Hawaii - Off the Grid (Hawaiian Ocean View: middle-class, power lines, lease)

[RugbyDave]

You bring sage advice to the table RR - I've read many of your posts before signing up! I agree with the welfare of the state as well. However the reality is this is not always possible. I come from Alaska where they struggle with it there, except some people think 'oh well, the state is big enough so who cares?' It's not a good thing to think and on an island everything is magnified. People who are not from islands may not understand this phenomenon. It's not like living on a small town on the mainland though there are some analogues.


I do not want to push anyone away who may be able to bring something to our state in the future, at the same time. You know, some people may come here with worst intentions only to have Hawai'i change them. I realize I may be labelled a 'idealist' but I worked with some of the 'Olelo Hawai'i language revitalization and I can only say that I have seen this land and language change some people. I shall crawl back to my hut now

[Robin Rossi]

Originally Posted by RugbyDave

You bring sage advice to the table RR - I've read many of your posts before signing up! I agree with the welfare of the state as well. However the reality is this is not always possible. I come from Alaska where they struggle with it there, except some people think 'oh well, the state is big enough so who cares?' It's not a good thing to think and on an island everything is magnified. People who are not from islands may not understand this phenomenon. It's not like living on a small town on the mainland though there are some analogues.


I do not want to push anyone away who may be able to bring something to our state in the future, at the same time. You know, some people may come here with worst intentions only to have Hawai'i change them. I realize I may be labelled a 'idealist' but I worked with some of the 'Olelo Hawai'i language revitalization and I can only say that I have seen this land and language change some people. I shall crawl back to my hut now

I am humbled.

[Dreaming of Hawaii]

Originally Posted by caryberry

Thanks to all who have responded. We don't have a ton of money and wouldn't spend it on real estate if we did. I am not sure that we want to actually OWN any property...anywhere.

Our passion with rain/gardening (I don't know if you can call growing enough food for two people actual farming) has been deeply influence by living in the desert where water/rain is almost non-existent. In another life on the east coast and in a tropical/island environment - growing one's own food is not a big deal. Bugs and critters are part of the plant cycle any where you go or grow.

We have traveled to HI and will travel as many times as necessary to do our due diligence. HI is a quick, fairly cheap, and easy trip from AZ. At our age, the meter stopped running a long time ago.

Glad to hear that you can easily travel to HI to do your due diligence. So many people come on this forum with some dream about packing up the kids and moving to Hawaii with no job, just because they fell in love with Hawaii many years ago and have been dreaming of it ever since. You sound like you will fare a lot better.

Several of us -- OpenD and Hotzcatz included -- have been growing our own food on the BI so have lots of first-hand experience to share. Growing one's own food does happen to be a big deal in any tropical environment because there are bugs and slugs and all sorts of things not encountered in a non-tropical environment. Additionally, new pests continue to be introduced to the islands, probably brought over on produce being imported. I just learned recently about some new slug that's been found in Puna that carries a parasite that can cause brain damage if the produce is not properly washed and prepared. Scary, especially if one is not aware of these things.

[RugbyDave]

As I am everyday here, RR!

OP have you been to the BI before?

@DoH: it's called rat lungworm and it's a nasty nematode! We've been studying it for years and have records of infections since 2005 at least. As I noted earlier, a nematode specialist friend of mine did some great research and found distilled water and vigorous washing to be the best for getting rid of it! Definitely a problem but cases are not too much. Worst years we've had 5 confirmed cases. Good advice for sure DoH!

Edit: count me in with growing food. I do fruits and veggies here in HI! I'd say I 'grow' flowers, but who on this island doesn't do that inadvertently

[Dreaming of Hawaii]

Glad to have you on this board, Rugby Dave! You've got some great first-hand knowledge to share.

I didn't realize that a slug was a "rat lungworm". Learn something new every day. Which is all part of the wonderful Hawaii experience

[RugbyDave]

Whats weird is that I feel like I know so many of you because I've been lurking for years. I just finally felt like it was time for me to become part of the community. I have autism which makes me tend to shy away but it's time to come aboard so thanks for the welcome!

Yeah, the slug isn't really the problem except that it crawls on our fruits and veg! Then we eat the slug who harbors the nematode, which is the real buggah! We're not even the major host or vector for the nematode, which is part of the problem. Best advice is wash wash wash. Then wash some more. Then maybe once more. They found distilled water and washing was better than bleach, vinegar, commercial wash, etc.

[whtviper1]

Is there ever any concern about the acid rain from the vog watering the vegetables or does that not have much of an impact?

[OpenD]

To be clear, the nematodes that cause the disease are contained in the slug or snail's slime, and ingesting that slime passes the disease. The mollusk itself can be long gone. That's why fresh produce from the farmer's markets needs to be washed well too, and you should wear protective gloves any time you handle slugs or snails.

It's been around for a long time, but seems on the upswing the last few years. It's something to be serious about, and diligent about precautions, but not overly paranoid.

Here's an informative website:
Rat Lungworm Hawai?i - What You Need to Know

[RugbyDave]

Amen - that's what I was saying - the nematode is the issue, we're in incidental in the whole process

Cases are up and down on BI. From 2005-2009, cases were something like: 5,2,2,3,5. The best way to deal with it now is wit awareness. I work with spider conservation and its the same thing. For starters, just awareness is the best! Awareness with what it is and how best to deal with it (i.e washing).

[Dreaming of Hawaii]

Holy parasite, batman! I just read the link that OpenD posted, and it is scary. Don't eat any fresh produce from Costco or your own garden or at a potluck or even at a restaurant unless you know that it has been thoroughly and properly cleaned.

I sure hope that a lot of people out there become aware.