The Waiting

Wednesday... mid-day to be precise. A morning filled with early (6am) conference calls with clients in Florida as we prepare to embark on another series of architectural assignments around the state on their behalf. Plans are now underway for four days each on the Big Island & Kauai at the end of this month to capture that leg of the assignment. Maui & Kauai properties are being tentatively scheduled for early November. Dates for Oahu & Big Island now waiting confirmation so that flights, car and accommodations can be booked. With any luck, confirmation should come early tomorrow and the making of travel arrangements should occupy a substantial portion of the day.

In the meantime, besides the arranging of travel plans, there is a new potential first-assistant to bring up to speed, get familiar with the gear and workflow & get to know a little better before we fly off together. This will be her first time out with me and my hope is that she will learn quickly and bring a new enthusiasm to all present & future assignments. New blood is a good thing. As she came with outstanding references during our first meeting a couple of weeks ago, I am optimistic that all will work out for both of us and she will become a permanent fixture to the team for the next two or three years.

Now waiting for a second conference call with Oahu clients scheduled for 2pm to go over creative briefs for another series of advertising campaigns that will see national, perhaps even international exposure. Plans are underway to squeeze this one in sometime towards the end of this month. 

W called a short time ago with constructive criticism which is always welcome. W also sent one of her photographs for reciprocal comments, along with inquiries regarding another potential assignment which will have us traveling again back to the Big Island & Kauai. W's feedback is always most useful and thanks go out in the biggest of ways for her efforts in keeping me on track. Thank you... I know you're reading!

Work now completed on Phase II of construction with the delightful new "conference room/screen porch" trimmed, painted and partially furnished. I continue to scour CL daily for odds & ends to compliment the minimal decor presently filling the space.  Re-landscaping is well underway with the massive paving stones moved into place (not without considerable effort and some heavy machinery) and some plantings now established. Recent steady rains will assist in giving new roots a healthy head start.

For the past two days, the Portagee Wrecking Crew has turned up to completely dismantle and haul away an old, exterior outbuilding here at the farm. This clears the way to begin Phase III, the final bit of construction... a new & detached office space for B. She will be ecstatic if it is completed before Thanksgiving and there is every reason to believe that it could be done even before then. Materials should be ordered sometime tomorrow and delivered next week so that framing can begin almost immediately. Once B's space is completed, all that will be left is the scraping together of funds for a new fence to keep Chester the Wonder Dog from being squashed by speeding traffic as was his predecessor. 

Chester gets a grooming

Last Saturday, I took in the annual Maui County Fair, dishing up delicious BBQ pulled pork to the hungry throngs. Each year, Manao Radio, the local, non-commercial radio station that allows me time at the microphone each Tuesday morning, raises the bulk of it's annual operating funds by serving up heaping plates & buns of this southern delicacy. Business was brisk as soon as the gates opened that morning. The day was brilliant, weather-wise... perfect for riding the rides, wandering the midway, taking in the agricultural & 4H exhibits and downing a pork sandwich or three, all set against a magnificent back-drop of brilliant blue skies and emerald mountain peaks.

And now, the appointed hour has almost arrived. Time to sign off and prepare for the next conference call. The waiting is almost over...