I usually don't write much about myself. I prefer to write about the world in which I live, my personal world. At heart, I am a reporter who likes to report about the world around me. I have a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Kansas. The University of Kansas has one of the leading journalism programs in the United States. Later, I pursued studies in religion, both Western and Asian. I have never been professionally employed as a writer or reporter. 
I am a retired U.S. Air Force officer. I retired with the rank of major after an undistinguished career. I spent my last 15 years flying as an aircraft navigator and electronic warfare officer. I am now completely retired, partly because do I have a physical handicap, a damaged hip. I walk with a slight limp. I cannot run. There are activities that I cannot do, or that I should not do. However, my overall health is excellent. I don't have much money, but don't need much money. Everything I own, including my home, is completely paid for. I am free of debt.
I am a member of America's Baby Boom generation, those born between 1946 and 1964. Within the next few years, there will be massive numbers of Baby Boomers retiring. This will seriously stress our nation's ability to financially support its retirees. Consequently, I have adopted a financial strategy of simplicity and economy. Be prepared to live comfortably on little money. One who has $1,200 per month in income but only $100 in monthly bills has more money than someone who has $2,000 in monthly income and $1,000 in monthly bills. Have more money than needed? Live better, enjoy life more - and give generously to charities.
After retiring, I attended Hawaii Community College for two years, earning an associate degree in electronic technology. Electronic technology goes along well with my interest in amateur radio and in other communications technologies. If I was young again, I would probably become an electrical engineer.
The car that I drive says a lot about me. It is old, rusty, and very ugly. It has also been highly reliable. For the past 100,000 kilometers of driving, it has been totally reliable. It gets me where I want to go, every time, no difficulties. Nobody would buy it. I wouldn't sell it. Nobody would loan money based upon its value. It has no value. It merely runs.
I will mention four statements that function as mottos in my life. First, ask lots of questions. Reporters are people who ask lots of questions. I am a very inquisitive person who has quite varied interests. It is difficult to predict what has, or will, interest me. Even I don't know what will interest me in the future. Second, think sceptically. The question that I failed to ask was probably the question that I should have asked. In part, life is a search for the right question. There is no good answer without a good question.
Pursuing the right question, I wrote a book entitled What is Energy?. This book has been published by Trafford, a print-on-demand publishing service. I am aware of little interest that the book has attracted. The book is based upon the premise that we Westerners often don't understand our most important concepts. The harder we try to define these concepts, the more we find that we don't have good definitions. How can we think clearly if we can't define what we are thinking about? How can we propose good national policies that are based upon hazy, poorly defined thinking?
My third motto: What I leave behind me is far more important that what I take with me. I try to leave behind me something that other people will find useful and enjoyable. Fourth, people are more memorable than places. I can always look at pictures of places, but no picture can substitute for the expression on a person's face. I do enjoy teaching and the sharing that teaching makes possible. I like projects that allow me to interact extensively with other people.
You will notice that I am wearing on open-necked sports shirt (no tie, no business suit, no sports jacket) in the photo. I am also wearing walking shorts. My legs are bare. This is the way I dress all year. I never wear a business suit or tie. I rarely wear long pants. My style of dress is common in Hawaii. Many men don't even own business suits.
Very few businessmen wear business suits. The only men who usually wear business suits are lawyers. Nearly all businessmen wear what we call "aloha attire". This means that they wear open-necked sport shirts (no tie) that have colored patterns on them. Usually, the patterns include something about Hawaii, perhaps its flowers, foliage, or fish. At work, they wear long slacks (legs covered).
Many years ago, businessmen wore business suits to work. The tradition of wearing aloha attire to work began when the presidents of both of Hawaii's largest banks began wearing aloha attire to work. Immediately, all the other men working for the banks also began wearing aloha attire to work. Very quickly, this tradition spread throughout the business community.
In Hawaii, we dress more casually and comfortably than people do elsewhere. This is also how we live. Honolulu is a large city with heavy car traffic, tall buildings, and difficulty finding parking places for cars. Even Honolulu is more relaxed than most large cities. I live near Hilo, a small city of 70,000 people. Hilo is really relaxed! Very few people are in a hurry. When driving a car, it is easy to pull out into a crowded street. Someone will very politely make a space for you in front of their car. They will let you drive ahead of them.
I live in the rural community of Ninole, 30 kilometers northwest of Hilo on the Big Island of Hawaii. The Big Island is also known as the island of Hawaii. The Hawaiian Islands took their name from this one island, which is larger than all of the other islands combined.
This is because, during the 1790s, the king of the island of Hawaii united all of the islands under his kingdom. This was a kingdom of native Hawaiians, who were of Polynesian origin. The king was Kamehameha I, the founder of a dynastic line of kings. The last of the line, Queen Liliuokalani, was deposed in 1893.
