My sister called from Seguin Texas this afternoon. Seems they got a sprinkling of snow & her son was managing to scoop up enough to throw golfball-sized snowballs at her, hitting the window she'd just closed. Where I sit, snow's an imposibility, although our mountains certainly look pretty during the winter months (very little there right now, although Mauna Kea had snow on Halloween!)
I've been sitting here, bummed for the most part, watching Christmas movies today (I had the original "Miracle on 34th Street" running all night on AMC) & playing a game on my computer over & over again, trying to make Superstar ranking. I got close once. I've only had Superstar rank on MSN gaming zone on the jigsaw puzzle, but once you clear the cookies, your achievements are gone forever. I haven't gotten it back yet. The game I've been playing today is Jewel Quest. I haven't tried the trial full version yet. When I download them, I play them for days until I have to reboot the computer. The trial versions are limited to an hour supposedly, but if you don't close the program, you can play them until your computer's graphics begin to mess up or other issues arise. Running Windows XP Pro, I can run the computer continuously for days before needing to reboot.
I'm also bummed because just as I went outside to feed the dogs (my son's chore, but since he's in Colorado, it falls to me to do it) & drive up to the longhouse to check my mail, a friend I haven't chatted with in a couple weeks IM'd me with a "Merry Christmas." My timing sux! She sits on invisible, so I never know if she's on unless she IM's me. Lately, I've been sitting on invisible, forgetting to change it when I set it to invisible when I go to sleep. Yeah, I'lve been leaving my computer online most of the time. DSL connections don't get all the crap attacks that dial up does.
I've been invited to go to Volcano House's Christmas buffet with a couple lady friends from my DAV chapter. They're also without partners. One offered to pay half of the dinner price of $35. I thought that was high (it's for a prime rib steak & all the trimmings!) but after talking to my sister, that's cheap. She said that her backwater town & vacinity's been offering dinners starting at $50. Some even as much as $200/plate! I guess if you can afford that, more power to you. Those probably were benefit dinners, so most of the price would be tax-deductible.
I've never eaten at the Volcano House. Mind you, it's been in business a long time & although I'd been up there with my folks, dinner was too pricey for my dad to treat the family. He did dine with out-of-town visitors (Mainland guests).
The picture to the left is one I took at Volcano House on January 2nd of this year... the last time I stopped in. It's a root sculpture of Maddam Pele. I don't remember what sort of wood it is, nor the name of the artist. But I do know by the style that the artist isn't Cecil C Carstensen, who my dad shipped Hawaiian woods to & made several carvings of Pele out of roots. I wish I had one. I do have one of his pieces. My dad even shipped Carstenson part of the Monkeypod tree from Kailua-Kona planted by Mark Twain that was uprooted by a freak tornado (those don't happen here normally!). He carved several Pele heads out of that tree's roots.
Here's a brief history of the Volcano House lodge/hotel, as posted on their website:
Colorful History
The history of Volcano House can be traced back to 1824 when Chiefess Kapiolani and her entourage built a grass shack on the crater rim. Throughout history, Ancient Hawaiians came to Kilauea crater to worship the Volcano goddess Pele with offering and prayers. In an ironic twist, the first structure (a grass shack) was built on the crater rim by Chiefess Kapiolani (a Christian convert) and her entourage not to worship but rather to denounce Pele.
As in years past, people continued to be drawn to the Volcano and in 1846 Benjamin Pitman, Sr. built a grass house at the crater edge and coined the name Volcano House which has remained the name throughout the many manifest of this rustic inn. In 1866, a more substantial Volcano House was constructed made of grass and ohia poles. Mark Twain, who stayed in the hotel this same year described it as “ neat, roomy, well furnished and a well kept hotel. The surprise of finding a good hotel at such as outlandish spot startled me, considerably more than the volcano did.”
As the years progressed, Volcano House has continued to evolve and in 1877 the first wooden Volcano House was built, featuring a large parlor with a fireplace, a dining room and six bedrooms. This fireplace which is symbolic of Volcano House warm hospitality and aloha has been burned continuously for over 125 years.
In 1895, Greece-born George Lycurgus (known as Uncle George to locals) bought the hotel and his name became synonymous with Volcano House for most of the next 65 years until his death at the age of 101. In 1940 the main building of the hotel was destroyed by fire, caused by an oil burner, not Pele. Items rescued included embers of the everlasting fire from its large fireplace, the Koa piano, which is presently in our lobby, and a few art pieces.
In 1941 Uncle George rebuilt Volcano House. It was constructed of wood and stone, consisting of 30 rooms resting at the edge of the magnificent Kilauea Crater. For decades Volcano House became a popular gathering place for local residents as well as visitors. Queen Liliuokalani, Mark Twain and President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Here's the link to their page about their dining facilities: http://www.volcanohousehotel.com/Dining.htm
Browse their site. It contains some interesting tidbits, like the fact that Mark Twain stayed there & that it's the oldest hotel in the Hawaiian Islands!
Recent Comments