chris and valerie: Winter is Coming

It's rained every day but two for the last two weeks. The surf is up - at times it has become massive. Humidity is 80% to 95% each day. Everything is green.

The winter is wonderful here. It's not hot. It's vibrant and lush. Tourism is down. But hoo boy is it ever wet!

Things are pretty good here. Valerie is back to surfing (and her knee is doing great). We had a very nice "Thanksgiving Week" where we celebrated in our own way. We had a nice dinner, just the two of us, with roast chicken, sausage stuffing, gravy, mashed potatoes, and green beans. We had a lovely Thanksgiving with the Miyake Ohana (with a Pule that started with, "I don't give a fuck about the Pilgrims..."). We made Thanksgiving leftover croquettes. And then, on the weekend, it was time for Pigsgiving. We got a sweet little Kurobuta piggy from down the road and we roasted it up and shared with a few dozen friends. It was absolutely great. We also got to take a small little staycation break, which was amazing. Big house with an even bigger pool plus a ton of friends was some great fun.

And now we head into the depths of winter which will likely be filled with big waves, a vacation or two (including a trip to the Big Island), fighting off the fungus threat, and tasty meals with friends.

Some photos....