The first humans arrived in Hawaii 2,000 years ago. They were Polynesians who are believed to have come from the Marquesas Islands, north of Tahiti in the South Pacific. They came in great voyaging canoes. Voyages using these great canoes continued intermittently for 1,300 years. There are no written records of these voyages. The Polynesians never developed their own written language. What little we known about these voyages was handed down, from generation to generation, as oral tradition. Then the voyages stopped.
For 500 years, Hawaiians had no contact with the outside world. Then in 1778, this suddenly changed. Britain's Captain James Cook found the islands, entirely by accident. After 1800, a written Hawaiian language was developed by English-speaking Christian missionaries. The Hawaiians soon became one of the world's most literate peoples.
Biologists consider the Hawaiian Islands to be the most remote islands on the earth. The islands are farther away from any continent, or other islands of significant size, than any other islands. Having originated as volcanoes, the islands acquired whatever species where brought here by the ocean or blown by the winds. When humans first arrived 2,000 years ago, Hawaii had no mammals at all. Humans were the first mammals to arrive here. There were no rats or mice. There were no snakes. Even today, Hawaii still has no snakes. There were some birds. Descendants of a few species of birds had evolved into many different species, each adapted to its own special place in Hawaii.
Today, Hawaii has one-third of all American species that are considered to be endangered, meaning that they are threatened with extinction. This is because so many species in Hawaii evolved here, taking advantage of particular opportunities in Hawaii. There were very few predators. Delicate trees and flowers could thrive here, facing little competition from other species.
Especially after the arrival of Captain Cook, all this changed. New species were introduced. Many new plants and trees were far more aggressive than the natives. After several decades, there were only a few places where the more delicate native species could still survive. These were places where the aggressive new species had not yet taken hold. Today, you can see many different species of trees (especially palm trees) and flowers in tourist photos of Hawaii. Nearly all of these were introduced from elsewhere. Few were native Hawaiian species.
The ocean has given Hawaii its gentle climate. Hawaii's climate is entirely controlled by the Pacific Ocean. There are no land masses such as continents that can influence our climate. The temperature of the ocean changes very little from summer to winter.
The difference between the warmest month (September) and the coolest month (March) is less than three degrees. Note that the warmest and coolest times lag the sun by several weeks. This is because our climate is controlled more by ocean temperature than by the sun. Hawaii does not have a monsoon climate. November is typically the wettest month. January is typically the driest month. However, any month can be either wet or dry.
This picture of the sun rising over the Pacific Ocean was taken from along the coastal highway,two kilometers from my home. The coastal highway runs just inland from the steep and rocky coastline. When driving along this highway, one looks one direction (either left or right) toward the ocean. When one looks the other direction, one looks up the slope of Mauna Kea.
Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa form the mountainous backbone of the Big Island. Each rises to an elevation of 4,300 meters above sea level. These are the highest mountains in the Pacific Ocean. Each mountain is capped with snow every winter, usually from December until May. Each of their names comes from the Hawaiian (Polynesian)
language. Mauna Kea means "white mountain", named for the snow that covers its summit every winter. Mauna Loa means "long mountain". Measured from its base on the ocean floor to its summit, Mauna Kea is the tallest mountain on earth. This picture of Mauna Kea was taken from the road, one-half kilometer below my home.
There is no historical record that any typhoon has ever struck the east side of the Big Island. We know that none have struck within the past 225 years. Many believe that the mountains are so high that they will keep typhoons away, deflecting their winds and keeping them offshore. Meteorologists (weather scientists) aren't sure about this. They only know that we have been very fortunate.
Hawaii does not have a single climate. Each locale has its own climate. The local climate is based upon the elevation, and which side of the mountain you are on. The prevailing (most common) wind direction is from the northeast. We call the northeast winds "trade winds". Back in the days of the sailing ships (no engines), these were the winds that usually blew the great sailing ships along their routes. These great ships were engaged in trade, much of it with China. Today, wind-blown sailing yachts still visit Hawaii. These visits are for pleasure, not trade.
My home is on the northeast side of Mauna Kea. On this side of the mountain, the windward side, the trade winds reach the land. The air rises as it pushes against the land, cooling the air and producing rain. On the northeast side of each island, we have subtropical rainforest climates. Rainfall in my community is three to four meters per year. This is why we have much green foliage and many nice streams. On the other side of the island, the leeward side, many areas are very dry. Some are deserts that have as little as 30 centimeters of rainfall per year. The drier areas are also warmer. They do not experience the cooling breezes of the ocean.
My home is three kilometers from the Pacific Ocean, and 400 meters above the ocean. The mountain slopes downward toward the ocean, sloping downward at more than 10 meters for every 100 meters that one goes toward the ocean. This produces excellent views of the ocean. This picture was taken from the lanai of my new home. In Hawaii, a lanai is an open porch that has a roof over it.
