To Bean or Not to Bean

Coffee picking season has begun in the Kona belt, so things are very exciting on the farm.  I don't think I've adequately explained the terrain and climate in previous posts - it's a jungle out there!  As the coffee pickers from Micronesia race through the fields picking the bright red coffee cherries Tony and I work hard to clear paths through the five foot tall weeds, yanking them up by hand, making way so the coffee pickers can reach the trees with ease.

What makes Kona coffee so special is the discerning pluck of only the red fruit from the trees, leaving the yellow and green fruit to mature on the spindly branches.  At this early stage of the season the picking goes slow, usually about 100 pounds of coffee cherries per picker, but as the season progresses our daily haul will be much more significant.  Not to discount each day's haul, we're easily processing something close to 1300 pounds of cherry each day.  In about four weeks this number will likely double.

The Thrill of Victory - The Agony of the Feet

Each morning we rise with the sun.  Kind of hard not to, considering the myriad of free-range chickens roaming the island.  I've only ever glimpsed one which was trying to pilfer papaya from the compost heap, but I hear roosters all day, and all night.  Contrary to popular belief, roosters do not crow just at sunrise, they crow whenever they darn well feel like it, sunrise just happens to be the time of day when they all like to crow as a group.  One rooster in particular I've dubbed "Dennis the Menace" because his particular version of a cock-a-doodle-do has a distinct "Mr. Wilson!" inflection, I mean this guy is serious about making himself heard.

Rising early has its perks.  The coffee is especially warm and soothing as the last of the evening chill leaves the air, by the time we've finished breakfast it's about 8 AM, and if we get straight to work we can be finished with our daily chores around noon.  Leaving us with the remainder of the day to entertain ourselves as we like. There's plenty to do in the way of entertainment and relaxation.  After all, this gorgeous spread of land overlooks Honaunau Bay, Kealakekua, and the City of Refuge.  I personally like sitting in my makeshift office because it gives me an opportunity to greet tour groups when they arrive.  Tours tend to equal coffee sales, and that equals spending money in my pocket.

The work involves a lot of rock climbing, and various forms of physical strength, weeds around here grow up about three feet overnight.  That's only a mild exaggeration, they really grow closer to two and a half feet overnight, requiring daily treks through the seventeen acre farm to chop, mow, and pull up weeds by hand.  Lava rock is no joke.  In only 10 days of working the farm Tony's already shredded the soles of his work boots, we're talking serious blowout, all the way through, and these boots were practically brand new when we arrived. My own hiking boots are holding up much better, but I won't lie when I say I have to sit for a good two hours after a day's worth of chores are complete.  The terrain is every bit as grueling as it is picturesque.  

Day One: The Toughest Job I'll Ever Love

This job is a workout!  From head to toe, and everywhere in between.  I have bruises on the inside of my knees because my current chores require me to use my whole body as much as my head.  I'm beginning to understand what people mean when they say WWOOFing is "labor intensive".  At the same time, I can't stop grinning like a madwoman because I'm having a ton of fun.

Our day starts around 6 am as the sun is coming up, that's about the time of day when the night has reached its coolest and by then we have goosebumps.  Just as the sun is coming up over the edge of the volcano we're able to enjoy its warmth on our face while we sip fresh brewed Kona coffee.  This coffee is out of this world, unbelievably good.  Seriously.  I usually have to doctor my coffee with copious amounts of cream and sugar before I can choke it down, but this steaming brew I take black, then return for seconds and thirds.  Yum.

Then we start making our way up the sharp incline of the lava trails.  These trails are as treacherous as they are scenic, some of the large slabs of lava rock are stable and large enough to be considered pavement, while others are loose, unsteady, and ready to roll with the right encouragement, or wrong step.  With the help of some walking sticks carved from ancient coffee branches we make quick work of the trail, cumbersome equipment and all.

Once we arrive at the location of our day's work we establish a sort of base camp.  A place to replenish our canteens and meet up to enjoy a freshly plucked avocado or papaya.  Then we get right to work, Tony with his weed whacker and I with my ratcheting loppers.  Tony mows down weeds and snares of flowering vines while I cut down invasive saplings that threaten to overtake the nutrient-dense fields where the coffee grows. I just take it one snip at a time, one step at a time, and by the time we've finished for the day I'm often surprised to find a few dozen neatly-stacked piles of kindling in my wake.  I find this almost as rewarding as finding a chameleon hanging out among the branches.   

