Kona Days - Part 2

Still Saturday...after returning from Waimea, we took a nap at the hotel, then headed out to Kealakekua for dinner at Teshima's Restaurant with Ryan, Haley and her family. Got a little lost getting out of Keauhou (internet directions got us to a dead end, Ryan and his VZ Navigator were with Haley), but we made it. It's a family restaurant run by the Teshima family with local style Japanese food. It apparently started out as a general merchandise store, retailing beer and wine, in 1929. In the years that followed, Teshima's expanded until it became a full fledged restaurant in 1940. Mrs. Teshima is over 100 years old and still works in the restaurant. She was eating her dinner at the table reserved for us when we arrived, but she quickly moved off to another empty table. She looks much younger, and when she finished eating, she went from table to table to greet her guests. Haley said this is where everyone comes to celebrate special occasions, like birthdays and anniversaries. There is a banquet room upstairs too.


We got to spend time with Haley's parents, Emil and Diane, and her brother Kihei. They are great and we had a lot in common. After dinner, we went back to their house and talked story while the kids spent time together (Kihei loves Ryan because he's "interactive," i.e., he taught him how to play on his drum set, talked and wrestled with him). We found out that Emil and Diane used to live across Liliha Bakery, right near where my Babachan and Jichan lived. Since Aunty Setsu knew practically everyone in the neighborhood, I'm sure she knew them too. At the same time, right after we got married, we were living down the street in an apartment on Huli Street. We might have even crossed paths back then.

It was so funny hearing things from their point of view...Diane said it was nice to have Ryan on their mainland trip with them this summer; since Haley was constantly texting him and sending him pics, it seemed like he was there with them too!



The kids went to another movie, so it was another late night. They were trying to pack in as much together-time as they could this weekend.


On Sunday, we decided to go back to Teshima's for breakfast...I really wanted to try their homemade corned beef hash. Haley joined us. After going to the Atebara store to look for more potato chips (they were closed), we walked into the Manago Hotel, which was in the same building, just to see what it was like. Very old, reminded me of the Kunawai Fountain building on Liliha Street, where Aunty Setsu had her sewing shop. Their restaurant is supposed to be really good, so maybe on another trip. Something creepy happened later, though, connected with this...a few hours later when we were having lunch, Ryan got a call on his cellphone and the guy on the line asked him what he was doing with Haley at the Manago Hotel. So weird, neither he or Haley knew who it was, and how would the guy have gotten Ryan's number anyway? Later on, they figured that maybe it was one of her friends who had been at the soccer field across the street, but still...creepy.



On the way back to the hotel, Haley pointed out this coconut tree that had been hit by lightning. Apparently it was still alive after, but just kept growing like this.

To be continued...