Aloha Hawaii

I've safely landed in Kauai, and have spent my first night in Gay's little house. Thought I'd be afraid the first night, but it felt very safe. The upstairs room has tons of windows, so I woke up surrounded by trees. Rachel was right, there are a lot of roosters here, and though the sun woke me, theirs were the first sounds I heard. Gay says their call isn't really "cockle-doodle-doo" here on Kauai, and she's right. It's more like cockle-doo-duh. She told me that her husband, Dean, a plumber, says that they're really saying, "Where's the restroom?" It did sound, this morning, like a bunch of roosters urgently crying out for the restroom!

She gave me a tour of the property yesterday, all the trees she's planted, and the trees that already grow there. She picked some lychee, and some other fruit I can't even pronounce much less spell. I have a coconut tree growing right out front, along with a lemon and orange tree. Mango and guava also grow here, though it will be another week or so until they're ready to be picked. Today I've been buying some supplies at the K-mart and the thrift store. I need to clean also. My only real worry is the water supply. I have to refill the tank each time I flush (there is a real toilet, though) and it uses a lot of water. So I'll be praying for rain as never before. More later. I'm at the library, and my time is just about up!

Also, wanted to tell the reason for all the roosters and chickens. Apparently cock fights were very popular among some kauai residents, and during the last hurricane they were all set free by the winds. You do see them all over the place, but it makes me happy to think they've been spared the cockfight circuit.