Time Warp – Friday November 15 already!

Nearly full moon at the beach Mahalo dinner.

The now predictable flow of traffic and chorus of roosters at 4 am signal another incredible day in Kauai.  I dozed until 5:30 and then followed the rich smell of freshly brewed coffee to the kitchen where the usual early morning folks, Barb, Susan, Joe, Ann and Rick have gathered.

Usually I remain in my room for a bit, but this morning ventured out to the living room to blog where a code of silence exists until about, well, 5:30 am when Ms Nancy enters the room (in all fairness, she honored the quiet time successfully this morning.)

Today is Friday, our last build day and the week has flown by in a blur of building, island touring, snorkeling, eating, sharing photos, laughing, and our ukulele/banjo jam session.

Ms Nancy receiving instructions.

Last night, Thursday, was the Mahalo gathering at the beach with Kauai Affiliate staff, construction managers, families and our team. For our last workday, we split our team again between the rehab home to finish detail work while others travel to the Anahola work site to work on the roof.

The majority of our group will leave the warm, moist, tropical Kauai environment and plunge into winter, so we cling to the warmth.  However, a few will return to sunny states such as Arizona and Texas.

Time feels suspended. The rhythm of the island has tucked and lulled us all into a soothing existence.  Our skin is soft and hair fluffy from the moisture and big smiles are the order of the day as we anticipate the fun of attending a traditional Hawaiian Luau this evening.

Team Kauai, Fall 2013

For this build we are located in a Habitat neighborhood and staying in a house currently retained by the Kauai affiliate for volunteer teams.

Past builds, our teams have stayed in hotels, and in Belfast, Northern Ireland a retreat center.

Renting the house has significantly decreased the cost of the trip, and the team organized to cook 90 percent of our meals.  We bunk 3 to a bedroom, have a comfortable living roomkitchen area, and a porch with a view of the ocean.

Backyard view, mountains on the horizon and coffee plantation located behind the barrier.

I can already tell I am going to miss interacting and being around this group of folks.  What we all have in common is a desire to travel and participate in activity, such as volunteering for Habitat Builds, that works with the community to give something back.

We all have our quirks, routines, distinct personalities, stories, have snippy, tired irritable moments, and yet the cohesiveness of our team is quite remarkable. And I am going to miss each person terribly.

Our massive shoe collection.