I have more than 90 degrees of ocean view, which is more than I can show in any one photo. I had to combine two photos to show the view. Notice the clouds over the ocean, being reflected off the surface of the ocean. This is typical. Usually, there are clouds out over the ocean, even if it is sunny where I live. During the winter months, one can often see sperm whales swimming in the ocean, occasionally spouting bursts of air and water. The trees to the left are along Piha Stream.
I own 4.6 hectares of land. Last spring, I built a house on the land. The house is small and simple, and worth much less than the land. The house (photo below) has two bedrooms, one bathroom, and a large lanai. The end of the house is 8.5 meters wide. The front of the house is 18 meters long. The lanai (along the far end of the front) is six meters long across the front and is 8.5 meters deep. It is designed to comfortable seat 36 people for dinner, and has its own cabinets and sink. The purpose of the lanai is to host clubs, civic organizations, and church groups that are too large to meet at most homes. It will be several years before the house is fully completed. Completion may be delayed while I plant a large orchard and do other landscaping.
You will notice an old camper located to the rear of the house. This camper was built to travel on the rear end of a pickup truck. At the time I bought the land, I didn't have enough money to build a house. Instead, I bought the camper for $1,000. Obviously, I am very single. No wife would live in this! I insisted on living on my own land. I wouldn't have lived anywhere else. Fortunately, the climate is very mild. I do not need any heat or air conditioning. The camper was comfortable all year. The two photos below are taken from the center of the lanai, toward the front and rear of the lanai. The picture of the rear shows the lanai's cabinets and sink.
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For years, I have gotten all of my electricity from the sun. I will continue to get all my electricity from the sun. I have all of the usual household appliances and conveniences. This includes a large double-door refrigerator and a chest freezer. A large battery pack stores the sun's light for nights and for dark, cloudy days. Solar electric (photovoltaic) panels work surprisingly well on cloudy days. My water comes off the roof and is stored in the underground tank at the front corner of the house. The sun will heat my water. Consistent with my desire to avoid monthly bills, I have no utility bills. I have now lived for more than four years without having a single monthly bill.
My land includes 250 meters of Piha Stream, a large stream fed by many small springs. Except after a heavy rain, the water is very clear. Piha Stream originates in the Piha Sector of the Hakalau National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge, located between 1,000 and 2,000 meters above sea level, consists of some of the last of Hawaii's native forests. These native forests are home to several endangered species of birds, plants, and trees. The refuge was established to protect these species, so that they can be part of our future.
This picture of Piha Stream (to the left) was taken from a bridge just below my property. Here the quiet areas of the stream are sunnier than on my property. The quiet areas of the stream on my property are too shaded to photograph well.
On this side of the island, the forests begin at an elevation of around 500 meters, which is one kilometer mauka (up the mountain) from my home. The lower forests, from around 500 meters to around 1,000 meters in elevation, were planted during the 1920s using non-native species. Most of the trees are of eucalyptus species, all of which came from Australia. These new forests were planted on land that had been cleared much earlier for agriculture. The new forests were planted by the sugar plantations after they had learned that they needed new forests to assure an adequate supply of clean water. Clearing the forests had altered the climate of the locale!
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Because Piha Stream falls rapidly toward the ocean, there are many waterfalls. This is one of four waterfalls on my property. This waterfall is approximately two meters high. This photo was taken after several days of dry weather. All of the water you see in the photo came from springs. None came from runoff after a rain. Even though the water is running strongly and falling, the water is very clear. The photo below is a picture of the pool below the waterfall, taken from just above the waterfall. The pool is deep enough for swimming, but is too cool to be comfortable for most swimmers. The water is definitely too cool for me!
On this side of Mauna Kea, most of the streams flow downhill through steep, deep, narrow valleys. We call these valleys "gulches", which is a very unromantic term that suggests how steep they are, but says nothing about their beauty. Before modern roads were built, these gulches made it very difficult to travel along the northeast coastline of Mauna Kea.
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On the lower slopes of Mauna Kea, lands below 500 meters above sea level were used for agriculture. From the 1870s until the early 1990s, nearly all of this land was used to grow sugar cane. Once there were several large sugar plantations. Eventually, these plantations were consolidated into two huge plantations, each of which employed several hundred persons. However, the cost of growing sugar in Hawaii was high. It was much cheaper to grow sugar elsewhere, where labor costs were much lower.
The plantations were closed. Much of the land was sold off to smaller property owners, people like me. Most of this land is not presently being used for agriculture. Much of what is being used is pasturing cattle, which isn't a very productive use. Some new agriculture is emerging, a mixture of diverse products such as exotic tropical fruits and premium coffee.
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Hawaii has decided to preserve this land for future agricultural production. Because of this, the county (Big Island) government will not allow property owners to subdivide their lands into smaller properties for family homes. In my area, the government will not allow anyone to create new lots or tracts that are smaller than eight hectares. My 4.6 hectares is smaller than that, but is permitted because it existed in its present size in 1920. Of my 4.6 hectares, only 1.25 hectares is good agricultural land. Most of the rest is gulch.
