Hawaiian Digs

Thanks to our agency, Sonotemps, for working out a "roof" for us.  It is greatly appreciated.  February is one of the high months for tourism in Hawai'i, and on short notice, there is no single place we could find that was available for five weeks.

The bed is only a double, but it may be the best mattress we've had in our travels.  It's in a corner, with a window at the head and one to the side.  We're on the second floor, and so the breeze is very good - in fact, I had to go buy a wee blanket for myself!

The apartment has a shower tub.  The last time we were on Kaua'i we had what I called a "Menehune" shower - so small we couldn't bend over without one end or the other hitting a wall. (Scroll down the left column of titles - way down - to read about our last Kaua'i contract.)

There is only a single chair, but it's not bottomed out and has a padded footstool.  Very comfortable!  It's a "barrel" chair, so when I'm on the computer I have to dig my elbows into my sides and only move my wrists over the keyboard.  I look at it as an incentive to lose weight, so that I'll have more elbow room!

I've spent a good bit of time cleaning the kitchen.  These are my three best friends.

 

 
Tis the first thing I do when we get to a new place.  The spray bottles are 99 cents each at Wal-Mart, then I buy dish detergent, ammonia, and bleach, (all very affordable) put some in each sprayer and water them down.  That and a Scotch Brite pad, and I can clean anything!

I think I've about got it done now.  I've never seen a sink, stove top and refrigerator all in one compact unit before.

I didn't even attempt to clean the drip pans - just bought new ones for a couple of dollars apiece.  The refrigerator doesn't work - and is beyond cleaning - but at one point it was a pretty cool idea! There is now a small stand-alone refrigerator that doubles as a surface to put the microwave on.

There were no pots and pans.  We bought a small skillet for bacon and eggs, and a porcelain pot for a vegetable.  It had no lid, so I ordered a pizza (Yeah, right, Granma, you got the pizza just for the box.  So why did you eat the whole thing!!!)  I cut a circle out of the cardboard, wrapped it in foil, poked a hole through the center and stuck cardboard strips through it for a handle.  Works like a charm - and I never have to wash it - just replace the foil !!

This toaster oven is the sum total of my oven space, so our meals pretty much consist of microwave-able fare.  Therefore, we had to renew our Costco card.  Took some dedication to get this baby cleaned up, but she's mirror perfect now!

The TV is only about 12" and is analog only.  It got 11 channels - and some of those not too clear.  We opted to rent a 32" digital flat screen for about $3 a day ($100 a month), so now we get a gazillion channels, and Granpa is happy when he has to stay close because he's on call.  (I very much like to keep my man happy!)

Everything we accumulate will have to be donated to the Salvation Army or given away when we leave.  Ordinarily we just pack it up in the car and take it back to Texas.  But we're not payin' airfare on another suitcase to get these things home.

John's on call this weekend.  There's a beach and the port where cruise ships put in only about 2 miles from here, so we might hang out there with binoculars looking for whales breaching - or watch some of the gazillion TV channels...

Just thought you might wonder how we get settled in at a new location!