Hauoli Makahiki Hou to everyone. I hope that your holidays have been wonderful and that the new year will be filled with peace, happiness and good health for each of you.

Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa are now snow capped after a winter storm left drifts up to three feet on Mauna Kea yesterday. Wind chill factors at the summits were down to a brisk 15 degrees below zero! Meanwhile, down near the ocean, temperatures were in the mid-70 range. Roads to the summits were closed and although we did receive some heavy rain in Kona, it didn’t stop the surfers. Last evening brought a spectacular sunset and views from my lanai of four of the other Hawaiian Islands. Maui is often visible, but we were also treated to views of West Maui, Molokai, Kahoolawe, and Lanai. I stood outside in light drizzle and took multiple photos. It was an unusual and fascinating show of nature’s beauty.

And to think that we had planned to go to a movie, but decided at the last minute that we didn’t feel like it …we would have missed the real show. Serendipity!