The photo to the right was taken from just above the two meter waterfall. It looks upstream into a wider, sunnier area of the gulch. You can see two small waterfalls. To the right and out of the picture, there is a large, fairly level area of land just above the stream. I plan to develop this area into a small, simple, very private park with a place to picnic. Owning a private stream is really nice. Everybody should own a stream.
In the photo below, you see a waterfall in the foreground of the photo on the right. The photo below was taken from the right side of this waterfall. Once again, you can see how clear the water is. The water is very clear, comfortably cool for wading, but too cool for swimming. And the sound of falling water! How relaxing!
I am not able to see the stream from my house. My house is located within 10 meters of the edge of the gulch. I am able to look down onto the tops of trees located in the gulch. I am able to hear the sounds of falling water. But, sorry, no view of the stream. The photo below is a view of the gulch, looking from the rear of my house. Distances are much greater than the photo makes them appear. The trees in the distance don't appear to be very large, but are actually 35 to 40 meters tall and 200 to 450 meters away. The nearest house will be 120 meters from my house, along the road and up the mountain from me.
Among the sounds of the stream, there is the sound of a small, gurgling spring. Three to four meters above the stream, water comes out from between two rocks, falls across another rock, and flows to the stream. Unfortunately, it makes my walking trail to the stream wet and slippery. I can change that, directing the water away from my trail.
I can also use the spring for something useful. If I choose, I can get the water for my home. I can drink the spring water, shower with it, wash with it, cook with it. To the right is a picture of the spring. The water is cool and tasty.
I can also use a little of the water for agriculture. I don't plan to pursue agriculture for financial profit. I will only grow what I can use, and what I can give away.
I plan to plant several fruit trees. These will be planted between the house and the road, not between the house and the ocean. I don't want to spoil my ocean view. I plan to plant several varieties of citrus; oranges, grapefruit, tangerines, and lemons; several varieties of avocadoes, plus temperate climate fruits such as apples, peaches, and cherries. I may also plant some coffee and tea. I will probably grow some bananas down in the gulch, where the winds won't affect them. Bananas are vulnerable to high winds. As I tell everyone about locations that have great ocean views, these views come with a price: Places that have great views also have more wind.
There will probably be more citrus fruit than I can eat. I will crush the extra fruit to make fruit juices. One particularly nice idea: Freeze lemon juice into ice cubes, then use the ice cubes to cool and flavor glasses of water. Here, people are always giving away their extra fruit. Giving away fruit is a local tradition. People are always looking for creative ways to use extra fruit, like making ice cubes.
On this side of the island, we have views, streams, rains, lots of green foliage, and subtropical agriculture. We don't have good beaches. The good beaches are on the west (leeward) side of the island, the dry side. The west side has some of the finest beaches in the world, clean, sunny, and sandy. One of the world's finest beaches is located just
over one hour's drive from my home. On the east side of the Big Island north of Hilo, the coastline consists mostly of cliffs that are 50 to 100 meters high. This photo was taken at Laupahoehoe Beach Park, 14 kilometers northwest of my home. Here, the coastal cliffs are nearly 100 meters high. Laupahoehoe Point was created by a lava flow from one of Mauna Kea's last eruptions, at least 3,600 years ago. Today, vulcanologists (volcano scientists) consider Mauna Kea to be a dormant volcano. It has not been active for a very long time. However, it is too soon to consider Mauna Kea to be extinct (dead). The summit of Mauna Kea is considered to be the best location on the earth for astronomical observatories. There are 13 observatories, with 11 nations participating in ownership and use.
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The photo to the right is of Laupahoehoe Point, taken from a bridge along the coastal highway. The bridge is at least 100 meters above the ocean. You can see the ocean waves crashing against the rocky coastline. No good swimming beaches here, but the scenery is ruggedly spectacular. There is a large, level, very scenic picnic area at Laupahoehoe Point Park. The entire picnic area is less than five meters above sea level
Once there was a thriving town and a school in what is now the park. A tsunami (ocean wave caused by an earthquake somewhere in the Pacific) destroyed the school and much of the town in 1946. One of the teachers, a young woman, was washed out to sea. She held onto a piece of floating debris for several hours, until she was rescued. She was the last person rescued. Later, she married her rescuer.
I should say something about the history of the Chinese in Hawaii. The first Asians to arrive in Hawaii were Chinese men. They arrived during the 1790s as crew members aboard British and American cargo ships. Most embarked from Guangzhou, where they were recruited by ship captains who needed additional crew members. There were Chinese men living in Hawaii prior to 1800. However, these early Chinese immigrants did not bring Chinese women.
