Our Hawaiian Dream Vacation
This adventure began when I retired from an IT career after 20 years of service with various government agencies. Our first trip to Hawaii was in 2019 for our 30th anniversary and also marked my retirement! This was a three week, three island tour. It was a dream vacation. Also, it was our first real vacation anywhere. We loved it so much we planned a second trip in early 2020 just to the Big Island. We arrived back home right before the pandemic hit.
The Pandemic
It was like we were suddenly living in a different world. Lock downs, masks, and stagnation. Things weren’t getting any better as spring turned into summer. We had previously made big travel plans in an RV for the summer. As a result of the pandemic, we were forced to cancel all of our plans. That summer we watched our world crumble in disbelief. We watched in shock as protests and riots started all over the country.
A Hawaiian Escape
I saw a house come on the auction block on the Big Island that looked interesting. Maybe a chance to escape the madness. I started bidding. I was the only ones bidding except the bank so I won the bid. However, we had a friend take more pictures for us because we purchased the house relatively sight unseen. We started planning our trip out. We were ready for a new adventure.
Our New Hawaiian Adventure
We came to the island, with our dog, in the middle of the Pandemic. This was no easy feat. No one was really travelling to Hawaii at that time. Every traveler was required to undergo a full 2-week quarantine. In Honolulu Airport there was a long line to register for quarantine, and they were still working out the kinks, so it was slow going. Then we had to get the dog from the agriculture office and get him onto the next plane to the Big Island. With little time in between flights, we almost missed the connecting flight.
Our Surprise Awaiting Us in Hawaii
After a long trip, we arrived at the house. We were surprised to find out it was a three-story solid teak house! However, it was basically a shell, inside barely worked on and never finished. What was done was in bad disrepair. So, it was good and bad, bittersweet one might say.
The Hawaii Project
We definitely had our work cut out for us on this one, but we were up for the challenge. We immediately worked on new plans. While we waited a year for new permits, we worked using the old permit. Now we are on our third year of having a full-time crew working on this project and we can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. It has been quite the project! A lot of waiting and a lot of investing.
The Big Reveal – Our Hawaii Magic Skies Farm Stay B&B
After a long, hard road, we are almost done, and it is going to be spectacular. We have finished the inside with exotic woods from the island, milled on property and at a local mill shop. There is artwork from many local artists throughout, including paintings from me and carvings from Kevin.
