Kailua-Kona

If this is the dry side of the island, it must be really rainy on the wet side. We've seen rain every day but not always down by the ocean. Up the mountain side where they grow coffee at around 1000 feet elevation it has rained every afternoon and they say that's typical. We took a tour of a coffee farm around one this afternoon and got out of there just as it started raining.

This morning I managed to get mom out of the condo by 9:30 (early for her) so we could try to see turtles at Kapaluu beach, about three miles down the road from where we're staying. We were in luck and got to see Rocky, who suns himself in the same spot on the rocks every morning. We also saw another turtle in some rocks and shallow water. Mom found out that Rocky is a juvenile turtle, about 15 years old. My guess was 40, he looks like he's been around a while. 

We then went to Kealakakue Bay and while we were looking at the view a couple car loads of young men pulled up and started playing loud rap music. They were a local group "Island Mojo" making a video.  As we were leaving and they were taking a break, I told them we'd been listening to Hawaiian music CDs in the car and enjoyed listening to another kind of local Hawaiian music. Mom told them thank you for letting us listen. They were so nice in response, it's probably not the typical reaction they get from older white women.  We got in the car and mom said, "what nice young men". She was surprised when I told her that had been rap music, she had no idea.  I found her reaction so amusing and we both laughed pretty hard. 

We happened to see the 4th of July parade, followed later by fireworks.