Update

Lest you think that we have been overrun by the lava or washed away by the recent flash floods, I thought it best to post an update! The weather has been "unusual" to quote the Tribune Herald... a cold front passed through the Islands bringing high winds and torrential rains. We battened down the hatches and rode it out in our RV, but we did have several trees come down, one too close to the power lines. We recorded almost eight inches of rain over 72 hours...and witnessed spectacular lightning one night...but no other damage. The RV sprung a leak in the bow section, and we had to remove all our books and the mattress in the loft area...but I think I have it caulked now.

During the past week, Marlon has been packing up his tools and equipment...it feels very strange not having him arrive every morning as he has for the past two months. It's a little like having family move away since he has been with us since Day 1. But he still has some odds and ends to complete, and he usually calls at least once a day to see how we are doing. He continues to provide help and advice on future work, although technically his work is done.

We have passed both our plumbing and electrical inspections and are awaiting the framing inspection tomorrow. Once that is done, we can start on the insulation and drywall. We also hope to have the rain gutters and catchment fill-pipe finished this week.

In the meantime, we have been cleaning up around the site and planting some citrus trees and flowering shrubs that have been patiently waiting in the wings for about a month. I've had the chainsaw going trying to clean up some of the carnage from the original ripping of the site, and Katie has been tending her veggies and doing some painting. We've had two sunny days without any significant rain, so we are slowly drying out.



I will keep you up-to-date as our project continues to progress. Here's a photo of the crew plus Katie during our "topping-off" celebration after the roof was completed seveal weeks ago! From left in back: Kalani, Marlon, Aiven; front row: Dayson, Katie, and Stanton.