Don’t look too friendly, do they?

Kenneth sends a photo his friend Miles has taken of Daisy (dog) and Coco Chanel (cat) trying to kill each other. I am sure it is calculated to make me feel better that all is well at home. Does not. Cell phone reception is excellent in Hawaii so it is easy to call and check up on them. Kenneth is trying to give the two of them as much attention as he can. Not easy since they can’t abide each other and are jealous of any attention given the other.

Meanwhile, back in Hawaii:

After yesterday’s extreme adventure, it is wonderful to enjoy a pleasant, fragrant morning at the Tropical Botanical Garden, named Onomea for the “arch” that at one time bridged a couple of massive stones in the bay it fronts before it tumbled down a short while ago. Good signs along sturdy pathways and board walks, even though it would have been nice to have a handout listing of the main plants. Never seen so many ti plants, Heliconia and varieties of ginger. The garden is set in one of the many valleys going down to the sea that served as water raceways for sugar mills. Its land was privately restored and is now conserved as a non profit.

In the afternoon, one of the ship’s two nurse practitioners, Jill, walks with me the 45 minutes to town. We find bargains at a second hand shop and visit a number of crafts and art galleries. Hilo is comfy, down at the heels, and laid back. Unpretentious.

It would be nice to stay in Hilo for a much longer visit.

Maybe in a next lifetime.