Monday, May 09, 2005
My new fun
The farm on which I am working is 20-30 miles from the BIG CITY, Kailua-Kona. Isolated and quiet, there is virtually nothing going on out this way once you get past the farm work and 'home-life'. Thus, my venturing out and about this weekend was spawned from a desire to do....something.
Friday morning I started work earlier than I'd been getting going so that I could test out hitch hiking, an acceptable method of movement out here. Satruday I ventured out and did the same.
And let me tell you, it's good stuff! You meet some really interesting people and it's so much more entertaining than getting in your car and driving (and can I just say how dumbfounded I am at the price of gas? No idea how bad it is on the mainland, but out here the cheap stuff is around $2.70!).
Friday night I needed 3 different rides to get into town, and three to get back. Saturday I bummed a ride in with the owners of the farm (B&B), and then bummed 4 to get back. And then one back to town and one home again (a short story I'll get to later). Today (Sunday) B & B dropped me at the grocery and I got one back (the only one all weekend that made me a little nervous).
First of all, mom, don't worry! I was never in any danger. No worries at all. Everyone does it (well, maybe not EVeryone...).
Who rode me in? Here's a rundown of the really interesting ones. A couple guys from MI who're a decade ahead of me in shunning the 'accepted' way of doing this life thing; 3 young folk who, I realized after a couple of blocks, were high. The guys today driving me were almost drunk (the passenger for sure, the driver not yet). I was offered weed in one car and beer in 3 others. Two guys, drinking beer-a county inspector and construction worker.
The most ironic was ther ride I bummed last night.
First let's backtrack. The day I arrived here I saw a poster for Jonny Lang, and I was sure it said he was playing at the Kona Brewery yesterday (Saturday). I checked the brewery's website as well as Jonny's, and neither agreed. So after getting a charger for my mp3 and a library card (leaving with 2 large reference books and a fun book) I began working my way home. The county inspector and consruction dude let me know that JL was in fact playing at the brewery that night. Which resulted in me turning right around once I got home to head back. Got me a ticket and saw the show.
The guy taking tickets told me I was the 'fountain of youth' (see ma, I DO look young! And I even had the goatee back. Only because my razor ran out of life part way thru my face. No, it didn't look that well manicured). I let 2 girls cut in line in front of me to get tickets to buy beer. For whatever reason (drunk) they immediately turned around and gave me 9 tickets ($1 a ticket) and said we should drink together. When the one said I could call her mom (I forget why) and I noticed how....not my age they were I meandered away. No worries. Later I ended up talking with a trio and they gave me a ride all the way home (no idea where they actually had to go). But here's the funny part-the woman is a driver for Fed Ex and the farm on which I work is on her route so she knows B&B and the area. Funny.
Wow. That was a ramble if I ever saw one. Sorry 'bout that. Too much coffee today? Maybe? Or a little PAD; Kona beer is good.
More hitching stories I am sure will be related. I want to see the big bad volcano, so we'll see how well I can hitch 80 miles or so.
Nothing to worry about. The people have been great (even the locals, whom I'm told are not that fond of us haoles. One guy told me that I'd have trouble hitching 'cause I'm white. But they've all been great) and it's interesting as hell to enter lives for such a short period of time and see what they throw out. One guy launched into his tale of woe, beginning with his cleaned out bank account (ex); I gave Fiji info to one lady (she even stopped the car to take notes); another guy told me all about his family history; etc. Fun times.
One weekend down!
p.s.-I got a reference book out of the library to try and find grants, scholarships or whatever for college. The intro said companies or friends or people I know might give me some $. Anyone want to help support my return to university?
Just thought I'd ask.....
Friday morning I started work earlier than I'd been getting going so that I could test out hitch hiking, an acceptable method of movement out here. Satruday I ventured out and did the same.
And let me tell you, it's good stuff! You meet some really interesting people and it's so much more entertaining than getting in your car and driving (and can I just say how dumbfounded I am at the price of gas? No idea how bad it is on the mainland, but out here the cheap stuff is around $2.70!).
Friday night I needed 3 different rides to get into town, and three to get back. Saturday I bummed a ride in with the owners of the farm (B&B), and then bummed 4 to get back. And then one back to town and one home again (a short story I'll get to later). Today (Sunday) B & B dropped me at the grocery and I got one back (the only one all weekend that made me a little nervous).
First of all, mom, don't worry! I was never in any danger. No worries at all. Everyone does it (well, maybe not EVeryone...).
Who rode me in? Here's a rundown of the really interesting ones. A couple guys from MI who're a decade ahead of me in shunning the 'accepted' way of doing this life thing; 3 young folk who, I realized after a couple of blocks, were high. The guys today driving me were almost drunk (the passenger for sure, the driver not yet). I was offered weed in one car and beer in 3 others. Two guys, drinking beer-a county inspector and construction worker.
The most ironic was ther ride I bummed last night.
First let's backtrack. The day I arrived here I saw a poster for Jonny Lang, and I was sure it said he was playing at the Kona Brewery yesterday (Saturday). I checked the brewery's website as well as Jonny's, and neither agreed. So after getting a charger for my mp3 and a library card (leaving with 2 large reference books and a fun book) I began working my way home. The county inspector and consruction dude let me know that JL was in fact playing at the brewery that night. Which resulted in me turning right around once I got home to head back. Got me a ticket and saw the show.
The guy taking tickets told me I was the 'fountain of youth' (see ma, I DO look young! And I even had the goatee back. Only because my razor ran out of life part way thru my face. No, it didn't look that well manicured). I let 2 girls cut in line in front of me to get tickets to buy beer. For whatever reason (drunk) they immediately turned around and gave me 9 tickets ($1 a ticket) and said we should drink together. When the one said I could call her mom (I forget why) and I noticed how....not my age they were I meandered away. No worries. Later I ended up talking with a trio and they gave me a ride all the way home (no idea where they actually had to go). But here's the funny part-the woman is a driver for Fed Ex and the farm on which I work is on her route so she knows B&B and the area. Funny.
Wow. That was a ramble if I ever saw one. Sorry 'bout that. Too much coffee today? Maybe? Or a little PAD; Kona beer is good.
More hitching stories I am sure will be related. I want to see the big bad volcano, so we'll see how well I can hitch 80 miles or so.
Nothing to worry about. The people have been great (even the locals, whom I'm told are not that fond of us haoles. One guy told me that I'd have trouble hitching 'cause I'm white. But they've all been great) and it's interesting as hell to enter lives for such a short period of time and see what they throw out. One guy launched into his tale of woe, beginning with his cleaned out bank account (ex); I gave Fiji info to one lady (she even stopped the car to take notes); another guy told me all about his family history; etc. Fun times.
One weekend down!
p.s.-I got a reference book out of the library to try and find grants, scholarships or whatever for college. The intro said companies or friends or people I know might give me some $. Anyone want to help support my return to university?
Just thought I'd ask.....
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