The view from Doris' Place in Holualoa (heading toward Keauhou Mauka on Mamalahoa Hwy.) is exquisite. I could live with that view for the rest of my life. I was driving around one afternoon, looking for John Kunitake's coffee farm, intending to bring home some of his great coffee beans. It had been at least 10 years since I'd been there, and I can't say that he would've remembered me anyway.

But there I was, driving back and forth on the highway in pouring rain. By the time I pulled over at Doris' Place, I really needed help. But even her expert directions couldn't help me. When I pulled over again, it was late and I had a plane to catch. Doris was kind enough to offer me some of her homemade lemon peel. The wet kind. It was good!

She just gave. I forced her to take my money. But it was a visit I'll never forget. Her husband was too shy to be in the photo, but this says it all, pretty much. People ask once in awhile if I miss the Big Island. Maybe it's not the place itself. Maybe it's just the people and the goodness, the earthiness I miss. One by one, we all pass, and we lose a little more of that goodness and earthiness. Whether it's Kula or Holualoa, I'm missing more and more of what used to be. Somehow, we lose those things with all the concrete that divides us.

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