Kailua Kona Contemplations

Wrapping up a low-key, low-demand July 4th trip to Kona after a rather busy weekend. While here, we experienced an unexpected long-range planning twist to an already altered retirement strategy. Earlier dreams of ending up in Kona were already scrapped in favor of living and working in Honolulu for a while. Once there, we started thinking we might stay on ‘Oahu permanently, and perhaps downsize from the house and move closer into Town when Andrew retired, and maybe invest in a little Kona condo for getaways like this trip.

Yet as we were looking out over the ocean at Huggo’s, we realized how much we really do resonate with the Big Island, and had another idea: Why not flip priorities and retire to a larger place in Kona for a primary home and keep a small condo in Honolulu for medical trips, hosting guests and perhaps some (legal) B&B options?

We’ll see how this all shakes out eventually, but while we’re here, we are very much enjoying that quintessential old Hawaiian vibe that, of all these islands, seems most alive and embraced here. Tonight in particular, this translates to a glorious sunset dinner with friends and enjoying their company in their beautiful coffee-farm home, plus that absolutely delicious anniversary dinner at one of Huggo’s best sunset-view tables, also a gorgeous view of Kailua Kona’s fireworks display, and remembering why we’ve loved this place so much ever since first coming here 18 years ago.

Tomorrow we head back to Honolulu in time for our second hula class, and continuing to reset expectations of what my day-to-day existence means without Ella. Tonight at dinner we met a couple here who occasionally walk with our host and his two golden retrievers, bringing along their own dog, coincidentally a pit pull named Ella. Life here continues to weave all these connections, and what more can we do but just be open?