Thursday, October 7, 2010

Autumn is here

There are really only two seasons in Hawaii, a wet season and a dry season.  The wet season generally includes spring and summer, and the dry includes fall and winter.  Of course there are variations depending on where in the state you are.  For us, down here by the water in South Kona, the transition from wet to dry is accompanied by many familiar shifts. 

We’ve been smelling coffee roasting next door at the big mill, and the fragrant smoke from the macadamia nut hulls that are burned to roast the beans.  It is a familiar, beautiful scent that reminds us coffee processing season has arrived.  The days are hotter and dryer, the ocean gets rougher, and the Trade winds pick up.  The red cardinals move down from the hills, and the citrus trees and some varieties of avocado begin to blossom.  Beautiful athletes descend upon Kailua to acclimate before the Iron Man triathlon.  Crowds amass and excitement crescendos as the race day draws near.

There will be a slight dip in tourism in November around Thanksgiving time, when many mainland people travel to family homes rather than to Hawaii, crowds are down and ticket prices drop temporarily to reflect this.  The days are hot and clear and bright, and the gentle rains that arrived so diligently each evening over the summer will subside.  We may be gifted with a thunder storm now and again, and watch with excitement as dark tropical clouds rush ominously over the ocean.  The ocean water will be colder, the whales will come.  It is a beautiful time of year, but then, it is always beautiful here.