I need to join an orchid 12 step program

[KonaLady]

I'm in Kona and it is getting very windy, also lightening and thunder, which are very rare here. I agree one should carefully consider before moving to Hawaii. That said, I absolutely LOVE living in paradise, and one of my favorite things about it is being able to indulge my passion for orchids. I'd sure like to find out when wholesalers are opening their doors...I'd be there in a flash!

[voyager]

Just finished eating supper.
Wind, thunder and lightening was quite dramatic for a couple of hours or so.
Lost power and had to cook on the grill.
Then, a few minutes ago the power came back on.

I agree KonaLady, life in Paradise is very much worthwhile.
I enjoy being in the proximity of Mother Nature stomping her foot down hard.
That was much of the reason why I enjoyed being in Alaska.
Being able to grow orchids in my yard was probably the main draw for me to move to Hawai'i.

[KonaLinda]

OrchidWorks is having an open house this Saturday, Oct. 18. They are located about 14 miles north of Hilo.

[bil]

Originally Posted by voyager

We had looked at several "expat" community areas in Central and South America before finalizing our plan on Hawai'i.
We weren't all that serious about locations other than Hawai'i.
But, we did look at some, finally deciding that we didn't want to deal with a radical change in politics, culture or language.
Learning the pronunciation of Hawai'ian names placed on everything around here was hard enough to do.

Since my post with the admonitions something else has come up.
Two months ago, Iselle was the first hurricane to hit Big Island since the 1870's.
Now there's another tropical depression formed that is expected to grow to hurricane strength.
It is being forecast as heading for the same area Iselle landed on Big Island.

This was not part of my contract when I signed on.
But, I'll deal with it if I have to.

Before deciding on Hawai'i I had looked at this map:
UXBlog | IDV Solutions' User Experience: Hurricanes Since 1851

Hawai'i looked to be just out of the hurricane track.
But, niggling away in the back of my mind was the thought that global warming could possibly push that track to the north a bit.
Maybe so?

There is no place that is perfect. You just have to try and pick one that is as good as poss. If I moved out to one of the Pacific islands it would be fascinating to learn the language.

As for the hurricanes? Climate change will extend their reach, and bring them to new pastures, that's for sure. Mercifully I probably won't live long enough to experience the problems this could bring.

[voyager]

Originally Posted by KonaLinda

OrchidWorks is having an open house this Saturday, Oct. 18. They are located about 14 miles north of Hilo.

I had read about it in the latest HOS newsletter.
Not sure if I'll get a chance to go up and take a look around.
What with the likely hood of Ana coming to visit around Saturday, I may have some things to keep toghther while she's partying.

---------- Post added at 04:20 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:06 PM ----------

Originally Posted by bil

There is no place that is perfect. You just have to try and pick one that is as good as poss. If I moved out to one of the Pacific islands it would be fascinating to learn the language.

As for the hurricanes? Climate change will extend their reach, and bring them to new pastures, that's for sure. Mercifully I probably won't live long enough to experience the problems this could bring.

M'Lady is taking a Hawai'ian language class.
So, I'm learning pronunciation and definitions by association.

Somewhere, while researching our retirement move, I read that Hawai'i had the healthiest and longest lived population of all the U.S. states.
How true it is, I don't know.
But, I'm willing to take it as gospel.
And, we all know how faith works miracles.
Quality of life is more important than quantity.

[Nepenthesguy]

I'm in two 12 step orchid programs, and all they have led me to is the front door..... to pick up the boxes that just arrived!

[bil]

My own personal 12 step goes as follows.

1 Get interested in orchids.
2. Be told that I can't grow them here.
3. Buy some anyway.
4. Build greenhouse

I shudder to think what the next steps are going to be....

[voyager]

Originally Posted by KonaLinda

OrchidWorks is having an open house this Saturday, Oct. 18. They are located about 14 miles north of Hilo.

They have postponed the OrchidWorks open house until the following weekend.
Everything the same except 7 days later.
Ana should reach hurricane force tonight or tomorrow morning and is now expected to pass just south of B.I. on Saturday headed for Oahu and Kauai'i.
If she stays on the newly forecast track, my brother, now vacationing on Maui, will be as far from the eye as we will be.

The forecast projections keep getting better for us on the east side.
The track keeps dropping south instead of aimed directly at us as it was when I read the first Tropical Depression advisory.
It now seems to be headed directly for Honolulu.
Not to wish them bad luck, but better them than me. I've had my quota for the season.

KonaLady and KonaLinda, get things tied down.
It's looking as if you may get hit harder than us this time.

---------- Post added at 03:57 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:42 PM ----------

Originally Posted by Nepenthesguy

I'm in two 12 step orchid programs, and all they have led me to is the front door..... to pick up the boxes that just arrived!

I fell off the wagon today.
I couldn't take the stress.
I had to have an orchid fix.
While at Home Depot picking up things to prep for Ana's visit I picked up a yellow oncidium.
I think I'm actually on an ∞ step program, one step forward and two back.

---------- Post added at 04:03 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:57 PM ----------

Originally Posted by bil

My own personal 12 step goes as follows.

1 Get interested in orchids.
2. Be told that I can't grow them here.
3. Buy some anyway.
4. Build greenhouse

I shudder to think what the next steps are going to be....

Even before buying our place I was plotting on a greenhouse to house my projected species collection.
It rains too much in the "winter" here for the cool-dry-rest Dendrobiums.
But, there may be hope for me.
I have not begun to build it yet.
Someone suggested I hang them under the eaves of the house.
That will protect them from the rains.
I have been doing that.
It does!

Sorry folks for hijacking my own thread away from orchid acquisitions.

[KonaLady]

Re Ana: The great irony is that I moved to Kona from the Texas Gulf coast. At one point both Katrina and Ike (which devastated Galveston) were heading directly at us, only to veer away. Now that I live in Hawaii, we are being plagued by never before seen hurricanes! Here's hoping it passes well to the south of all of us.

[bil]

Originally Posted by KonaLady

Re Ana: The great irony is that I moved to Kona from the Texas Gulf coast. At one point both Katrina and Ike (which devastated Galveston) were heading directly at us, only to veer away. Now that I live in Hawaii, we are being plagued by never before seen hurricanes! Here's hoping it passes well to the south of all of us.

Yeah, I really hope so. I'm always grateful when I see the damage they do, that Europe is (as yet) too far north to suffer their effects.