Most Chinese men who arrived in Hawaii in the early days never married. Instead, they arrived intending to make money, then return with their money to China. Many did. Many died in Hawaii, still single. Still others married local Hawaiian (Polynesian) women, most of whom were physically larger than the men they married. However, these women quickly discovered that Chinese men made good husbands. The men were very conscientious and dutiful around the house.
Many of these married men had children. However, their children were raised as Hawaiians rather than Chinese. Today, many families who consider themselves Hawaiian have Chinese family names, but have retained few (if any) Chinese customs. They don't even celebrate Chinese New Year!
Later, other Chinese also arrived. Many were recruited to become agricultural laborers on plantations. Plantation owners soon discovered that many of these recruits left for the towns as soon as possible. Once in town, the opened up their own businesses. Chinese-owned businesses were common by the 1840s. Once established as businessmen, many of these Chinese men brought wives from China. The Chinese business community was born, mostly in Honolulu. There was also a large Chinese business community in Hilo. Later, businesses owned by local Japanese became much more common that Chinese-owned businesses.
In the 1870s, King Kalakaua and the sugar plantation owners began searching for a new source of labor for the plantations. Due to diseases to which the Hawaiians had not previously been exposed, the native Hawaiian population had declined from at least 350,000 to a mere 30,000 in less than one century. The king feared that there wouldn't be enough population to insure Hawaiian national independence. The plantation owners, however, had other ideas. Nearly all of them were either European (mostly British) or American. It was the sugar planters who ultimately overthrew the monarchy in 1893, and arranged to have Hawaii annexed by the United States in 1898. Today, the Hawaii state flag is the Hawaiian flag that once flew over an independent nation.
Needing laborers and additional population, the Hawaiian government approached the Chinese emperor. The emperor would have nothing to do with the idea of sending Chinese to work in Hawaii as farm laborers. No Chinese for Hawaii! The Chinese emperor forbade Chinese immigration to Hawaii. Some Chinese still came, mostly Chinese men who came through European-controlled ports on the Chinese mainland.
Then the king approached the emperor of Japan. The Japanese emperor, having many poor peasants in Japan's southern prefectures, agreed subject to certain conditions. There would be Japanese consuls in Hawaii who would look out for the welfare of the emperor's subjects. There was massive Japanese immigration, followed later by immigrants from Korea, and finally the Philippines. Today, 65 percent of Hilo's residents are of Asian descent. Most are Japanese or Filipino. There are many Koreans.
Today, only five percent of Hawaii's population is of Chinese ancestry. Most of these live on the island of O'ahu, in Honolulu. There are two quite distinct groups of Chinese. There are those families who arrived prior to 1900. These families speak English at home. Most speak no Chinese at all, but do observe some Chinese traditions. Most are either educated professionals or part of the business community.
The other group is those who arrived after 1960, when immigration quotas for China were greatly increased. Most of these immigrants and their children speak Chinese at home. Many of the immigrants have difficulty learning English. Most are either employed at low wages, or work very long hours every week in family-owned businesses. Their children commonly do very well in school, and are highly motivated. They succeed, often becoming highly paid professionals.
Only two percent of the Big Island's 150,000 residents are of Chinese ancestry, not including those who have Chinese family names but consider themselves to be Hawaiian. However, there may soon be a growing Chinese presence in Hilo, mostly associated with the University of Hawaii at Hilo (UHH). Of UHH's 3,100 students, twenty percent are from other nations. Most are from Japan. Many are Chinese from Taiwan. Many wealthy Taiwanese families send their children to UHH for at least part of their college educations.
The president of UHH is Dr. Rose Tseng. Dr. Tseng is Chinese, from Taiwan. Chinese is her first language. She learned English later. She has cultivated her contacts in Taiwan. One Taiwanese businessman is heading a project to build a U.S.-China Center at UHH, at a privately-funded cost of $58 million. Nearly all of the money will come from wealthy Taiwanese investors, although some may come from Hong Kong. Major investors will be able to obtain the U.S. "green cards" as permanent resident aliens. They will be able to live in Hawaii whenever they wish, and will be able to obtain U.S. citizenship if they choose. To the best of my knowledge, there has not yet been any representation from the People's Republic of China at the center. However, the center today exists primarily on paper. It will be at least three to five years before the center begins functioning.
October, 2003, update: When first proposed 2 1/2 years ago, construction on the center was to have begun in March, 2003. The state government has leased the land to the developers. However, no specific construction plans have been announced recently. This may mean that the developers haven't been able to raise the money. Another possibility: Big Island mayor Harry Kim (mayor of the entire island) will be visiting Shanghai in November as a guest of Shanghai's city government. I am hoping that the People's Republic of China (PRC) will become involved with the center. If this happens, it is unlikely that the PRC's national government will become involved. However, one or more provincial or city government might become involved, along with wealthy businessmen who live there. It would be best if this center involved all of China, not just Taiwan.
