SOLD

Tree ferns are these amazing plants that I came to know here in the islands. They are used in landscaping for that unworldly tropical feeling. As I was hiking on one of my many times out towards Hana, I happened upon this place where they were growing in abundance. You can just cut them down and replant them and they continue to grow. The best are the female ones. They stand out from the males as they have this golden fur-like crown from where the fronds erupt. Andy, my golfing buddy had seen a couple in my garden and asked where I had gotten them. I told him of my find and how easy it was to get them. The place had a road that led to a gate where one could park, and just a short distance farther in, they were there for the taking. It is in the confines of state forestry but it was commonplace for islanders to collect various plants for their home landscapes. It was also of common knowledge that the one and only ranger was never out and about but usually sitting in his garage drinking beer with friends. So it was that Andy and I decided to go out there on this Sunday morning. With two machetes and a hand truck we set off in my truck. It was a glorious sun shiny day as we made our way along the Hana road towards my secret place. As we rounded a curve just before Baba Chic's place, lo and behold there he was pruning some bushes along the road. I pulled to a stop and said hello. "Oh hi", Baba said with twinkling eyes. "Chic, this is Andy, a friend of mine." Baba sent a shaka hand greeting our way. "Funny, I was just thinking about you Charles. I just got that pavilion built out there in Ke'anae." "That's great Baba." "It's such a lovely day, you guys wanna see?" I looked at Andy. He said, "Well your call, we got all day." "Sure, sounds like a cool thing to do." "Fabulous, I'll just run inside and get a few things. I'll just ride in the back if that's okay with you two." "Sounds like a plan." Chic disappeared into his bamboo grove and in short order reappeared with a Buddha statue in tow. He climbed into the truck bed and off we went. In some twenty minutes we had arrived at the cattle gate entry to his property. Baba had gotten out and said it was better to just drive through the pasture and park beneath the mango trees at the bottom of the hill rather then leaving the truck roadside. He opened the gate, I drove in and he closed it and reentered the bed. It was a bumpy but easy drive. "This friend of yours is quite a kook", Andy whispered. "Takes one to know one", my reply. The three of us set out up and through the verdant forest. Suddenly the heavens let go with a deluge. Rivlets rushed about the boulders we were traversing. Mud oozed between my toes. Andy slipped and fell into a large mud puddle and began cursing as he gathered himself up. "This had better be good, damn!" He was looking like the original mud man. I couldn't help but laugh. "Think it's funny do ya?" "It's only mud man, take it easy." As we stumbled to the top the sun appeared just as suddenly as the rain had fell. "There's a nice bathtub pool just in front of us, come on." We moved ahead and there we jumped, all three, into it. The mud drifted away. Baba, floating next to Andy pointed. "There it is my temple". Fifty yards to the right was the structure. I had drawn the plan and it was now standing there. Glistening wet shake roof shining in the sunlight. "Wow, that looks great!" We made our way over and climbed the four plank steps to the floor. Baba placed the Buddha in the center and placed a single red hibiscus before him. The sound of the falls and singing birds filled the air. "Show Andy the falls, I"m gonna sit here awhile." Andy and I walked forward to this rock ledge and there we both looked at the misty falls feeding the emerald pool a hundred feet below. "Amazing place, isn't it?" "No shit!" My eyes were taking in the rest of the landscape. "And, you should see the rest." I turned towards where Andy had been standing and realized my last words were lost, as he had gone back over to Baba's temple, and was it seemed in deep discussion with him. As I returned the two were shaking hands. "Charles, I just bought it!" "What?"  Andy actually had bought this place. Chic would take the cash and move to the Big Island. Andy would leave his wife and relocate here. Many more things would come to pass.
to be continued................