Countdown to Kona: We Have Arrived!

Today is our first day at Bebo's Kona Coffee farm, After  a full morning of travel and a quick trip to Costco, we got straight to work chilling with the amazing Bebo and his equally wonderful wife, Karen.  The farm is gorgeous, the family dog (Posse) was kind enough to give us a guided tour of the back acres where the bulk of the coffee grows.  While the bulk of our lush scenery consists of rugged, lava rock trails and coffee beans inching ever closer to ripeness, just over the tops of these trees we have an unobstructed view of the Kona cost.  Spectacular doesn't begin to do this place justice.  Bebo and his wife represent the epitome of hospitality, anyone who stays at their B&B would be treated like royalty, and family.

Tomorrow marks our first day of actual work on the premises - weed whacking and branch removal.  To look at the sheer size of the property and consider this task is an exercise in futility.  Everyone agrees that this sort of work is just a matter of one step at a time, little by little, till the job is done.  It has to be done, just not all in one day.  We're pretty excited to get started.  I know our chores sound labor intensive, but right now it just doesn't translate as "work" to us.  I'll probably feel different after 4 hours of laborious farm chores, but right now I'm feeling nothing but bliss.

Pictures and video will posted soon, I promise!

Countdown to Kona - Balancing Work and Play

In the wee hours of Wednesday morning we'll be departing for the big island of Hawai'i. This week in California has been great fun and I have absolutely no concept of time.  The past few days have been a whirlwind of family visits peppered with long stretches in the sun, on the beach, in the ocean.  It's rough I tell ya.  This is the kind of stress I like, where my biggest concern pertains to the best SPF for 3 hours at Malibu Beach.

That isn't to say my week has been all play and no work.  I still have my freelance clients to satisfy, and I have to say I am absolutely loving my work right now.  I'm graced with a steady stream of assignments that I find interesting, inspiring, encouraging, and often these are all rolled into one.  Life is good.

Tony's getting pretty awesome at cracking coconuts, can't wait to see him learn how to climb a tree to retrieve them fresh. 

So Much for the In-Flight Meal

When booking our flight to Los Angeles, we didn't really mind our short layover in Philadelphia.  Emphasis on short.  By the time we traveled from our arriving gate to our departing gate we had all of five minutes before boarding commenced.  We were both hungry by this point, the endorphins of the days events were starting to fade and we'd come to the realization that we hadn't had anything substantial to eat since the early morning hours.  No problem, we thought, we booked this flight because it provides an in-flight meal.  We'll be in the air for 5 hours, but somewhere in that time we'd be able to enjoy our choice of chow.

Ha!

Admittedly it's been over a decade since I've traveled by air, much has changed over the years. First off, snacks are no longer complementary.  Hungry for some Chex Mix?  Prepare it at home before the flight, or expect to shell out $3.50, cash only.  That delicious-looking Asian chicken salad wrap, even with its hefty price tag of $8.00 looks good enough to eat, shame they stopped selling actual food a full thirty minutes before we boarded the flight. The "in-flight" meal we supposedly bought into simply doesn't exist.

That's not entirely true, it exists for first class.  Us folks in steerage had to pretend our ginger ale was champagne.  Least the drink was free!

Departure Day - The Angels Among Us

Part of the reason I'm so anxious to leave is our neighborhood is swiftly falling into decline.  One of my neighbors came home the other night, ranting about being mugged by a homeless woman.  Granted this guy was drunk and obviously not making the best decisions as he stood out in the hallway and shouted slurs about each and every one of his neighbors - self included.

It's  not all bad, we met the new guy across the hall last night. A veteran of the Iran Conflict in the mid-1980's, he spent time in the Air Force and now finds himself down on his luck with next to nothing.  Here I am surrounded by more than I need, it worked out to be a nice equation.  We sent him home with a mini washing machine to help him keep his laundry bill at a minimum, and he in turn gave our cat Rhasta a home.  She was settling in nicely when we saw her last.

Today we leave for California.  Just a few more errands then we'll try to keep ourselves busy while we wait for the plane to take off.  Hawai'i, here we come!

