March 5, 2012 7:30 AM HST
- Chuck and Zannah’s place in Haiku. The ohana is in the foreground and the house in the back.
This trip has been different for me. Usually when I travel, I spend no more than 2 nights in the same place and those are usually in a hostel, B&B, hotel or camping. I’m always leery of staying with friends because I don’t want to be an imposition. This trip I have stayed the whole time with an old friend and her husband. I’ve stayed with them before, but never this long. In fact I’m not sure I’ve ever stayed with anyone this long!
They are well set up for long term visitors. Their ohana, guest house, is separated from the house and I can come and go easily without disturbing them and so can they. Their compound reflects who they are: Chuck’s fishing boat sits on a trailer by his shop where he does woodwork and custom welding; there are a myriad of gates, kennels, scratching posts, etc., for the 4 dogs and countless cats that come through Zannah’s informal rescue mission; the house is set up for friends with the kitchen integral to living/dining area and the ohana allows for friends from afar to come and stay.
Unlike most trips, I have not been obsessed with seeing this or going there, determined to optimize my time here by hurrying to the beach to relax. The first day I visited a couple of places, one I hadn’t visited before, but then I started staying here at the ohana more. It’s a beautiful place to be and I feel very relaxed here (and that IS why I took the trip!). I’ve read several books, napped in the afternoon and talked story with Zannah. There was a time in my life when I would have been beside myself with anxiety because I wasn’t doing anything (and, truth be told, that anxiety does creep in sometimes), but for the most part, just being here is fine.
So today maybe I’ll drive to Hana and Kaupo just to prove I can be while I do. Or maybe not.
Robin McClellan 