1/18/99: Ruth is feeling much better today, so we went and surprised mom and dad… They weren’t expecting us for another two weeks, so we decided to play a little prank. Ruth called early in the morning. Acting as if we were still in Indonesia, she asked if he and mom would mind if we came to stay with them a little early. He said, “Of Course!” She cut the call short, and then we loaded up our luggage in Kathy’s minivan, and she drove up to their cottage in Kula. She dropped us off down the road with our daypacks on our back, and then we walked up to their door and knocked. Mom answered the door “Yes?” and stood there for a full thirty seconds without recognizing us! Finally, Ruth let out an exasperated “Mommmmm!” And then Mom just about collapsed into our arms with. shock It’s a good thing she has a strong heart. They were both happy to see us, and got a kick out of the scheme. The bungalow/cottage is lovely, about 3,000 feet above sea level on the slopes of Haleakala, with a spectacular view across the valley below all the way to the summit of Pu’u Kukui and the West Maui Mountains. On clear days you can also see the islands of Kahoolawe, Molokini, Lanai and Molokai. The size is perfect for two, so it is obvious to us that they are being very generous in letting us stay with them for several weeks. Our “bedroom” will be up a ladder to the storage loft above their bedroom. We unloaded our stuff, made fast friends with “Katz” their pet cat, and then we all drove down to Kahului to pick up some groceries…
NOTE: The photo above shows the view from Kula across the valley to the West Maui Mountains. Pu’u Kukui is the tallest peak in the cluster.