Modern Day Princess - Little Red Rustic Hood

My life has become a surreal picture of a life in transition.  I sold my wonderful, amazing, can't-say-enough-good-things-about-it bed yesterday for a generous sum reflective of said bed's awesomeness.  Then I bought an ultra-cheap air mattress as a replacement.  I've slept on air mattresses before, you'd think I'd know by now that my rump is bound to touch ground while the remainder of my prone form floats on a manufactured cloud.
Rolling out of bed has taken on a literal meaning, as I find it's easier to rise from solid ground than it is to find my footing while negotiating the uncertain terrain of a bouncy bladder of air.  Needless to say, the air queen sized bed we purchased for under $20.00 provided a night's sleep that was worth at least $35.00.  Inflating the bed with our universal inflation pump was easy once we figured out which of the nozzles was best for our particular model of bed.  

Countdown to Kona - There Go My Clothes

Over the past week I've amassed quite a large pile of possessions, all designated for donation.  Now that the Salvation Army has hauled it all off, this tiny apartment feels much larger.  Our bags are packed, though I'm sure we'll unpack and repack them another three times to make sure we haven't missed anything.  Fitting in last-chance visits in with the hectic schedule of picking up prescriptions, mailing packages, and freelance deadlines has made our already whirlwind pace seem like a thrilling roller-coaster.  After dinner with the family tonight that's one last thing to check off of the "to-do" list. 

Countdown to Kona - We've Got Tickets

Today we sold our bed, it was an almost tearful separation.  Bed's like this only come around once in a lifetime, but a chance to live in Hawai'i is even more rare, so it was one or the other.  We've got our tickets, our bags are nearly packed, we're ready to go!  Still no homes for the cats, but I'm not giving up hope, I just know someone will pull through at the last minute.  Now all we have to do is wait for friends to take the last of what they'd like before the donation crew comes through for a massive pick-up Saturday.   Six days of sleeping on an air mattress, and I couldn't be happier.   Farewell, awesome bed.  Aloha, Hawai'i!

Did you know that on this day in 1959 Hawai'i became our 50th State?  

A Sign from the Travel Gods

The past three days I've been scrambling to find a backpack.  From offering trades over craigslist, to offering trades to friends, I was offering any combination of possessions for just one backpack.  Then I remembered a whole heap of bags were waiting for me in the basement.  Not only did I find my old backpack, in surprisingly great condition, as well as my old patchwork satchel, I also found my traveling gnome!  If that's not a sign to pack up and move on, I don't know what is. The cat sharing the picture with the gnome is Rhasta, and she still needs a home.  

One Week!

Moving right along!  The already hectic pace of packing and preparing has kicked up another notch.  I've managed to clear out the closet, only to transfer all these garments into a massive pile designated for the Salvation Army.  Transferring books from shelves to boxes has been a lesson in why I should dust more often, I can't remember the last time I sneezed so much.
Still no homes for the kitties yet, but I still have confidence someone will prevail at the last minute.  Just as I'm confident that this time next week the apartment will be practically bare, ready for us to move on to our next big adventure.  How I'm going to make it through this last week of work is anyone's guess! 

Let the Packing Begin!

Two bags packed, two more to go!  Apparently Tony thinks we're leaving tomorrow instead of in two weeks.  I can't help but share his enthusiasm, we're both so excited to get started.  Still haven't found anyone to take the cats, but I'm confident help will come through at the last minute.  Friends stop by each day to remove handfuls of my belongings for safe keeping while I continue to make peace with the fact that I simply cannot take it all with me.

We swap emails with Bebo regularly, he's equally excited to see us as we are looking forward to seeing him. Harvesting that world famous Kona coffee begins early in September and Bebo needs all the help he can get. Sometime today we'll receive pictures of our lodgings, and even though I haven't seen the place I've already started decorating it in my head.

Countdown to Kona

Time is rushing by so quickly it almost seems unreal.  So much to do before we depart! I still need to find homes for our three cats, clear out hundreds of books, and what seems like even more clothes.  How do I have so many clothes and nothing to wear?

14 days and we leave Columbus, spending time with family for a week before making the big leap to the big island.  Captain Cook, here we come! 

Hawaii Bound!

The arrangements have been made, our bags are nowhere close to packed, but we're excited to go just the same.  This time next month we'll be in Hawaii, working at Bebo's Kona farm.  The next few weeks are going to be a rollercoaster, and I couldn't be more thrilled!  Things on our list of things to buy/pack:

Rolling Luggage
Backpacks
T-shirts
Shorts
Long pants
So on and so forth.

Check back often, I'll have regular updates of our awesome adventures in Hawaii!