This is the view from my balcony. I told my husband I could stare at this view for the rest of my life, and he looked at me like I was nuts. What can I say? He is just not an island guy. Although, he did mention that there is a reporter job position open at a small paper on Kauai that probably pays all of $28,000 a year, so there is still hope.
No city anywhere in the world is compete without being home to a farmer's market. This is the farmer's market in Hilo. Good thing there are tents everywhere because this is the wet side of the Big Island, and it definitely rains a lot. My neighbors behind my home in Land Park in Sacramento grow those red thingies.
We took off down this tiny, curvy road that used to be the main highway. It's hardly big enough for two cows to pass each other. A few miles in is where you will find the Botanical Gardens in Hilo. It was built by this guy from San Francisco who spent 8 years clearing up the rotting debris to bring into life such a joyful creation. Where have you ever seen like a flower like this fragile white dancer above?
This is very similar to the California Bird of Paradise, but it's not. It's like an orchestra. The percussion section. We arrived at the Botanical Gardens about 45 minutes before closing. My husband almost didn't buy a ticket because it takes at least 90 minutes or so to view the entire grounds. I felt I could get enough enjoyment from 45 minutes, especially since the possibility exists that because there is so much to do in the Hilo area of the Big Island, we might not come back. And I didn't want to take the chance that we would never see this garden.
The Hyatt hotel has me on record with my profile showing that orchids are my favorite flower. They are very Georgia O'Keefe, if a painter can ever be used as a metaphor for a flower and not the other way around. Orchids are the most beautiful flower in the world. Aloha.
photos: Elizabeth Weintraub
Holiday greetings from your friend in Maryland.
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