Before considering moving to Hawaii or buying land here, please go to www.hear.org. This is the web site of Hawaii Ecosystems at Risk. This is a partnership effort to study and combat Hawaii's invasive species problem. This is a very serious problem in Hawaii, and one that every Hawaii resident needs to take seriously.
Visit the University of Hawaii's College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources at www2.ctahr.hawaii.edu. Tropical agriculture offers many possibilities that are not available on the U.S. Mainland. If you do not have prior experience with tropical agriculture, then you will need their expertise. For information about growing various crops, go to www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/fb/hawaiiag.html.
The Big Island's Internet listing of its multiple listing service (many real estate sales agents) is at www.hawaiiinformation.com. Search by island "Island of Hawaii". I live in the North Hilo district. This is part of what is known as the Hamakua Coast, which extends from Hilo to the Waipio Valley nearly 80 kilometers to the northwest. On the website, go to the Big Island, then place the mouse on the North Hilo district on the map. Listings will then come up for the "Hilo" district, which is actually the North Hilo district. The South Hilo district includes Hilo itself, plus the first 20 kilometers of the Hamakua Coast.
Persons using the Internet listings often believe that the fact some property disappears from the site means that it has been sold. Sometimes properties are taken off without sale to create the appearance that more real estate is selling than what is, in fact, selling. However, sales have been brisk for the past three years. As of February, 2003, there was still a substantial inventory of former plantation lands that C. Brewer and Company was liquidating. This kept land prices down for two years, but this inventory is now gone. Land prices are rising rapidly.
Real estate sales agents I recommend include Auguztuz Elliott of Hamakua Coast Real Estate in Honoka'a, www.hamakuacoast.com. Gus is honest and experienced. He has handled all five of my real estate transactions on the Big Island, all satisfactorily. I also recommend Martin Oliver of The Land Office. www.house-hunting.com/21718/. Until recently, he had an office in Laupahoehoe. He usually represents buyers rather than sellers, and will not hesitate to submit a low offer in your behalf. Also recommended: Jerome Ganske of Hilo Brokers, www.hilo-brokers.com. He is my immediate neighbor, and knows this immediate community quite well.
My property definitely is not for sale. Do not even consider making an offer.
Most Mainland companies prefer to ship via UPS (United Parcel Service). Many will only ship via UPS. For Hawaii residents, this gets expensive. UPS offers ground shipping rates from Hawaii to the Mainland, but only air shipping rates from the Mainland to Hawaii. UPS treats Hawaii as being a captive market that it can charge whatever it wishes. This gets expensive. I generally try to avoid buying from Mainland companies that will only ship via UPS. It is apparent to me that they couldn't care less about getting any business from Hawaii. I willingly oblige their indifference. I couldn't care less either.
No link to UPS is provided. If you wish to do business with them, then you find them.
Usually, the best deal is USPS parcel post, if you can wait four to six weeks to receive your shipment. Even USPS priority mail is usually cheaper than UPS. Shipping by parcel post usually costs no more than half the cost of having a commercial mover move your personal belongings. Box up your personal belongings, and take them to your local post office. Usually, it is not worthwhile to move larger items such as furniture and appliances, unless they are of high financial or sentimental value. It is usually cheaper to replace them from what is available in the local market.
The one big exception: Automobiles. It is nearly always cheaper to buy your cars on the Mainland and pay the $700 to $1,000 shipping costs. Most cars are shipped by Matson. Matson charges the same amount for shipping, regardless of the island of destination. All cars are shipped to O'ahu. Matson then pays, without reimbursement from you, to ship to the neighbor islands. This is very considerate on their part. The auto manufacturers have a similar policy. They charge the same destination charge regardless of the location of the destination. I know from experience. I purchased a Ford directly off the assembly line in Kansas City. I paid the same destination charge as buyers in Seattle. The companies do charge slightly more for shipments to Hawaii, but only slightly more.
Local car dealers will not tell you this. They will tell you that they must charge much more because of the high cost of shipping to Hawaii. This is bunk. But, hey, these are car dealers? What else can you expect? Bear in mind that they consider the Big Island to be a captive market, and price accordingly. Per vehicle dealer profits are far higher than on the Mainland. You can usually save $2,000 to $5,000 by buying your car on the Mainland, and paying the cost of shipment.
Something else that a car salesman may not tell you: All dealers are required to provide warranty service for all cars that their manufacturers sell in the United States, regardless of state. Some salesmen have been known to tell potential buyers that they must buy in Hawaii. Otherwise, there will be no warranty service. This is bunk. I have even known of one dealership service department that refused to provide warranty service for a car sold on the Mainland. The owner called the manufacturer's customer service department immediately. Within two minutes, the dealership agreed to provide warranty service.
Let me begin this discussion by noting the difference between a plastic credit card and a checking account. With a plastic credit card, you spend whatever you wish, and then pay at the end of the month. Or you let your spending accrue and pay interest on the amount you are borrowing from the credit card company. With a checking account, you write checks and subtract immediately from the remaining balance in your account. You spend only what you have. You do not borrow against the future.
