the pre-colonial history is not as visible to me.) r really enjoyed hearing about life during that time and the kapu "rules" that created hierarchy and structure. the consequences for violating social standing were quite severe -- often death. so seeing a place of refuge and talking about justice was quite exciting. r and i talked about the discrepancies in society and how they privilege people with power. rules are often written by people with power to maintain their power and can be unfair. it was a good time. he borrowed k's camera and took pictures. it was nice to see his view of the world. it is all about detail i realized. i will post some examples. we headed home after a nice walk and drive. the area is quite stunning and while mom eyed the coconuts, she could not find any to eat or drink. i am thinking no more fresh sugar cane or coconuts on this trip.