The concept of the credit card did not originate in the banking or financial services sector. Instead, it originated with the electric utility companies. They attach wires to your home, supply all the electricity you want, and send you a bill at the end of each month. You then pay them for what you have consumed. In the United States, this way of thinking took hold between 1920 and 1940. One could be totally oblivious to the surrounding world. Turn on the switch. You have electricity. This was a new pattern of thought. If there is any surprise at all, it is that it took so long for the financial services sector to exploit this new pattern of thought. Even in saying this, I may be giving the financial services sector too much credit. I understand that Diners Club, the first U.S. credit card, was established by a former electric utility executive, not a banker.
Those who wish to move from utility (on-grid) power to solar (off-grid) power must adjust their pattern of thought. They must return to the earlier pattern of thought, that of the checking account. Every day, energy will be deposited. Every day, the user can write checks against this daily deposit. Unlike the checking account, however, most that is not used will be forfeited. You can (and must) use batteries to store the sun's blessing for use during the night. You can save some for dark, cloudy days that provide little sun. However, you cannot build up unlimited balances, nor do you have the ability to borrow unlimited amounts from the future.
Even more than being a source of electricity, solar energy is a pattern of thought. Those who wish to move from the grid to off-grid must adjust their pattern of thought. If they have the ability to balance a checkbook, then they have all the fundamental skills they need. Nobody can balance your own checkbook better than you can. Solar system design and management are merely a matter of balancing your daily energy checkbook. You don't need expert advise. You don't need a computerized management system. You need a voltmeter, a cumulative amp-hour meter, a scratch pad, and a pencil. With these in hand, you are your own best expert.
There is nothing technologically difficult about solar energy. Do not trust anyone who tells you that you need their expertise. Do your own research. Experiment. Find out what will work for you. System design consists of two tasks. The first is adapting the available equipment to your needs. The second is adapting the way you live to what you have. For thousands of years, people adapted their lives to patterns of sun and rain. Even today, most of the world's peoples still do. You will merely be returning, partially, to the way your ancestors lived. Consider your new life to be high tech Amish.
I strongly recommend reading Home Power magazine, www.homepower.com. You can obtain copies of their earlier editions on CD. Alternate Source also has many back issues. Well worth the investment. The time that you spend reading will save you bundles of money, and will give you a system will better meet your needs. Do this before you consult with any local solar supplier or full-service dealer. Pay special attention to the Code Corner written by John Wiles. He is an electrical engineer who has helped write Article 690 of the National Electrical Code, which governs solar installations. He is paid with federal funds to help you. I have corresponded with him on several occasions. He has always responded quickly, and with thorough answers. I have no idea how much money he receives from the federal government. Whatever he receives, he is worth every penny of it, and more.
Bear in mind that the building codes, building permitting, and inspection process were designed to facilitate the electric utility companies. They expect that you will complete design and installation in a matter of mere hours. They are not intended to facilitate the experimentation that is needed to successfully adapt to solar living. This is particularly true in Hawaii. With regard to who can do what, Hawaii has the most restrictive requirements in the United States. Hawaii politics has long been controlled by a network of labor unions. You can change a faucet washer in your own home. However, you cannot change the faucet itself. To legally change a faucet, you must hire a licensed plumbing contractor. The plumbing contractor must then obtain a building permit and pay a fee to the county government. The same applies to electrical wiring. You cannot legally change a defective outlet or switch, even if you are an electric engineer working for the electric utility company. You must hire an electrical contractor, who must obtain a building permit. Do not be surprised if you encounter difficulties with the county government while you are building and testing your solar energy system.
One should also be aware that the Internet has changed the nature of sales. Prior to the Internet, sales activities were vertically structured. At the top, there were the manufacturers. You were at the bottom. In between, there were the salesmen who sold for the various manufacturers. The Internet has made the role of the salesman largely obsolete. If you have particular technical questions, you can go directly to the manufacturer. I have done this on many occasions via e-mail. In nearly every instance, I have received a prompt and thorough response. Never once has any company referred me to a local salesman. Today, sales is an increasingly direct, lateral activity. Local salesmen have been relegated to the status of mere janitors. Their role is to sweep the floor for otherwise lost sales, and to present their sweepings to the companies they represent.
When I have technical questions, I much prefer to ask the company directly rather than asking some local salesman. You will get a written response from the company, not verbal response. You are more likely to get an incorrect or misleading verbal answer from a local salesman. This is an individual who may be using his answer to make an immediate profit, at your expense.
It is better to buy system components than it is to buy an entire system from a single supplier. Make a list of what you need, then price out each item individually. I do not recommend buying most of it via catalog or the Internet. As a source of Internet pricing, I recommend www.altenergystore.com. I have had satisfactory dealings with them, and have purchase items from them that weren't available locally. My experience has that it is usually less expensive to buy most items from local suppliers.
I do agree with AltEnergyStore on their suggested system design. They recommend placing basic lighting, the water pump, and refrigeration directly on DC battery power rather than on AC inverter power. Inverters do fail. This design protects essential household functions from inverter failure. The two most frequent and expensive system failures are inverter failure and generator breakdown. I prefer to avoid depending upon either. As a DC voltage, I recommend 24 volts. It is difficult to find DC equipment that operates on voltages above 24 volts. Usually, installing a higher DC voltage means becoming dependent upon an inverter.
Locally, I recommend three suppliers, although I do not necessarily agree with their system designs. The largest was the alternative energy subsidiary of the local electrical utility, Hawaii Electric Light Company (Helco). ProVision Technologies was their subsidiary, www.provisiontechnologies/pvbusinesses.html. The company has been sold to a longtime employee, Marco Mangelsdorf, and his new business partner. Under Helco, the company sold drop-in-place, plug-in systems that could be fully functional within an hour of delivery. However, their systems were entirely inverter dependent. They were designed to replace power poles for people who wished to live as if they were connected to the electrical grid. They were also pricey. However, I have had good dealings with both former manager Steve Burns and new owner Marco Mangelsdorf. Service has been good, and their pricing on system components has been quite competitive.
Also recommended: Alternate Source, located north of Hilo. Their web site is no longer active. I have dealt with Ted Walls and his parents, John and Barb, on numerous occasions. I strongly recommend using propane ranges that have either pilot lights or spark ignition ovens. Electronic ignition ovens use lots of electricity, unnecessarily. Every range that Sears sells has an electronic ignition oven. To the best of my knowledge, Ted is the only local supplier of ranges that have spark ignition ovens. Hilo Propane also sells ranges that have pilot lights. Ted is more enthusiastic about the thin film (Unisolar) photovoltaic technology than I am. Being technologically conservative, I prefer the single crystal or polycrystalline technology, mostly because it has been in existence much longer and has a better established track record for longevity. Another source that offers competitive pricing: Ed Carter at Big Island Solar and Spa in Hilo. No web site or e-mail address.
Not recommended: Any solar dealer who is working out of his home and offering full service sales and installation. I have seen several systems installed by such dealers. I have yet to see one that I would have purchased. Bear in mind that he makes his living selling you a product. His interests may not be consistent with your interests. He may attempt to load your system with those items that offer him the highest percentage of profit. Be wary of his claimed expertise. Expertise is not needed. All too often, claimed expertise is fraudulent. Do your own homework.
Be aware that much of what you need is available as off-the-shelf equipment sold by local electrical suppliers. For circuit protection and disconnect, SquareD QO series circuit breakers and circuit breaker load centers with convertible main lugs are UL-listed for DC voltages up to 48 VDC. This means that they can be used to protect and disconnect photovoltaic panel arrays nominally rated at 24 VDC, plus 24 VDC household circuitry. SquareD QO series equipment can be purchased through Alpha Supply in Hilo. For further information, consult SquareD ecatalog 1100CT9901.pdf.
Dealers who are selling you a package of components will usually try to get you to sign a contract with them. This locks in their profit. The contract is in their best interest, but not yours. Every component that they propose to sell to you is readily available. Buy your components item by item, as you need them. This keeps your options open, and forces dealers to offer their best prices.
Sorry, I can't recommend any web site that I consider reputable and worthwhile. By its very nature, politics attracts the opinionated, the self-righteous, the loud, and the arrogant. Nearly all political ideologies are both self-righteous and self-serving. My ideology is scepticism. I am a centrist. I vote in every election. I even give modest sums of money to some political campaigns. However, I have not been to a political meeting or rally in many years.
Internationally, I lean more toward Asia than Europe. Given Hawaii's location in the Pacific, this leaning is common here. The prevalence of Asian ancestry accentuates this leaning. In Hawaii, those of Asian ancestry outnumber those of European ancestry, although mixed ancestry is becoming increasingly common.
America's interests in the twentieth century looked strongly toward Europe. The twenty-first century will more likely be the century of Asia. France and Germany will be of decreasing international significance. The United Kingdom, being mother of the English language, will continue to be proud of its language and culture, and is likely to enjoy greater significance than the European continent. Russia, being both European and Asian, should not be underestimated. Of rapidly rising significance, and soon to eclipse France and Germany: China. Not to be underestimated: India. Of continuing significance: Japan. Of rising significance: Korea, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Thailand.
My assessment of China's rising significance is based more on what I buy than on what I read. I am purchasing nearly all of my kitchen items from Macy's department store in Hilo. Thus far, every item has been made in China. My kitchen's one exception: my Chinese-style teacups and saucers. These were manufactured in Pennsylvania - 50 years ago. They were the tea service of a small, family-owned Chinese restaurant that existed around 1960.